75 words for 75 years of Israel – Morasha/Heritage
In honor of Israel’s 75th birthday, Israel365 is excited to launch a new series of essays that will unlock the secrets of the Hebrew Bible!Excerpted from Rabbi Akiva Gersh’s forthcoming book, 75 Hebrew Words You Need to Understand the Bible (available soon!) these essays illuminate the connection between related Hebrew words, revealing Biblical secrets only accessible through Hebrew.Enjoy the series – and happy 75th birthday to the State of Israel!
מוֹרָשָׁה
MORASHA
MO-RAH-SHA
HERITAGE
“Moses charged us with the Torah, the heritage of the congregation of Jacob.” (Deuteronomy 33:4)
תורה צוה לנו משה מורשה קהלת יעקב.
“I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a heritage, I am God.” (Exodus 6:8)
והבאתי אתכם אל הארץ אשר נשאתי את ידי לתת אתה לאברהם ליצחק וליעקב ונתתי אתה לכם מורשה אני יהוה.
Morasha, Hebrew for “heritage,” is related to the Hebrew word yerusha, meaning “inheritance.” In the Bible, God gave two great gifts to the nation of Israel as a heritage and an inheritance.
The first inheritance is the Bible itself. “Moses charged us with the Torah, as the heritage of the congregation of Jacob” (Deuteronomy 33:4). God gave the Torah to the nation of Israel as a special possession to be cherished, to guide them and help them fulfill their unique mission as God’s chosen people. The Torah must be passed down from one generation to the next, and each generation must preserve it and safeguard it from being perverted by alien philosophies and worldviews. At the same time, the leaders of each generation must ensure that the masses of Israel preserve this holy heritage in their lives and do not assimilate and disappear into the broader population.
The second inheritance is the Land of Israel. “I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a heritage, I am God” (Exodus 6:8).
Throughout the Bible, God tells the children of Israel that He will bring them to the Land of Israel as was first promised to Abraham, who faithfully left his birthplace in order to go there. Rashi, teaches that the Bible begins with God‘s creation of the world in order to emphasize that all existence belongs to God and that He can give the Land of Israel to whomever He chooses. God chose to give the land to the people of Israel as a heritage and inheritance, for it possesses unique spiritual qualities that will enable God’s people to fulfill their unique mission.
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