From:  Yeshivat Har Etzion's Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit  Midrash
To:            yhe-intparsha@vbm-torah.org
Subject:       INTPARSHA -40: Parashat Ekev

                   YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
      ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
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            INTRODUCTION TO PARASHAT HASHAVUA
                           
                      PARASHAT EKEV
                           
                               Rain
                      By Rabbi Alex Israel
         
     The  Book  of Devarim concerns itself with preparing
the Jewish people to enter the Land of Israel. As we read
Devarim,  week  by week, parasha by parasha,  we  realize
that the preparation is both religious and psychological.
Moses warns, cautions, teaches, tries to allay fears  and
create realistic expectations: "Hear O Israel... Remember
that it is the Lord your God who gives you the power  and
the wealth... the nations ... do not fear them... observe
all  the  instruction that I command you,  that  you  may
thrive... in the land...." The entire tapestry of  images
and  teachings  that  Moses  imparts  to  the  nation   is
directed at their imminent entry into the land.
    
THE EGYPT-ISRAEL AXIS
    
     In  this  context, we shall turn our attention   this
week  to  the colorful images that the Torah presents  of
the  land  itself.  The  descriptions  of  landscape   and
geographical phenomena that we find in Devarim  are  also
part of Moses' message to the nation. Let us examine  one
of   these   passages   and  understand   its    spiritual
ramifications.
    
     "For  the  land  that  you are about   to  enter  and
     possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you
     have  come.  There, the grain you sowed  had   to  be
     watered  by your foot, like a vegetable garden,  but
     the land you are about to cross into and possess,  a
     land  of hills and valleys, is watered by the  rains
     of  the heaven. It is a land on which the Lord  your
     God  always keeps his eye, from year's beginning  to
     year's end." (11:10-12)
 
     The  first  thing that we might note  in   these  few
lines  is  that a comparison is being drawn  between  the
lands  of  Egypt  and  Israel. Let  us  dwell  upon   this
comparison. We should first note that in the Torah, Egypt
is  repeatedly  offered  as the contrasting  opposite  to
Canaan. It is the land from which the Israelites fled  to
choose  a  new  land  and seek a  new  future.  When   the
Israelites  express their disgruntled complaints  in  the
wilderness, Egypt is always the alternative to Canaan:
    
     "Why  is the Lord taking us to that land to fall   by
     the  sword? ...It would be better for us to go  back
     to  Egypt! - And they said to one another -  Let   us
     head  back  to  Egypt." (The episode of   the  Spies,
     Numbers 14:3-4)
      
     In  Korach's  rebellion,  the   disillusionment  with
Canaan  reaches  the point at which the rebels  refer  to
Egypt as a "land of milk and honey":
      
     "Is  it not enough that you have brought us OUT FROM
     a  land  flowing  with  milk and   honey...."  (ibid.
     16:13)
    
     Indeed the framework, the entire axis, of the Exodus
and  the Israelites of that generation lies between these
two poles - Egypt and Israel.
    
RAIN AND RIVER
    
     In  this  text, the Torah is contrasting  the   water
supplies  of Egypt and Israel. Egypt receives  its  water
from  the  Nile. Israel has no natural river.  It  relies
upon  the "rain of the heavens." But one phrase  here  is
rather strange. When the text tells us that in Egypt they
watered  their fields "with their foot," to what does  it
refer? The Bekhor Shor (12 Century, N. France) enlightens
us.  He  relates to the ancient watering system in  Egypt
whereby  farmers would dig irrigation channels  connected
to  the  Nile and when they wanted water for their  field
they  would simply open the channel and water would  flow
directly to their crops.
      
     "Egypt is a valley with the Nile flowing through it.
     When  a person needs water for his field he goes  to
     the  riverbank adjacent to his field  and  makes   an
     opening in the wall of the river using his foot  and
     the  water pours into his field. Then he closes  the
     hole before the field is flooded...."
      
     The  "foot"  referred to here is simply   the  method
they  would use to open the irrigation channel. They  had
some  sort  of barrier between the river and the  channel
which  was  strong enough to resist the waters but  light
enough to be kicked out of position. Then when the  field
was watered the barrier would simply be replaced.
    
     But,  does  this  not  give  an   advantage  to   the
riverlands over the hill-lands? In the riverlands  water,
and  therefore crops, are always abundant as  opposed  to
the  mountainous hilly lands of Canaan were the  reliance
on the rains is a rather risky and unpredictable venture.
If  anything,  this passage would seem to  endear  us  to
Egypt rather than Canaan!
    
     For this reason, some have attempted to suggest that
the  watering "by foot" refers to the carrying  of  water
from  the  Nile  to one's field, whereas in  Canaan,  the
rains  bring  the water directly into one's  fields.  The
focus  of  this  passage  would then  be  on  the   effort
required to irrigate fields. In Egypt it is heavy  manual
labor;  in Canaan it can be performed without any  effort
whatsoever!
    
     "In  the  Land of Egypt, if one does not   work  with
     spade and shovel, giving up his sleep for the water,
     then he will have nothing; but in the land of Israel
     it  is different - they sleep in their beds and  God
     makes the rain fall" (Yalkut Shimoni, Ekev)
      
     But   this  reading  -  although   at  first   glance
indicating  an  advantage to Canaan, does not  solve  our
problem  at  all.  After all, we are still  left  with  a
situation  in  which  the supply of  rain  in  Canaan   is
impossibly random as opposed to the constant water supply
of the Nile. In the heat of the Middle East, farmers will
almost definitely prefer to work a little harder carrying
water but have the security of the Nile, rather than  the
capricious rainfall of the land of Israel.
    
DIRECT CONTACT
    
     So  what  is the advantage of the Israel  system   of
irrigation? The verse gives us a clue in its final  line:
"It is a land on which the Lord your God always keeps his
eye,  from  year's  beginning to year's end."(11:12)  The
Midrash illustrates this idea with a parable:
      
     "A  king toured his kingdom. He came across a person
     of  noble  descent (who had fallen upon hard   times)
     and  he  gave him a servant to assist him. Later   he
     met  another man of noble descent who (had come upon
     hard  times)  and was engaged in menial labor.   This
     man  was  a  personal friend and he knew his   family
     well.  He  told  him, 'I promise  you   that  I  will
     personally  supply you with all your needs  and   you
     will have no need to work.' Likewise, all lands were
     given   'servants':  Egypt  drinks  from   the  Nile,
     Babylon  from the Euphrates. But the Land of  Israel
     is different; they sleep in their beds and God makes
     the rain fall for them." (Sifrei, Ekev.)
 
     The  stress  here is the direct God-Israel   encounter
that  is  provided by the rain. Egypt receives its  supply
indirectly. Israel gets its water straight from God in the
form of rain. God delivers personally. The God-nation bond
is strong in the land of Israel. In Israel we eat at God's
table.
    
     Is  this  good  or  bad?  Now this   clearly  has  its
advantages but it has disadvantages too. The advantage  is
the close contact with God, from a religious vantage point
certainly a precious opportunity. But let us consider  the
disadvantages. Israel is a land of rain, but then, by  the
same  token, it is also a land of famine. The Bible  tells
us  that it is God who controls the water tap. As we  read
in  the  Shema: "If you listen to the Lord... I will  give
the  rain  in  its  correct season... if your  hearts  are
tempted,  and  you stray, serving other gods  ...  I  will
close  the heavens and there will be no rain and the  land
will not give its produce..." (11:13-16). Our water supply
is  directly proportional to our religious conduct.  Close
contact with God might seem like a prize but it comes at a
steep price: constant commitment to God.
    
     Egypt's  distance from God might seem like  something
of  a  luxury.  Egypt  is not given  water  by  ration   in
accordance  to the nation's moral barometer. Israel  might
become  a  little  envious of Egypt! Were  we  to  have   a
constant water supply, our future would be predictable and
secure,  we would be able to plan ahead with the knowledge
that  the  Nile will not dry up. So, we have an advantage;
direct  water from God, God serves us personally. But  the
disadvantage is that this closeness to God creates  a  far
more demanding relationship.
    
     This  is  the nature of the Land of Israel. It  is   a
demanding land. The riverlands are bound by their  natural
cyclicity (the 'servants') ananyone who learns to  exploit
this  can take sustenance from them, but Israel is in  the
direct  care of God and therefore does not allow a  nation
to  relax. "It is a land on which the Lord your God always
keeps his eye, from year's beginning to year's end."  This
is a wonderful gift to receive but a heavy burden to bear.
    
A CULTURE OF DEPENDENCE
    
  "...  it  is  clear  that the riverlands  more   closely
  approximate the image of the Garden of Eden [1],  which
  brings  forth its fruits by itself. Even if  irrigation
  demands  effort, the continual abundance of  soil  that
  is fertile and easy to work, and of water, gives man  a
  feeling of complete security. It is as though he  holds
  the  guarantee  of  his future sustenance  in  his   own
  hands. He can ensure himself against want. This is  not
  so,  however, of a land watered by rain. There,  nature
  gives  no  guarantees. All depends upon  the  grace  of
  rain,  over which man has no control. In the riverlands
  there  can  thus  develop a culture  based  upon   man's
  aspiration  for  complete  mastery  over  the    primary
  factors   that   condition  his   existence    and   his
  wellbeing.  In  the mountainous country, however,  this
  is  not  so. There, even the illusion of mastery cannot
  survive.  One who lives in that land knows that  he  is
  dependent   upon  a  force  over  which    he   has   no
  control....
      
  "But  is  this  not the very opposite of what  we   said
  above?  The  land  of  the mountains,  it  would   seem,
  enslaves  those  who  work in it, in  contrast  to   the
  mastery  and  freedom  of  those  who  dwell    in   the
  riverlands.    The   Bible,   however,    sees    things
  differently:  it is the very illusion  of  mastery,  in
  contrast   to   the  awareness  of  dependence,    which
  enslaves.  It  is precisely the desire for  sovereignty
  over  the  conditions of human existence that  produces
  an  idolatrous  culture, and  the  essence  of  such   a
  culture  is  that ambition for complete  human  mastery
  that  turns these lands into giant tyrannies and houses
  of  bondage.  On  the  other  hand,  awareness   of  the
  dependence  that  limits  human  sovereignty   is    the
  foundation for a culture of faith, the culture of  free
  men.  It is precisely on this account that the land  of
  Israel  is  appropriate to the chosen people  which  is
  subject  to constant divine supervision and  is  always
  aware  of  being commanded by God." (Professor  Eliezer
  Schweid, The Land of Israel - National Home or Land  of
  Destiny.)
      
    Professor   Schweid  of  the  Hebrew   University   in
Jerusalem  raises a fascinating point here. He wishes  to
claim  that  the  riverlands breed a power  culture  that
stresses man's supremacy. In that culture man's energy is
devoted to total control of his environment. But how does
Schweid see this as connected to slavery and idolatry?

    Paganism  is a system that uses religious  ritual  to
exert influence on the gods. Man wishes to win a war,  to
have  children,  to  be financially  successful.  In  the
idolatrous  culture, man does not change his own  conduct
or  repair  his behavior. In a system of paganism,  one's
fortune is not dependent upon ones moral state but rather
on  one's  state of favor with the gods. Hence the  pagan
will  engage in a ritual of sorts whose aim is to harness
god's desires to man's wishes. Through the gift that  one
bestows to god, one gains his favor. In this way, man has
a  controlling  hand  even in the  area  of  the   divine.
Likewise it is slavery which ensures the elevated  status
of  the  inside few over the outsiders. Society's biggest
fear  is  that some outside unknown element might destroy
the   artificial  "secure"  environment.  Hence,   mammoth
energies are poured into securing the secure and  keeping
any  threat  out  of  harm's  reach.  To  this   end,  the
riverland  society  knows only of  master  and  mastered,
controller or controlled.

    The  society  that  craves  total  control   over  its
future  is  unwilling to tolerate feelings of  insecurity
and  the existence of the unknown. But in the desire  for
security, this society is in its essence, insecure.  This
is  a  society  of luxury and indulgence alongside  fear,
selfishness and exclusion.

    It  is  interesting that Egypt comes  up  time   after
time  in  the  Bible as a land which  is  viewed  -   from
Abraham  [2]  to  Joseph [3] to Pharaoh -  as  supporting
slavery  and oppression. It is a society that  disregards
rules   of  sexual  chastity.  Likewise,  Abaham    leaves
Mesopotamia, the other great riverland center  to  travel
to the promised land of Canaan. The corrupt city of Sodom
is  described as "fully watered... like the garden of the
Lord,  like the land of Egypt." However, "the  people  of
Sodom were very wicked sinners." (Genesis 13:10-13) Is it
surprising  that  the only story about Sodom  is  one  in
which strangers are lynched?

    The  dependency  of  the  mountainland  makes   it   a
difficult place to live. We read throughout the  book  of
Genesis  of periodic famine in Canaan. But says  Schweid,
Israel  is destined to live a life of dependency on  God.
This  is Israel's role, its historic challenge. The  land
of Israel is naturally insecure and that is precisely the
reason  that  it  was destined for Israel.  Interestingly
enough,  the  rain  issue is not the only  way  in  which
Israel  experiences  a  certain lack  of  predictability.
Israel is situated at the crossroads of continents. It is
the  land  that  lies  between the  two  great   riverland
centers  of  ancient civilization: Egypt and Mesopotamia.
Thus  from the perspective of national security, the land
of  Israel,  by  its very geographic location,  is  in  a
fragile  position.  Once again - and this  is  borne  out
throughout  the  Biblical history of  Israel  -  the  big
issues  are  a direct outgrowth of this insecurity.  Does
Israel attempt to artificially secure its own lot in  the
volatile regional scene, or does Israel trust in God  and
follow  its own unique way of living? Does Israel  absorb
the  majority culture or will it retain its own  slightly
unusual way of looking at the world?

    In   the  land  of  man's  realization   of  his   own
dependence,  man is to realize that it  is  not  "My  own
power  and  the  might of my own hand who have  won  this
wealth (lit. might) for me," but rather, "it is the  Lord
your God who gives you the power to get wealth." (8:17-18
but  best  to  read chapter 8 in its entirety!)  On  this
basis  man  will  understand that the only  assurance  of
national success is to be guided by the word of God.

Shabbat shalom.
    
Footnotes
-----------
[1] See Genesis 2:8-17 and also see the equation of Egypt
and Eden in Genesis 13:10.
[2] Genesis 12:10-20
[3] Ch.39
    
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