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Is Life in the Diaspora Godless? The Land of Israel and the Observance of Mitzvoth in the View of Ramban
Devorah Zlochower
Deuteronomy 11:13-21 13) And it shall come to pass, if you shall listen to My commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve God with all your heart and with all your soul. 14) I will give you the rain of your land in its due season, the first rain and the latter rain. and you shall gather your grain, your wine and your oil. 15) I will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you shall eat and be sated. 16) Guard yourselves that your heart not be deceived, and you turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them. 17) And then the
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and God will stop up the skies that there should be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which the Lord gives you. 18) You shall place these words of Mine in your heart and in your soul and bind them as a sign upon your hand and they may be frontlets between your eyes. 19) You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 20) And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gates. 21)That your days may be multiplied and the days of your children on the land which the Lord swore to your ancestors to give them as the days ofheaven upon the earth.
Sifre Deuteronomy #43 "You shall perish quickly...You shall place these words of Mine... Even though I, God, banish you from the land to the Diaspora excel in the mitmot so that when you retum they shall not be new and unfamiliar to you. A parable is given of a king who was angry with his wife and banished her to her father's house. He said to her, "Adom yourself with your jewels so that when you return they will not be new to you." So says God to Israel, "My children excel in mitzvot so that when you return they will not be new to you."
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Is Life in the Diaspora Godless? The Land of Israel and the Observance of Mitzvoth in the View of Ramban
Devorah Zlochower
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This is what Jeremiah said, "Erect markers for yourselves (set up signposts, keep in mind the highways, the road that you traveled. Return Maiden Israel; return to these cities of yours). (Jeremiah 3l:20) The markers (tziunim) refer to the mitzvot in which Israel excels (mitzuyanim). Rashi to Deuteronomy 11:18 And you shall place My words - even after you are exiled excel in mitmoth,lay teJillin, make mezuzof, so that they will not be new to you when you return. And so it states: Erect markers for yourselves (Jeremiah
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Our Rabbis taught: A person should always dwell in the land of Israel even in a city inhabited mostly by idolaters, and should not dwell in the Diaspora even in a city inhabited mostly by Israelites. For one who dwells in the land of Israel is as one who has a God and one who dwells in the Diaspora is as one who has no God. As it states, "To give you the land of Canaan to be your God." (Leviticus 25:38) And all who do not dwell in the Land do not have a God? This comes to tell us that dwelling in the Diaspora is tantamount to idolatry. And so it was said of David, "For they have driven me out this day from having a share in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, go, serve other gods." (Samuel I26:19) Who told David to go serve other gods? This teaches you that dwelling in the Diaspora is tantamount to serving idols.
Leviticus 18:24-25 24)Do not defile yourselves with all of these as did the nations that I banished from before you. 25) The land became defiled and I called it to account for its iniquity and the land spewed out its inhabitants.
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Is Life in the Diaspora Godless? The Land of Israel and the Observance of Mitzvoth in the View of Ramban
is stringent with illicit sexual acts because the land becomes defiled with them and spews out those who commit these acts. Despite the fact that illicit sexual acts are commandments to the individual and not related to the land! But the esoteric meaning of the text, "When the One on high gave inheritance to the nations, when God separated the humans God set the borders of the people... For the portion of God is God's people".. . (Deuteronomy 32:8-9) The meaning is that God created all and placed the power of the lower beings in higher beings and placed over every people in their land a zodracal sign as is known in astrology...
Now God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords for the entire world but the land of Israel which is in the middle of the inhabited earth is God's inheritance designated for God. God did not place over it an angel when God gave it as an inheritance to the people, God's beloved seed, who declare the Unity of God's name. This is what is meant by, "You shall be my treasure from among all the peoples for all the land is Mine." (Exodus 19:5) And as it is written, "You shall be my people and I will be for you a God." (Jeremiah 1 1:4) You shall not be subject to other powers at all... In other words, God separated us from the nations over whom God placed other powers by giving us the land indicating that God alone would be our Lord and we would be so designated. Now the land which is God's portion shall spew forth all who defile it and cannot tolerate idolaters or sexual sinners...
Now in the Diaspora, although all belongs to God, its purity is not complete due to the celestial servants who rule it and the nations go astray and serve them as well... This is what the Rabbis meant: One who dwells in the Diaspora is as one who has no God as it is stated, "To give you the land of Canaan to be your l--
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Is Life in the Diaspora Godless? The Land of Israel and the Observance of Mitmoth in the View of Ramban Devorah Zlochower
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]v:l And so the Rabbis taught in the Sifre: "And you shall perish quickly. .. " (Deuteronomy 1 1 : l7) Even though I banish you from the land to the Diaspora excel in the mitzvot so that when you return they shall not be new and unfamiliar to you... Now the Biblical text which says, "And you shall perish quickly...And you shall place these words of Mine... (Deuteronomy 11:17-18) only makes obligatory in exile personal obligations like tefillin and mezuzof, as the Rabbis explained, so that they shall not be novel when return to the land. For the main fulfillment of all the mitzvot is for those who dwell in God's land. Therefore, the Rabbis stated in the Sifre on the verse: And you shall inherit it, dwell in it and observe to perform (Deuteronomy 11:31-32) that dwelling in the land of Israel is comparable to all the mitzvot of the Torah.
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Devorah Zlochower
Deuteronomy 11:13-21 13) And it shall come to pass, if you shall listen to My commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve God with all your heart and with all your soul. 14) I will give you the rain of your land in its due season, the first rain and the latter rain. and you shall gather your grain, your wine and your oil. 15) I will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you shall eat and be sated. 16) Guard yourselves that your heart not be deceived, and you turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them. 17) And then the
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and God will stop up the skies that there should be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which the Lord gives you. 18) You shall place these words of Mine in your heart and in your soul and bind them as a sign upon your hand and they may be frontlets between your eyes. 19) You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 20) And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gates. 21)That your days may be multiplied and the days of your children on the land which the Lord swore to your ancestors to give them as the days ofheaven upon the earth.
Sifre Deuteronomy #43 "You shall perish quickly...You shall place these words of Mine... Even though I, God, banish you from the land to the Diaspora excel in the mitmot so that when you retum they shall not be new and unfamiliar to you. A parable is given of a king who was angry with his wife and banished her to her father's house. He said to her, "Adom yourself with your jewels so that when you return they will not be new to you." So says God to Israel, "My children excel in mitzvot so that when you return they will not be new to you."
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Is Life in the Diaspora Godless? The Land of Israel and the Observance of Mitzvoth in the View of Ramban
Devorah Zlochower
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This is what Jeremiah said, "Erect markers for yourselves (set up signposts, keep in mind the highways, the road that you traveled. Return Maiden Israel; return to these cities of yours). (Jeremiah 3l:20) The markers (tziunim) refer to the mitzvot in which Israel excels (mitzuyanim). Rashi to Deuteronomy 11:18 And you shall place My words - even after you are exiled excel in mitmoth,lay teJillin, make mezuzof, so that they will not be new to you when you return. And so it states: Erect markers for yourselves (Jeremiah
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3l:20) Ketubot 110b
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Our Rabbis taught: A person should always dwell in the land of Israel even in a city inhabited mostly by idolaters, and should not dwell in the Diaspora even in a city inhabited mostly by Israelites. For one who dwells in the land of Israel is as one who has a God and one who dwells in the Diaspora is as one who has no God. As it states, "To give you the land of Canaan to be your God." (Leviticus 25:38) And all who do not dwell in the Land do not have a God? This comes to tell us that dwelling in the Diaspora is tantamount to idolatry. And so it was said of David, "For they have driven me out this day from having a share in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, go, serve other gods." (Samuel I26:19) Who told David to go serve other gods? This teaches you that dwelling in the Diaspora is tantamount to serving idols.
Leviticus 18:24-25 24)Do not defile yourselves with all of these as did the nations that I banished from before you. 25) The land became defiled and I called it to account for its iniquity and the land spewed out its inhabitants.
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Is Life in the Diaspora Godless? The Land of Israel and the Observance of Mitzvoth in the View of Ramban
is stringent with illicit sexual acts because the land becomes defiled with them and spews out those who commit these acts. Despite the fact that illicit sexual acts are commandments to the individual and not related to the land! But the esoteric meaning of the text, "When the One on high gave inheritance to the nations, when God separated the humans God set the borders of the people... For the portion of God is God's people".. . (Deuteronomy 32:8-9) The meaning is that God created all and placed the power of the lower beings in higher beings and placed over every people in their land a zodracal sign as is known in astrology...
Now God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords for the entire world but the land of Israel which is in the middle of the inhabited earth is God's inheritance designated for God. God did not place over it an angel when God gave it as an inheritance to the people, God's beloved seed, who declare the Unity of God's name. This is what is meant by, "You shall be my treasure from among all the peoples for all the land is Mine." (Exodus 19:5) And as it is written, "You shall be my people and I will be for you a God." (Jeremiah 1 1:4) You shall not be subject to other powers at all... In other words, God separated us from the nations over whom God placed other powers by giving us the land indicating that God alone would be our Lord and we would be so designated. Now the land which is God's portion shall spew forth all who defile it and cannot tolerate idolaters or sexual sinners...
Now in the Diaspora, although all belongs to God, its purity is not complete due to the celestial servants who rule it and the nations go astray and serve them as well... This is what the Rabbis meant: One who dwells in the Diaspora is as one who has no God as it is stated, "To give you the land of Canaan to be your l--
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Is Life in the Diaspora Godless? The Land of Israel and the Observance of Mitmoth in the View of Ramban Devorah Zlochower
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]v:l And so the Rabbis taught in the Sifre: "And you shall perish quickly. .. " (Deuteronomy 1 1 : l7) Even though I banish you from the land to the Diaspora excel in the mitzvot so that when you return they shall not be new and unfamiliar to you... Now the Biblical text which says, "And you shall perish quickly...And you shall place these words of Mine... (Deuteronomy 11:17-18) only makes obligatory in exile personal obligations like tefillin and mezuzof, as the Rabbis explained, so that they shall not be novel when return to the land. For the main fulfillment of all the mitzvot is for those who dwell in God's land. Therefore, the Rabbis stated in the Sifre on the verse: And you shall inherit it, dwell in it and observe to perform (Deuteronomy 11:31-32) that dwelling in the land of Israel is comparable to all the mitzvot of the Torah.
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