In Parshat Masei, Bamidbar 33:50-52 we read: “God spoke to Moshe in the plains of Moav along the Yarden (Jordan) near Yericho (Jericho) saying: Speak to B’nai Yisrael and say to them: when you cross the Yarden to the land of C’naan, you must drive out all of the inhabitants of the land before you…”

Rashi asks: How many times do B’nai Yisrael have to be warned to drive out the inhabitants and not worship their idols?

Rashi’s answer is that specifically while they are crossing the Yarden there is a condition: If you want to cross the Yarden on dry land (as opposed to drowning in it) you will have to have the intention that you plan on driving out the inhabitants.

In Masechet Sotah 34a, we read a Braita which fills in what Yehoshua said to B’nai Yisrael when they were actually crossing the Yarden: “Know on what condition God is miraculously parting the waters to allow you to cross. It is on the condition that you will drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you. If you do this, good; but if not, then the water will come and drown both me and you.”

When asked what her favorite part of her year in Israel was, one of my students at Midreshet Devora mentioned having the opportunity to get her feet wet in the Jordan River and study these passages from the TaNaCh at the spot where they actually took place.

How much more meaningful must it have been for B’nai Yisrael to see the splitting of the Jordan River and trust in God that they would make it to the other side.

We learn from here that each person who comes to Israel comes on a condition that they will do their part to help our homeland. There is so much that still needs to be done and every person can make their own contribution but if we work together we can make an even larger contribution.

The Gemara in Sotah adds: We have an oral tradition that the burden a person is capable of lifting onto his shoulder by himself is 1/3 of the weight  of the burden he can support if others help him load it on.

Lets all work together in helping build up and hold on to the modern State of Israel.