Yisro

The Tur writes that in the beracha achrona of al hamichya some are of the opinion to recite the words “ונאכל מפריה, and we shall eat from its fruits.” The Tur himself is of the opinion that one should not recite these words because a person should not desire the land of Eretz Yisrael for its fruits, but rather to fulfill its mitzvos. This is similar to the Gemara that writes, why did Moshe Rabbeinu desire to enter Eretz Yisrael, was it because he wanted to eat from its fruits or become satisfied and satiated from its good? Moshe said that there are many mitzvos that one can fulfill only in Eretz Yisrael, so he requested to enter the holy land in order to be able to perform all of them.

The Bach resolves this issue by pointing out that there is a ruchniyus intention with these words. How so? At the end of Parshas Masei the Torah warns Yisrael, “do not contaminate the land that you dwell in it, which I dwell inside it, for I am Hashem Who rests among the Bnei Yisrael.” If you will contaminate the land then it will cause the fruits that grow and nourish from the ground to become defiled as well. Once we sin and cause the Shechina to leave, then the land loses its special holy level and will grow defiled fruits. Then, when we will eat this fruit, tumah will enter and remove Hashem’s Shechina from our bodies. Yisrael are the Heichal Hashem, they are the ones in which the Shechina rests inside them. But now by eating the fruits which are nourished from the contamination of the land, it causes the kedusha inside Yisrael to exit from within them, and so we too will be distanced from the Shechina. Based on this concept it is understandable that we should indeed recite the words, “ונאכל מפריה” as it hints to the fruits which we merit to eat that are holy because of the Shechina and its purity. We pray that the Shechina should return and we will be able to sanctify ourselves with the holiness and purity of the fruits which we consume.

Although fruits are luscious and sweet, the Torah is especially sweet, as it states, “ומתוקים מדבש, and sweeter than honey.” Plus, Chazal teach that when we learn the Torah, Hashem, Yisrael, and the Torah are all one. If so by learning Torah one could taste extreme sweetness together with the Shechina HaKedosha with us, now in our days! May we put in the time to learn Torah, listen to shiurim, and bring the Shechina back to rest within ourselves and Eretz Yisrael!