7.13.26 –A Balance Sheet, Part 1

As many of you know, the final book of the Torah is Deuteronomy (Devarim), or "Words." Speaking of words, did you know that there is not a single Torah portion that fails to mention the Land of Israel either explicitly or implicitly (prophetically)? Approximately two-thirds of the Torah depend upon Eretz Yisrael—the Land of our inheritance.

The focus of the Torah—and ultimately all of God's Word—is restoring mankind back to the Garden of Eden. In order to do that, the path leads to Israel and Jerusalem.

Every year I grow more "homesick."

To enter the Land requires a focused walk. The Israelites had to be willing to give a good report no matter what they saw. So do we! Walking in the Word will plant the destination of the Word in our hearts: Israel. First, though, there must be an accounting, or the journey may not go well. And this is exactly how Moses starts out the book of Deuteronomy (Devarim):

"In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the children of Israel, according to all that the LORD had commanded him to give to them, after he had defeated Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei. Across the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to expound this law, saying..." (Deut. 1:3–5)

Heshbon means "an accounting," a balance sheet. Before one goes into the Land of Israel, there is a war on the other side that forces us into accounting and checking our balance sheet. Before the Israelites battled the giants in the Land—the Anakim—they had to battle the giants on the other side of the Jordan, the remnant of the Rephaim.

"Come to Heshbon" is exactly what Moses does to open Devarim. He gives a bullet-point history of the wilderness journey, including the grave sin of Tisha B'Av (Num. 13 & 14)—the last day of the 21-day period known as the Dire Straits—when they gave a slanderous report of the Land of Israel even as the door was open. As a result, those who foolishly tried to ascend to Israel after the door closed, without the Lord's help, were defeated and chased by the Emori (Amorite).

An Emori is a "speaker, sayer." Words.

The Amorite keeps reappearing in the Torah narrative, from Hebron to Heshbon, from Abraham to Moses. Sometimes an ally (with Abraham) and sometimes an enemy (to Moses). The Emori gives insight into an important personal balance sheet.

Eshkol was the brother of Mamre the Amorite (Emori). Abraham lived among them at Hebron, and it was near the oaks of Mamre that Abraham was visited by three angels as he sat in the doorway of his tent three days after his circumcision (Gen. 18). The Anakim, another class of giants, inhabited the same area. So did the Hittites, from whom Abraham bought the field and cave of Machpelah. Talk about a strange neighborhood!

So why did Abraham have to buy Machpelah from Ephron the Hittite? Did it not already belong to him as a divine gift from God?

As with the giants at Heshbon, Abraham had to check the balance sheet: spiritual and physical. So far, he had lived in peace with the giants, their giant grapes, the Hittites, and the Amorites: Mamre, Aner, and Eshkol. This is seen as one of Abraham's ten tests: Would he pay for the Land that was already his? It is said by the sages that God wanted to teach Abraham—and his descendants—that Eretz Yisrael is acquired only through suffering. Before acquiring a plot for the living, one must first acquire a burial plot. In order to truly be able to strike roots and settle down in Eretz Yisrael, one has to first sacrifice for the Land. It is an integral part of the absorption process. But why must it be this way? Why cannot it be easy to live in God's Chosen Land? Since Eretz Yisrael is superior to all other lands, both spiritually and materially, it costs more... the reward is proportionate to the pain. Let us not forget that immediately after Abraham buries Sarah, the Torah states, "The LORD blessed Abraham with everything" (Gen. 23, 24).

As we enter into the second day of this week, it begs the question: what does the ledger of our accounting sheet look like, and is our ultimate goal—and everything we do—the inheritance in the Promised Land?

Shalom!
Alan