Significance of Place: The Effect of Place on Status, Characteristics and Events in the Torah of the Maharal

Significance of Place: The Effect of Place on Status, Characteristics and Events in the Torah of the Maharal

By Eliakim Willner

Eliakim Willner is author of “Nesivos Olam – Nesiv HaTorah: An Appreciation of Torah Study”, a translation with commentary of a work by the Maharal of Prague, published by Artscroll/Mesorah. This article is adapted from his forthcoming continuation of the Nesivos Olam series, “Nesivos Olam – Nesiv HaAvodah: The Philosophy and Practice of Prayer”.

Introduction

In the summer months many of us leave our homes and travels to other places, near and far, to get a break from our regular routines. We are off our regular orbits. And that leads to the question, does place matter? Is there a halachic and hashkafic significance to our “home” place, or to other places? Indeed there is, and we examine the subject from various angles through the lens of the Maharal.

Where You Stand is Where You Stand

In Bamidbar 10:32 Rashi writes that the fertile area of Yericho was set aside as future compensation for the tribe in whose territory the Temple would ultimately be built, since the Temple land would be “nationalized” and would no longer be the property of the tribe originally holding it. The Maharal in Gur Aryeh on that verse notes that the area of Yericho that was designated as the “swap land” was relatively small and seems to be poor compensation for the land that was nationalized for the Temple. How, he asks, is that a fair exchange? He answers that the value of the land was inherent in its status – the status it obtained by being designated as “swap land” for the Temple – and in the fact that its status was testimony to the high standing of the land’s occupiers. Thus even though the fertile area of Yericho was relatively small, it had a high property value. The Maharal states as a principle that place is an indicator of the standing of the persons occupying the space.

Indeed, the word for place, makom, also carries an implication of standing, as in the phrase, mimalei makom avosav, used in Kesubos 103b as a reference to someone who lives up to the standing, or status, of his forefathers.

You Are Where You Stand

In fact, the Maharal on that Rashi goes further and states that the land a person occupies is not only a status indicator, it is a status determinant – prestige and blessing emanate from the land to the land’s occupants. The land’s inherent status transfers to the persons occupying the land.

Land also affects a person’s physical characteristics. When Moshe sent spies to scout out Israel and its inhabitants prior to Yisroel’s planned entry and conquest, he commanded them (Bamidbar 13:18),  “And you should see what kind of land it is…”, on which Rashi comments, “Some countries rear strong people, and some countries rear weak people; some produce large populations and some small populations”. The Maharal in Gur Aryeh on that verse explains that land is one of the factors that actually determine strength and prolificity and he instructed the spies to explore that factor with respect to the land of Israel, along with other factors that affect strength and prolificity, such as ethnological background.

The Gemara in Shabbos 31a tells of an individual who asked Hillel patently silly questions in an unsuccessful attempt to test his patience. Two of the questions were, why do the residents of Tardum have straight eyes, and why do the residents of Africa have wide feet? Hillel responded that these characteristics were a result of the conditions prevalent in those locales – and the Maharal in Chidushei Aggados on that Gemara explains that it is the same concept at play; the ability of land to affect a person’s physical characteristics.

As the Maharal writes in Netzach Yisroel, chapter 28, land also affects spiritual characteristics. There are places that are notable for their tendency to bring about an extremely high level of sanctity, and he cites as an example the cave where Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai hid from the Romans for twelve years. During that time he immersed himself in Torah study and became proficient in the hidden areas of the Torah, received revelations from Eliyahu and experienced miracles. The “atmosphere” of the cave was a factor in these events.

The Maharal continues to develop this concept in Gevuros Hashem, Chapter 19, where he writes that not only can place affect a person’s status and characteristics, but the nature of a place is also a causative factor for events. As an example he explains that a well gives rise to marriage pairings and that is why Yitzchok, Yaakov and Moshe found their betrothed by wells. In Chidushei Aggados on Horios 12a the Maharal explains that kings were anointed adjacent to wellsprings because those places mitigate toward longevity and anointing kings there facilitated the longevity of their reigns. In Chidushei Aggados on Sanhedrin 96a the Maharal writes that when Avraham encountered the land-portion of the tribe of Dan in Israel he felt weak, because that particular plot of land has a property that fosters idol-worship. (The reference is to the idolatrous golden calves that the evil king Yeravam ben Nevat erected there.)

Spiritual Counterparts to Physical Plots of Land

Physical plots of land have their spiritual counterparts which share their characteristics, and which impart those characteristics in the spiritual realm. For example, the Maharal writes in Gur Aryeh, Beraishis 23:2, that the city Kiryas Arba (the city of four, also known as Chevron) was called that because the land’s character begat four physical giants who lived there. In the spiritual realm of the afterlife, that property of the land translates to an affinity for spiritual, rather than physical, greatness, so the land became the burial place of spiritually great people, including our forefathers; it is the location of the Meoras HaMachpela. 

The concept of spiritual counterparts to physical places is further discussed in Gevuros Hashem, Chapter 47 where the Maharal explains that this applies in both positive and negative ways. On the positive side is the famous Medrash (Mechilta, Beshalach 9) that says that the spiritual Temple is “aligned” with the physical Temple, both of which exude holiness. Conversely, on the negative side, the valley outside of Yerushalayim called Gai ben Hinom is “aligned” with Gehinnom and exhibits physical characteristics that derive from that correspondence.

When Avraham first entered Israel he passed through the city of Shchem, and Rashi points out (Beraishis 12:6) that he saw in a prophetic vision the nearby mountains of Gerizim and Aival where Yisroel were destined to accept the Torah on themselves with an oath, prior to their entering Israel for the first time. The reason for this prophetic vision, explains the Maharal in Gur Aryeh on that verse, was to show Avraham the bond between places in Israel and their spiritual counterparts. Gerizim and Aival were not selected at random as the place for the Torah acceptance oath. Rather the characteristics of their spiritual counterpart “places” made them particularly suitable for their respective roles. Moreover, the Maharal states that when Avraham passed through those areas, it was precisely their spiritual characteristics that sparked his prophecy.

Place as Home Territory; The Transient Nature of Galus

In Gur Aryeh, Shmos 12:40 the Maharal articulates the concept of a person or nation’s “home” territory. When a person is elsewhere than his “home” territory he does not lose his attachment to it; he is considered a temporary sojourner even if his absence from home is extended. As long as he is away from home he is in a continual state of imbalance and there is a continual “draw” back to his home territory even if it cannot be actualized, via a return home, for a period of time.

In fact, writes the Maharal in Netzach Yisroel, Chapter 1, Yisroel in galus, exile, is a classic example of this condition; our “home base” is the land of Israel and when we are elsewhere we are fish out of water, under a continual “pull” towards home. This is why galus is inherently a temporary situation. The natural order is for things to revert to their proper place. Only then do they return to a state of equilibrium. It is therefore unavoidable for our return to Israel to be actualized, may it be soon!

Note that the Maharal is discussing a different dimension of “place” here than we outlined in previous sections. There the focus was on the effect of place on personal or national character, or on events, and in some of the examples cited the effect did not require a long-term or intrinsic relationship between the place and its occupants – for example the tendency of a well to give rise to marriage pairings, or the spiritual effect of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s cave, were effective even if the association between person and place was transient. Here, however, the Maharal is talking about an intrinsic and enduring relationship between a nation and a land, without specific regard to any effect the land might have on the nation. In fact, however, the land does have an effect on the nation; in Nesivos Olam, Nesiv HaAvodah Chapter 5 the Maharal quotes a Gemara in Brachos 8a:

“They told Rabbi Yochanan,  ‘There are extremely old people living in Babylonia’. He was incredulous, remarking, ‘Does not the verse say (Devarim 11:21),  ‘… so that your days and the days of your children be lengthened in the land…’ implying in the land specifically and not outside the land?’ When they explained to him that these people come to the house of prayer early and depart from it late, he exclaimed, ‘This is what saves them!’ This is as Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi instructed his sons: ‘Go to the house of prayer early and leave it late so that your days may be lengthened.’”

Thus Israel, the land native to the Jewish nation, promotes longevity, to the extent that Rabbi Yochanan was actually incredulous when he heard that Jews were living to a ripe old age outside Israel! He was mollified only when he was given to understand that prolonging one’s time in a shul has a similar effect on longevity. The Maharal elaborates on this concept in Nesivos Olam, Nesiv HaAvodah Chapter 5 and further discusses the symbiosis between Yisroel, the nation, and Israel, the land in Chapter 18, sections 8 and 9, and elsewhere.

Place and Time

In Tiferes Yisroel, Chapter 25 the Maharal explains that there can be nothing coincidental about seminal world events, such as the giving of the Torah, and therefore the moment that the Torah was given was laden with significance. Similarly, he continues in Chapter 26, the place of the Torah-giving was also laden with significance. And he adds, “time and space are cut out of the same cloth, as those versed in Torah wisdom understand”. That is why the same verse specifies the significant time and the significant place of the Torah-giving (Shmos 19:1): “In the third month of Yisroel’s departure from Egypt, on this day they arrived in the desert of Sinai”.

On a simple level, time and place specifications are coordinates to precisely identify a point in our physical world that marks a significant event. In mathematical terminology this concept, which has evolved to a point of great sophistication, is known as “space-time”. Of course the mathematical model is a useful crutch to enable those of us who are not versed in Toras nistar to visualize the concept but we must not lose sight of the fact that the Maharal, who was versed in nistar, had a far deeper meaning in mind.

Not surprisingly, the Maharal writes in Gur Aryeh, Beraishis 1:5, in the context of the products of day 1 of creation, that just as place has an influence on its occupants, so does time. He expresses a similar concept in Gur Aryeh, Bamidbar 7:12 with respect to the order of the sacrifices brought by the Nesiim at the dedication of the Mishkan, in Netzach Yisroel, Chapter 8, in explaining why the events of Tisha B’Av and Shiva Assar b’Tamuz had to happen exactly on those days, in Tiferes Yisroel, Chapter 40, and in explaining the unique association between Yisroel and Shabbos, and elsewhere.

“Makom” as a Reference to Hashem and our Relationship to Hashem

Hashem is the “place” of reality as we know it since everything is an emanation from Hashem, as it were, and exists “within” Him. This is true in general of the universe but it is also true of every element in the universe and in particular, of every individual in the universe. In Gur Aryeh, Beraishis 37:33 the Maharal writes that every person has a “place” in the overall emanation from Hashem that constitutes the universe and thus every individual has a “place” in Hashem, as it were.

Since Hashem is continually sustaining the emanation-reality that constitutes the universe he is also sustaining every individual, in his or her unique “place”. Thus is can be said that a person’s “place” in the universe (which equates to his “place” in Hashem) sustains him – or in other words, where a person is positioned vis-a-vis Hashem determines the nature of his sustenance.

Thus, in the “place” model there are concepts of “closer to” or “further from” Hashem where “closer to” means a greater degree of divine protection and blessing and “further from” means less protection and blessing. The Maharal alludes to this concept in Chidushei Aggados on Gittin 68a.

There is also a concept of stability – one’s “place” can be fixed, secure and permanent, which again implies a greater degree of divine protection and blessing, or it can be unstable, insecure and transient, which implies a lesser degree of divine protection and blessing.

Our actions can affect where we stand with respect to closeness, as well as where we stand with respect to stability.

The Importance of Place in Halacha - Prayer

This is why the Shulchan Aruch and Mishnah Brurah in Orach Chaim 90:19 write that a person should be consistent with respect to his shul and with respect to his seat within the shul, and when he must pray at home he should also consistently pray in a place where he will not be disturbed. A person who does this is drawing on an established relationship with Hashem and is more likely to be answered.

In Nesivos Olam, Nesiv HaAvodah, chapter 4 the Maharal adds an additional dimension to this requirement, writing that prayer must be consistent and not haphazard in order for it to serve its primary purpose, which is to bring us close to Hashem. An important way to demonstrate that consistency is to maintain a consistent place for prayer.

Our Sages declared that such a person merits great things: he is considered a disciple of Avraham and achieves a closeness to Hashem akin to Avraham’s. He achieves humility and benevolence. His enemies fall before him.

Avraham merited continual assistance from Hashem because of his closeness to Him as evinced by his consistency with respect to his place of prayer. Avraham’s closeness was a product of his being the “first” creation in terms of importance. Those of us who are consistent about where we pray cannot claim to be “first” but by doing so we attach ourselves to Avraham’s merit as offshoots to a root and thereby lay claim to the benefits of closeness achieved by Avraham.

Maintaining consistency about where we pray helps us achieve great spiritual heights, especially in the areas of benevolence and humility, again by virtue of our attachment to the practices of our forefather, Avraham. These characteristics themselves help us to achieve a closer relationship with Hashem. See the Maharal text for more detail.

The Importance of Place in Halacha - Mazal

The Rama (Shulchan Aruch, Yore Deah 393:2) based on a Gemara in Moed Katan 23a, writes that it is customary for a mourner to change his place in shul for the entire mourning period. The rationale derives from a Gemara in Rosh HaShana 16b which enumerates four things that can cancel negative decrees: charity, prayer, name change and repentance – and, continues the Gemara, some add location change as a fifth item to the list. Since changing location can cancel a negative decree, and since the death of a close relative results from a negative decree, location-changing is recommended as one means of ending any negative decree that might be hanging over the mourner before it causes additional harm. Similarly the Yerushalmi on Shabbos 6:9 advises location change as a means of improving one’s mazal, or destiny. This concept is popularly known as meshaneh makom, meshaneh mazal.

How does changing location have an effect on negative decrees or on destiny? The Gemara in Rosh HaShana hints at the reasons by providing biblical references for the items enumerated. For example, with respect to name change, the Gemara references the change of name from Sarai to Sarah (Beraishis 17), which facilitated her transition from incapable of bearing children to capable of bearing children. The effect of name on mazal is beyond the scope of this article, but it is significant.

Building on this concept, the Maharal in Chidushei Aggados on the Gemara in Rosh HaShana writes that just as name is an integral part of a person’s identity, so is place, and in fact he notes that in a get (bill of divorce) the parties are identified as “so-and-so from such-and-such place”. The place designation is appended to the name as a means of further qualifying the person’s identity. It is identity that determines mazal. Changing place, like changing name, alters a person’s identity and thus refashions his mazal, and that is why one view in the Gemara counts place among the things that can affect a person’s destiny.

Conclusion

We have seen that place in Judaism is significant both on a physical and metaphysical level, has individual and communal applications, and has halachic ramifications. In whatever place we may happen to be, may we each find our proper place in our avodas Hashem, and may klal Yisrael soon return to its proper place in eretz Yisroel b’bias goel tzedek!