On many ocassions, we have emphasized that it is not enough to live in the Holy Land, a Jew must live in the Holy Land in a holy fashion. This means living a life devoted to Torah and guarding the Covenant of sexual purity, the foundation of the Jewish Nation. 

In this Shabbat's Torah portion of "Chaya Sarah," there is an interesting verse. "And Avraham said to the eldest servant of his house, 'Put I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and I will make thee swear by the L-rd, the G-d of Heaven and the G-d of the earth, that thou shall not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I dwell, but thou shall go to my birthplace, and to my kindred, and take a wife to my son Yitzhak'" (Bereshit, 24:2-4).

Why did Avraham have his servant place his hand under his thigh if he wanted him to take a holy oath? The term "thigh" is a polite way of referring to the place of the Brit. Why here of all places? Didn't Avraham have a Bible or some other holy object in his tent to give the oath a sacred meaning? Rashi explains that the place of the Brit is holy, exactly like a Torah scroll, mezuzah, or tefillin. In our book, "Secret of the Brit," we have endeavored to explain the esoteric understandings safeguarding the Brit, and the importance of striving for sanctity in marital relations. The revered Kabbalist, Rabbi Eliahu Leon Levi, stresses that guarding the holiness of our sexual lives is the key to our personal health and happiness, and the key to our secure and prosperous national life in Eretz Yisrael. 

The Kabbalist, Rabbi Eliahu Leon Levi

People who agree with my blogs on the need for Jews to live in Eretz Yisrael are encouraged to take these words with the same seriousness and make Shmirat HaBrit an integral part of their lives. More than political demonstrations and protests, guarding the Covenant will insure our continued settlement in all of the far and wide borders of Eretz Yisrael.  

Shabbat Shalom.