ערך ארץ ישראל

Through blemished eating — especially through eating that which is forbidden, G-d forbid — through this the yirah [fear of G-d] is greatly blemished, and the fallen fears [yiros hanefilos] grow stronger — outer fears — which are the aspect of the husk of Amalek, may his name be blotted out. When one wishes to come to the Land of Israel — where the encompassing totality of all the holinesses resides — then the obstacles and hindrances intensify and spread, drawn from the begodim tzo'im [soiled garments], which cannot be subdued except through the power of Torah and the Tzaddikim, and primarily — through the power of the graves of the Tzaddikim who have already departed and come to their rest. And therefore when Caleb saw that the counsel of the spies was growing very strong — seeking to blemish the holiness of the Land of Israel — he went and prostrated himself upon the graves of the Fathers. And likewise at the beginning of the redemption from Egypt, which was for the purpose of coming to the Land of Israel, it is written: "And Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him" [Exodus 13:19] — corresponding to the grave of the Tzadik.

The essential holiness of the Land of Israel is through the revelation of ratzon [the Divine will] that shines there — that is, to believe that everything is guided solely by His blessed will and His Providence alone. And this is the aspect of: "For Your servants desired her stones" [Psalms 102:15] — for they are in the aspect of the revelation of the ratzon.

The essential holiness of faith and of holy wisdom — which are the very essence of life and the sacred length of days — is in the Land of Israel, in the aspect of: "So that your days may be many, etc., upon the land" [Deuteronomy 11:21]. And in the diaspora [chutz la'oretz] there is no vitality whatsoever — only through what one does by rising early and staying late in the synagogues and houses of study, and praying and learning and reciting the Kriyas Shma — through this one draws the holiness of the Land of Israel into the diaspora as well. For these are in the aspect of a mikdash me'at [miniature sanctuary], as our Sages of blessed memory said — and this is the very essence of our vitality during the time of exile.

Jerusalem is the aspect of complete yirah [fear], and shame, and true humility — through which is the essential repair of holy eating.

Even though we have been supplicating for so many years to return to the Land of Israel and we are still far from there — even so, not a single prayer or cry is ever lost, even of the least of the least. For with each and every cry and prayer, some portion and point of the Land of Israel is conquered — until all the points we have conquered through our prayers will gather together, and then we will return to our land soon. And even one who is very blemished and has no power in his cry and prayer to conquer any point or portion of the Land of Israel — even so, his cry accomplishes a great deal. For he is in the aspect of a mecho'ah [formal protest] — as is explained in the laws of chazakah [presumption of ownership of land]: that as long as one protests, the presumption of the one holding [the land] is of no effect whatsoever. Therefore, even though they have seized the Land of Israel from us — which is our land and our inheritance — and we do not have the power to extract it from them on account of the blemish of our deeds, even so, we pray and cry out every single time that the Land of Israel is ours, for it is our inheritance. And through this we make a mecho'ah [formal protest] against the sitra achra [the other side], so that they know that their presumption [chazakah] is no [presumption] at all — for the Land of Israel is ours from our forefathers, and in the end we will take it from their hands, with G-d's help.

The mention of the names of the Tzaddikim is a wondrous and exceedingly — [exceedingly] — awesome thing, and is of very great benefit for the service of G-d, as is explained elsewhere. It is also a segula [-propitious means] to merit through this the Land of Israel — for it is impossible to come to the Land of Israel except through the power of the truly righteous Tzaddikim, in the aspect of: "The righteous shall inherit the land, etc." [Psalms 37:29]. See the inner teachings and Yemei Nassan [the account of his journey] regarding his journey to the Land of Israel. [See also Likutay Halachoas, Hilchos Netilas Yodayim L'seudah, Halacha 4, note 6, and Hilchos Devorim HaNoge'im B'seudah, Halacha 4, note 6 — and you will understand further.]

And even one who is very blemished and has no power in his cry and prayer to conquer any point or portion of the Land of Israel — even so, his cry accomplishes a great deal. For he is in the aspect of a mecho'ah [formal protest] — as is explained in the laws of chazakah [presumption of ownership of land]: that as long as one protests, the presumption of the one holding [the land] is of no effect whatsoever. Therefore, even though they have seized the Land of Israel from us — which is our land and our inheritance — and we do not have the power to extract it from them on account of the blemish of our deeds, even so, we pray and cry out every single time that the Land of Israel is ours, for it is our inheritance. And through this we make a mecho'ah [formal protest] against the sitra achra [the other side], so that they know that their presumption [chazakah] is no [presumption] at all — for the Land of Israel is ours from our forefathers, and in the end we will take it from their hands, with G-d's help.