Parshat Pinchas
By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron
בס"ד
לשכנו תדרשו
Pleading the Case for the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land
"אַךְ בְּגוֹרָל יֵחָלֵק אֶת הָאָרֶץ לִשְׁמוֹת מַטּוֹת אֲבֹתָם יִנְחָלוּ:" (במדבר כו, נה)
"Our Father, Merciful Father! Show us a sign of goodness, and gather our dispersions from the four corners of the earth, and all nations shall know that You are HaShem our God... Have mercy on Your People, have compassion on Your Land, have mercy, please, as befits your great compassion.." These words are only a short excerpt from the many pleadings to HaShem found in the Tahanun prayer (Sephard) to end our Exile, to ingather our People, and to have compassion on our Holy Land. In addition to the ingathering of exiles, one of our People's great aspirations is not only that our People settle in the Land, but also that this settlement be in a specific way or division, in which each person settles in a portion of the Land befitting his tribe. Needless to say, that to ascertain today to which tribe a person belongs is a feat almost undoubtedly dependent on the advent of 'ruah hakodesh' ('holy spirit of divination') or prophecy, since very few can trace their ancestry to Biblical times, when this 'division' was last operating. The advent of this 'ruah hakodesh' or prophecy may also be linked to the revival of the power of the Shechina in our Land which also comes in conjuction of the return of Israel to the Holy Land as we have mentioned (based on Zohar and more) many times before (just as the 'absence' of the Shechina is linked to the absence of 'ruah hakodesh' in the Bais HaMikdash in Yoma 21b). In our title quote from this week's parsha we learn that the Land was divided among the tribes by lots. Our Sages add (Baba Batra 117) that in addition to lots, 'ruah hakodesh' was also an integral part of the division process, a matter that highlights the divine and supernatural connection of our People to the Holy Land, not only in a general way as ascertaining the tribes of people as mentioned above, but also in a very specific and practical way in defining specific plots of land for specific individuals. We should also add that this division of the Land between the tribes, is a crucial step, built on top of the basic step of settlement of the majority of Israel in the Land (this basic step is sufficient for the mitzvot of teruma and maaser (Rambam Terumot 1)), for the renewal of the observance of many mitzvot, such as: Shemita and Yovel, the 'Hebrew servant', 'redemption of Land' (see parshat Behar), and more (Rambam, Shemita V'Yovel 10, 8). What meaning can we muster from the great importance given to dividing the Land between the tribes? If we understand that the completion of our People's spiritual potential comes through settlement of the Holy Land, then we can go further to understand that there are different parts of the Land which befit and complete the different missions of each tribe's specific potential. When this unique 'relationship' of each tribe is established then the whole People's 'relationship' to the Land reaches an even greater spiritual level. Hebron is the capital city of the tribe of Judah (see David's ascent to royalty via Hebron). Judah is the tribe of leadership. By supporting Hebron, we build the leadership of today and of our promising future. (Note: It should be clear that all terms used in context of the Holy Presence (to 'awaken', revive, etc) do not say anything about the essence of the Shechina, but rather are meant to 'soothe the ear' to contemplate the ways the Shechina as it is 'revealed' to us. Add. Note: all 'meaning' or reason given for the mitzvos are also to 'soothe the ear' to contemplate on HaShem's ways, but definitely do not claim to present the ultimate reasons of mitzvot, which are divine decrees far deeper and beyond our understanding, also not dependent on the 'reasoning' we present).
Real Stories from the Holy Land #24: "One day we signed a contract to buy a house in Kiryat Arba. That very same day the landlord of the apartment we had been renting, who did not know anything about this contract, suddenly called after not talking with me for several months. He said that that very day someone offered to rent the apartment in our stead."
