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Shemot And He said, "Come no closer. Take off your shoes from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground." We often say and believe, "If only I was not so involved with my day to day problems of finding the money to pay the latest bill or if I did not have this miserable cold today or if my personal problems could get sorted out, I would serve Hashem properly with real time and commitment. Concerning this the Mishna in Pirkei Avos says; "Do not say when I will have the opportunity I will learn, perhaps you will never have an opportunity." Rather see your opportunities every minute. R' Simcha Bunim of Pshischa would say: "How do you know that Hashem prefers your service of him without any problems, rather than your overcoming those problems and still finding time for Him." Along these ideas the Chofetz Chaim explains the words, "The place where you stand is holy ground." Wherever you are standing at any given point in time and space is holy and your moment of opportunity. Lets make the best of it. The desert is a place generally full of scorpions and poisonous snakes, it is extremely dangerous to go without shoes. For this reason Hashem told Moshe, "It is holy ground." On holy ground danger and poison is not to be found. As it says in Pirkei Avos, "No snake nor scorpion does damage in Yerushalayim. (Ados Beyhoseph) Shoes are a protection for the feet so as not to be in constant pain from the various thorns, stones and insects we would otherwise be constantly treading upon and hurting ourselves with. Explains the Chyd"a (Chaim Yoseph Dovid Azulai) the great Sephardi Rav from Yerushalayim some 200 years ago: "The Jewish people become accustomed to living in exile. This is like a shoe protecting the foot. So long as we feel comfortable in our shoes and we do not feel the pains of the exile, there is no hope of redemption. We must begin by removing the shoes and begin to feel the pain of this exile and the losses of Jewish people that we suffer through all means. We then open an opportunity for redemption." Our sages tell us; "A person should sell even the beams of his house in order to purchase shoes for his feet." So important is it to have footwear. But to go on holy and sanctified ground, to settle in Eretz Yisroel, then take off your shoes. It is worth it to be without shoes and to live in Eretz Yisroel. (Pardes Yoseph) R' Yechezkel of Kuzmir of Kuzmir once asked a Yerushalmi Rav why Eretz Yisroel is not referred to as Eretz Avrohom or Eretz Yitzchak. "If it had been named Eretz Avrohom all his descendants, including Yishmael, might claim it. If it had been names Eretz Yitzchak, Esav and Edom, his descendants, would lay claim to it. Eretz Yisroel means it belongs to Yisroel's (Yaackov's) descendants alone." was the reply. "Perhaps I can add a thought," said R' Yechezkel. "It was named Eretz Yisroel because it needs one to act like a Yisroel - a Torah true Jew - in it. If one acts like all the nations around in it, the land throws you out like all the nations that dwelled in it previously." May we merit to live in Eretz Yisroel as it deserves to be lived in. |
