Shabbos Parashas Eikev - 5778

Shabbos Parashas Eikev - 5778

Rabbi Hal Miller

For Hashem your God is bringing you to a good land, a land with streams of water,

of springs and waters of the depths coming forth in valley and mountain, a land of

wheat, barley, grape, fig, and pomegranate, a land of oil-olives and date honey, a

land where you will eat bread without poverty, you will lack nothing there, a land

whose stones are iron, and from whose mountains you will mine copper.

[Devarim 8:7-9]

The Torah tells us repeatedly that the land promised to Avraham and his descendants

is "a good land". What does this mean? Our verses appear to give us an answer to

this question, but the verse that follows seems to indicate even more: "You will eat

and you will be satisfied, and you will bless Hashem your God for the good land that

He gave you." [8:10]

Ramban defines the various forms of water mentioned in these verses, relating them

to ground water and rainfall, to present day and Creation.

Many commentators refer to this paragraph to define the order of precedence of

blessings, wheat then barley, then grape, etc. Chida tells us that the meaning is that

a poor person can enjoy the bread of the land without making it fancy with condiments,

whereas bread from elsewhere would not taste good standing on its own.

Abarbanel explains that these verses prove an interesting point about this land. All

other lands produce certain things, but lack other things. This encourages trade, but in

the end, each nation ends up about where they began in the process. There is no place

to profit if you must trade. The land of Israel lacks nothing, thus anything not required

for the sustenance of its residents can be exported for profit. He adds that the Torah

lists only those products which are most important, but the fact that others, such as

apples, are left out does not mean they are not grown, and in abundance.

Rav Hirsch says, "the school of the wandering in the wilderness has come to an end.

You are about to enter the future." We see this in the first line of our verse, plus in

the context at this point of the story. So why is he pointing it out to us? This is where

the following verse [10] helps us. It says, "and you will bless Hashem your God for

the good land that He gave you." The purpose for His giving us this land is that we

will bless Him. Is the land special? Certainly, but the purpose of mankind in this

world is to recognize and bless our Creator.