Faith in Real Estate Like any good real estate agent, when “selling” the land of Israel to the Jewish people, Moses highlights its virtues. He tells the people that the land of Israel is far superior to Egypt: For the land to which you are coming to possess is not like the land of Egypt, out of which you came, where you sowed your seed and which you watered by foot, like a vegetable garden. (Deuteronomy 11:10) Egypt’s sustenance was dependent on the Nile River, which required the farmer to carry water to his field. As the Midrash describes: The land of Egypt required bringing water from the Nile by foot in order to water it; you had to rise from your sleep and toil. And only the low-lying areas were watered [i.e., were irrigated by the Nile], but not the high land, so you had to carry up water from the lower to the higher areas. By contrast, Israel is entirely different. As Moses continued: But the land, to which you pass to possess, is a land of mountains and valleys and absorbs water from the rains of heaven. (Deuteronomy 11:11) No need to “Shlep” the water, as the Midrash describes: “you sleep in your bed, the Holy One, blessed is He, waters both low and high areas”. But that leaves us wondering: is this the full story? Does this description capture the true balance of the advantages of Israel over Egypt? Or is Moses, like any good real estate agent, highlighting only what is "convenient" for his narrative? For, yes, when it rains, Israel is certainly advantageous; the problem, of course, is that rain is often scarce. Egypt’s natural resource, the Nile, provides a constant source of nourishment, but is also a spiritual hazard, for it allows a person to delude himself into thinking that he is self-sufficient and his destiny and success are the product of his own might. In Egypt, a person can feel invincible, with no need to turn to, and to accept the morality of, a higher power. In Israel, by contrast, a Jew knows that all his effort is dependent on the heavens. He can toil, sow and plant, but ultimately, must put his trust in G-d to bring the rain. The scarcity of rain is indeed what ensures that connection and relationship with G-d. As Moses continues in the very next verse: A land the Lord, your G-d, looks after; the eyes of L-rd your G-d are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. Even with the advances of Israeli ingenuity and technology, what was true then is still true today. Surviving and flourishing in the region is a miracle. Sometimes we wish that Israel would be more like other nations, whose existence seems more secure and doesn't require reliance on the extraordinary. Yet, perhaps that is one of the reasons why G-d chose that strip of land for his people. For it is a land whose very geography, topography, and climate evoke a deep connection and relationship with G-d.
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