Going Home: The Merit of Eretz Yisroel

“And Yaakov became very frightened, and it caused him much pain, and he split the nation that was with him, as well as the sheep, the cattle and the camels, into two camps.” – Bereishis 32:7

Yaakov Avinu received word that his “brother” Aysav was coming to greet him. He understood fully well that this was not to be a warm family reunion. Aysav came accompanied by a band of four hundred armed men, bent on revenge. The Torah describes that Yaakov was “very frightened,” so he prepared for war.

The Rishonim are bothered by why Yaakov would fear Aysav. After all, HASHEM had promised to return him to his father’s house in peace. Throughout the many years, HASHEM was right there protecting him, guarding him, keeping the promise. Why should he now fear a mere mortal?

The Dos Zakainim answers that Yaakov was afraid of the “zchus of Eretz Yisrael.” For the past twenty years, Aysav had been living in Eretz Yisrael while Yaakov had not. Therefore, Yaakov was afraid that if he engaged in mortal combat with Aysav, that merit might win the day for him, and Yaakov might die in battle. 

This Dos Zakainim is difficult to understand on a number of levels. First, the reason that Yaakov wasn’t in Eretz Yisroel was not that he had abandoned the land, but because he fled from Aysav. He spent the first fourteen years in the yeshiva of Shem, and then he worked for Lavan.

But even more pointedly, what possible merit could Aysav have from living in Eretz Yisrael? He wasn’t practicing Torah and mitzvos. Quite the opposite, he was a rasha. His entire existence was focused against holiness. Eretz Yisroel is a land that has an enormous amount of kedusha and cannot tolerate wickedness; it is highly sensitive to tumah. Aysav’s very presence in the land should have been intolerable. The land should have desired to throw him out. So what type of merit would he have from being in that land? It would seem the opposite. His many years of defiling that holy land should work against him, not for him. 

The answer to this question can best be understood with a perspective on capitalism.

The contribution of the private sector

If a man owns a successful small business, he might do a million dollars a year in sales. But that is the gross revenue, not the amount he takes home. As a rule in business, 15% of revenues is a reasonable profit margin. So, if his mark-ups are strong and his expenses are in line, he might bring in a net profit of $150,000. 85% of the monies that he earns go to expenses. And this illustrates an interesting phenomenon. While his only motivation may have been to earn a living for himself, he is providing a substantial gain to those he does business with. In this scenario, $850,000 of his efforts are going to vendors, suppliers, and employees. And while it may not at all be his intention, he is making a substantial contribution to the economy as a whole.

In the same sense, Aysav was engaged in the building of Eretz Yisroel. While his interests may have been strictly his own, he maintained sheep, owned fields, hired workmen and built fences. His efforts directly benefited the land. It was cultivated and improved because of him. And this was Eretz Yisroel, the land that HASHEM chose as the site for the Jewish people to settle, the home of the eventual Bais HaMikdash. It’s very ground is holy. While he may not have been a credit to the land, and may not even have felt an attachment to it, because of him, the land was built up – and that is a great merit.

Yaakov did not in any sense think that Aysav had more merit than he did as a person. He was well aware of the different lives they led. But Yaakov understood that Aysav had a tremendous zchus: he was responsible for building the land, and because of this Yaakov was afraid. In “times of danger,” a particular merit can stand up for a person, and that can change the outcome of a confrontation.

We don’t belong here

This concept is very relevant in our lives. While we patiently wait for the imminent coming of Moshiach, one of the concepts that must be in the forefront of our minds is that we are in a foreign country. We don’t belong in chutz l’aaretz. It isn’t our home. While the United States is one of the most benevolent lands that has ever offered us residence, a Jew doesn’t belong in Brooklyn. When we build up this land, whether with palaces or impressive businesses, we are building other people’s land. We get back nothing for it.

A Jew belongs in his homeland, in Eretz Yisroel. HASHEM invested very different properties into the land of Israel. The air there makes one wise. It is a land steeped in holiness, and when a Jew lives there, it is much easier to experience HASHEM, much easier to reach perfection.

We see from this Chazal another advantage of living there. By his very presence, a Jew has the merit of cultivating the holy land. When he rides the buses and frequents the shops, he is supporting the local economy. When he operates a business there, he isn’t only getting back the 15% of net profit, he is benefiting many others, and his $850,000 goes towards building up the infrastructure, giving jobs to others — he is part of the building process. Because it is the holy land, the mundane becomes sacred, and he is given reward because he is a builder of our sanctified land.

While each individual and family must consult Torah guidance to determine whether living in Israel right now is best for them, one fact is clear: we belong there; it is our home. May HASHEM quickly bring Moshiach, and may we all celebrate a new dawn in our most precious homeland.

Courtesy of TheShmuz.com