The Jewish Learning Library, a project of Ohr Somayach
International,
presents, in conjunction with Targum Press
The Gladstone Edition, 117 pp
You've heard the one about two grandmothers on the park
bench, babysitting their beloved grandchildren, pointing out
their endearing qualities and expressing polite mutual
admiration.
"Well, if you think they're cute," says one with clinching
logic, "you should see their photographs!"
It would be sacrilegious to compare such sentiments with the
true inborn, even genetic love of Eretz Yisroel which every
Jew has nursed in his heart ever since Hashem's commandment
to Avrohom Avinu to go forth and wander, without a definite
road map, to where his heart leads him, under Divine
guidance.
Our Love of the Land accompanies us morning and evening,
through all of our prayers, as we face eastward and align
them with our Jerusalem compass. In fact, it is interesting
to note that an enterprising, scientific-minded young Kollel
student in Jerusalem has recently come up with a unique
prayer compass, already being marketed for seasoned
travelers, which points to Jerusalem from any spot on the
globe!
The Love of the Land Gladstone deluxe edition is a
coffee table centerpiece, a gift item, to expand the hearts
of Jews with Love of the Land, wherever they are, even in
Jerusalem. It spreads before us full-page panoramas, scenic
tableau, artistic photography of breathtaking views to swell
the heart. Poignant messages very effectively complement them
in evoking a deep love and admiration for the Creator, Who
poured forth measures upon measures of beauty in creating a
Promised Land for His Chosen Children.
Where was all this lush green, this dazzling kaleidescope of
color, which is laid before the viewer/reader, during two
milennia of exile? Was it only toil and water that made the
desert bloom after all that desolation? Why is it that no
other nation — and conquerers there were many —
was able to coax life out of the barren hills and plains,
through all those years of foreign occupation?
The answer is simple: Hashem preserved this beauty for His
children, and once they returned, their (and His) Love of the
Land helped make it bloom. Witness the miracle of Gush Katif,
before, after, and after-again, without going into politics.
Not even a month after the evacuation, the Palestinians were
unable to persuade growth from the same sands that had
supplied an entire Jewish world with bug-free produce.
The eye feasts and the soul soars with the messages in this
book, succinct — so as not to compete with the full-
color visual effect — but powerful geography-history-
hashkofoh lessons, most of them from Talmudic sources,
many familiar, many, eye-openers. Let us step into a page or
two . . .
Photo: A rolling, grassy slope dotted by humble olive
trees.
Message: "The touching scene of Jews kissing the earth upon
their arrival in Eretz Yisroel has its roots in the words of
King David and in the actions of our Talmudic Sages. Rabbi
Abba kissed the rocks at the port of Acco. Rabbi Chiya bar
Gamda rolled in the dust of the Land. Rabbi Chanina went even
further by repairing the roads so that his beloved country
would not have a bad reputation with those who traveled upon
them (Kesubos 112)."
We turn the pages to . . .
Photo: A stream, gurgling (yes, you can hear it) over a rocky
bed, inviting the reader to plunge into history.
Message: "Gilgal — the first korbon Pesach in
the Land We Love
"Although you will find nothing on the map or in geography
books about the place, it was the most important site in the
first years of the Nation of Israel in Eretz Yisroel. Here is
where the Israelites, under Yehoshua, camped after their
miraculous crossing of the Jordan River and here is where
they placed the twelve large stones which they had removed
from the river bed to serve as a remembrance for generations
of that miracle (Yehoshua 4:20)."
Why is the Land so good? The Torah tells us that "one of the
rivers flowing out of Eden is described as encircling Eretz
Yisroel `where there is gold and the gold of that land is
good' (Bereishis 2:11-12).
"The gold here refers to the words of Torah which are more
precious than gold itself . . . It teaches us that there is
no Torah like the Torah of Eretz Yisroel and no wisdom like
the wisdom of Eretz Yisroel'" (Bereishis Rabbah
16:4).
Inlay this gem-message on a background montage of golden
sands and you have a visual-spiritual tour de force.
In the second section, "Lessons of the Land," we learn about
the little known city of Azeikah mentioned in the Talmud,
about Mount Tavor and why it made a plea to have the Torah
given on it — and why the plea was rejected. We visit
the bibilical Shiloh, Tekoa, Ein Dor and learn about their
historical significance, and . . .
Better yet, buy the book for yourself, give it to those who
will surely appreciate it; learn, see, experience and cherish
the Love of the Land for yourselves.
