למען ירבו ימיכם וימי בניכם על האדמה אשר נשבע ה' לאבתיכם לתת להם וכו' (יא-כא)
The Gemara (ברכות ח.) relates that Rav Yochanan was surprised to hear that "איכא סבי בבבל" - there are elderly people living in Babylonia. The Torah explicitly promises אריכת ימים (long life) to those who reside in Eretz Yisroel, but no such guarantee is made regarding those in chutz la’aretz. However, when R’ Yochanan heard that there were many people in Bavel who were קובע עתים, setting aside time to learn Torah, he understood why there were older people there. The Maharsha, R’ Shmuel Eidels zt”l, in Megillah (כט) asks: Indeed, it is very commendable that they were learning Torah but that still does not guarantee long life for those who live outside the Holy Land. Rather, he explains, the Gemara is teaching us that in the future, all the shuls and בתי מדרש of chutz la’aretz will be transplanted in Eretz Yisroel, thereby giving them the status of קדושת א"י, and bringing along the promise of long life. Therefore, even the residents of Bavel, who spend so much of their time learning Torah, were zoche to this beracha of "למען ירבו ימיכם ... על האדמה".
This could possibly be the pshat in the first posuk of the parsha: "והיה עקב תשמעון". The letters of the word "עקב" can be rearranged to spell the "קבע" (consistent), to fulfill the dictum of Chazal in Avos: "עשה תורתך קבע" - make your Torah learning consistent and permanent. Since we know that the word "והיה" denotes an expression of simcha, joy, we can derive from here when people learn Torah "והיה עקב" - with consistency (קביעות) and simcha, they will be blessed by the רבש"ע.
With this machshava, we can say pshat in the Hagadda on the song “Dayeinu.” Had Hashem given us the Torah, but not brought us into Eretz Yisroel - דיינו - it would have been enough! That is because once we were given the Torah, we were able to learn it בקביעות, and then the kedusha of Eretz Yisroel permeated any place where there is limud Torah! May we be zoche to learn Torah בקביעות and בשמחה, and thus merit the beracha from the Aibishter of אריכת ימים ושנים!
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