ארץ חטה ושעורה וגפן ותאנה ורמון ארץ זית שמן ודבש וגו' (ח-ח)
Moshe Rabbeinu, in his lengthy final discourse to the Jewish people before he dies, spends a good deal of time praising the Land of Israel. He cites the fruits for which the Land is identified by: “A land of wheat, barley, grape, fig and pomegranate; a land of oil-olives and date honey.” Many commentators question why Moshe uses the word “Land” twice in the same posuk. It would seem that he means to separate the fruits into two groups. Why? Why couldn’t he have stated simply: “A land of wheat, barley, grape, fig, pomegranate, oil-olives and date honey.”
The Meshech Chochmah, R’ Meir Simcha Hakohen of Dvinsk ZT”L provides us with a simple, yet brilliant, comprehension. The final two fruit products - “oil-olives and date honey” - were unique in that they were not available to the Jews while they were slaves in Egypt, whereas the first five listed in the posuk were.
How do we know that olives and dates were unavailable in Egypt? Answers the Meshech Chochmah, when Yaakov Avinu sent his ten sons down to Egypt to acquire provisions during the years of famine, he sent with them fruit for the viceroy. He instructed them, “Take of the land’s glory in your vessels as a tribute to the man (Yosef) ... a bit of honey.” (בראשית מג:יא) It is only appropriate for Yaakov to send a tribute to the Viceroy of Egypt containing something of intrinsic value that could not be obtained there.
Similarly, many years later, when the Jewish people were traveling in the wilderness, and the people began complaining about the lack of food available to them, they said, “And why did you have us ascend from Egypt to bring us to this evil place (desert)? Not a place of seed, or fig, or grape, or pomegranate.” (במדבר כ-ה) Since the people chose to leave out, among other things, olives and dates in their complaint against Moshe, it is obvious that they did not have access to these “fruits of the Land” in Egypt.
ולמדתם אתם את בניכם לדבר בם בשבתך בביתך ובלכתך בדרך ובשכבך ובקומך וגו' (יא-יט)
Rashi states: “From the moment that a son learns to talk, teach him Torah. ‘The Torah that Moshe commanded us,’ ... From here they said, ‘When a child learns to talk, his father should converse with him in the holy tongue (Lashon Kodesh) and teach him Torah ...”
The Sifrei in the previous parsha, however, denotes that a son can also refer to a student: “We find that students are termed children - ‘And you shall teach them diligently to your children’ - these are your students’ - and so we find that a teacher is termed a ‘Father’ as it is stated, ‘My father, my father, the chariots of Israel.’” (מלכים ב' ב-יב)
R’ Aharon Soloveitchik ZT”L explains that according to Chazal, in order for one to realize his mandate as a Rebbe, a teacher of students, he must exercise the functions of a father and a mother. The Navi tells us that when the prophet Elisha took leave of his Rebbe, Eliyahu HaNavi, Elisha exclaimed, “My father, my father,” whereupon the Yalkut Shimoni comments that the first “Avi” (my father), is a reference to a father, while the second “Avi” has reference to a mother. This clearly implies that a Rebbe, in his relationship with his students, has to fulfill the role of both father and mother.
How are the roles of father and mother realized? From the posuk, "שמע בני מוסר אביך ואל תטוש תורת אמך" (משלי א-ח) - “Hearken, my son, to the admonition of your father and forsake not the Torah of your mother.” It is the father who admonishes, disciplines, curbs and tempers his child; it is the mother who imparts Torah inspiration, insight and values. Furthermore, writes R’ Joseph B. Soloveitchik ZT”L, people are mistaken in thinking that there is only one type of mesorah (tradition); the community of the fathers. It is not true. We have, in fact, two traditions, two communities - the mesorah of the fathers, and the mesorah of the mothers: “So shall you say to the Bais Yaakov (women) and tell over to the Bnei Yisroel (men).”
Comments