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The Inextricable Connection between Women and Eretz Yisrael

Miriam Kellner

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In a previous article, we explored the link between women and Shabbat, both serving as the space of arrival and connection. In this article we will discover another dimension of this trifecta, where women and Eretz Yisrael are shown to be fundamentally linked.  

Sarahโ€™s Vindication

The Midrash tells us1 that after Hashem removed the yud from Sarahโ€™s name, the letter went before Hashem and complained. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoแธฅai said: The yud that the Holy One blessed be He took from Sarai soared and flew up before the throne of the Holy One blessed be He. It said before Him: โ€˜Master of the universe: Because I am the smallest of the letters, You have removed me from the righteous Sarah?โ€™ The Holy One blessed be He said to it: โ€˜In the past, you were part of the name of a female and at the end of the letters; now I shall place you into the name of a male and at the beginning of the letters, as it is stated: โ€œMoshe called Hoshea son of Nun, Yehoshua (Bamidbar 13:16)โ€.

The yud from Sarah went to Yehoshua. Why him? Explains Rav Zalman Sorotzkin2: Hashem promised Sarah that her child would inherit the land. She then declared to Avraham: โ€œื›ึดึผึฃื™ ืœึนึคื ื™ึดื™ืจึทืฉืึ™ ื‘ึถึผืŸึพื”ึธืึธืžึธึฃื” ื”ึทื–ึนึผึ”ืืช ืขึดืึพื‘ึฐึผื ึดึ–ื™ ืขึดืึพื™ึดืฆึฐื—ึธึฝืง – for the son of that slave shall not share in the inheritance with my son Yitzchak.โ€3 Her promise, her future, lay in her children’s exclusive rights to the land. The yud from her name would eventually be granted to Yehoshua, who would actualize her promise, that Yitzchakโ€™s descendants alone will receive Eretz Yisrael. Through Sarahโ€™s vision, Yehoshuaโ€™s conquest, and the shared yud that binds them together over a four hundred year waiting period, the root of desire for the land begins with our first Jewish mother.ย ย 

The Heart of the Universe

Rabbi Moshe Wolfson points out that we are never told where Yerushalayim is in the Torah, and where the Beit Hamikdash is to be. We are given some vague clues, and it took the talmidei chachamim of the generation, and later David Hamelech, to locate the place where the Shechina was meant to rest. They discovered the spot only after intense effort and years of searching. 

Rabbi Wolfson explains that this is because Yerushalayim is the heart of the universe, the heart of our avodat Hashem. We could not be directed to it as we have been directed in other mitzvot, for then it would function as yet another explicit commandment, another way to connect. But Yerushalayim has to be sought, discovered, because it is the underlying force, the heart that desires that closeness, whereas other mitzvot are a means to its end. Love, says Rabbi Wolfson, is the only correct expression and the spiritual energy of Yerushalayim, and love can only be expressed in voluntary seeking.

Women are the heart of their homes. Men are compared to the sun: cham, which spells moach, mind. Women are compared to the levana, which contains the word lev, heart. A woman is commanded fewer technical mitzvot, because her avoda is primarily the heart route. She represents the inner binding force of the cosmic Jewish body, the empathetic, pumping, emotional space that houses deep desire for love, connection, and peace. 

Through the Ages

Jewish women have historically manifested a unique love for the land of Israel. Starting with Klal Yisraelโ€™s very first test of commitment to the Holy Land, the sin of the spies, the women showed remarkable faith in their connection to the land. 

Women are the heart of their homes. Men are compared to the sun: cham, which spells moach, mind. Women are compared to the levana, which contains the word lev, heart. A woman is commanded fewer technical mitzvot, because her avoda is primarily the heart route. She represents the inner binding force of the cosmic Jewish body, the empathetic, pumping, emotional space that houses deep desire for love, connection, and peace.ย 

The Midrash tells us, quoting from portions of Shemot and Bamidbar: ื•ึทื™ึธึผืฉึปืื‘ื•ึผ ื•ึทื™ึทึผืœึดึผื™ื ื•ึผ ืขึธืœึธื™ื• ืึถืช ื›ึธึผืœ ื”ึธืขึตื“ึธื”, ื•ึทืขึฒืœึตื™ื”ึถื ื ึดื’ึฐื–ึฐืจึธื” ื’ึฐึผื–ึตืจึธื”, ืฉึถืืึธืžึฐืจื•ึผ (ื‘ืžื“ื‘ืจ ื™ื’, ืœื): ืœึนื ื ื•ึผื›ึทืœ ืœึทืขึฒืœื•ึนืช, ืึฒื‘ึธืœ ื”ึทื ึธึผืฉึดืื™ื ืœึนื ื”ึธื™ื•ึผ ืขึดืžึธึผื”ึถื ื‘ึธึผืขึตืฆึธื”, ืฉึถืื›ึธึผืชื•ึผื‘ ืœึฐืžึทืขึฐืœึธื” ืžึดืŸ ื”ึทืคึธึผืจึธืฉึธืื” (ื‘ืžื“ื‘ืจ ื›ื•, ืกื”): ื›ึดึผื™ ืึธืžึทืจ ื”’ ืœึธื”ึถื ืžื•ึนืช ื™ึธืžึปืชื•ึผ ื‘ึทึผืžึดึผื“ึฐื‘ึธึผืจ ื•ึฐืœึนื ื ื•ึนืชึทืจ ืžึตื”ึถื ืึดื™ืฉื ื›ึดึผื™ ืึดื ื›ึธึผืœึตื‘ ื‘ึถึผืŸ ื™ึฐืคึปื ึถึผื”, ืึดื™ืฉื ื•ึฐืœึนื ืึดืฉึธึผืื”, ืขึทืœ ืžึทื” ืฉึถืืœึนื ืจึธืฆื•ึผ ืœึดื›ึธึผื ึตืก ืœึธืึธืจึถืฅ, ืึฒื‘ึธืœ ื”ึทื ึธึผืฉึดืื™ื ืงึธืจึฐื‘ื•ึผ ืœึฐื‘ึทืงึตึผืฉื ื ึทื—ึฒืœึธื” ื‘ึธึผืึธืจึถืฅ, ืœึฐื›ึธืšึฐ ื ึดื›ึฐืชึฐึผื‘ึธื” ืคึธึผืจึธืฉึธืื” ื–ื•ึน ืกึธืžื•ึผืšึฐ ืœึฐืžึดื™ืชึทืช ื“ึผื•ึนืจ ื”ึทืžึดึผื“ึฐื‘ึธึผืจ, ืฉึถืืžึดึผืฉึธึผืื ืคึธึผืจึฐืฆื•ึผ ื”ึธืึฒื ึธืฉึดืื™ื ื•ึฐื’ึธื“ึฐืจื•ึผ ื”ึทื ึธึผืฉึดืื™ื

โ€œThey returned and caused the entire congregation to complain against him, [to disseminate slander about the land]โ€. The edict was decreed against them, as they said: โ€œWe will not be able to ascendโ€. But the women were not party with them to that counsel, as previously in the portion it is written: โ€œNo man was left of them, except Caleb son of Yefunehโ€ โ€“ man but not woman, because they [the men] did not wish to enter the land, but the women approached to seek an inheritance in the land. This is why this portion is written adjacent to the death of the generation of the wilderness, as it was there that the men breached and the women repaired.4

When the spies returned to the Jews in the desert and declared Israel undesirable, the nation absorbed the lashon hara and wept through the night. Because of this, the desert generation was slowly snuffed out over the course of their wanderings, until only the righteous spies were left. And the women, even as their husbands were weeping bitterly and requesting to return to Egypt, steadfastly refused to accept the report. Israel was Hashemโ€™s promised land, and it was surely good, prosperous, and beautiful. This is a testament to their faith, surely; but as we will see, it is an expression of their unassailable love of the land. 

A Daughterโ€™s Inheritance

The Midrash again extrapolates this relationship from the story of the daughters of Tzelofchad: Maแธฅla, Noa, แธคogla, Milka, and Tirtza. Their father died in the desert, and upon entering the land, they requested a portion for themselves. 

Rashi tells us5 that it was their love of Eretz Yisrael that prompted them to get the halacha clarified. How do we know this was their intention, and not simply their desire for property?ย 

The pasuk states: ื•ึทืชึดึผืงึฐืจึทึœื‘ึฐื ึธื” ื‘ึฐึผื ึฃื•ึนืช ืฆึฐืœื‡ืคึฐื—ึธึ—ื“ ื‘ึถึผืŸึพื—ึตึคืคึถืจ ื‘ึถึผืŸึพื’ึดึผืœึฐืขึธื“ึ™ ื‘ึถึผืŸึพืžึธื›ึดึฃื™ืจ ื‘ึถึผืŸึพืžึฐื ึทืฉึถึผืึ”ื” ืœึฐืžึดืฉึฐืืคึฐึผื—ึนึ–ืช ืžึฐื ึทืฉึถึผืึฃื” ื‘ึถืŸึพื™ื•ึนืกึตึ‘ืฃ: Says Rashi, why are we repeating the reference to Menashe, after we clarified their lineage back to Menashe? To remind us that Menashe was the son of Yosef, who knew how to cherish the land, as it says, โ€œ ื•ึฐื”ึทืขึฒืœึดืชึถึฅื ืึถืชึพืขึทืฆึฐืžึนืชึทึ–ื™ ืžึดื–ึถึผึฝื”: (When you are redeemed,) Take my bones from up hereโ€ฆโ€The daughters of Tzelofchad carried with them the love of Eretz Yisrael exemplified by Yosef, in an era where it was much more difficult to see its fundamental identifying Jewish value. 

The Netziv6 brings another proof that their motivation was pure. The daughter asked for a portion โ€œื‘ึฐึผืชื•ึนืšึฐ ืึฒื—ึตื™ ืึธื‘ึดื™ื ื•ึผ โ€” among our fatherโ€™s brothers,โ€ and not among the general family. The family of Gilad, who they were descended from, chose nachalot on the East of the Jordan, and that would have been a natural place to ask for a plot, as it had already been conquered. But they asked specifically for a plot among Tzelofchadโ€™s brothers, who were part of the portion of Menashe who chose to enter Eretz Yisrael and stake their territory within its holy borders. This, says the Netziv, is proof of their love of the land and their desire to be a part of its invasion.ย 

Kli Yakar provides two reasons why womenโ€™s souls have a stronger connection to the land, using the daughters of Tzelofchad as a model. Eretz Yisrael, he says, is a natural space for modesty and reserve; the land cannot tolerate immodesty andย  promiscuity7. Since the Torah cites the isolated case of Shulamit bat Divri8 as an immoral woman, Kli Yakar learns from here that the Jewish women were by and large staunchly tzniut, as opposed to the men, who struggled and failed when they were tempted by the Moabite women.

The other reason the Kli Yakar brings is that while the men resented giving teruma and maaser, which are mitzvot of Eretz Yisrael, the women loved taking challah, they loved giving charity. โ€œWe remember the fish that we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.9โ€ Rashi explains that by โ€œfreeโ€, they meant that they could eat without the burden of obligation for relevant mitzvot. The men missed being full owners of their produce and felt cheated of their crop now that they would have to tithe it; they were not connected to the land and its mitzvot. To them it was a burden. But the women wanted nothing more than to give, and so they were naturally compatible with the land.ย 

Interestingly, Kli Yakar wraps up by saying thatโ€™s why the daughters of Tzelofchad married children of Yosef, who they were clearly compatible with, because Yosef himself was known for these traits: tzniut and restraint in the face of incredible temptation, and generosity in feeding the poor during the famine in Mitzrayim. The daughters of Tzelofchad, and the women of that generation, merited Eretz Yisrael because they owned the natural middot of the land and were a perfect, hand-in-glove fit to its kedusha. 

Israel, Shabbat, and Women

At the end of days, these glorious end-points will meet in a culmination of total love between Hashem and His people: Shabbat, Eretz Yisrael, and femininity. The yom shekulo Shabbat will express itself in the autonomous, spiritual revival of the Holy Land, and the world will shed its tough, goal-oriented, male-like ethos for a kinder, more loving, connected, peaceful, and feminine energy. May we be zoche to witness its beauty soon. 

  1. Bereishit Rabba 47:1 โ†ฉ๏ธŽ
  2. Aznayim Lโ€™Torah โ†ฉ๏ธŽ
  3. Bereishit 21:10 โ†ฉ๏ธŽ
  4. Bamidbar Rabbah 21:10 โ†ฉ๏ธŽ
  5. Bamidbar 27:1 โ†ฉ๏ธŽ
  6. Emek HaNetziv, Pinchas, Siman 2 โ†ฉ๏ธŽ
  7. Vayikra 18:18, 20:22 โ†ฉ๏ธŽ
  8. Vayikra 24:11 โ†ฉ๏ธŽ
  9. Bamidbar 11:5 โ†ฉ๏ธŽ

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