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Parshat Ki Tavo
By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron

בס"ד

לשכנו תדרשו

Discovering the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land

והיה כי תבוא אל הארץ

'And grant me to come to the Land of Israel, Land of the Living, the Holy Land, speedily. To roll in its dust, to kiss its rubble, to inhale its holy air, and to sit in its shade. Have mercy and compassion on me to come in peace to the Land of Israel, the land You have chosen from all other lands, the Land sanctified with ten sanctifications...' (Likutei Tfilot I, 47)

Rabbi A.I  Kook (Orot, Eretz Yisrael 1) writes that realizing the true value of the Holy Land comes only by study of the more esoteric parts of the Torah. This can be explained in lieu of what we have been addressing constantly: seeking the Holy Presence in our Holy Land. To appreciate the Holy Land more fully one needs to appreciate the Holy Presence therein, and, by definition, the Holy Presence is an esoteric matter, not tangible or even rational on a regular human level. One of the primary ways every Jew can reach this esoteric connection is through prayer, when every Jew is obligated to direct his/her prayers towards the Holy Land, before the Holy Presence. Nevertheless, it is through the study of the esoteric Torah, the Kabbalah, that one can truly appreciate the value of this Land and the Holy Presence therein on a much deeper level. As is with all Kabbalistic and esoteric study of the Torah, one must build a solid basis of halachic and talmudic knowledge and understanding in the 'Revealed Torah', and of course its observance, in order to be able to 'tap into' the supernal light of the secrets of the Torah. Therefore, studying the value of the Land of Israel as well  halachic/talmudic study, also plays an important role.

According to the Kabbalists, the husband and wife in the Song of Songs can be paralleled to the People of Israel and the Holy Land. The verse in the Song of Songs (8, 6), 'for love is strong as death the flashes thereof are flashes of fire, the very flame of God,' can describe the deep level of love a Jew should ideally have towards the Holy Land and the Holy Presence therein. 'The 'very flame of God' in Hebrew is 'Shalhevet-Yah'.

In Hebron today, in the Avraham Avinu neighborhood, there is a Kollel which studies both Talmud and Kabbalah, called 'Shalhevet Tehiyat HaAretz'. This Kollel is named after the baby Shalhevet Pass z"l hy"d who was murdered by gunshot in Hebron. We may also tie significance to this name in regard to the flame of love, 'Shalhevet', towards the Holy Land and its revivification, 'Tehiyat HaAretz' that burns in our People's hearts especially with the study of the secrets of the Torah.

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Real Stories from the Holy Land #234

'On my way to Kiryat Arba, I was waiting quite a while to hitch a ride from Jerusalem to the 'tunnel road' leading to Kiryat Arba, but nobody stopped. Even after praying for a ride, nobody stopped. Then I remembered that hazal say that prayer without Torah learning is not received, so I started to discuss Torah with another person also waiting. Immediately, a car stopped and took me just where I needed to go...'

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