You shall observe to do all the statutes and the ordinances which I set before you this day These are the statutes and the ordinances which you shall observe to do in the land which Hashem, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess it, all the days that you live on the earth.
The Ohr Hachaim explains the commandment to observe, based on a different translation of the word וּשְמַרְ תֶם . The possuk says וְאָבִּיו שָמַר אֶת הַדָבָר – and his father guarded the matter. Yosef had a dream that seemed impossible at the time, and his brothers laughed at it. However, his father Yaakov guarded the matter, awaiting its fulfillment. The Mitzvos described in this parsha are mainly relevant to Eretz Yisroel. The mitzvah here is that they should guard the matter, hoping constantly to arrive in Eretz Yisroel to keep this mitzvah. This is a mitzvah to hope to arrive in Eretz Yisroel. The next possuk is the list of statutes and mitzvos for Eretz Yisroel.
(It is possible that this is the source of the 13 affirmations of faith that we have in the Siddur, where we are told ואף על פי שיתמהמה עם כל זה אחכה לו בכל יום שיבא – even though he may tarry, we still await him each day that he should come. Where are we exhorted to await him? Where does the Torah tell us that we must hope for his speedy arrival? The possuk in Chabakuk is the source of the language of the affirmation אִּם יִּתְמַהְמָהּ חַכֵה לוֹ – Though it takes time, wait for it. However, in the Torah we don’t find a clear source. The Semak in the first Mitzvah includes it in the mitzvah of believing in Hashem. However, the Ohr Hachaim seems to be including it in this mitzvah of וּשְמַרְ תֶם לַעֲשׂוֹת. We must constantly guard the return to Eretz Yisroel and hope to keep those mitzvos as soon as we can.)
We will inherit that land לְרִּ שְתָהּ כׇּל הַיָמִּים for all of our days. It will be ours forever, if we guard those mitzvos as we should. As long as we hope to return to Eretz Yisroel, Eretz Yisroel is ours.
