Musar para sa Ezekiel 36:35

The Torah now resumes its narrative of the Israelites' journeys from Mount Sinai, the first such journey having as its objective entrance into the Holy Land, which substitutes for the original גן עדן into which original Adam had been placed. This was in line with the promise recorded in Ezekiel 36,35, concerning the future: "This very land which was desolate has become a Garden of Eden." The advantages of ארץ ישראל are described in the next paragraph (10,29), when חובב בן רעואל in, Moses's father-in-law, is invited to remain with the Jewish people with the unusual words "we are travelling towards the place of which G–d has said: "I will give it to you." The difficulty in this episode is that originally Moses had told his father-in-law that if he would remain with the people, they would let him share the good that G–d had said that He would bestow on the people. Yitro had declined this offer, saying he preferred to return to his own land and birthplace. When Moses repeats his invitation, he describes this טוב, goodness, that G–d would bestow upon the people as something that they in turn would bestow on him (10,32). In what way was Moses' second invitation designed to sway his father-in-law? What did he offer that he had not offered previously? Another difficulty is the repetition of the word טוב אשר ייטיב, "the good which G–d will do good?" A third difficulty is the clumsy wording in verse 29. It would have sufficed to speak of כי ה' דבר טוב על ישראל, "for G–d has spoken well concerning the future of Israel." Why did Moses have to say first "which G–d had said "I will give it to you?"

Nechemiah 9,6-8 is even more convincing. He says: "You made the heavens and the heaven's heaven, and all their host, the earth and everything upon it, the seas and everything in them… You are the Lord G–d who chose Abram, who brought him out of Ur .. and changed his name to Abraham.” Why does Nechemiah bother to mention that Abraham used to be called Abram? The reason is that he wanted to allude to the fact that heaven and earth were created for the sake of Abraham, and to make us take note that Abram's name had been changed. Once you appreciate this, you will also find a hint of this transformation already in the report of creation, i.e. Genesis 2,4. Just as Adam's abode was in גן עדן, and he was expelled from there only because of his sin, Abraham's true abode was the Holy Land, the land which according to Ezekiel 36,35 will become once more like גן עדן. We find that prior to the destruction of Sodom and the neighboring towns, the valley is referred to in the Torah as כגן ה' כארץ מצרים "like a garden of G–d, like the land of Egypt." There is, however, a difference between something described as גן, "garden," and גן עדן.

It is a duty to recite a benediction when setting out to study or to read the written Torah as well as to recite a benediction when setting out to study the oral Torah. The two benedictions are different, however, in their mystical dimensions. The benediction recited over the written Torah focuses on the awakening of the hidden light, imploring G–d to expand some of it so we may be enlightened by it. It is an example of the fact that any blessing is by definition an expansion of an already existing measure of blessing granted by G–d. The fact that we recite this blessing "awakens" the blessing, so to speak. The same will happen in the future when we can access this light completely. The benediction recited before studying oral Torah is an acknowledgement that this Torah has already developed like a fountain that keeps on gushing forth water, constantly adding new water. Similarly, our preoccupation with the oral Torah constantly affords us new insights, some of them never before articulated. It is these new insights which our Rabbis referred to when they said that G–d Himself quotes such insights taught by the scholars. The discussion in the Talmud as to why the earth was destroyed revolves around this concept. The purpose of creating the earth was that the earth should be "good," i.e. the world should be refined and that man should be clothed in garments of light, and that the light which is now hidden should pervade the whole universe. G–d hid this light upon observing the deeds of man. As a result the whole material the earth was constructed of coarsened, and man was forced to wear garments made of hide, etc. In spite of this coarsening process there was a small part of the earth which retained its original holiness, i.e. ארץ ישראל. Even this small corner of the earth which had retained its original holiness lost it, however, due to our sins, i.e. at the time of the destruction of the Holy Temple. At that time darkness descended even on this part of the earth, as the prophet Jeremiah tells us in Lamentations 3,6. Just as the light was removed immediately Adam had sinned, so in the case of Jerusalem. We read in Jeremiah 32,31: "This city has aroused My anger and My wrath from the day it was built until this day; hence it must be removed from My sight." This condition will continue until the land laid waste will be restored to be like גן עדן. I have repeatedly explained that terrestrial ארץ ישראל is "opposite" Celestial ארץ ישראל which is the mystical dimension of the oral Torah.