Parshat Chukat
By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron
בס"ד
לשכנו תדרשו
"Awakening" the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land
"אז ישיר ישראל את השירה הזאת... ויקח ישראל את כל הערים האלה וישב ישראל בכל ערי האמרי..."
"R' Shimon arose and said... 'Listen, Lofty Ones - these are the "slumberers of Hebron" (Avot) and the "the Faithful Shepherd" (Moshe Rabeinu) - Wake up from your sleep!... Wake up and praise, to "awaken" the Holy Presence, for She is "asleep" in Exile..." (Intro to T.
Zohar incorporated as intro to prayers acc. to Sephardic custom)
Indeed, we are hearing the ever-strengthening wakening calls of
Redemption, calling us to awaken ourselves and others, calling us to revive our People, calling us to "awaken" and revive the Holy Presence in our Holy Land. These calls of wakening and excitement are a direct product from the closeness of Israel to its Holy Land, as seen explicitly in the Midrash on the "Song of Israel" in our week's parsha (see title quote and its Rashi).
The Midrash (Bamidbar Raba 19, 26) explains that this song was sung out of praise and excitement for the miracle that occurred at the Arnon River, in which an earth-quake crushed the enemies of Israel. The Midrash explains that the earth quaked, because Israel approached the Arnon River, the border of the Land of Israel - "just as a maidservant (the Land of Israel), when she sees the son of her master (People of Israel) approaching, she (maidservant/Land) jumps up (in excitement) to greet him (even) before his entrance" (words of the Midrash).
When we examine this midrash more deeply, in context of the Holy Presence, we gain an added dimension of understanding. When our People merely approach and "make motions" towards our Holy Land much spiritual "excitement" is sparked, for these "motions" are the catalysts towards "arousing" the Holy Presence in our Holy Land.
In this week's parsha, this initial "approaching" is not left to disintegrate into the annals of history, but rather is actualized in the form of permanent settlement in the "Amorite cities" on the Eastern Bank of the Jordan (mentioned in second half of our title quote). The concept of "the Eastern Bank of the Jordan" mentioned in this week's parsha and on-wards plays an important Biblical and halachic precedent to the semi-holiness of locations adjacent to Israel-proper (on the Western Bank).
Without discussing the many halachic details involved in this "semi-holiness", we shall say, for short, that it is only because these areas were not conquered after the conquer of the entirety of proper Israel, that these areas are not considered to be fully holy as the rest of the Land of Israel (Rambam, Melachim veMilchamot 5, 6) Nevertheless, we may infer from such "semi-holiness" that all efforts to enhance the Land of Israel are yet-still the motions of holiness, motions of reviving the Shechina in our Land. Thus, we connect to the ways of our Patriarchs, "awoken Ones of Hebron", who connected to our Holy Land long before it was actually conquered by their descendants. May we realize our Patriarch's vision and promise and the dreams of their
descendants for countless generations. May we awaken Redemption.
Real Stories from the Holy Land #22: "Our lap-top, used for work, was under repair for several weeks. We were told that it would take at-least another 4-5 weeks to get it back. Although we managed with the work-load nevertheless for several weeks, one day we came to the conclusion that we have no choice but to find a temporary computer/arrangement to keep up with the work-load. That very day we got the lap-top back, repaired"
