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Many reasons are given for Moshe’s desperate desire to live in Israel, the main one being that he wished to fulfill the Mitzvot that can only be earned in Israel. Others say it wasn’t about any specific Mitzvot; it was simply Moshe’s steadfast belief that each & every Jew should live in the Holy Land, surrounded by the Kedusha that permeates this - & only this - land. As a Jew, he wanted to be here.
This helps answer why Moshe wasn’t content to reside in the land east of the Jordan where, says G’mara Bikkurim, the Mitzvot T’luyot B’Aretz apply no less than west of the Jordan. While that is true, that area is still not quite Israel proper, & is not connected directly to Yerushalayim, so Moshe would not have been satisfied with that.
Yet there is another reason why Moshe did not want to "settle" for settling in trans-Jordan. Some commentaries say Moshe also wanted to be part of the war of conquest that would be fought against the 7 Canaanite nations who then resided within the land. He wanted to join a brigade & fight side-by-side with Israel’s brave soldiers, under Yehoshua’s command, & be one of those to liberate Eretz Yisrael & claim it People forever. This z’chut of being a chayal, Moshe felt, was among the greatest merits he could ever gain in this world. That was a central part of his determination to cross over the border into Israel along with the rest of the nation.
This past week, the IDF entered into its ranks hundreds of new draftees, including many "lone soldiers" who have volunteered to come from abroad to serve Israel. Our holy chayalim are Hashem’s messengers who guard our land & exemplify the fullest expression of mesirat nefesh, self-sacrifice, Judaism’s highest value. No one - not the greatest Rosh Yeshiva, the most respected professor or most prominent political leader - can stand in the company of the soldiers & not be humbled by their bravery & love for their country & people. All must stand gratefully in respect of them.
This week’s Haftora ends: "Hashem brings forth the troops, calling each by name, instilling them with great strength & courage; not a single one is missing." May it be so; may our soldiers prevail in their Avodat HaKodesh.
Rabbi Stewart Weiss
Was ordained at the Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois, and led congregations in Chicago and Dallas prior to making Aliyah in 1992. He directs the Jewish Outreach Center in Ra'anana, helping to facilitate the spiritual absorption of new olim.
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Moreshet Shaul Hashem Is your Shadow – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 420 – an address from 1941
P'ninat Mishpat A Non-Contractor in Changing Times – part I
(based on ruling 85128 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Moreshet Shaul Our King on Rosh Hashana, Our Father on Yom Kippur.
Based on Aroch Siach, p. 221 (Rav Shaul Yisraeli)
P'ninat Mishpat A Non-Contractor in Changing Times – part II
(based on ruling 85128 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Moreshet Shaul Hashem Is your Shadow – part II
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 420 – an address from 1941
Parashat Hashavua Happiness for the Right Reasons
[With painful longing, we share these divrei Torah from our co-Rosh Kollel for close to 40 years, Harav Moshe Ehrenreich zt”l.]
