When the Patriarch Yitzchak was faced by a famine he planned to seek relief by going to Egypt. But before he left Eretz Yisrael he was commanded by G-d to remain in the Land.

The reason given was that he had become sanctified by being prepared to be a sacrifice and was therefore too holy to be anywhere outside the Holy Land.

Although this applied to Yitzchak alone it perhaps can be seen as a hint to the challenges that his descendants would have to face throughout history. Jews in Eretz Yisrael have faced not only famine but plagues, wars and terror. If Yitzchak was commanded to stick it out because anywhere outside of Eretz Yisrael was not worthy of his presence, perhaps this applies in some degree to every Jew in every generation as a message to stick it out and remain in Israel forever.

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