Devarim

Parshat Devarim by: Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron                                                           בס"ד

לשכנו תדרשו

Discover the Holy Presence in the Holy Land

Water Source

The beginning and end of this Parsha hint to opposite locales for sources of water, the well, in the depths of the earth, and the high mountain – Hermon. At the beginning of the Parsha the word “be’er” is used, literally meaning, in this context, to explain or elucidate [the Torah]. However, the word “be’er” can also mean ”a well”. The connection between these two usages of the word “be’er can be explained as follows: through an elucidation one can benefit from the depths of the Torah, “hidden underneath” superficial understanding, just as one benefits from the waters underneath the earth in the depths by a well. According to the Arizal, the “well of Miryam” is considered to be spiritually linked to the illumination emanating from The Holy Land Israel already in the Wilderness. Therefore, more deeply we may say, that this “well”/elucidation mentioned at the opening verses of the book of Dvarim, hint to the nature of this entire book, as the “Book of Preparation Towards the Holy Land,” for this “well”/elucidation hints to the Land of Israel “giving its waters,” i.e its spiritual elucidation/illumination. 

This phenomenon becomes even clearer considering the fact that the Holy Presence resides with those occupied with Torah study, and also that the Holy Presence resides in the Land of Israel. Therefore, when Torah is studied in this Land the Power of the Holy Presence is magnified, giving blessing that “waters” the entire world. The theme of the “well,” its waters taken from below to above, may also describe the spiritual flux of going from “below to above,” which is indicative of the attribute of judgment, according to the Kabbalah, also associated with our Patriarch Yitzhak.
At the end of this Parsha, Mount Hermon is mentioned in relative length, compared to other locations in the Torah. Mount Hermon lies at the peak of an important mountain system of the Land of Israel which is also a considerable source of water in this Land, being the natural cause of tributaries that lead to the Jordan River and Lake Kineret. Here the source of water is from great heights, in contrast to the “well” theme just mentioned. Also, here the waters go from above to below, indicating a spiritual flux of going from “above to below,” which is indicative of the attribute of kindness, according to the Kabbalah, also associated with our Patriarch Avraham.

In another two Parshiot, Parshat Ekev, the Torah describes the waters coming to the Land of Israel as primarily coming from rainfall. We may say that rainfall is a “middle path” between the well theme and the mountain theme, since rain begins at heights [although generally not very high as mountains] but immediately descends down to the earth. This “middle path” may be indicative of the attribute of compassion, according to the Kabbalah, also associated with our Patriarch Yakov.
Hebron, Beacon of the Holy Land, incorporates within it these three aspects, for Hebron is also the City of our Holy Patriarchs, hinting to all the Patriarchs mentioned above, and “watering” the entire world with its spiritual energy.

Real Miracles: From the Six-Day War:

A reservist Israeli cab driver tells his story of the conflict. He and another reservist were on patrol near the Tiran Straits. All of a sudden the two men, armed with light weapons, met with an Egyptian half-track, filled with Egyptian soldiers and mounted machine guns. Death seemed imminent. The Israeli men pointed their inferior weapons at the enemy and waited to be mowed down. The cab driver described (via Arutz Sheva):
The half-track came to a halt, and we decided to cautiously approach it. We found 18 armed soldiers inside sitting with guns in hand, with a petrified look on their faces. They looked at us with great fear as though begging for mercy. I shouted, “Hands up!” As we were marching them and I had returned to a state of calm, I asked the Egyptian sergeant next to me, “Tell me, why didn’t you shoot at us?” He answered, “I don’t know. My arms froze—they became paralyzed. My whole body was paralyzed, and I don’t know why.”
https://watchjerusalem.co.il/246-miracles-in-six-days