?The L-rd said to Abram, ?Go forth from your land, your birthplace and your father?s house, to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you great. You shall become a blessing.? (Genesis 12:1-2)
Rashi comments, ?For your own benefit and your own good. There I will make you a great nation while here you will not merit children. Furthermore, I shall make known your character throughout the world.?
To what may this be compared? To a tree growing in unsuitable soil and climate. The tree will not develop or bear fruit, and any fruit it does produce will be sorry specimens. Yet, if we take that same tree and plant it in suitable soil and climate, it will flourish and produce good, sweet fruit.
It is the same with Abraham. Ur Kasdim was not his place. Therefore, despite his greatness and his faith, he bore no children, and neither his character nor his uniqueness and historic universal destiny were revealed for all to see. Only when he merited to move to Eretz Yisrael was his character revealed to the world (Kuzari 2:14).
Today, thousands of years since G-d made His promise to Abraham and forged His covenant with him, saying, ?To your seed shall I give this land,? (Genesis 12:7) we are meriting to rise up in rebirth in Eretz Yisrael, and the special character of Eretz Yisrael is going to be revealed more and more for all to see. The Jewish People are the great and holy nation chosen by G-d to bring a good and holy blessing to the whole world, as it says, ?You shall become a blessing?. all the families of the earth shall be blessed through you.? (Genesis 12:2-3)
G-d said, ?I created this nation for Myself that they might tell My praise.? (Isaiah 43:21) Our task is to continue in Abraham?s path and to proclaim G-d?s name to the world. It is true that the forces of darkness, in the guise of the enemies of Israel, rise up to extinguish the light that is increasingly being revealed, but they shall not succeed. All wickedness shall evaporate like smoke, and, with G-d?s help, we shall achieve great victory. By such means, G-d?s great name will be magnified and sanctified.
Rashi comments, ?For your own benefit and your own good. There I will make you a great nation while here you will not merit children. Furthermore, I shall make known your character throughout the world.?
To what may this be compared? To a tree growing in unsuitable soil and climate. The tree will not develop or bear fruit, and any fruit it does produce will be sorry specimens. Yet, if we take that same tree and plant it in suitable soil and climate, it will flourish and produce good, sweet fruit.
It is the same with Abraham. Ur Kasdim was not his place. Therefore, despite his greatness and his faith, he bore no children, and neither his character nor his uniqueness and historic universal destiny were revealed for all to see. Only when he merited to move to Eretz Yisrael was his character revealed to the world (Kuzari 2:14).
Today, thousands of years since G-d made His promise to Abraham and forged His covenant with him, saying, ?To your seed shall I give this land,? (Genesis 12:7) we are meriting to rise up in rebirth in Eretz Yisrael, and the special character of Eretz Yisrael is going to be revealed more and more for all to see. The Jewish People are the great and holy nation chosen by G-d to bring a good and holy blessing to the whole world, as it says, ?You shall become a blessing?. all the families of the earth shall be blessed through you.? (Genesis 12:2-3)
G-d said, ?I created this nation for Myself that they might tell My praise.? (Isaiah 43:21) Our task is to continue in Abraham?s path and to proclaim G-d?s name to the world. It is true that the forces of darkness, in the guise of the enemies of Israel, rise up to extinguish the light that is increasingly being revealed, but they shall not succeed. All wickedness shall evaporate like smoke, and, with G-d?s help, we shall achieve great victory. By such means, G-d?s great name will be magnified and sanctified.