We are told in the beginning of the parsha ;
And HaShem spoke to Moshe on Mount Sinai ( Behar Sinai) saying, Speak to the children of Israel and you shall say to them: When you come to the land that I am giving you, the land shall rest a Sabbath to the Lord. (Leviticus 25:1-2)
Rashi asks the classical question;” Ma Inyan Shmitta Eitzel Har Sinai? What has the sabbatical year to do with Mount Sinai? He continues to ask ”Were not all commandments given on Sinai? But the verse wishes to tell us that just as with the sabbatical year both the general principle and its minute details were ordained on Mount Sinai, so, too, was it with all the commandments--their general principles as well as their minute details were ordained on Mount Sinai".
Yet clearly we are also to learn that there is a deep connection between the revelation at Mount Sinai and the land of Israel. The entering into the latter seems to be a fulfillment of the experience of the former.
The Modzitzer Rebbe , Reb Shaul Yedidya Elazar had a deep love for the land of Israel and foresaw its re-establishment . Regrettably he was unable to see the realization of his prediction. The Rebbe died on November 29, 1947, the day the UNvoted to create the State of Israeland he was the last person to buried on the Mount of Olivesuntil it was again liberated after the six day war. In his reading of the verse in our Torah portion he reveals a deeper connection between the revelation at Mount Sinai and the land that he so loved and yearned for. He explained that the words in the verse in the following way
When you come to the land that I am giving you, / Asher Ani Noten Lachem (Leviticus 25:2) This wording is meant to teach us that “ when you come into the land .. then G-d will give you your “Ani”, your “personhood”, your “ I ”. It is only in the land of Israel that you will discover your inner purpose and destiny. It is only there that you will be able to truly fulfill the “Ani”, the “I “that you were commanded to be in fulfillment of the words spoken at Mount Sinai.
Yet there is a deeper level as well
Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk whose love for the land of Israel was also well known, once asked his students the following question; "In what language does G-d speak? "
One student confidently said “in Hebrew” Another student declared that G-d spoke in all languages. A third student said that G-d doesn’t actually speak in any language.
Rabbi Menachem Mendel said “ Actually.. Man is the language of G-d
We have the option, the responsibility and the burden to be the language of G-d in this world. There is no greater and higher expression of G-d in this world than when His people are returned to his land. Other wise as the prophet Ezekiel says, G-d;s name is desecrated in the world.
"And I will say, 'It is not for your sake that I do this, House of Israel, but for the sake of My Holy Name that you have desecrated among the nations. And I will sanctify My great Name that is desecrated among the nations, and the nations will know that I am G-d, says Hashem Elokim. And I will take you from the nations and I will gather you from all the lands and I will bring you to your Land."( Ezekiel 36:20)
There is yet another layer of understanding into the insight offered by the Modzitzer Rebbe.
Centuries ago a monarch of France was discussing philosophy and religion with his advisers. After numerous arguments were presented by one of the more religious advisors in favor of the position that G-d had revealed Himself in the Bible and in the world, the king finally demanded that his counselor prove to him that G-d existed in an argument using only two words.
The counselor replied, “The Jews!”
The existence of the Jewish people in spite of exile and persecution is a silent and clear testimony to the faithfulness of G-d. Yet it is the return of the Jewish people to the land of promise that remains the most eloquent and joyful expression of G-d’s stated purpose
That is to say “When you come into the land the G-d will give you your “Ani” it is referring to another “Ani” as well. Which “ Ani” is that? The same Holy “ Ani” that declared “Ani Hashem Elokeichem..I am the lord your G-d”
When the people returned to the land it is more than just the language of G-d,it becomes a song.
Before my family and I made aliya over 25 years ago, I was very much aware of the impact of my actions on my relationship with HaShem on the individual or Prat level. I also felt a deep desire to be connected to that collection of Individuals that made up Klal Yisrael, the peoplehood of Israel. After we were blessed with the privilege and opportunity to make Aliya those two yearnings blended into one .Since coming into the land of Israel every action I do or decide to reject has national and cosmic implications. My individual life has become ntertwined completely with the destiny of my people. I and my family found our “Ani” and our individual purpose in the collective purpose of this nation’s destiny. More importantly, we became an integral part of the process of sanctifying the name of the ultimate “Ani” .
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