Israel Belongs to You(adapted from Rabbi Y. Tauber)
Tomorrow morning we read about the very first tract in the Land of Israel to enter into Jewish possession.
Though G‑d had promised Abraham that his descendants would be given the entire land of Israel, that pledge was to be materialized years later. The first part of the land of Israel to actually belong to us, in the legal sense, was the section of land in the heart of Hebron, which Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hittite to bury his wife Sarah.
So even if other nations seek to deny the Divine promise to Abraham and our G‑d given right to the entire Land of Israel, the Jewish right of ownership to Hebron is incontestable. Our grandfather bought it!
In fact, this Shabbat thousands of Jews will travel to Hebron and celebrate our connection to and ownership of one of the holiest places on earth – the burial place of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, and Leah.
The Torah recounts the Ephron-Abraham sale in great detail, including the sum of the purchase price. Based on price and value of land at the time, our Sages calculate that the area of land purchased was 600,000 square cubits. (In case you’re not familiar square cubits, it’s the approximate area occupied by an upright human being – 18'' x 18").
What is the significance of the number 600,000?
In the census taken at Sinai, the Torah lists 600,000 head of households. Kabbalisticaly, the Jewish nation consists of 600,000 souls. And the soul of every Jew who ever lived or will live is a dimension or ‘slice’ of one of these 600,000 souls.
Thus, the very first area of land in Israel purchased by our grandfather Abraham contained one square cubit for every member of the Jewish People.
I find this insight to be very apropos and relevant to our times. Israel belongs to each and every one of us. And it has been this way from the very start. The feelings of attachment we each have towards our homeland are not merely nostalgic or a longing to connect to our history. They are an expression of our innate connection and ownership of the land.
There’s a piece of Israel that belongs to you and somehow somewhere you feel it and know it.
May G‑d continue to protect our land. May we very soon witness the ingathering of the exile when we will all move into that piece of real estate with our name on it!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Raleigh Resnick
