The last few Torah portions - Pinchas, Matos and Masei - have dealt with the subject of Eretz Yisroel. In a similar vein, this chapter will explore the future expansion of the Land of Israel in the Messianic era, based on the opening verses of this week's portion, Devarim:

"Turn, and take your journey, and go to the mountain of the Emori and to all the places near it, in the plain, in the hills, and in the lowland and in the Negev, and by the seaside, to the land of the Canaanite and the Levanon, as far as the great river, the river Pras. Behold, I have set the land before you; go and possess the land which the L-rd swore to your fathers, Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov, to give to them and to their seed after them" (Devarim 1:7-8).

In the Torah portion of Matos we read about the three additional lands that were promised to the Jewish people, i.e., the lands of the Keni, Kenizi and Kadmoni. In Devarim, however, we learn that Eretz Yisroel will encompass even more territory, with borders extending "as far as the great river, the river Pras." Thus according to this verse, the future size of Eretz Yisroel will be even larger, with additional land toward the northeast.

Elsewhere (Shemos 23:31) we find that Eretz Yisroel will expand in a southerly direction as well, with the Red Sea as its furthermost boundary: "And I will set your borders from the Red Sea even to the Sea of Pelishtim."

All of which leads us to the basic question: How big will Eretz Yisroel really be in the Messianic era?

The Entire World

Our Sages explained that in the future, the Land of Israel will not be strictly defined by borders, as Eretz Yisroel will expand to encompass the entire world. The Midrash relates in Yalkut Shimoni (Yeshayahu, allusion 503): "In the future, Jerusalem will encompass the Land of Israel, and the Land of Israel, the entire world."

To explain:

It states in Devarim 11:24: "Every place upon which the sole of your foot shall tread shall be yours." According to halachah, after the initial conquest of Eretz Yisroel, every additional territory that is conquered by a Jewish king becomes part of the Land of Israel, and thus subject to its special mitzvos. In the Days of Moshiach, when all of the nations will be under the authority of Israel, the entire world will be in the category of "Eretz Yisroel." (See Minchas Chinuch, mitzvah 520.)

Similarly, it states in Tehillim 72:8: "And [Moshiach] will rule from sea to sea, and from the river until the ends of the earth." Comments the Metzudas Dovid: "He will rule from the southern sea, which is called the Red Sea, till the northernmost sea, the [Mediterranean] ocean; eastward, from the river that goes out of Eden, and westward, till the ends of the earth." In other words, Moshiach's dominion will extend throughout the world, in all four directions.

Another reference to Israel's future territorial expansion is found in Yalkut Shimoni (Yechezkel, allusion 483): "In the future, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will cause you to take possession from one end of the world to the other...  In the same way that Israel is likened to a female, who receives one-tenth of her father's assets, so too did the Jewish people inherit the land of the seven nations, i.e., a one-tenth portion of the seventy nations of the world. Because they inherited the land in a ‘feminine' manner, their song of thanksgiving was likewise ‘feminine,' as it states, ‘Then Moshe and Children of Israel sang this song (‘shirah') to the L-rd.' In the future, however, the Jewish people will inherit the land as a male...and will sing their song of praise in the masculine gender, as it is written, ‘Sing a new song (‘shir') unto the L-rd, a song of His praise among the congregation of the pious.'"

The Spiritual Significance of Eretz Yisroel

Chasidic philosophy (Likutei Torah, Masei 89) explains the inner significance of Israel's future expansion:

In order for the G-dly life-force to come down into our material world, it must first be "contracted" and "enclothed" to prevent it from being fully manifested. As the Divine illumination descends from level to level, its concealment becomes progressively more opaque, in accordance with each particular world. An analogy is given of a bright light that is so blindingly intense that it can only be viewed after it has passed through several filters; the brighter the illumination, the more garments are required to conceal it.

In this respect the Land of Israel and the rest of the world are very different, as the G-dly life-force that sustains Eretz Yisroel passes through relatively few barriers, resulting in a much higher degree of holiness and spirituality being manifest there. In Kabbalistic and Chasidic terms, the Land of Israel receives its vitality from the world of Yetzirah, whereas the rest of the world receives its life-force only after it has undergone the additional concealment of Asiyah.

[In truth, the G-dly life-force that sustains Eretz Yisroel also passes through Asiyah, as our entire level of existence is defined as the "world of Asiyah." However, the G-dliness of the Land of Israel traverses Asiyah in a manner described as "derech maavar," merely "passing through," without undergoing any fundamental change or concealment. This is analogous to sunlight being viewed through a transparent glass: although it is technically true that the light has passed through glass, there is no real change in the degree or quality of the light. The world at large, however, receives its illumination only after it is actually enclothed in Asiyah.]

In simple terms: The G-dly life-force that sustains the Land of Israel is purer and closer to its Source than the life-force that sustains the rest of the world.

This dynamic, however, will change in the future, when the Land of Israel will expand to encompass the entire globe. At that time, the rest of the world will receive its life-force in the same direct manner that Eretz Yisroel receives it at present, i.e., without the additional concealment of Asiyah.

This does not mean that there will be absolutely no distinction between Eretz Yisroel and other lands in the Messianic era. For at the same time the world in general will attain the spiritual standing Israel enjoys today, Israel itself will rise to the superior level of Jerusalem, which will in turn be elevated to an even higher spiritual level.

As explained by Chasidus (see sichah of Shabbos Parshas Pinchas 5751), this spiritual elevation of the entire universe is directly attributable to the service of the Jewish people, who studied Torah and performed mitzvos in the various locations of their exile, thereby sanctifying and preparing the world for the Messianic era. After thousands of years of such service the world is ready to take this dramatic step, and is currently poised to attain the level of Eretz Yisroel in the very near future.

The Entire World or Only the "Ten Lands"?

However, we are still left with several apparent contradictions.

To begin with, G-d promised the Jewish people that they would eventually acquire three more lands. But if Eretz Yisroel is destined to encompass the entire world, what is the significance of this promise? 

The holy Shaloh asks this very question in his work, Beis Dovid: "The Holy One, Blessed be He, promised our father Avrohom ten lands but gave him only seven; in the future, He will give the other three. This, however, is difficult to understand. Does it not state, ‘And he will rule from sea to sea'? If Moshiach will reign over the entire world, what is so special about these three additional lands?"

The Shaloh resolves the problem by explaining that Moshiach's rule will not be absolute in the initial stages of the Messianic era, but will develop gradually. "Only with the passage of time and the increase in wisdom...will the forces of kelipah be entirely nullified, at which time the verse, ‘And he will rule from sea to sea' will be fulfilled." That is to say, Moshiach will rule over the entire world only in a later stage of the Messianic era, while the three additional lands will be given immediately upon the Final Redemption.

This, however, leads us to another apparent inconsistency. It goes without saying that these three lands will become part and parcel of Eretz Yisroel. However, when we look at the prophecy of Yechezkel (Chapters 47 and 48) describing the future apportionment of territory among the Twelve Tribes, we find that the borders of Israel are the same as those mentioned in the Book of Yehoshua. We are thus left with the task of reconciling this prophecy with the future expansion of the Land.

The Tzemach Tzedek provides an answer in Ohr Hatorah (Bereishis):

There are two ways in which the Redemption can come about. The first is in the merit of the Jewish people; the second is by virtue of G-d's promise, even if the Jewish people will not be entirely worthy. If the Final Redemption comes about in the second manner, Israel will not take possession of the additional three lands.

The conditional nature of this inheritance is alluded to in the verses (Devarim 19:8-9): "And if the L-rd your G-d enlarges your border as He has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land He promised to your fathers; if you will keep all these commandments to do them, which I command you this day, to love the L-rd your G-d and to walk ever in His ways." In other words, the future expansion of Eretz Yisroel depends on the Jewish people's observance of mitzvos; if their conduct falls short, they will not acquire the lands of the Keni, Kenizi and Kadmoni.

The Prophet Yechezkel was thus describing the "worst case scenario," that is, if the Final Redemption were to come about solely by virtue of G-d's promise, rather than because the Jewish people had perfected themselves spiritually. He therefore refers to the "pre-existing" borders of Israel as previously delineated in the Torah, for if the Redemption comes about in this manner the Jewish people will not merit the additional territories.

"A Generation that is Meritorious"

This also sheds light on the Biblical prophecy about the future destruction of Ammon and Moav, as we read in Tzefaniah 2:9: "Surely Moav shall be like S'dom, and the children of Ammon, like Amora, the breeding place of nettles and salt pits and a desolation forever." As Ammon and Moav are two of the three lands destined to be inherited by Israel, how can the Prophet describe them as "a desolation forever"?

Again, we must conclude that Tzefaniah was speaking about the possibility that the Jewish people would not be "meritorious." If this were to occur, Israel would not receive the three additional lands, and they would be "a desolation forever." However, if the Redemption comes about because the Jewish people are indeed worthy ("if you will keep all these commandments to do them"), they will merit to acquire these lands.

Nonetheless, the Tzemach Tzedek explains that even if the Jewish people aren't "meritorious" it is still possible that they will inherit these lands. The explanation is simple: Even if the Jewish people aren't entirely worthy at the moment of Redemption, the Redemption itself will cause them to become spiritually elevated. Accordingly, even if they do not receive the three lands immediately upon Redemption, they will surely do so in a later stage of the Messianic era, after they are spiritually refined and purified.

Moreover, the Rebbe has stated many times that after everything the Jewish people went through in the past century, there is no doubt that we are in the category of "a generation that is meritorious." It is therefore obvious that we will merit to acquire the additional three lands, followed by the expansion of Eretz Yisroel over the entire world, immediately and at once.

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