Excerpted from Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider’s Torah United: Teachings on the Weekly Parasha from Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, and the Chassidic Masters, co-published by OU Press and Ktav Publishing House
The Pomegranate Jew and the Date Jew
“It will be because of your listening to these ordinances . . . He will love and bless you and cause you to increase; He will bless the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your land, your grain, wine, and oil . . . in the land that He swore to your forefathers to give to you” (Deuteronomy 7:12–13). The parashah opens with the theme of blessing, and later defines this blessed and bountiful land as bearing seven important species: “A land of wheat, barley, grape, fig, and pomegranate; a land of oil-olives and [date] honey” (Deuteronomy 8:8).
The Talmud records a debate about the hierarchy of the species listed. Rav Chisda and Rav Hamnuna were once eating together, when dates and pomegranates were brought to them. Rav Hamnuna picked up a date and recited the borei peri ha-etz blessing. Rav Chisda was surprised, because the general rule seems to be that the list of species in the verse above determines precedence. Since the pomegranate precedes the date (listed metonymically by its honey), Rav Hamnuna should have taken the pomegranate wedge. He defended himself with an astute observation. The verse repeats the word “land” twice. The pomegranate is fifth from the first occurrence of “land,” and the date is second from the second occurrence of “land.” Proximity to the “land” determines seniority and worthiness of blessing. Notably, the opinion of Rav Hamnuna is adopted as the Halachah.
Rav Avraham Yitzchak Hakohen Kook was intrigued by this double occurrence of the word “land” in the verse and its significance above in ordering the species. He explained that there are, in essence, two “lands.” The first is the land of innate sanctity which has its own special complement of mitzvot. This is the “land of wheat, barley, grape, fig, and pomegranate,” the five elements corresponding to the five books of the Torah. Individuals of highest spiritual stature love the land for this reason. The second is the land of refuge and prosperity, to which Jews can flee and live free. This corresponds to the “land of oil-olives and [date] honey.” Everyone can find the land beloved in this respect.
The date that Rav Hamnuna chose for the blessing belongs to the second aspect of the land, but it is “closer” to the land. The lesson here, in Rav Kook’s view, is that even when someone loves the land for its practical benefits – safety and prosperity – if they do so passionately, that is superior to loving the land for its sanctity in a dispassionate manner. Settling the land to build it up and defending its borders are precious endeavors. Only once our safety has been assured and our collective strength ensured can we fully actualize our spiritual vigor.
For this and other reasons, Rav Kook fully supported the halutzim in their holy work. Many rabbis did not see eye to eye with him on this, and challenged him about his position. On one occasion the following exchange took place, as recorded by the Israeli scholar Simcha Raz:
“Honorable rabbi, can it be that Eretz Yisrael will be built and established by young men and women who publicly violate the mitzvot of Hashem? Is this not a desecration of holiness, in the plainest sense of the word?”
“Absolutely not,” replied Rav Kook in a clear, fervent, and confident voice. “Just think about it: The holiest place in Eretz Yisrael is undoubtedly the beit ha-mikdash (Temple). And the holiest section of the beit ha-mikdash is the kodesh ha-kodashim (the Holy of Holies). Now, when the Temple stood in its place, no one was allowed to enter the kodesh ha-kodashim, except for the High Priest. And he was allowed to enter only once a year – on Yom Kippur – after painstaking preparations, wearing special white, priestly garments, to perform the sacred service of the day.”
“Nevertheless,” continued the rabbi, “when the Temple was being built, workers and artisans from the entire spectrum of Judaism undoubtedly entered the holy place. Even simple folk, who were not particularly known for their Torah erudition and piety, entered the site of the Temple. They even went all the way into the Holy of Holies whenever they wanted, wearing regular work clothes, until the Temple was completed.”
This was Rav Kook’s famous analogy. He equated the building of the Land of Israel by the pioneering generation with the construction of the Holy of Holies in the ancient Temple. He considered Zionism as a prelude to a religious revolution that was destined to unfold.
The roots of Zionism are rooted in the holiest ideals . . . it is not only a movement that has been constructed on the notion of a hated nation searching for refuge from her enemies. Rather, we are a holy nation, unique among the nations, a roaring lion that has been awakened from her long slumber, now returning to her inheritance.
Rav Kook demonstrated boundless love for every Jew. He believed that the more we aspire to perceive the righteousness and virtues of those dedicated to the revitalization of the Land, the more we will be the recipients of blessing. The “pomegranate Jew” and the “date Jew” alike deserve our esteem and veneration. In so doing, we reveal the true beauty of our people and of our Land.
