The Month of Elul: The Secret of the Place Hashem Will Choose and the Boundaries of Holiness

Lesson #536 | Wednesday, Parashas Shoftim, 1 Elul 5767 - General Lesson

The holy Avos (Patriarchs) prayed for every Jew to merit returning in teshuvah (repentance), because every Jew has the power to cry out to Hashem and be answered. The Torah conceals the name of Jerusalem and calls it "the place which Hashem will choose," to teach us that the place of holiness and the tzaddik can only be found through searching, tears, and yearning.

The holy Avos saw with their ruach hakodesh (divine inspiration) every single detail of what every Jew would go through throughout the generations. Yitzchak and Yaakov saw the future, and all of their hisbodedus (secluded prayer) was for every Jew and every descendant, so that everyone would return in teshuvah. For in truth, deep down, every Jew wants to return in teshuvah.

The Power of a Jewish Cry

The Midrash tells of a ship that was caught in a severe storm in the middle of the sea. There was a Jewish youth there, and the gentiles turned to him and said: "Get up, pray! You have a God who listens. We do not have a god who listens to us; we have 'gods' that we can hide behind their backs and do whatever we want. But you have a God who hears you – get up and pray!"

We, the Nation of Israel, the Chosen People – Hashem hears our every cry.

The Spiritual Boundaries of the Land of Israel

The Torah specifies the location of Mount Gerizim and Mount Eival:

"Are they not on the other side of the Jordan, way beyond, in the direction of the sunset, in the land of the Canaanites who dwell in the plain, opposite Gilgal, near the plains of Moreh?" (Devarim 11:30).

The Mishnah brings a dispute regarding the exact location. Rabbi Elazar says that it is indeed near Gilgal, while the Sages say that it is in Shechem. How can we reconcile the verse that says "opposite Gilgal"?

To understand this, we must not forget that the true Land of Israel is four hundred parsah (a Talmudic measurement of distance) by four hundred parsah in size. When speaking on such a scale, the Land of Israel reaches all the way to Uman! Uman is included within the borders of the Land of Israel, and therefore it is holy with the holiness of the Land of Israel.

If we think that the Land of Israel is as small as it appears today, it is impossible to say "opposite Gilgal," because that already seems to be on the other side of the land. But since the Land of Israel stretches over four hundred parsah, it begins in Jerusalem and ends in Uman.

Finding the Chosen Place

Throughout the Book of Devarim, Jerusalem is not mentioned by name even once. Instead, the Torah repeatedly uses the phrase "the place which Hashem will choose."

This phrase appears many times: "To the place which Hashem your God will choose," "If the place which Hashem will choose is far from you," "You shall go to the place which Hashem will choose," and about ten more times in the various Torah portions and in the portion of the Festivals.

Every tribe was certain that the chosen place would be in its portion. The Torah marks exactly where Mount Gerizim and Mount Eival are located, but it conceals Jerusalem. Why?

Knowing where the tzaddik is and knowing where Jerusalem is – this is only possible through prayer.

The place which Hashem will choose will be far, and you will have to search for it. The place which Hashem will choose can only be revealed with prayers and with weeping. Only in this way is it possible to reach the true place that Hashem has chosen.

Because of this concealment, Yerovam ben Nevat seized the opportunity and claimed that the place which Hashem will choose is actually Shechem, where Mount Gerizim and Mount Eival are located. He planted a sword and said that anyone who makes the pilgrimage to Jerusalem – will be pierced by the sword. But the truth is, in order to find the true place, the effort of yearning and tears is required.

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