For the week ending 24 January 2004 / 1 Shevat 5764
Eretz Tova The Good Land
When G-d promised Moshe that He would free His people from Egyptian bondage He said that he would "take them up from that land to a good and spacious land" (Shmot 3:8).
This same adjective in describing Eretz Yisrael was used by Yehoshua and Calev in countering the slanderous report given by their fellow spies. "The land which we passed through to spy upon," they declared, "is an exceedingly good land." (Bamidbar 14:7)
Succeeding generations up to our own day can testify to the truth of their description.