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Parshat Vayetzei
By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron

בס"ד

לשכנו תדרשו

Discovering the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land

שֵׁ֤ם הַגְּדֹלָה֙ לֵאָ֔ה וְשֵׁ֥ם הַקְּטַנָּ֖ה רָחֵֽל

"See our poorness and fight our bout, and redeem us with a full and speedy redemption for Your Namesake, for You are a Redemptive and Mighty God. Blessed are You HaShem Who redeems Israel." (Blessing of the Shemoneh Esreh)

This Blessing of Redemption evokes both the redemption of Israel, in its concluding words, and the redemption of the Holy Land as is hinted in the words 'for Your Namesake', which refers to the Holy Presence of the Holy Land, called 'the Name of God', as we have discussed two weeks ago (Chayei Sarah). Indeed, returning land to its original owners is called 'redemption' - 'geula' - in the Torah, as can be seen numerous times in parshat Behar of the book of Vayikra. In truth, the redemption of Israel and the redemption of the Land of Israel are really one. Redemption means leaving Exile to come back to the Holy Land which in turns brings about the redemption of this Land, i.e the return of this Land to its original owners - Israel, through the dominant presence of Israel upon it.

Interestingly, the word 'redemption' is also used in inter-personal relationships. The classic example of this usage appears in the story of Ruth and Boaz. Ruth asks Boaz to 'redeem' her, i.e to marry her, after her previous husband has died. Just as 'redemption' in the context of Israel and the Land refer to returning their state to their previous lofty status, so too Ruth wishes to be 're-lifted' (nisuin - marriage - means to lift - 'linso') in marriage again. Similarly, in Pirkei Avot we see that one who 'mentions a teaching in the name of its original teacher brings redemption to the world'. This matter yet again shows how returning something to its original source/owner is an act of 'redemption' - 'geula'. In the case of Boaz and Ruth this process of 'redemption' is finalized with a blessing: 'May Hashem make the woman who comes to your house to be like Rachel and Leah who together built the house of Israel, and acquire strength in Efrata and make Name in Bethlehem.' This blessing puts Ruth at the interesting crossroads between Rachel and Leah and also emphasizes Bethlehem. Last year we showed how Bethlehem represents the crossroads between the primary spiritual centers of the Land of Israel, Hebron and Jerusalem, which according to the Arizal parallel the Holy Presence associated with Rachel and Leah, respectively. This blessing was very much realized in the figure of David, the offspring of Ruth. It is David who ruled in Hebron and then in Jerusalem who united in his lifetime these harmonizing energies.

Today, with HaShem's kindness, our People have been able to show this harmony in Hebron itself through the redemption of the House of Rachel and the House of Leah adjacent to the Tomb of Abner. Indeed, it was also Abner who brought about the unity between the sides of Rachel, the Benjaminites, and Leah, the Judeans (tribe of Judah), who beforehand had been in civil war, by signing a peace treaty with David in Hebron, which united the Kingdom of David, the archetype of Messiah. Abner sacrificed his life (after signing this treaty he was suspected by Yoav who slew him) for this ordeal. When we work on redemption we turn to God as 'the Redemptive Mighty God'. This means that 'returning to the source', i.e redemption, requires the attribute of might, internal-strength, and self-sacrifice. However, at the end of the day, this might and self-sacrifice on our part is met with God's Divine Kindness and Love:  'and He remembers the kindness of our Fathers and brings a redeemer - 'goel' - for His Namesake with love.' 

 
Beit Leah and Beit Rachel

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Real Stories from the Holy Land #198

'One day I talked with someone, who I 'happened' to met on the way to my studies, about conducting a Torah class in Baruch Nahshon's gallery in Hebron, where there used to be a full-time operating yeshiva. A few minutes later I 'happened' to meet this same person again when he picked me up for a ride at a hitchhiker's corner, so I was able to talk with him also about the physical aspects of this gallery...' M.G

Sources: Ruth 4, 11, Shaar Hapsukim Shmuel II, Avot ch. 6

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