"...a land of wheat and barley, and vines and fig-trees and
pomegranates; a land of olive-trees and honey [i.e. syrup
of dates];..."
(Deut. 8:8)
"Rav Hasdah and Rav Hamnunah were sitting at a
meal; dates and pomegranates were brought before them. Rav Hamnunah commenced
with a brakhah (benediction) upon the dates. [Rav Hasdah] said to him, is not
the accepted opinion that of Rav Yosef - and some say of R. Yitzhak - that
whichever takes precedence in this verse [Deut. 8:8] takes precedence in
being blessed? [Rav Hamnunah] said to him, the word `honey' [i.e. dates] is
second in number after the word `land', while the word `pomegranates' is fifth.
[Rav Hasdah] said to him, would that we had limbs of iron that we might follow
you." (Brakhoth 41b)
40. As the brakhoth (benedictions) awaken
hearts to those righteous perceptions (Rambam, Hilkhoth Brakhoth
1:3) which are parent to righteous deeds and excellent virtues, so too, are the
fine points and particulars of each law built up in ways which lead on to noble
and excellent virtues and the principles of Torah in beliefs and perceptions
(emunoth u'deoth). And inasmuch as the love of Eretz
Israel is the foundation of the Torah, bringing the community of the
people of G-d [Klal Israel], and the world in its entirety, to its
perfection of wholeness, therefore the precedence accorded to the object of
each brakhah is linked to its proximity to "eretz" (Land) in the
Torah. Thus are we taught that whoever is in closest proximity to the Land, and
has the most love for the Land, and who puts forth the greatest endeavour in
Settling the Land (Yishuv Eretz Israel), receives precedence in being
blessed and is closer to attaining the perfection of wholeness.
And as to those who love the Land, they may be classed according
to their merits and their powers of discernment. For there are those who love
the Land for its noble qualities. They thirst to "take pleasure in her
stones,/And love her dust." (Ps. 102:15) in order to fulfill the
mitzvoth (commandments) which are dependent upon the Land. They cleave
to the Land in pursuance of that lofty aim which is to be found by the
community of Israel and the world in its entirety when it is sought on a
spiritual level. But there are also those who love the Land and strive for its
Settlement in order to achieve the aim of establishing a resting-place for the
community of Israel [in their Land]. This too is a sound and glorious
endeavour; nonetheless it is not on the same high level as that aspired to by
those who recognize the lofty aim which is the basis of the love of the
Land.
Therefore the proximity of the objects of the brakhoth to "eretz"
is alluded to in this verse in two orders of classification. The first group,
of five `kinds', suggests that highest, most superior form of yearning for the
Land as exemplified by the Five Books of the Torah which are the basis of the
perfection of wholeness of Israel from which is drawn the perfection of
wholeness of humanity. And each member of this group takes precedent in the
brakhoth according to its place in the verse and its proximity to "eretz". The
second group, ["olive-trees and honey"], is exemplified by those who recognize
the natural wholeness of the community of Israel in its Land . . .
Thus we learn here how great is the merit of one who
yearns to settle the Land even for materialistic purposes, for the sake of the
community. For what is done for the sake of the community will always transmute
the material into the spiritual, and the high and lofty aim will be attained by
means of the linking of G-d's People with G-d's Land. Therefore whoever is
deeply absorbed in the Land, even on a lowly level, should be strengthened and
encouraged by us and placed foremost in being blessed. He must be given
precedence over one who is tardy in coming and remains at a distance, even
though at heart the one from afar is on a higher spiritual level. For the
Settlement of the Land and the love of the Land expressed in deeds is a sublime
affair. In this regard, the Sages wrote of Omri (Sanhedrin 102b) that he
won a kingdom because he added one city to Eretz Israel, even
though his intentions were certainly materialistic. (Yalkut
Shimoni, Part II, 207)
We must learn that it is necessary for us to strengthen the
physical powers of the national community, and thus will come about the
strengthening of the spiritual forces. Therefore [Rav Hamnunah] said to them,
this is second in number after the word `land'. That is,
even though it is second in number to `land' in the second, lower level,
spiritual grouping, nonetheless it takes precedent over that which is fifth in
number to `land' in the first, higher level, spiritual grouping, because of the
impression that the love of the Land ought to make upon us. So that although
the soul of one may be on a lowly level compared to that of the other,
nonetheless his material enterprises impel towards a lofty aim. Thus out of
physical strength will come spiritual strength. Therefore they said to [Rav
Hamnunah], in word and deed, would that we had limbs of iron that we might
follow you. Would that we had the physical strength and iron power - that
we were strong muscled - that we might receive from you a spiritual wholeness
great as your own virtues - that we might love the material strength that is in
G-d's People that will surely bring about spiritual strength.
And as to national matters concerning the community of Israel,
here also, would that we might have the means to strengthen the physical and
material side of the community - limbs of iron - iron
cars, iron bars - with forceful vigour and a body strong as iron to gird our
loins with courage and exalt our glory in the spirit of valour. That
we might follow you, and we will walk your path winning to glory in the
way of the Torah, with love and tranquillity, neither "scaling the wall nor
crying havoc against the nations of the world" (Ketuboth 111a). Each one
must multiply their inner strength, even if it is materialistic in essence, for
thus will we bring about the spiritual reality, which is the ultimate goal -
"...Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, saith the L-rd of hosts."
(Zech. 4:6) And the Psalmist said, "Glorify the L-rd, O
Jerusalem;/Praise thy G-d, O Zion./For He hath made strong the bars of thy
gates;/ He hath blessed thy children within thee./He maketh thy borders
peace;/He giveth thee in plenty the fat of wheat." (Ps. 147:12-14) To
which the necessary conclusion and completeness, in accordance with the
keudushah (holiness) of Israel, will be that, "He declareth His word
unto Jacob,/His statutes and His ordinances unto Israel." (Ps.
147:19)
----HaRav A. Y. Kook, Ein Ai'yah [Brakhoth
41b]
(translated by Rhea Magnes)
COMMENTARY: The status of those Founders and
Settlers in Eretz Israel who were not shomrei Torah
u'mitzvoth (followers of the Laws and commandments of the Torah) is a
central theme in scholarly discussions of Zionism. HaRav Kook draws upon one of
the finer details of the laws concerning benedictions (Hilkhoth
Brakhoth) to define this unique and complex relationship. The
halakhah (Jewish Law) states that if a variety of fruits, which are each
to receive the same benediction, is placed before the one who makes the
benediction, and one species in the variety is of the "Seven Kinds" of produce
with which Eretz Israel is blessed (Deut. 8:8), the benediction
is made over that species first. It is then not necessary to repeat the same
benediction over the remaining varieties of fruits. (Shulkhan Arukh,
Orekh Haim 211:1) The halakhah goes on to state - according to
Rav Yosef - that if there are two or more species of the "Seven Kinds" on the
table, then the benediction is made over whichever one is named first in the
passage in the Torah (Deut. 8:8).
It is to this halakhah that the story in the Gemara
(Brakhoth 41b) refers. An Amorah (Talmudic Sage) gave precedence
to a species of fruit which is named later in the text than the other species
of the "Seven Kinds" which were before him. He explained his actions by saying
that the species whose name is located in the Biblical text closest to
the word "eretz" (land) is to be blessed first, even though it appears
later in the text. Thus are we taught that there is a special and unique
virtue in being "close" to Eretz Israel. This idea is explained and
developed at length by HaRav Kook.
Thus, according to the explication of HaRav Kook, even that which
is done to contribute to the physical sustenance of the People of Israel in
their Land, will lead in the end to their spiritual sustenance as well. The
allusion to Israel's physical sustenance is exemplified by the two species
which are named in the second order of the Biblical passage: "...olive-trees
and honey". It may be noted that this allusion can be carried through from the
fruits themselves to their products, oil which is derived from the olive and
the syrup which is derived from the dates. This is applicable to the idea which
is developed by HaRav Kook in which he explains that out of that material
virtue of contributing to the physical sustenance of the People of Israel in
the Land will be derived a spiritual end. ----Y.M.
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