Chumash Report Eretz Yisrael

(8) And I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.’

Rabbi Zeira- We learn that the air in Eretz Yisrael makes people wise.

(1) And the life of Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. (2) And Sarah died in Kiriatharba—the same is Hebron—in the land of Canaan; and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. (3) And Abraham rose up from before his dead, and spoke unto the children of Heth, saying: (4) ’I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a burying-place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.’ (5) And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him: (6) ’Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us; in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.’ (7) And Abraham rose up, and bowed down to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth. (8) And he spoke with them, saying: ‘If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar, (9) that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for the full price let him give it to me in the midst of you for a possession of a burying-place.’ (10) Now Ephron was sitting in the midst of the children of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying: (11) ’Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee; bury thy dead.’ (12) And Abraham bowed down before the people of the land. (13) And he spoke unto Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying: ‘But if thou wilt, I pray thee, hear me: I will give the price of the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there.’ (14) And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him: (15) ’My lord, hearken unto me: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.’ (16) And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the hearing of the children of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant. (17) So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the border thereof round about, were made sure (18) unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city. (19) And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre—the same is Hebron—in the land of Canaan.

(16) And the LORD shall inherit Judah as His portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.

(6) There are ten degrees of holiness. The land of Israel is holier than any other land. Wherein lies its holiness? In that from it are brought the omer [barley offering brought on the second day of Passover], the first fruits, and the two loaves [offered on Shavuot], which may not be brought from any other land. (7) The walled cities are still more holy, in that they must send forth the metzoraim from their midst, and they may carry around a corpse therein as far as necessary, but once it is taken out, they may not bring it back. (8) Inside the wall [of Jerusalem] is more holy than these, because there the less holy [offerings] and the second tithe are eaten. The Temple Mount has greater sanctity, because men and women with discharges, menstruating women, and women who have given birth may not enter there. The outer wall of the Temple courtyard has higher sanctity, because gentiles and people contaminated with corpse impurity may not enter there. The women's courtyard has higher sanctity, because a tevul yom may not enter there, but they are not liable for a sin offering for doing so. The Israelites' courtyard has higher sanctity, because one who lacks atonement may not enter there, and is liable for a sin offering for doing so. The priests' courtyard has higher sanctity, because the Israelites may not enter there except at the time of their [ritual] requirements: the laying on of hands, the slaughter, and the wave-offering. (9) Between the porch and the altar has still higher sanctity, because [priests] with blemishes and loosened hair may not enter there. The sanctuary has higher sanctity, because no one may enter there who has not washed their hands and feet. The holy of holies has greater sanctity than these, because no one may enter there except the High Priest on the Day of Atonement at the time of the service. Rabbi Yose said: In five ways [the area] between the porch and the altar is equal to the sanctuary because [priests] with blemishes, loosened hair, who have consumed wine, and who have not washed their hands and feet may not enter there, and they separate themselves from between the porch and the altar at the time of [the offering of the] incense.

Rav Sheishes- One may write the deed of sale on Shabbos. That cannot be! One tells a non-Jew to write the deed on Shabbos. Even though mid'Rabanan, one may not ask a non-Jew to perform labors on Shabbos, here it was permitted for the sake of settling Eretz Yisrael.

(11) One may [forcibly] bring anyone to the Land of Israel, but one may not remove anyone. One may [forcibly] bring anyone to Jerusalem, but one may not remove anyone. [This law applies] both to men and to women.

(6) and there you are to bring your burnt offerings and other sacrifices, your tithes and contributions, your votive and freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and flocks.

(29) Then the Levite, who has no hereditary portion as you have, and the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow in your settlements shall come and eat their fill, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the enterprises you undertake.

(18) Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: When you come into the land where I bring you, (19) then it shall be that when you eat of the bread of the land, you shall set apart a portion for a gift to the LORD. (20) Of the first of your dough you shall set apart a cake (Challah) for a gift; like that which is set apart of the threshing-floor, so shall you set it apart. (21) Of the first of your dough you shall give unto the LORD a portion for a gift throughout your generations.

(30) And the first of all the first-fruits of every thing, and every heave-offering of every thing, of all your offerings, shall be for the priests; you shall also give to the priest the first of your dough, to cause a blessing to rest on your house.

I have called you the first (Jer. 2:3 "Israel was holy to the Lord, the first fruit of his harvest") therefore I have cautioned you concerning matters of the first (of the dough, i.e. Challah tithes). The soul that I have placed within you is called a candle thus I have cautioned you concerning matters of candles ( kindling the sabbath lights). If you fulfill these responsibilities all is well; but if you do not I will take back your souls.

(1) Then drew near the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph; and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah. (2) And they stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes and all the congregation, at the door of the tent of meeting, saying: (3) ’Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not among the company of them that gathered themselves together against the LORD in the company of Korah, but he died in his own sin; and he had no sons. (4) Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he had no son? Give unto us a possession among the brethren of our father.’ (5) And Moses brought their cause before the LORD. (6) And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: (7) ’The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father’s brethren; and thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them. (8) And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying: If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter. (9) And if he have no daughter, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his brethren. (10) And if he have no brethren, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his father’s brethren. (11) And if his father have no brethren, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his kinsman that is next to him of his family, and he shall possess it. And it shall be unto the children of Israel a statute of judgment, as the LORD commanded Moses.’

You shall take from the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you shall bring in from your land that יהוה your God gives you; and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place which יהוה your God shall choose for God's name to dwell. You shall come to the priest that shall be inthose days, and say to him: ‘I witness this day to יהוה your God, that I have come to the land which יהוה swore unto our ancestors to give us.’ And the priest shall take the basket out of your hand, and set it down before the altar of יהוה your God. And you shall speak and say before יהוה your God: ‘A wandering Aramean was my father... יהוה brought us forth out of Egypt ... God has brought us to this place, and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.’

(1) When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you as a heritage, and you possess it and settle in it,

(2) you shall take some of every first fruit of the soil, which you harvest from the land that the LORD your God is giving you, put it in a basket and go to the place where the LORD your God will choose to establish His name.

(4) The priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down in front of the altar of the LORD your God.

"It's better for a person to live in Israel in a city inhabited mostly by idol worshippers/non-Jews, rather than outside the Land in a city that is completely Jewish. It's taught that living in Israel is equal to all the mitzvot of the Torah."

(Beraisa): Yosi ben Yo'ezer and Yosi ben Yochanan decreed Tum'ah on Chutz la'Aretz and on glass vessels.

Elimelech, Machlon, and Kilion were the greatest men of their generation - leaders of the generation... Why were they punished? Because they left Eretz Israel.

Rabbi Zeira- We learn that the air in Eretz Yisrael makes people wise.

(a) (R. Aba): The Ketz is very explicit- Eretz Yisrael will yield fruit right before Am Yisrael will return.