Hidden Treasures of Eretz Yisrael

במדרש כי אתם באים

In the Midrash, on the verse "For you are coming" (Bamidbar 34:2).

The Sfas Emes opens by citing a Midrash on the verse "For you are coming to the land" at the beginning of Parshas Masei's discussion of Eretz Yisrael's boundaries.

כנען פרקמטיא שבה סחורה כו' תפול לכם לכם היא ראוי' ע"ש

"Canaan" connotes commerce, for it is a land in which one trades, and so forth: "it shall fall to you" - to you it is fitting - see there.

The Midrash reads the name "Canaan" as alluding to merchandise and trade, and the words "it shall fall to you" as meaning the Land is fittingly suited to Bnei Yisrael.

והענין הוא כי ארץ ישראל אשר הבטיח הקב"ה וב"ש לאבותינו לתת לנו יש בה מטמונים גנוזים

The idea is that Eretz Yisrael, which the Holy One, Blessed is He, promised to our forefathers to give to us, contains hidden treasures concealed within it.

He explains that the Land Hashem promised the Avos contains treasures hidden beneath its surface, not visible to the casual eye.

וע"ז כתיב מה רב טובך אשר צפנת ליריאך

And regarding this it is written, "How abundant is Your goodness, which You have hidden away for those who fear You" (Tehillim 31:20).

He brings the verse from Tehillim that speaks of an abundant goodness Hashem stores away specifically for those who fear Him.

ודרך הסוחרים להראות הפסולת תחלה

Now, the way of merchants is to display the inferior wares first.

Drawing on the merchant theme, he notes that a seller first puts out the lesser-quality goods before revealing the finest.

ובנ"י בבואם לארץ כפי רוב זכיותיהם כך נגלה להם גנזי קדושה פנימיות כמ"ש אם תבקשנה ככסף וכמטמונים

And when Bnei Yisrael came into the Land, in accordance with the abundance of their merits, so were the inner treasures of kedushah revealed to them, as it is written, "if you seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasures" (Mishlei 2:4).

When Bnei Yisrael entered the Land, the deeper treasures of kedushah were uncovered for them in proportion to their merits, like one who digs for buried silver.

וכאשר הי' הארץ ביד הרשעים לא ראו כלום ולא הי' להם רק מלבוש החיצון

But when the Land was in the hand of the wicked, they saw nothing of this, and they possessed only its outer garment.

While the wicked held the Land they perceived none of this inner wealth, possessing merely its external shell.

אבל לבנ"י ניתן שורש הארץ וז"ש אשר תפול לכם בנחלה

Whereas to Bnei Yisrael the very root of the Land was given, and this is the meaning of "which shall fall to you as an inheritance (nachalah)."

To Bnei Yisrael, by contrast, the Land's very root was granted, which is what the Torah signals by calling it a nachalah that "falls" to them.

הוא עם הנחל ומעין ושורש הארץ לכן היא כנחלה שאין לה הפסק מאחר שניתן לבנ"י עם השורש

It is together with the wellspring and the flowing stream and the root of the Land; therefore it is like a nachalah which has no cessation, since it was given to Bnei Yisrael together with its root.

Because Bnei Yisrael received the Land along with its spiritual source - its wellspring and root - it is an inheritance without end, a flow that never stops.

ולשון תפול הוא ג"כ דבר שאין לה הפסק כי שורש ארץ ישראל הוא גבוה מעל גבוה וכפי עבודת בנ"י בנפשותם כן מתגלה להם קדושת ארץ ישראל יותר ויותר וכדמצינו בגמרא ארץ צבי כשבנ"י עלי' פשטא לה כו'

And the expression "shall fall" (tipol) likewise denotes something that has no cessation, for the root of Eretz Yisrael is loftier than the loftiest, and in accordance with the avodah of Bnei Yisrael upon their souls, so is the kedushah of Eretz Yisrael revealed to them more and more, as we find in the Gemara: "a land of deer (eretz tzvi)" - when Bnei Yisrael are upon it, it expands for them, and so forth.

The word "falls" itself implies a ceaseless descent of holiness from the Land's lofty root, and the more Bnei Yisrael refine their souls through avodah, the more of Eretz Yisrael's kedushah is revealed to them, as the Gemara says the "land of deer" stretches to accommodate them.

וכאשר הי' שינוי בין אנשי בית ראשון לבית שני

And just as there was a difference between the people of the First Beis HaMikdash and those of the Second Beis HaMikdash.

He points to the contrast between the spiritual level of the generation of the First Beis HaMikdash and that of the Second.

וכן הוא לעולם

So it is for all time.

This pattern of revelation according to the generation's worthiness holds true in every era.

לכן כתיב אשר תפול תמיד בכל עת שזוכין שירד הארה מן השורש כנ"ל

Therefore it is written "which shall fall" - always, at every moment that they merit that an illumination should descend from the root, as explained above.

Thus the Torah uses "shall fall" in the continuous present, because the illumination descends from the root anew at every moment Bnei Yisrael are worthy of it.

[וז"ש וכרות עמו כו' לתת כו' לתת ב' פעמים כי נותן וחוזר ונותן כנ"ל]. ואפילו אנחנו שנתגרשנו מנחלת אבותינו מ"מ כיון שניתן לנו א"י עם השורש נשאר לעולם דביקות בנ"י בשורש א"י וביהמ"ק לכן מברכין על ארץ חמדה שהנחלת לאבותינו שיש לנו עוד דביקות מכח שנק' נחלה שאין לה הפסק כנ"ל:

[And this is the meaning of "and He made a covenant with him... to give... to give" - "to give" twice, for He gives and then gives again, as explained above. And even we, who have been exiled from the inheritance of our forefathers - nevertheless, since Eretz Yisrael was given to us together with its root, there remains forever a dveikus of Bnei Yisrael in the root of Eretz Yisrael and the Beis HaMikdash. Therefore we make a berachah upon "the desirable land which You gave as an inheritance to our forefathers," for we still have dveikus through the fact that it is called a nachalah which has no cessation, as explained above.]

The doubled "to give" in the covenant verse teaches that Hashem gives and gives again continually; and even in galus, since we received the Land with its root, our bond to that root and to the Beis HaMikdash endures - which is why our berachah thanks Hashem for the "desirable land," a nachalah whose connection never ceases.

Summary: The Sfas Emes teaches that Eretz Yisrael, which the Holy One, Blessed is He, promised the Avos, holds treasures of kedushah hidden beneath its surface, revealed to Bnei Yisrael in proportion to their merits and avodah - just as a merchant displays his finest goods only after the inferior ones. The wicked who held the Land perceived only its outer garment, but to Bnei Yisrael the Land's very root was given, making it a nachalah without cessation, a flow of holiness that descends anew at every worthy moment. Because the Land's lofty root is loftier than the loftiest, the kedushah it reveals expands ever more as Bnei Yisrael refine their souls, varying from generation to generation as it did between the First and Second Beis HaMikdash. The doubled language "to give" in the covenant signals that Hashem gives and gives again perpetually. Therefore, even in galus and exiled from our inheritance, our dveikus to the root of Eretz Yisrael and the Beis HaMikdash endures, which is why we bless Hashem for the "desirable land" - a nachalah whose bond never ends.