Our God-given right to the land of Israel
TorahParshat Noach

Our God-given right to the land of Israel

Genesis 6:9 – 11:32

The Torah begins with the words, “Bereishit Bara Elokim Eis Hashamayim Vieis Haaretz”—“In the beginning of G-d’s creation of the heavens and the earth.”

Rashi, quoting his father, Rabbi Yitzchak, poses a question: Why does the Torah start with the story of creation instead of the first mitzvah (commandment)?

This question is rooted in the idea that the Torah is not intended as a history book. Rather, it is G-d’s gift to humanity, guiding us in the mitzvot we can perform to connect with Him. The Torah is a practical guide to the here and now. If its purpose is to teach us how to draw closer to G-d in our daily lives, why begin with the entire story of creation? What practical relevance does it hold?

Rabbi Yitzchak reasons that G-d began the Torah this way to address a future question: “When the nations of the world say to the Jewish people, ‘You are thieves; you conquered the land of Israel from the Seven Nations,’ the Jews can respond, ‘The entire earth belongs to G-d; He created it and can give it to whomever He deems fit. He gave it to them when He wished, and He gave it to us when He wished.’”

According to Rabbi Yitzchak, the Torah’s opening serves to establish the Jewish people’s right to the land of Israel. It is as if he foresaw our own times, where the nations repeatedly question this right. They ask this in their own countries, they ask us directly, and they bring it up at the United Nations.

Our responses vary, from historical arguments like “The world owed it to us after the Holocaust” or “The United Nations established our right by resolution,” to legal ones, such as “The land was won in a defensive war.” These are all legitimate responses. Yet, Rashi emphasizes that we are missing the core point. Israel belongs to the Jewish people not merely for these reasons but because the Creator of heaven and earth gave it to us. He made it; He has the ultimate authority to distribute it.

The misunderstanding that we need to explain our right to Israel comes from forgetting how the world itself was created. If we acknowledge that G-d created the world and everything in it, we must also accept that He designated the land for us.

In this week’s Torah portion, we see what happens when the world forgets this foundational truth: “The world had become
corrupt before God, and the land was filled with robbery. God saw the world, and it was corrupt, for almost all flesh had perverted its way on the earth.” It took a flood and 10 more generations before Abraham would reestablish awareness of G-d’s sovereignty among humanity.

History repeats itself. The world questions our right to Israel because it has forgotten the Creator.

Our foremost priority must be for us, as the Jewish people, to truly understand that our right to Israel is given by G-d Himself. If we believe deeply that G-d created the world and gave us this land, we will express our connection with conviction.

But if we rely solely on man-made arguments, we will struggle to convey our rights convincingly to others. PJC

Rabbi Henoch Rosenfeld is the director of Chabad Young Professionals of Pittsburgh. This column is a service of the Vaad Harabonim of Greater Pittsburgh.

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