Yikes! Less than an hour to Shabbos and I didn’t publish my Dvar Torah yet! (I did start writing earlier.) Instead of writing about a new topic, I will add to what I wrote about on Chanukah. It is written:
וַיֹּ֘אמֶר֮ יִתְרוֹ֒ בָּר֣וּךְ ה’ אֲשֶׁ֨ר הִצִּ֥יל אֶתְכֶ֛ם מִיַּ֥ד מִצְרַ֖יִם וּמִיַּ֣ד פַּרְעֹ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר הִצִּיל֙ אֶת־הָעָ֔ם מִתַּ֖חַת יַד־מִצְרָֽיִם
Yisro said, “Blessed is Hashem Who rescued you from the hand of Egypt, and from the hand of Paroh; Who rescued the people from under the hand of Egypt.”
18:10
The Mechilta1 states:
“The verse speaks of the disgrace of Israel, for there were six hundred thousand people and not one of them got up to bless Hashem until Yisro came etc.”
Rav Shimon Schwab in Mayan Beis Hashoevah explains that although Am Yisrael said shirah together as a community, they did not praise Hashem individually.
Rav Schwab suggests that perhaps the individuals did not praise Hashem because the purpose of Yetziyas Mitzrayim was to receive the Torah; until they reached the ultimate goal, they did not feel a need for praise. This was a mistake. Praise is appropriate after each step of the way.
This message is also seen in the song ‘Dayenu’. We see that each blessing should be looked at on its own. Each one is enough to be thankful for even if the next step were never to happen. How apropos in our times is the stanzaאִלּוּ הִכְנִיסָנוּ לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְלֹא בָּנָה לָנוּ אֶת בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ דַּיֵּנוּ - had Hashem brought us into Eretz Yisrael and not built for us the Beis Hamikdash it would be enough.
As Tu B’shevat was this past week, I would like to add another point. After what I wrote on Chanukah, some people questioned my assertion that the miracles we have witnessed in recent history, particularly those involved in the formation of the State of Israel, have anything to do with the complete redemption. Let us pretend for a moment that it is valid to question the seven million Jews (roughly half of the Jewish population) gathered now in Eretz Yisrael after two thousand years of exile as having any connection to the ingathering of exiles that we are told will come. Hashem knew that the events of the geulah would not be clear to everyone, therefore He gave us a sign through Yechezkel. It is written:
וְאַתֶּ֞ם הָרֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ עַנְפְּכֶ֣ם תִּתֵּ֔נוּ וּפֶרְיְכֶ֥ם תִּשְׂא֖וּ לְעַמִּ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כִּ֥י קֵרְב֖וּ לָבֽוֹא
"And you, mountains of Israel, your braches shall go forth and bear your fruit for My people Israel, for their return is near."
Yechezkel 36:8
Chazal teach us:
ואמר רבי אבא אין לך קץ מגולה יותר מזה שנאמר ואתם הרי ישראל ענפכם תתנו ופריכם תשאו לעמי ישראל וגומר
Rabi Abba said: There is no surer sign that the end of days is revealed than the fulfillment of the pasuk: "And you, mountains of Israel, your branches shall go forth and bear your fruit for My people Israel, for their return is near."
Sanhedrin 98a
Has this not happened? Eretz Yisrael had been desolated of produce for the duration of our exile. Only in recent times has the land flourished with produce of all kinds.
From Wikipedia:
Israel is one of the world's leading fresh citrus producers and exporters, including oranges, grapefruit, tangerines and a hybrid of a grapefruit and a pomelo, developed in Israel.
More than forty types of fruit are grown in Israel. In addition to citrus, these include avocados, bananas, apples, olives, cherries, figs, plums, nectarines, grapes, dates, strawberries, prickly pear (tzabbar), persimmon, loquat and pomegranates. Israel is the second leading producer of loquat after Japan. Almond is also grown.
According to the website Seven Fifty Daily, in 1948 there were 14 wineries in Israel. Now there are 300 including 70 that harvest 50 tons of grapes or more annually!
The Gemara in Megilah2 explains the reason for the order of the brachos of Shemona Esrei. The reason why the bracha about kibbutz goluyos (Teka Bishofar) comes after the bracha about produce (Boreich Aleinu) is that kibbutz goluyos happens after Eretz Yisrael starts producing fruit for Am Yisrael as we have seen in the Gemara cited previously. Only afterward is Yerushalayim rebuilt after which Mashiach comes, which is why we say the bracha about Yerushalayim and Mashiach afterward.
Thus, now that Eretz Yisrael has started to produce its crops for Am Yisrael, we can be certain that the kibbutz goluyos we have experienced (and are experiencing) is the kibbutz goluyos we have long been awaiting.
Thank you for reading and have a good shabbbos!
Parshas Yisro is about fathers-in-law, so I would like to give a shout out to my own father-in-law with his inspirational Two Minutes of Torah. (It has to do with the following song.)
Mechilta Derabi Yishmael parsha 1
17b