The Benefit Of Seeing

By: R’ Mordechai Young

When I learned in yeshiva Sh’or Yoshuv, I heard a great story about the founder, Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld, zt’l, who passed away in 1990. Once he was on a retreat with students. As they were outside the beis midrash, he said, “Let’s talk about ruchniyus. We are away from the beis midrash now, but we can still connect. Similar to what an alcoholic does (lehavdil) when there’s no alcohol, he talks about alcohol. So, we are away from the main thing we love (Torah and sefarim), so let’s talk about ruchniyus.”

In this week’s parashah, V’etchanan, Moshe Rabbeinu davened to go to Eretz Yisrael. In Devarim 3:25, he asks, “Let me, I pray, cross over and see the good land on the other side of the Jordan, that good hill country, and the Lebanon.” We know Moshe Rabbeinu couldn’t go. Hashem let Moshe see all the land from the top of the valley. The Gemara Sotah 14a explained that Moshe Rabbeinu wanted to go to Eretz Yisrael to fulfill the mitzvosconnected to the land since some mitzvos like Terumah can only be done in the land.

We can understand going to the land, but what is to be gained by seeing it? I was thinking, perhaps Moshe Rabbeinu wanted to see the land so he could give a berachah to the Yidden. Even though he would not enter the land, he loved the Yidden and wanted them to go and have it the best they could. Baruch Hashem, I saw an explanation from Sforno that Moshe was saying that he will put his eyes on the land for good and blessing that there should be good for the nation forever. The Chasam Sofer explains that by Moshe seeing the land, it would help them conquer it later, making it easier for Yehoshua.

Seeing such selfless acts is very inspiring. Moshe couldn’t lead anymore; he wouldn’t go where he wanted to, yet he still wanted the Yidden to enjoy more and have an easier time. The Kli Yakar explains that there was a physical and spiritual benefit to this. Moshe wanted to walk on the land, which would help bring an acquisition of it, by doing a physical act of chazakah, the spiritual benefits, especially seeing the place where the Beis HaMikdash would be built. It is called “Hashem Yireh” (root word to see) for whoever sees the holy place with sight alone acquires completeness of his soul. Once Moshe has this connection to the land, I believe the land itself gets elevated. Like when Avraham Avinu bought Me’arat HaMachpelah (Bereishis 23:17), the Midrash explains the double cave became elevated by going from a commoner to being owned by a king like Avraham. Moshe Rabbeinu asked in pasuk 25 above if he could see the good land on the other side of the Jordan, the good mountain. Rashi explains that the good mountain is Yerushalayim and the Lebanon, according to Rashi, is the Beis HaMikdash. I was thinking as a possible explanation the Gemara Taanis 5a teaches there is a Yerushalayim in Shamayim too. So maybe Moshe Rabbeinu could see Yerushalayim on earth so when he went to Shamayim, he would be more connected and familiar with it. We see how special Eretz Yisrael is that even seeing it brings great benefits.

Have a great Shabbos! 

R’ Mordechai Young can be reached for comments at [email protected].