Chapter 29
Seeking to Condemn Those Who Dwell in the Land
Given all we have quoted from saintly mouths, we understand that those who seek to find blemishes in the Land and those who live there do this only in order to cover up their own arrogance. They think of themselves, "I am, and there is no one else beside me." 114 This is why they do not enjoy Divine assistance in making the move to the Land of Israel, where they would be able to merit seeing the face of the master, the G-d of Israel. 115
As is written in the Medrash Shochar Tov:
Give thanks to G-d, call out His Name: 116 Rabi Yosi bar Chalafta said to his son
Rabi Yishmael, “If you wish to see the Divine Presence in This World, you must engage in the Torah of the Land of Israel, as is written, דרשו ה' ועזו בקשו פניו תמיד - Seek out G-d and His strength, seek His face always. 117
This Medrash is discussed in the work Reishit Chochmah, 118 which explains:
The word עוז, strength, refers to Torah, as is written, May G-d grant strength to His People, 119 and תמיד, always, refers to the Land of Israel, as is written, G-d's eyes are always upon it. 120 This means that the chief manner of adherence to
G-d in achieving the highest spiritual life is in the Land of Israel, and especially in Jerusalem, as the Jerusalem on Earth is precisely positioned to correspond with the Jerusalem on High.
And the Holy Zohar 121 also states:
Rav Yehuda said: Fortunate is the lot of one who merited, during his lifetime, to set his domicile in the Holy Land, for such a person has merited to bring from the dew [the abundance] of the heavens above to the earth below. And whoever has merited to forge links in his lifetime with this holy land, will merit to later forge links with the upper holy land."
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114.Isaiah 47,8
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115.Shmot 34,23
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116.Tehillim 105,1
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117.ibid. verse 4
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118.Gate of Repentance, chap. 6
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119.Tehillim 29,11
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120.Dvarim 11,12
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121.Vayikra 72b
FOOTNOTES
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