Wednesday, July 11, 2018

The Gift of the Land ✡ "You Shall Faithfully Observe All My Laws" - Israel365

You shall faithfully observe all My laws and all My regulations, lest the land to which I bring you to settle in spew you out.
Leviticus 20:22 (The Israel Bible™)

וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת־כָּל־חֻקֹּתַי וְאֶת־כָּל־מִשְׁפָּטַי וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם וְלֹא־תָקִיא אֶתְכֶם הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי מֵבִיא אֶתְכֶם שָׁמָּה לָשֶׁבֶת בָּהּ
Hear the verse in Hebrew

ush-mar-TEM et kol khu-ko-TAI v’-et kol mish-pa-TAI va-a-see-TEM o-TAM v’-lo ta-KEE
et-KHEM ha-A-retz a-SHER a-NEE may-VEE et-KHEM SHA-mah la-SHE-vet BAH

The Gift of the Land

Hashem (God) warns the Children of Israel against embracing the abominations of the Canaanites lest they be expelled from their land. Hashem provides an example of such abominable behavior, containing a list of forbidden relationships in His eyes. The above verse states that the Children of Israel must follow the commandments or risk being thrown out of the land. This expression attributes human-like sensitivity to the Land of Israel. The land cannot bear impurity and abomination, and thus engaging in illicit relationships will result in exile. This is another example of the reality that the gift of the Land of Israel is dependent on the Children of Israel maintaining a high level of purity and faith since the land's sanctity can not tolerate immorality.