We are commanded to bring Bikkurim, the first-ripened fruits of the year, to the Beis Hamikdash, to express our gratitude to G-d for all He has done for us. The Torah instructs that before presenting the Bikkurim, the one offering must declare, “I extol today Hashem, your G-d, for I have come to the land that G-d swore to our forefathers to give to us.”
The person offering the Bikkurim states, “I extol today... for I have come to the Land,” even if he has lived in the Land of Israel his entire life. In fact, even if hundreds of years have passed since his ancestors arrived in the Land!
In doing so, the person offering the Bikkurim acknowledges that residence in the Land of Israel is unlike that of any other land. The Torah warns us, “Let the land not vomit you out for having defiled it, as it vomited out the nation that preceded you.” This means that a person must continuously earn his stay in the Land of Israel: each day of one’s residence in the Holy Land must be granted by G-d.
The person can therefore truly say, “I declare today... that I have come to the Land,” for his residence in the Land of Israel today is not due simply to his arrival there a few years back, or his ancestors’ arrival in the Land of Israel hundreds of years ago. It is something he has merited on this very day.
—Likkutei Sichos, vol. 19, p. 521
