Isn’t it fascinating how the nature of the tiny Land of Israel is
so diverse? From the stunning fertile Golan Heights with its viticulture
traditions to the Salt Sea famed as the Earth’s lowest point; the rich olive groves
of the Galilee; not to forget the enchanted Sea of Galilee (Kineret); the moist
coastland sparkling with citrus fruit; the cool summer nights in the pomegranate
land of the Judean Hills; the date palms of the Judean desert and the Negev; the
winter warming oasis of Ein Gedi featuring wild and rare flora and more. Oh,
and I forgot the famous ski resort of the desired Mount Chermon, now since
December 9, 2024, Israel has taken over the Syrian peak, and the Ski resort’s
CEO dreams of expanding the Chermon site including as he calls it ‘The New Chermon.’
For nature lovers living in Israel, there, certainly, is no need to go abroad
for vacation, Israel has it all! From its first conquest by Yehoshua, the Land
of Israel was divided according to the twelve tribes of Israel. Each tribe has
its own distinct features, personality, tendencies, and talents reflected in
the corresponding topography of its allotted land. I recall more than two
decades ago when my friend Nechama wrote her book The Twelve Dimensions of
Israel. She requested to stay with us, here in the Judean Hills when she
was writing about the Tribe of Yehuda. She disclosed that she wrote about each
tribe while residing in its allotted territory. This way she could best tune
into the vibe of the respective tribes. The distinct features of the tribes of
Israel and their allotted land are quite intriguing. Whenever I visit a new
place in Israel, I familiarize myself with the tribe of the place to tune into its
personality and thus get more out of the experience of the visit. I’m always
happy to return to the Judean hills, where I feel at home, and enjoy the
mountain air, the rich herbage, and bird song.
How is Yehuda’s Blessing Synchronized with the Features of His Land
to This Day?
Parashat Vayechi recounts the blessings Ya’acov imparted
to his sons on his deathbed. Each blessing teaches us about each son’s
individuality, strength, and pitfalls, which would be bequeathed to its
respective tribe. More than the rest of the tribes, Ya’acov’s blessings for the
tribes of Yehuda, Zebulon, and Asher include a description of praise of their corresponding lands. Although the wine
of the Golan Heights is internationally known as one of the best in the world,
it is Yehuda’s land (which includes Chevron) that Ya’acov praises for its
abundant vines:
ספר בראשית פרק מט פסוק י לֹא יָסוּר שֵׁבֶט מִיהוּדָה
וּמְחֹקֵק מִבֵּין רַגְלָיו עַד כִּי יָבֹא שִׁילֹה וְלוֹ יִקְּהַת עַמִּים:
(יא) אֹסְרִי לַגֶּפֶן עִירֹה וְלַשּׂרֵקָה
בְּנִי אֲתֹנוֹ כִּבֵּס בַּיַּיִן לְבֻשׁוֹ וּבְדַם עֲנָבִים סוּתֹה
:(יב) חַכְלִילִי עֵינַיִם מִיָּיִן
וּלְבֶן שִׁנַּיִם מֵחָלָב:
Ya’acov
prophesied that the land of Yehuda would run with wine like a fountain. The
vines will be so productive that a man of Yehuda will bind one foal to a vine,
and fully load it with grapes of only one grapevine. From the produce of only
one branch, he will load one ass’s colt (Rashi, Bereishit 49:11). Yehuda’s
land, also called Judea, is an area
characterized by warm days and cool nighttime temperatures – indeed the perfect
climate for growing grapes. Even today the Chevron grapes of Yehuda are famous for being the
sweetest with the most incredible taste. According to Onkelos, גֶּפֶן/gefen – “the grapevine”
is a metaphor for Israel, as it states, “You plucked a vine out of Egypt” (Tehillim
80:9); and “I have planted you a noble wine” (Yirmeyahu 2:21). Being “red-eyed
with wine” appears to be the opposite of a blessing. Yet Onkelos helps us
understand the imagery in a positive light. The word עֵינַיִם/einayim means both ‘eyes’ and
‘fountains.’ They refer to the mountains, from where one can see far away how the
Judean hills are red with wine. Rashi adds that eyes refer to the fountains -
the continuous flow of the wine press. Alternatively, wine is a metaphor for Torah.
When it states “He washes… in wine” it refers to Israel’s purification process
through Torah immersion. However, if the
time of redemption comes while Israel still lacks Torah, then the redemption
will come through the suffering of the nations, as Chazal said, (as we have
experienced during the Holocaust) he will allow a king as cruel as Haman to rise
(Yerushalmi Ta’anit 3a). This is the meaning of “With blood of grapes” -
through suffering their preparation for redemption will be completed, like
the ripening of grapes. The nations will only be able to pick a few grapes, but
they won’t have the power to cut down a tree, even a branch, or a cluster (Ohr
HaChayim, Bereishit 49:11).
What will be
the Fate of the Biblical City of Tzidon (Sidon) After Israel’s Conquest?
The
partnership between Yissachar and Zevulun is well known. Yissachar would learn
Torah and share his reward with Zevulun, who, in return, would work in import
and export providing for both tribes. His land on the seacoast allowed him to travel
overseas for his business. What is less known is that the city of Tzidon was
originally included in the Promised Land within Zevulun’s portion as Parashat
Vayechi testifies:
ספר בראשית פרק מט
פסוק יג זְבוּלֻן לְחוֹף יַמִּים יִשְׁכֹּן
וְהוּא לְחוֹף אֳנִיֹּת וְיַרְכָתוֹ עַל צִידֹן:
Zevulun will
dwell on the coast of the seas; he [will be] at the harbor of the ships, and
his boundary will be at Tzidon (Bereishit 49:13).
Although Tzidon
(Sidon) is within the borders of the Biblical Land, it has been located in
Lebanon, 25 miles south of Beirut until October 8, 2024, when the IDF
raised the Israeli flag in Southern Lebanon. According to Arab news sources, Lebanese
fishermen were forced to keep their boats ashore after Israel warned that it
would expand its operations against Hezbollah to coastal areas south of Sidon (Al-Monitor,
8 October 2024). The Bat Ayin resident and American-Israeli journalist, Shai
ben-Tekoa, demonstrates that the territory intended for the Jewish state by the
British politicians when issuing the Balfour Declaration extended north through
Tzidon (Sidon). Nevertheless, Tzidon has been the third-largest city in
Lebanon since the 1920 Arab attack on the northern settlement of Tel Chai. In
his book Phantom Nation, Shai ben-Tekoa compares several
contemporary maps produced in Europe to determine the boundaries of the Jewish
state intended by the British. He writes: The Britannica map and all others in
circulation at the time of the Balfour Declaration were based on the Biblical
descriptions of the Land… maps of Palestine from France (1907), Spain (1907)
and Sweden (1914) in use during the First World War… are pretty much the same,
all of them based, and not surprisingly, on the Bible, the borders of the
Promised Land as described in several word-maps found in the Five Books of
Moses/Pentateuch. (Shai Ben-Tekoa, Phantom Nation: Inventing the
Palestinians as the Obstacle to Peace). For decades, the area north of Tzidon
has been used by terrorists to attack the State of Israel. The IDF has fought
two wars (in 1982 and 2006) against the terrorists in Southern Lebanon. Though Israel
had managed to clear the area of terrorists, after Israeli withdrawals, the
terrorists eventually returned
(https://aish.com/a-history-of-southern-lebanon/). Now that Israel has
recaptured Southern Lebanon let us hope that it will remain terrorist-free within
the rightful borders of the land of Israel!
The Fertile Olive Groves of Asher’s Land
The land of the tribe of Asher was especially
rich with olive orchards, as it is today. Both Ya’acov and Moshe blessed Asher
with an abundance of olive oil. The Midrash describes the flag of Asher with a
picture of an olive tree
(Midrash
Bamidbar Rabbah 2:7).
Asher’s land encompasses Western Galilee, and stretches over the
northwestern part of Israel, bordering the Mediterranean Sea to the west. This
coastal region has
comparatively low temperatures and much rainfall, making it some of the most
fertile land of Israel, with rich pasture, wooded hills, and orchards; as such
Asher became particularly prosperous, and known for its olive oil. His territory includes Mount Carmel, an
especially fertile and bountiful mountain. It produced such large amounts of
olive oil in biblical times that Asher became exceedingly wealthy, as the
leader in the olive oil trade. The kings of all the neighboring nations would
pay a special tribute to Asher to have the right to anoint themselves with
their oil. Ya’acov’s
blessing to Asher, which testifies that Asher’s wealth both spiritually and
materially arose to the tables of kings, hints at this:
ספר בראשית פרק מט פסוק כ מֵאָשֵׁר
שְׁמֵנָה לַחְמוֹ וְהוּא יִתֵּן מַעֲדַנֵּי מֶלֶךְ:
“From Asher
will come rich food, and he will yield regal delicacies” (Bereishit 49:20).
Ya’acov prophesized that the food
from Asher’s territory would be rich, for there would be many olive trees in
his territory so that oil would flow like a fountain. Likewise, Moshe blessed
him, “…and dip his foot in oil” (Devarim 33:24). The Talmud tells a tale
of a Gentile official charged with the mission of bringing olive oil worth a million
coins. The official went to a town in the territory of Asher and found a man who
worked his olive grove and dipped his hands and feet in a golden cup full of
oil, to fulfill what is stated: “and dip his foot in oil.” After providing oil
worth a million coins, the man measured additional oil for one hundred eighty
thousand coins (Babylonian Talmud, Menachot 85b). Olive oil is
associated with wisdom as it states “Rabbi Yochanan said, because they are
accustomed to olive oil; wisdom is found in them. The Rabbis taught, HIS FOOT
IS DIPPED IN OIL - This is Asher’s portion, which draws oil like a wellspring (Babylonian
Talmud, Menachot 85b).
The Spiritual Eternal
Message of Olives – A Metaphor for Israel
The Children of
Israel are compared to olives, our spiritual work is transforming the bitter,
useless, or even negative, to become good, useful, and positive. “Hashem called
your name a leafy olive tree, fair with goodly fruit” (Yirmeyahu 11:16). Israel is compared to the olive tree
because it is a perpetually fresh evergreen with leaves that remain moist the
entire year. The fact that the olive leaves never wither symbolizes Israel’s
perpetual success. The
fruits of the
olive, as its oil are for the honor of G-d and people, therefore the righteous
who take refuge in the protection of G-d are compared to the evergreen olive
tree (Tehillim 52:10). Just as olive leaves do not fall from the tree
neither summer nor winter, so can Israel never be completely nullified neither
in this world nor in the coming world. However, as we are experiencing today, just
as the olive only brings forth its oil when beaten, so does Israel only return
to good through
difficulties and hardships (Babylonian
Talmud, Menachot 53b). Just as olive oil does not mix with other
liquids, Israel does not mix with Gentiles. Moreover, even if you put this oil
into several liquids it remains on top of them all. Likewise, Israel is on top
of all the nations as it states, “Hashem your G-d placed you uplifted on all
the nations of the earth”
(Devarim 28:1; Midrash
Devarim Rabbah 7:3).
Olive Oil –
Representing the Inner Essence of Israel
Pure olive
oil is used for the Menorah in the Holy Temple, and it was with olive oil that
the Chanukah miracle occurred. It is also with Divine Inspiration that the Menorah
with its olive-oil-lights became the emblem of Israel. Olive oil comprises the
inner essence of olives. The Greeks and the Western World in its wake worship the
external appearance. However, the Torah outlook – as represented by the Menorah
– teaches us to appreciate that which is inwardly good is beautiful. Our
victory – with Hashem’s help – in the current war is the triumph of the inner
essence over external appearance – of light over darkness. May Hashem empower
our brave, dear soldiers to eradicate all the darkness, bring home all the
hostages, and liberate the Land of Israel, so that it can once again reflect
the various characters of the holy tribes of Israel!
