"Let me go over, I pray Thee, and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that goodly hill country and Lebanon." (Devarim 3:25)
Thus Moses beseeched God to be allowed to enter western Eretz Yisrael.
Our Sages teach us that Moses' desire to enter the Land was motivated by a spiritual need:
"Rabbi Simlai expounded: 'Why did Moses wish to enter Eretz Yisrael? Did he need to eat of its fruit or fill himself of its goodness? Rather, Moses said: "Many mitzvot have been commanded to Israel and can be fulfilled only in Eretz Yisrael; I will enter in order to fulfill these mitzvot."'" (Sotah 14a)
Or HaChaim (Rabbi Chaim ben Attar, 1696 - 1743) relates Moses' request to the Talmudic statement: "One who walks four cubits within the Land of Israel is guaranteed that he is a son of the World to Come." (Ketubot 111a) Moses wished to enter the Land for the benefit of his soul and for the desired pleasure, which is the World to Come.
Iyyun Ya'akov, in turn, relates this Talmudic statement to another: "The Holy One, blessed be He, has only the four cubits of Halakhah [Jewish Law]." He explains that one who walks the four cubits of Halakhah within the Land of Israel, whose atmosphere conveys wisdom, is guaranteed the World to Come, as our Sages say: "One who studies Halakhah on a daily basis is guaranteed the World to Come."
We wish to suggest another explanation, based upon the approach of the Maharal of Prague, who comments that "four cubits" represents one's personal space. Walking four cubits represents leaving one's space. Thus, the Talmud is saying: One who takes advantage of the Land of Israel to further himself spiritually is indeed guaranteed that he is a "son of the World to Come".
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Shani Taragin writes from Jerusalem, Israel.
Thus Moses beseeched God to be allowed to enter western Eretz Yisrael.
Our Sages teach us that Moses' desire to enter the Land was motivated by a spiritual need:
"Rabbi Simlai expounded: 'Why did Moses wish to enter Eretz Yisrael? Did he need to eat of its fruit or fill himself of its goodness? Rather, Moses said: "Many mitzvot have been commanded to Israel and can be fulfilled only in Eretz Yisrael; I will enter in order to fulfill these mitzvot."'" (Sotah 14a)
Or HaChaim (Rabbi Chaim ben Attar, 1696 - 1743) relates Moses' request to the Talmudic statement: "One who walks four cubits within the Land of Israel is guaranteed that he is a son of the World to Come." (Ketubot 111a) Moses wished to enter the Land for the benefit of his soul and for the desired pleasure, which is the World to Come.
Iyyun Ya'akov, in turn, relates this Talmudic statement to another: "The Holy One, blessed be He, has only the four cubits of Halakhah [Jewish Law]." He explains that one who walks the four cubits of Halakhah within the Land of Israel, whose atmosphere conveys wisdom, is guaranteed the World to Come, as our Sages say: "One who studies Halakhah on a daily basis is guaranteed the World to Come."
We wish to suggest another explanation, based upon the approach of the Maharal of Prague, who comments that "four cubits" represents one's personal space. Walking four cubits represents leaving one's space. Thus, the Talmud is saying: One who takes advantage of the Land of Israel to further himself spiritually is indeed guaranteed that he is a "son of the World to Come".
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Shani Taragin writes from Jerusalem, Israel.