Balance | Rabbi Uzi Kalchaim zt"l | Beit Midrash

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Rain in Israel

קטגוריה משנית

593

There are varying geographical phenomena in the Land of Israel. Mountains and deserts, hills and valleys, rocks and sand. These phenomena created a character in our nation imbuing in us the capability of achieving prophecy.
It is known that the Africans worship Kilimanjaro, the volcanic mountain in Central Africa. The mountain threatens to erupt at a "time of anger," and annihilate its surroundings. The Africans had to constantly appease it so it doe not to get angry. Living in such trepidation created a fear in the nation, causing it to feel weak and unworthy.
The life of a man living by the equator is immensely different than the life of an Eskimo residing in the glaciers, or an Indian living in the Americas.
These unusual natural phenomena, created an idolatrous admiration towards these very occurrences. In Eretz Israel these phenomena do not exist to an extent that will alter the spiritual powers of human beings. While these global phenomena do exist in Eretz Israel, they are much more moderate. There is never extreme heat or cold, and the mountains and valleys are not exceptional in their size.
What makes Eretz Israel different is its diversity of its landscape. The scenery is constantly changing, at a very rapid pace. One can be fixed in a seemingly permanent environment, and before he knows it, he is in completely different surroundings.
Not only in modern times when cars transport us from the valleys of the Dead Sea, through the Judean Desert and the Jerusalem hills, to the coastal plateau, but also in ancient times, when it was possible to cross all of Eretz Israel in merely two weeks. This is not the case in other lands. In other lands the landscape does not change so quickly. The views of deserts, glaciers, and mountains remain monotonous and static, influencing the people of those lands to have a similar nature to that of the landscape.

Rain in Israel (17)

Rabbi Uzi Kalchaim zt"l

2 - The Three Keys

3 - Balance

4 - The Blessing from Above

Our land, however, is very much different. The features of our land are concentrated. We pass from a warm and dry climate, a land of "no shadow or rain," to the freshness of mountain air, and on to the forests and green valleys.
Our soul has absorbed so many different impressions. These have caused us to be unrestricted or bound by one image.
Let us stand for example on "Har Zofim" facing the rising sun, overlooking the mountains of Moab, the desert before us, and the Jordan Valley spread under us. Such climatic contrasts!