אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל

The entire world is nourished from the shefa [Divine abundance] of Eretz Yisroel, and Eretz Yisroel itself receives its shefa from emes [truth], which is the attribute [midas] of Yaakov — the dimension of Tiferes, the all-inclusive harmony of the colors [klaliyus ha'gevanim] — the dimension of tefillin, which are called "life" [chayyim], as our Rabbis of blessed memory taught. It is for this reason that it is called Eretz HaChayyim [the Land of Life], and for this reason it is written of it: "Always the eyes of Hashem your G-d are upon it" [Deuteronomy 11:12] — for "a speaker of falsehoods shall not be established before His eyes" [Psalms 101:7]; but Eretz Yisroel, being the dimension of emes, therefore the eyes of Hashem are always upon it. And since the primary wealth comes from emes, it is written of it: "in which you shall eat bread without poverty" [Deuteronomy 8:9], and it is also in the dimension of breaking the lust for eating [ta'avas achilah] [see the inner text]. And when one damages emes — the all-inclusive harmony of the colors — through this one comes to poverty and the need to be dependent upon others, which is the dimension of shame [bushah], which is also the all-inclusive [display] of the colors, as in the dimension of: "When a person is made dependent upon others, his face changes through many colors" [Talmud Bavli, Berachos 6b]. Note of the Copyist [amar ha'ma'atik]: From this you will understand that which, due to our many sins, the dimension of the shefa of Eretz Yisroel is now blemished — and therefore most of the inhabitants of Eretz Yisroel depend primarily for their livelihood on others, and are in the dimension of being dependent upon others. May Hashem Yisborach have mercy and return us to our land, and may the holy shefa of Eretz Yisroel be restored to its place in completeness.

Through dispute [machlokes] one blemishes the holiness of Eretz Yisroel, and it is then called Eretz Canaan [the Land of Canaan — connoting lowliness and subjugation]; and from this also comes poverty.

The primary holiness of Eretz Yisroel consists in this: that there, Hashem Yisborach's Providence [hashgachah] is constant and uninterrupted. And in the future, when He will renew the entire world in the dimension of Eretz Yisroel, then all the world will be governed by Providence alone, and nature [teva] will be completely nullified.

The primary excellence of the holiness of Eretz Yisroel is solely through the Providence [hashgachas Hashem Yisborach]. And because Hashem Yisborach constantly gazes upon it, as it is written: "Always the eyes of Hashem your G-d are upon it" [Deuteronomy 11:12] — through this Eretz Yisroel is sanctified and its very air imparts wisdom [avira d'makkim], for "eyes" is an expression associated with wisdom [chochma].

The primary power of the holiness of Eretz Yisroel is through the dimension of "He declared the power of His deeds to His people, to give them the inheritance of nations" [Psalms 111:6] — and by His will it was taken from them and given to us, as our Rabbis of blessed memory taught [Rashi, Genesis 1:1]. It follows that the primary power of conquering Eretz Yisroel is through the Ten Utterances [Asarah Ma'amaros] by which the world was created; and at the time of creation the Torah had not yet been revealed in the world — yet even then, all the world's existence and life-force was only through the Torah, only that at that time all of the Torah was concealed within the Ten Utterances, which are the totality of the words [diburim], the established facts and realities [uvdos] [Translator's note: uvdos — an Aramaic form meaning established facts, realities, or empirical deeds; distinct from asiyos / active doings — it conveys the sense of things as they actually are and occur in the world], and the actions [asiyos] of civilized living [yishuv ha'olam] and worldly commerce [iskei derech eretz]. And then the world existed solely through free, unearned grace [chesed chinam] — the dimension of the treasury of matnas chinam [the free gift]. It follows that this treasury of the free gift is the path to Eretz Yisroel, for through it one goes and conquers Eretz Yisroel from the hand of the nations — and this is the dimension of derech eretz [worldly conduct/civility] [see the inner text]. And through this one can also conquer all places in the world and sanctify them with the holiness of Eretz Yisroel. Therefore, when one wishes to go and come to Eretz Yisroel, one must ask Hashem Yisborach for nothing but matnas chinam [a pure gift of grace], in the dimension of: "And I entreated Hashem at that time, saying:" [Deuteronomy 3:23] — [the word va'eschanan, "I entreated," shares the root of chinam, free/gracious].

Within Eretz Yisroel itself there are also ten levels of holiness, one higher than the next, corresponding to the Ten Utterances; and each Utterance has its corresponding dimension of awe [yir'ah], for there is awe above awe.

One who does not know the mystical secret of the kavanah [inner intention] of tefillin in the full ultimate perfection of a wondrous and awe-inspiring comprehension — he does not fully know the mystical secret of the four directions [arba ruchos] of Eretz Yisroel.

The great tzaddikim merit, through their journey to Eretz Yisroel, to attain supernal wisdom [chochma ila'ah]; they also merit through the journey to Eretz Yisroel to receive their attainments [hasagosam] through garments [levushim]. [Translator's note: No source citation appears in the text for this teaching. The levushim — garments or vestments of the spiritual attainments — refers to the Kabbalistic concept that lofty spiritual light must be clothed in a vessel or form to be received and retained by the soul.]

Before one reaches gadlus [expanded consciousness — meaning a great and wondrous attainment, which is the dimension of mochin d'gadlus], one must first fall into katnus [smallness of mind and consciousness]. And Eretz Yisroel is gadlus d'gadlus — greatness of greatness [meaning: through the holiness of Eretz Yisroel, the tzaddikim merit to attain wondrous and awesome attainments that are in the dimension of mochin d'gadlus, at the ultimate supreme level — the dimension of gadlus d'gadlus]. Therefore one must first fall into katnus d'katnus — smallness of smallness — meaning: the great and wondrous tzaddikim, of the ultimate supreme level, cannot go and come to Eretz Yisroel except by humbling themselves exceedingly; and no elevation or aggrandizement whatsoever is visible in them during their journey to Eretz Yisroel — rather they conceal themselves in the utmost concealment and descend into a profound and extreme smallness, which is the dimension of katnus d'katnus, accepting upon themselves humiliations and the like, etc. And through this specifically they merit to overcome the battle and pass in peace through all the obstacles and hindrances, and come to Eretz Yisroel, and thereby attain a supreme, wondrous, and awesome attainment — the dimension of mochin d'gadlus at the ultimate supreme level, the dimension of gadlus d'gadlus, as above.

Although many tzaddikim did not merit to come to Eretz Yisroel until they had passed through many obstacles and grave dangers, as is known — even so, wholesome and simple people [anashim kesharim u'pshutim] specifically can come to Eretz Yisroel easily, for the ba'al davar [the adversarial force] does not overpower them so much as to prevent them from this.

There are those who wished to travel to Eretz Yisroel — if only they could travel there in comfort and ease. But one who truly wishes to travel to Eretz Yisroel must be willing to go even on foot, as it is written: "Go for yourself from your land" [Genesis 12:1] — lech [go / walk] specifically. [Translator's note: No source citation appears in this edition of the Mahadura Basra for this teaching.]