Inner Greatness Of Eretz Yisrael

במדרש כי אתם באים כו' כשירד המן ברכו הזן את הכל משנכנסו אל הארץ ברכו על הארץ ועל המזון וברכה זו חביבה כו' אשר תרתי להם כו' צבי הוא לכל הארצות כו' ע"ש כל המדרש

In the Midrash: "For you are coming" (Bamidbar 34:2) — when the mann descended they instituted the berachah "Who sustains all"; once they entered the Land they instituted the berachah "for the Land and for the sustenance," and this berachah is beloved, etc.; "which I have scouted out for them" (Yechezkel 20:6) — "it is the splendor (tzvi) of all the lands" — see the entire Midrash there.

The Midrash contrasts two berachos: the one tied to the mann, "Who sustains all," and the one instituted upon entering Eretz Yisrael, "for the Land," calling the Land the splendor of all lands.

המן הי' מתנה מן השמים בחסד עליון וזה ברכת הזן את (כל) העולם בטובו בחסד כו'

The mann was a gift from Heaven through the Supernal kindness, and this is the berachah "Who sustains the entire world in His goodness," through kindness, etc.

The mann represented Hashem's pure kindness flowing down from Heaven, paralleling the berachah that thanks Hashem for sustaining the world through His goodness.

אבל ברכת הארץ יתירה מה שניתן לבנ"י להמשיך השפע ברכה ע"י מעשיהם

But the berachah of the Land is something more — that it was given to Bnei Yisrael to draw down the flow of blessing through their own deeds.

The berachah of the Land carries an added dimension: Bnei Yisrael themselves draw down blessing through their own actions, not merely receiving it from above.

והנה א"י היא מעט הכמות ורב האיכות כי העיקר הוא הפנימיות ולכן נדמה כצבי שאין עורו מחזיק את בשרו שהפנימיות רב מאוד מן החצוניות מלבוש החיצון

Now, Eretz Yisrael is small in quantity but abundant in quality, for the essence is the inner dimension; therefore it is likened to a tzvi (deer), whose hide cannot contain its flesh — for its inner dimension is far greater than its external dimension, the outer garment.

Eretz Yisrael is physically small yet spiritually vast; like a deer whose skin cannot hold its flesh, its inner content overflows its outer form.

ולכן נק' זבת" חלב" ודבש" ס"ת שב"ת שגם השבת הוא כן שמתגלה בו פנימיות השפע ולכן הוא מוכן רק לבנ"י דגם הם מעט הכמות אתם המעט מכל העמים

Therefore it is called "flowing with milk (chalav) and honey (devash)" — the final letters of "zavas chalav u'devash" spell Shabbos — for Shabbos too is this way, that within it the inner dimension of the flow is revealed; and therefore it is prepared only for Bnei Yisrael, who are likewise small in quantity, "for you are the fewest of all the peoples" (Devarim 7:7).

The hidden acronym "Shabbos" in the phrase "flowing with milk and honey" links the Land to Shabbos, both of which reveal the inner dimension of the flow, and both of which belong to Bnei Yisrael, who are also few in number.

אבל פנימיות שלהם רב וגבוה מאוד ולכן גם בישראל כתיב דבש" וחלב" תחת" לשונך ס"ת שב"ת

But their inner dimension is exceedingly great and lofty; and therefore concerning Yisrael too it is written "honey (devash) and milk (chalav) are under your tongue (tachas leshoneich)" (Shir HaShirim 4:11), whose final letters spell Shabbos.

Though few, Bnei Yisrael possess immense inner greatness, hinted at again by the acronym "Shabbos" within "honey and milk are under your tongue."

ובאמת הכל מצד התורה שכל העולם נברא בתורה

In truth, all of this is by virtue of the Torah, for the entire world was created through the Torah.

The root of all this hidden inner greatness is the Torah, through which the entire world was brought into being.

וא"י שהוא עיקר העולם ובאמצע העולם שמשם מתפשטין כל המקומות א"כ שם עיקר התורה

And Eretz Yisrael, which is the essence of the world and at the center of the world, from which all the places spread outward — if so, there is the essence of the Torah.

Since Eretz Yisrael is the center and essence of the world from which everything else extends, it is also the place where the Torah's essence resides.

וכן בנ"י שבשבילם נברא כל הבריאה א"כ הם בני תורה

And likewise Bnei Yisrael, for whose sake the entire creation was created — if so, they are the children of the Torah.

Likewise, since all of creation exists for the sake of Bnei Yisrael, they are intrinsically bound to the Torah as its children.

וז"ש חבלים נפלו לי בנעימים דרשו בזכות התורה שנקראת נעים וכתיב נעימים רומז לתורה שבכתב ושבע"פ וז"ש נחלת שפרה עלי הם נאה ללבושם ולבושם נאה להם

This is the meaning of "portions have fallen to me in pleasant places (ne'imim)" (Tehillim 16:6) — the Sages expounded that it is by virtue of the Torah, which is called pleasant (na'im); and it is written "ne'imim" in the plural, alluding to the Written Torah and the Oral Torah; and this is the meaning of "the inheritance is lovely (shafrah) to me" (Tehillim 16:6) — they are fitting to their garment, and their garment is fitting to them.

Dovid HaMelech's verse about pleasant portions is read as praise of the Torah; the plural "pleasant" hints at both the Written and Oral Torah, and the Land and its people are described as fitting one another like a garment.

ולנן כתיב זאת הארץ אשר תפול לכם

And therefore it is written "this is the Land that shall fall to you" (Bamidbar 34:2).

Because of this deep bond, the Torah describes the Land as something that "falls" to Bnei Yisrael as their fitting portion.

כשבנ"י נכנסו לא"י נגלה להם פנימיות א"י וע"ז כ' מה רב טובך אשר צפנת ליראיך פעלת כו' נגד בני אדם שאין הכל מבינים פנימיות ארץ ישראל רק בנ"י לכן נקרא ארץ ישראל שלהם נגלה זו המתנה גנוזה

When Bnei Yisrael entered Eretz Yisrael, the inner dimension of Eretz Yisrael was revealed to them; and concerning this it is written "how abundant is Your goodness which You have hidden away for those who fear You, which You have wrought," etc. (Tehillim 31:20) — "opposite the children of men" (ibid.), for not everyone grasps the inner dimension of Eretz Yisrael, only Bnei Yisrael; therefore it is called Eretz Yisrael — theirs — to whom this hidden gift was revealed.

Upon entering the Land, its concealed inner goodness was revealed to Bnei Yisrael alone; this is the hidden goodness stored away for those who fear Hashem, which only they can perceive.

וכשיצאו בנ"י משם יצא הודה זיוה הדרה כדאיתא בגמ' פשטה לה גמדא לה

And when Bnei Yisrael went out from there, its glory, its radiance, and its splendor departed, as is stated in the Gemara: "it stretched out for her, it contracted for her."

When Bnei Yisrael departed, the Land lost its glory and radiance, as the Gemara teaches that the Land expanded and contracted in accordance with its people.

והנה מן הוא לחם מן השמים בחי' תורה שבכתב וא"י בחי' תורה שבע"פ מעין התורה שנפתח ע"י פיהם של ישראל כמ"ש לעיל דבש וחלב תחת לשונך ולכן הוא חביב כמ"ש חביבין דברי סופרים מדברי תורה ולכן חביב א"י יותר מן המן דמאן דאכל דלאו דילי' בהית לאסתכולי בי'

Now, the mann is bread from Heaven, the aspect of the Written Torah, and Eretz Yisrael is the aspect of the Oral Torah, a wellspring of the Torah that is opened through the mouths of Yisrael, as stated above, "honey and milk are under your tongue"; and therefore it is beloved, as the Sages said: "the words of the Soferim are more beloved than the words of the Torah"; and therefore Eretz Yisrael is more beloved than the mann, for one who eats that which is not his own is ashamed to look upon it.

The mann corresponds to the Written Torah given from Heaven, while Eretz Yisrael corresponds to the Oral Torah drawn forth through Yisrael's own mouths; this is why it is more beloved, just as one prefers what is earned over what is received as a handout.

ובא"י זכו אל התורה בכח היגיעה

And in Eretz Yisrael they merited the Torah through the power of toil and exertion.

In Eretz Yisrael, Bnei Yisrael acquired the Torah specifically through their own labor and exertion.

והמזון הוא כפי התורה ולכן במדבר ניזונו מהמן ובא"י ע"י עבודת הארץ דמפקא מזון כדאיתא בגמ' והכל ענין אחד:

And the sustenance is according to the Torah; therefore in the wilderness they were sustained by the mann, while in Eretz Yisrael it was through the labor of the Land which brings forth sustenance, as stated in the Gemara — and it is all one matter.

Sustenance mirrors the mode of Torah: in the wilderness it came ready-made as mann, while in the Land it came through working the soil — both ultimately expressing the same single principle.

Summary: The Sfas Emes contrasts the mann, which descended from Heaven as a pure gift of Supernal kindness, with Eretz Yisrael, whose blessing Bnei Yisrael draw down through their own deeds. He explains that the Land is small in quantity yet vast in inner quality — likened to a deer whose hide cannot contain its flesh — and that its hidden acronym "Shabbos" links it to both Shabbos and to Bnei Yisrael, who are few in number but immense in their inner greatness. The root of all this is the Torah through which the world was created: Eretz Yisrael is the essence of the world and thus the seat of the Torah's essence, just as Bnei Yisrael, for whom creation exists, are the children of the Torah. The mann parallels the Written Torah received from above, while Eretz Yisrael parallels the Oral Torah drawn forth through the mouths of Yisrael, making it more beloved — for what is earned through toil surpasses what is received as a handout. Sustenance follows the same pattern: in the wilderness it came ready-made as mann, while in the Land it was earned through labor, and it is all one matter.