Sukkah 6
The Land of
Israel is like no other land in the world.
The minimum
amount of food consumption that is considered eating in order to necessitate
the after-blessing is a kezayit – the volume of an olive. We find this quantity throughout Jewish
law. But have you ever stopped to wonder:
what’s the big deal about a little olive?
Every
region in the world yields unique native plants and fruit. There are Florida oranges, Nappa Valley
grapes, papaya from Mexico, kiwifruit from China. The Land of Israel is blessed with seven
species: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates. The species of Israel, however, are like no
other. Most species are arbitrarily
placed throughout the world. The seven
fruits of Israel have deep meaning.
Each of the
seven species plays an important role in Jewish law. The grapes are vital for the law of the
nazir, who vowed to abstain from wine. The
wheat, barley and pomegranate define certain amounts and specifications that
would render one ritually impure. The
fig defines the minimum amount that would make one liable for carrying in the
public domain on Shabbat. A date’s
amount is the volume of food that would remove one’s hunger on Yom Kippur. And our old favourite, the kezayit or olive’s
volume, is used extensively throughout Jewish law.
At first
glance, it might appear that these legal amounts were arbitrarily pinned on
these fruits because they are native to the Land of Israel. But we know that’s not the case. The Talmud explains that the kezayit is the
basic amount that a person would generally eat and call it more than just a
snack. And the Talmud similarly explains
that the date amount would remove one’s physical hunger. So we see that these fruits possess an
incredible quality – they match up with our natural human biology!
For this
reason, the Torah says that all other lands are blessed through the Land of
Israel. The Holy Land possesses a deep
significance that ties the physical biology of human beings to the natural
order; and if we merit, to spirituality.
One who eats of the fruits of the Land of Israel is nourished in a
profound physical and spiritual manner.
Today, I
rededicate myself to the Land of Israel.
I will support the Holy Land. I
will eat of its holy fruits. And I shall
pray for the day that I can dwell on its holy soil and breathe its holy air.
