Purity Of Eretz Yisrael

במדרש פרי בטנך ואדמתך הקיש פ"ב לפרי אדמתך שאין בו חטא ועון ע"ש

In the Midrash, on the verse "the fruit of your womb and your land" (Devarim 28:11), the Midrash juxtaposes "the fruit of your womb" with "the fruit of your land" — teaching that just as the fruit of the land has in it no sin or transgression, so too should the fruit of the womb be without sin or transgression; see there.

The Sfas Emes opens with a Midrash that links the fruit of the womb to the fruit of the land: just as produce of Eretz Yisrael is free of sin, so should a person's offspring be free of sin and transgression.

כי ברית המעור תלי' בברית הלשון

For the bris of the maor — the covenant of guarding oneself in matters of purity — is dependent upon the bris of the tongue, the covenant of guarding one's speech.

He cites the principle that guarding oneself in matters of purity hinges on guarding one's speech — the two covenants are bound together.

ולפי שהבדיל הקב"ה אותנו במאכל שיהי' בלי פסולות וזה הי' שבח א"י שהי' מבורר מפסולות

And since the Holy One, Blessed is He, set us apart in our food, that it should be without any waste or refuse, this was the praise of Eretz Yisrael — that it was refined and clarified of all dross.

Hashem distinguished Bnei Yisrael through their food, that it be pure and free of waste, and this purity was the special praise of Eretz Yisrael.

ולכן יש מצות התלויות בארץ הואיל ופירות הארץ הוא בקדושה

And therefore there are mitzvos that are dependent upon the Land, since the fruits of the Land come with kedushah.

Because the fruits of the Land carry kedushah, there are mitzvos that apply specifically to the Land and its produce.

ולכן מתברך במעיו ויהי' פרי בטנך בלי פסולות

And therefore one is blessed in his innards, so that "the fruit of your womb" should be without any waste or refuse.

This purity of food brings a blessing into a person's innards, so that even his offspring — the fruit of the womb — come without flaw.

ולכן מזכירין ברית בברכת הארץ בבהמ"ז

And therefore we make mention of the bris within the blessing of the Land in Bircas HaMazon.

For this reason we mention the bris within the blessing of the Land in Bircas HaMazon, since the Land's purity and the bris are connected.

ואמרו חז"ל מרע"ה תיקן ברכת הזן על המן

And Chazal said that Moshe Rabbeinu instituted the blessing of "Hazan" — "He Who sustains all" — over the mann.

Chazal teach that Moshe Rabbeinu established the first blessing of Bircas HaMazon, "Hazan," in response to the gift of the mann.

ויהושע תיקן ברכת הארץ כי המן הי' שורש המזון מלמעלה כמ"ש אשר לא ידעת וכ' כ' לא ידעו מה הוא שהי' למעלה מבחי' עץ הדעת טו"ר

And Yehoshua instituted the blessing of the Land; for the mann was the root of sustenance drawn down from Above, as it is written, "which you did not know" (Devarim 8:3), and it is written, "they did not know what it was" (Shemos 16:15) — for it was above the level of the Eitz HaDaas of good and evil.

Yehoshua established the blessing of the Land; the mann was sustenance drawn straight from Above, beyond comprehension, transcending the level of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil.

וברכת הארץ היא ארץ דמפקא מזון שהגם שבא בדרך הטבע מ"מ הי' מבורר טוב בלא רע בכח יצ"מ וברית ותורה היו מקבלים הלחם בלי פסולות

And the blessing of the Land refers to the land that brings forth sustenance; for although it comes by way of nature, nevertheless it was refined — good without evil — through the power of yetzias Mitzrayim, the bris, and the Torah, through which they would receive their bread without any waste or refuse.

The blessing of the Land concerns earthly food that comes through nature, yet was still refined to good without evil through the merit of the redemption from Mitzrayim, the bris, and the Torah.

ולכן גדלה מעלת ברכת הארץ ביותר כמ"ש חז"ל

And therefore the greatness of the blessing of the Land is exceedingly great, as Chazal said.

Therefore the blessing of the Land carries exceptional importance, as Chazal emphasized.

וזה על הארץ הטובה טוב בלא רע כלל:

And this is the meaning of "for the good Land" (Devarim 8:10) — good without any evil at all.

This is the inner meaning of praising Hashem "for the good Land" — a goodness that is entirely free of any evil.

Summary: The Sfas Emes builds on a Midrash linking the fruit of the womb to the fruit of the land, both of which should be free of sin. He explains that Hashem set Bnei Yisrael apart through food refined of all waste, which was the special praise of Eretz Yisrael, and that this purity is bound up with the covenants of speech and self-restraint — hence we mention the bris in the blessing of the Land in Bircas HaMazon. He distinguishes the two blessings: Moshe Rabbeinu instituted "Hazan" over the mann, sustenance drawn directly from Above and beyond the level of the Eitz HaDaas, while Yehoshua instituted the blessing of the Land for earthly food that, though it comes through nature, was likewise refined to good without evil through the redemption from Mitzrayim, the bris, and the Torah. This is why the blessing of the Land carries such great importance, and why we praise Hashem "for the good Land" — a goodness wholly without any evil.