This Shabbos we read Matos-Masei, which brings the forty-year journey through the wilderness to its close. These two parshios review many of the practical, spiritual, and national preparations necessary for building a Torah society in the Promised Land.
Parshas Matos opens with the laws of vows and oaths, emphasizing the sanctity and power of speech. It continues with the war against Midyan, the purification of the spoils of war, and the request of the tribes of Reuven and Gad (later joined by half of Menashe) to settle on the eastern side of the Yarden. Parshas Masei begins by recounting the forty-two journeys of Bnei Yisrael from the Exodus until the plains of Moav. The Torah then outlines the boundaries of Eretz Yisrael, appoints leaders to oversee the division of the Land, designates the cities of the Leviim and the Arei Miklat (Cities of Refuge), and concludes with the laws governing the inheritance of the Daughters of Tzelafchad.
As Sefer Bamidbar comes to its close, these parshios remind us that after years of wandering, growth, setbacks, and triumphs, Bnei Yisrael are finally prepared to fulfill their mission of entering the Land and building a nation founded upon the values and ideals of the Torah.
It is important to note that the final parshios of Sefer Bamidbar (beginning with Chukas, Chapter 20) all revolve around one theme and one goal: the entry of the nation into the Promised Land.
It is incredibly meaningful to consider that Sefer Bereishis concludes with the request of Yosef to be buried in Eretz Yisrael. Upon his deathbed, and as the Egyptian enslavement is about to commence, Yosef gathers his brothers around and has them take an oath that when the redemption arrives—for G-d will surely remember them—they will take his bones out with them.
And as Bamidbar concludes—which is, in a sense, the end of the process of the Exodus—we read of the righteous daughters of Yosef (the daughters of Tzelafchad), who like their patriarch, loved the land of Israel (see Rashi to Bamidbar 27:1). As Yosef desired the land and was rewarded with kevurah ba’Aretz (burial in the Land), his daughters loved the land and were rewarded with their father’s portion in it.
We were zocheh (merited) to spend eleven days in Eretz Yisrael, having returned this past Monday morning. Walking through Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu last week, I marveled at the beauty of our land, its bounty, our nation, and Hashem’s great wonders. It is so difficult to capture a feeling in words, and certainly, our love for the land cannot be fully captured.
The kibbutz sits in the Jordan Valley’s lush Beit She'an Valley—historically known as Emek Ha’Ma’ayanot. Here, the nearby mountains aren't distant at all; they look right across the Jordan River into the country of Jordan. At sunset, these peaks glow in breathtaking shades of pink. At times, walking through the fields, gazing upon the mountains, and taking in the produce, flora, and fauna all around, I felt myself speechless.
The kibbutz hosts many beautiful projects and industries, including a Kibbutz-Ulpan program for new olim and volunteers, a lone soldier program, palm tree fields grown for lulavim, date palms, and exquisitely lush vineyards whose grapes are used to produce organic grape juice.
Walking past the kibbutz homes, we saw lawns and sidewalks lined with grapefruit, olive, pomegranate, and lime trees. We marveled at a massive cactus plant - the largest I’ve ever seen - with beautiful, unusual flowers blossoming in a vibrant array of colors and shapes, all framed by the tall, majestic palm trees gracing the kibbutz gardens. The temperature was intensely hot, but as the day grew long, the heat eased up. The atmosphere became serene, tranquil, and quiet. The sun in its setting was majestic, the leaves vibrant green, and the evening breeze felt like the winds of Eden blowing on one’s face.
Our love for the land is a deep attachment felt within the neshama (soul), one that transcends the confines of this world.
The pasuk tells us: אֶֶ֕רץ אֲשֶׁר ה' אֱלֹקיךָ דֹּרֵשׁ אֹתָהּ תָּמִיד עֵינֵי ה' אֱלֹקיךָ בָּהּ מֵרֵשִׁית הַשָּׁנָה וְעַד אַחֲרִית שָׁנָה - A land that Hashem, your G-d, seeks out; the eyes of Hashem your G-d are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year (Devarim 11:12). The closeness of Hashem to Eretz Yisrael becomes an almost palpable, spiritually tangible reality the moment you walk through the land.
This is the ultimate lesson of the final parshios of Bamidbar. The love of the Land is not meant to remain a distant, abstract ideal, nor is it a feeling reserved solely for the moments we are physically standing within its borders. Like the daughters of Tzelafchad, who carried the flame of Yosef’s ancient oath through forty years of desert wandering, we are meant to carry the reality of Eretz Yisrael deep within our hearts wherever we go.
Coming back to one’s daily routine after such an inspiring journey is never easy. Yet, the challenge is to take that palpable closeness, that breeze from the winds of Eden, and use it to elevate our lives here. By letting our love for the Land, for Torah, and for Am Yisrael shape our actions, our speech, and our devotion to Hashem, we keep our connection to our true home alive every single day, eagerly awaiting the time when we will return for good.
How apropos this lesson is for the Three Weeks and the month of Av. As we mourn for the destruction of Tzion and Yerushalayim, we long for the day when she will be rebuilt and redeemed in all her glory.
אַתָּה תָקוּם תְּרַחֵם צִיּוֹן כִּי־עֵת לְחֶנְנָהּ כִּי־בָא מוֹעֵד - You will arise, You will have mercy on Tzion for there is a time to favor it, for the appointed time has arrived; כִּי־רָצוּ עֲבָדֶיךָ אֶת־אֲבָנֶיהָ וְאֶת־עֲפָרָהּ יְחֹנֵנוּ - For Your servants desired its stones and her dust they favored (Tehillim 102:14-15).
כָּל הַמִּתְאַבֵּל עַל יְרוּשָׁלַיִם זוֹכֶה וְרוֹאֶה בְּשִׂמְחָתָהּ, all who mourn for J’lem will merit to see her joy (Taanis 30b).
