וַיְדַבֵּר ה' וְגוֹ', צַו אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגוֹ' כִּי אַתֶּם בָּאִים אֶל הָאָרֶץ כְּנָעַן. יְלַמְּדֵנוּ רַבֵּנוּ, עַד שֶׁלֹּא נִכְנְסוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לָאָרֶץ, כֵּיצַד הָיוּ מְבָרְכִין עַל הַמָּזוֹן. כָּךְ שָׁנוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ, עַד שֶׁלֹּא נִכְנְסוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לָאָרֶץ, לֹא הָיוּ מְבָרְכִין אֶלָּא בְּרָכָה אַחַת, הַזָּן אֶת הַכֹּל. מִשֶּׁנִּכְנְסוּ לָאָרֶץ, הִתְקִינוּ שֶׁיִּהְיוּ מְבָרְכִים, עַל הָאָרֶץ וְעַל הַמָּזוֹן. מִשֶּׁחָרְבָה יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, הוֹסִיפוּ בּוֹנֵה יְרוּשָׁלַיִם. וּמִשֶּׁנִּקְבְּרוּ הֲרוּגֵי בֵּיתָר, הוֹסִיפוּ הַטּוֹב וְהַמֵּטִיב. הַטּוֹב, שֶׁלֹּא הִסְרִיחוּ. וְהַמֵּטִיב, שֶׁנִּתְּנוּ לִקְבוּרָה. וְאֵין לְךָ חָבִיב מִכֻּלָּן יוֹתֵר מִבִּרְכַּת עַל הָאָרֶץ וְעַל הַמָּזוֹן. שֶׁכָּךְ אָמְרוּ חֲכָמֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לַבְּרָכָה, כָּל מִי שֶׁלֹּא הִזְכִּיר בְּבִרְכַּת הַמָּזוֹן, עַל הָאָרֶץ וְעַל הַמָּזוֹן, אֶרֶץ חֶמְדָּה, בְּרִית וְתוֹרָה, חַיִּים וּמָזוֹן, לֹא יָצָא יְדֵי חוֹבָתוֹ. אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, חֲבִיבָה עָלַי אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל יוֹתֵר מִן הַכֹּל. לָמָּה, שֶׁאֲנִי הוּא שֶׁהִתַּרְתִּי אוֹתָהּ. וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר, בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא נָשָׂאתִי יָדִי לָהֶם לְהוֹצִיאָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם אֶל אֶרֶץ אֲשֶׁר תַּרְתִּי לָהֶם וְגוֹ' (יחזקאל כ, ו). אַתְּ מוֹצֵא כְּשֶׁהָרַג יְהוֹשֻׁעַ הַמְּלָכִים, אָמַר רַבִּי יַנַּאי הַכֹּהֵן, שִׁשִּׁים וּשְׁנַיִם מְלָכִים הָיוּ, שְׁלֹשִׁים וְאֶחָד בִּירִיחוֹ, וּשְׁלֹשִים וְאֶחָד בִּימֵי סִיסְרָא, כְּשֶׁהָלַךְ לְהִלָּחֵם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, נֶהֶרְגוּ אַף הֵם עִמּוֹ. לָמָּה, שֶׁהָיוּ מִתְאַוִּים לִשְׁתּוֹת מַיִם מֵאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּבִקְּשׁוּ מִסִּיסְרָא וְאָמְרוּ לוֹ: בְּבַקָּשָׁה מִמְּךָ נָבוֹא עִמְּךָ בַּמִּלְחָמָה. וְכָל מֶלֶךְ שֶׁהָיָה מְבַקֵּשׁ לֵילֵךְ לַמִּלְחָמָה, הָיָה מְשַׁלֵּחַ וְשׂוֹכֵר מְלָכִים אֲחֵרִים בַּכֶּסֶף שֶׁיַּעַזְרוּ אוֹתוֹ. אָמְרוּ לְסִיסְרָא, אֵין אָנוּ מְבַקְּשִׁים מִמְּךָ כְּלוּם, אֶלָּא נָבוֹא עִמְּךָ בְּחִנָּם, שֶׁאָנוּ מִתְאַוִּים לְמַלְאוֹת כְּרֵסֵנוּ מִן מַיִם שֶׁל אוֹתָהּ הָאָרֶץ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: בָּאוּ מְלָכִים נִלְחֲמוּ וְגוֹ' (שופטים ה, יט). לְהוֹדִיעֲךָ, שֶׁאֵין חָבִיב כְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל. אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה, הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת חֲבִיבָה עָלַי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: אֶרֶץ אֲשֶׁר ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ דּוֹרֵשׁ אוֹתָהּ (דברים יא, יב). וְיִשְׂרָאֵל חֲבִיבִין עָלַי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: כִּי מֵאַהֲבַת ה' אֶתְכֶם וְגוֹ' (שם ז, ח). אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, אֲנִי אַכְנִיס בָּנַי שֶׁהֵם חֲבִיבִין עָלַי, לָאָרֶץ שֶׁהִיא חֲבִיבָה עָלַי. מִנַּיִן, מִמַּה שֶּׁקָּרְאוּ בָּעִנְיָן כִּי אַתֶּם בָּאִים אֶל הָאָרֶץ כְּנַעַן. (Numb. 34:1-2:) “Then the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, ‘Command the Children of Israel and say unto them, “When you come into the land of Canaan.”’” Let our master instruct us: Before Israel entered the land, how did they say the blessing over the food?13Numb. R. 23:7. Thus have our masters taught: Before they entered the land, they used to only say a single blessing, “who sustains all.”14Cf. Philip Birnbaum, Daily Prayer Book (Hebrew Publishing Co., 1949), p. 759/760. After they had entered the land, they ordained the blessing, “for the land and for the food.”15Birnbaum, p. 763/764. After Jerusalem was destroyed, they added “builder of Jerusalem.”16See Birnbaum, p. 765/766. The prayer also occurs as the fourteenth blessing in the Shemoneh ‘Esreh (Birnbaum, p. 89/90), as well as in other contexts. For the various versions of the prayer, see Joseph Heinemann, Prayer in the Talmud, trans. Richard S. Sarason (“Studia Judaica, IX; Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1977), pp. 48-50, 70-76. After those slain at Bethther17During the Bar Cochba war, 132-135. were buried, they added “who is good and does what is good.”18Cf. Birnbaum, p. 765/766. “Who is good,” because they did not decay; and “who does what is good,” because they were given burials. None of them, however, is more dear to you than the blessing of the land. The sages [therefore] said, “Whoever does not mention ‘for the land and for the food; a desirable, good, and spacious land; the covenant [of circumcision]; Torah; life; and food’19A Desirable, Good, and Spacious Land plus the elements that follow all form part of a single prayer to be found in Birnbaum, p. 761/762. has not satisfied his obligation.”20See Ber. 48b-49a. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “The land of Israel is more dear to Me than everything. I am the one who sought it out, as stated (in Ezek. 20:6), ‘On that day I swore (literally, raised My hand) to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt unto a land which I had sought out for them.’” You find [the same love for the land], when Joshua slew those kings. R. Jannay the Priest said, “There were sixty-two kings, thirty-one at Jericho and thirty one with Sisera. When he went to fight with Israel they also were slain along with him. Why? Because they yearned to drink water from the waters of Israel. They made a request of Sisera and said to him, ‘If you please, let us come with you to war.’ And every king that requested to go to war sent and hired other kings with silver, so that they would help him. They said to Sisera, ‘We do not request anything from you, but rather we will come for free, because we yearn to fill our stomachs with water from that land.’ Thus it is stated (in Jud. 5:19), ‘The kings came, they fought; [... on account of21Heb.: ‘al. The more usual translation here is BY. the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of silver.’ This verse serves] to inform you that nothing was more beloved than the land of Israel.” The Holy One, blessed be He, had said to Moses, “This land is dear to Me, as stated (in Deut. 11:12), ‘A land for which the Lord your God cares.’ Israel also is dear to Me, as stated (in Deut. 7:8), ‘Because the Lord loves you….’” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “I will bring My sons, who are beloved to Me, into a land that is beloved to Me.” Where is it shown? From what they read about the matter (in Numb. 34:2), “when you come into the land of Canaan.”