Let us be strong and of good courage in settling the Land and in learning Torah

by HaRav Dov Begon
Rosh HaYeshiva, Machon Meir

“Yisrael reached out with his right hand and placed it on Ephraim’s head, even though he was the younger son. He placed his left hand on Menashe's head. He deliberately crossed his hands, even though Menashe was the firstborn” (Ber. 48:14).

“That’s not the way it should be done, Father,’ said Yosef. ‘The other one is the firstborn. Place your right hand on HIS head.’ His father refused and said, ‘I know, my son, I know. The older one will also become a nation. he too will attain greatness. But his younger brother will become even greater...’” (pesukim 18-19).

Rashi explains: “Yaakov placed his hands with wisdom and intelligence.” He knew that Menashe was the firstborn, and still did not place his right hand on him. His reasoning was that from Ephraim would emerge, Yehoshua bin Nun, would distribute the tribal portions and would teach the Torah to Israel. By virtue of this, Ephraim merited more greatness than Menashe.

Today, our generation parallels that of Yehoshua bin Nun, who came up to the Land and conquered it after forty years in the wilderness. We, in turn, are coming up to the Land and settling it after two thousand years of exile in the wilderness of the nations.

In Yehoshua's generation, the two most important national missions were to conquer the Land and to learn Torah, as G-d told him, “Be strong and of good courage, for unto this people shall you divide the land for an inheritance, which I swore unto their fathers to give them. Only be strong and of good courage, that you may observe to practice this whole Torah which Moshe My servant commanded you” (Yehoshua 1:6-7).

In our own generation as well, the two most important missions that we face are (1) moving to Israel and settling the Land, and (2) learning Torah and returning to our Jewish roots. In fact, the two are interdependent. The more rooted we become in our holy Torah, the more our connection and affinity to Eretz Yisrael will be strengthened, and the more Jews who move to the Land and take root in it, the greater the Torah’s glory will be.

Through all such efforts, may we merit seeing with our own eyes G-d’s granting strength to His people and blessing them with peace.

Looking forward to salvation,
With the Love of Israel,
Shabbat Shalom.