Is it a Blessing to be Compared to Dust?

IN MEMORY OF RABBI GAVRIEL & RIVKA HOLTZBERG, RABBI ARYEH LEIBISH TEITELBAUM, RABBI BEN TZION KRUMAN, NORMA SCHWARTZBLATT-RABINOWITZ, YOCHEVED ORPAZ WHO WERE MASSACRED IN MUMBAI

 

In Parshat Veyetze (Breisheet 28:14) God tells Yaakov: “Your descendents shall be as the dust of the earth. You shall spread to the west, to the east, to the north and to the south…”

 

Sforno comments that after the Jews will be in the lowest possible condition (as the dust of the earth), then they will arise and spread out across the Land of Israel. God will only bring salvation after the Jewish people have been in the lowest possible state.

 

Rabbi Yochanan states in the Talmud in Sanhedrin 98a:  “If you see a generation upon which numerous troubles come like a river, expect the Mashiach as it says in Yishayahu 59:19 ‘For distress shall come like a river with the spirit of God devouring within it’ and next to that verse it says ‘uva letzion goel- a redeemer shall come to Zion’”.

 

Accoding to HaDrash VeHaIyun, Israel is compared to three things, stars, sand and dust. Each star stands alone and has no connection with the others. The pieces of sand are all next to each other but are not connected. The dust is the only one of the three that sticks together. God’s bracha to Yaakov is that if his children will live in complete unity and stick together like dust, then they will be able to spread out (or as Rashi says become strong) across the entire Land of Israel.

 

With headlines like “Israeli troops fight Jewish settlers in Chevron”, it looks like we have reached our lowest point. Let’s hope and pray that the prophecy of  “a redeemer shall come to Zion” will be fulfilled speedily in our day.