Only For the Sake of the Temple Did They Merit to Receive the Land of Israel -Vilna Gaon on Deut. 26:9

Yechezkel's Vision of the Temple According to the Gaon
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Dvarim/Deut. 26:9 “And He brought us to this place, and He gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey”.
The Vilna Gaon in his Aderet Eliyahu commentary explains: “And he brought us to this place” – This is the Temple; or perhaps it is only a reference to the land? When he says “and he gave us this land”, behold land is stated {comment: The Vilna Gaon understands, the Torah is not repeating itself, but adding something new, when it states “and he gave us this land”}. And he put the Temple first, this is to teach us they only merited to gain the land for the sake of the Temple. “A land flowing with milk and honey” – from here Rabbi Yosi Haglili stated to exclude the other side of the Jordan. And so too he says above, “that Hashem, your L-rd gives you” – to exclude the other side of the Jordan, which they chose from their own initiative.


comment by Shlomo Moshe Scheinman: It appears the reference to Rabbi Yosi Haglili is based on the the Mishna in Bikurim 1:10 regarding which type of fruits is the mitzva of bringing “first fruits” to the Temple, applicable. For those that understand Hebrew the text is presented below.

משנה מסכת ביכורים פרק א משנה יואלו מביאין וקורין מן העצרת ועד החג משבעת המינים מפירות שבהרים מתמרות שבעמקים ומזיתי שמן מעבר הירדן רבי יוסי הגלילי אומר אין מביאין בכורים מעבר הירדן שאינה ארץ זבת חלב ודבש
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