This week's Torah portion, Lech Lecha, describes G-d's promise of the Land of Israel to the Jewish people. It also describes Abraham's travels through the land whereby he acquired it for his descendants forever. Abraham's traversing of the land was not a necessary prerequisite for his taking possession of it as G-d's promise itself sufficed to transfer ownership of the Holy Land to Abraham.
It has been mentioned numerous times that the Rebbe's statements regarding the Holy Land, and his staunch position not to give away even one inch of land to the Arabs, has nothing to do with Biblical promises nor Messianic visions.
Rather, the Rebbe has made these statements and taken this position because of "Pikuach Nefesh" - the imminent danger to life - of Jews in the Holy Land as clearly stipulated in Shulchan Aruch - the Code of Jewish Law Chapter 329 Par. 6.
Unfortunately, the Rebbe's stand has been shown to be absolutely true. And yet, of course, there are spiritual as well as mundane lessons to be learned from this week's Torah portion. There are spiritual implications, the Rebbe explains, of G-d's promise to the Jewish people via Abraham:
"There is a particular relevance to G-d's promise in the present age, the era immediately preceding Moshiach's coming. For G-d promised Abraham the lands of the ten nations, including not only the land of the seven Canaanite nations conquered by the Jews after the exodus from Egypt, but also the lands of the Keini, Kenizi, and Kadmoni nations. G-d promised - and thus granted - the Jewish people all these ten lands at the same time. Nevertheless, in the present era, we were handed only the lands of seven nations and the fulfillment of this promise in its completion will only take place in the Era of Moshiach. In that era, all the Jews of all previous generations who will arise in the Resurrection, will also live there."
