Hashem told Avraham מן וראה עיניך נא שא הארץ כל את כי ,וימה וקדמה ונגבה צפנה שם אתה אשר המקום עולם עד ולזרעך אתננה לך ראה אתה אשר , "Raise your eyes and look from the place you are at, to the north, south, east, and west, for all the land that you see I will give to you and your children, forever" (13:14-15).
Why did Hashem specify that Avraham should look שם אתה אשר המקום מן, "from the place you are at"? The Or HaChaim HaKadosh explains that these words reveal a miracle that happened to Avraham. He didn’t have to turn in different directions to see the four sides of Eretz Yisrael. Standing in one place, Avraham saw the entire land of Eretz Yisrael. The Or HaChaim writes, כאן למזרח וממערב לדרום מצפון לראות שיוכל עצום נס לו עשה לסובב שיוצרך מבלי אחד ממקום , "A great miracle happened [to Avraham]. He could see from north to south, from west to the east, while standing in one place, without needing to turn around."
The question arises what was the significance of this miracle, and through which good deed did Avraham earn it? Perhaps the answer is as follows: The Midrash says that Avraham's tent had doors on all four sides, so hungry people could enter immediately without needing to search for the entrance. Since Avraham had compassion on his guests that they shouldn’t have to circle his tent to get to the door, he was granted this miracle - that he could see the entire land without turning around.
The Torah begins with the letter 'ב, which is gematriya two, not with the letter 'א, which is gematriya one. This implies that the root of the Torah is 'ב, two, to think about what you can do for others. One shouldn’t be an 'א, self-centered, only thinking about himself.
Ahavas Yisrael and the Seventh of Cheshvan
In Eretz Yisrael, we begin saying טל ותן ומטר on the seventh of Cheshvan. What is the significance of this date? It seems that an ideal time to begin asking for rain would be חשון 'ג, for that is the expected date for the first rain.
The Mishnah (Taanis 1:3) explains that the furthest place in Eretz Yisrael is in the north, on the shores of פרת נהר (the Euphrates River). The people living there and went to Yerushalayim for Succos and Shemini Atzeres will only be back home on חשון 'ז (fifteen days after Shemini Atzeres). It is, therefore, not proper to pray for rain while these people are still traveling. We must be concerned they should be able to travel in dry weather. Thus, we wait until the seventh of Cheshvan, when everyone has reached their home.
This halachah portrays the ideal of ahavas Yisrael and the concern we should have for every single Yid. We don’t consider praying for rain before everyone is safe and comfortable in their homes.
Due to our sins, the Beis HaMikdash was destroyed, and we don't have the mitzvah of לרגל עליה, to ascend to the Beis HaMikdash for Yom Tov. So why is the halachah still in place? Why do Yidden in Eretz Yisrael begin saying ומטר טל ותן on the seventh of Cheshvan? The original reason no longer applies.
We can answer that since this halachah teaches us a lesson in ahavas Yisrael, we want to remember it in all generations. We want to remember that we must be concerned for the well-being and comfort of every single Yid.
