In addition to the k’dushas ha’aretz and the unique mitzvos of Eretz Yisrael, there is another fascinating phenomenon in the Torah that relates to the uniqueness of Eretz Yisrael. There are several instances where Chazal mention the concept of k’fitzas ha’derech, literally translated as “jumping the path.” This refers to the unique ability to travel at a pace more quickly than the laws of nature would normally allow, thereby enabling someone to travel extraordinary distances in mere seconds or perhaps even instantaneously. How and why does this occur?
[There are several options regarding the nature of k’fitzas ha’derech. The first is that when one experiences k’fitzas ha’derech, he transcends the nature of time, moving at an extremely fast pace close to the speed of light. One would be moving through space at a transcendent pace. The second option is that one transcends the nature of space, gaining the ability to disappear and then reappear somewhere else. In this second option, it is most probable that no time passes between the disappearance and reappearance. One could suggest that this works as a worm-hole within time and space; one would enter at one end of time and space and instantaneously exit from the other side at a different point in space, but with no (or little) time having passed; see Ramchal (Derech Hashem). The third option is that both time and space are a single connected concept (space-time), and both of these are “bent” in order to achieve k’fitzas ha’derech. While Einstein is credited for discovering space-time, the Maharal (Tiferes Yisrael 26) discussed this topic centuries before Einstein was born, stating that time and space are not two separate concepts, but deeply and intrinsically connected.]
Chazal mention a few cases of k’fitzas ha’derech. One is when Yaakov travels from the house of Yitzchak, narrowly escaping Eisav’s clutches. Another is when Eliezer embarks on a journey to find a wife for Yitzchak. There are several others as well, but what do these cases have in common? Do they share any deeper connection?
Transcending Time and Space
K’fitzas ha’derech enables one to transcend the laws of time and space. Why is this possible? It is due to the unique location in which k’fitzas ha’derech always occurs: Eretz Yisrael, the land that transcends the bounds of time and space. (Or at least on one’s way to Eretz Yisrael. For example, Rashi, at the beginning of Parshas VaYeitzei, quotes the Gemara in Chulin, which says that Yaakov returned from Charan (chutz la’aretz) to Eretz Yisrael through k’fitzas ha’derech.) Yaakov’s return from Beis El back to the makom haMikdash took place within Eretz Yisrael and was a journey to the root of creation itself. This journey completely transcended time and space.
When Yaakov awoke the next morning, he states: “Mah nora ha’makom ha’zeh – How awesome is this place” (B’reishis 28:17). Nora spelled backwards is “Aron” (the Holy Ark), the vessel that would later be housed in that very same spot, i.e., the Kodesh HaKodashim, a place beyond space and time. Yaakov traveled to a place beyond place, a time beyond time. As such, he was able to transcend space and time through k’fitzas ha’derech.
The same was true for Eliezer when he traveled to find Yitzchak a wife. After the Akeidah (the binding of Yitzchak), Yitzchak became a paradoxical being, living both beyond and within this world. The Midrash (Pirkei D’Rabbi Eliezer) states that Yitzchak’s ashes lie on the mountain, at the spot of the Akeidah. This is because Yitzchak was sacrificed. He then returned to life, becoming the first person to experience t’chiyas ha’meisim (resuscitation of the dead). This is why the second brachah of Sh’moneh Esrei, which is connected to Yitzchak, mentions t’chiyas ha’meisim: Yitzchak brought this concept to the world. Chazal note that the letters of Yitzchak’s name spell “keitz chai” – he who lives (chai) while [paradoxically] existing beyond life (keitz). Yitzchak is rooted beyond time and space, and yet, paradoxically, lives within it. And where did he take on this unique nature? On Har HaMoriyah – the very same spot where Yaakov slept, the very same spot as the Kodesh HaKodashim, and the meeting place between the physical world and its transcendent spiritual source. The journey to find a wife for Yitzchak occurred just after this episode, and it was a journey beyond time and space to find a wife for Yitzchak, who himself was beyond space and time. (Marriage, as well, is a connection that exists beyond the limitations of time and space. The nature of Eliezer’s journey – namely, to find a wife for Yitzchak – is another factor that contributed to k’fitzas ha’derech, a journey beyond time and space.)
Mo4ving vs. Stationary Mikdash
It’s interesting to note that there were two forms of Mikdash within Jewish history. The first is a moving, traveling Mikdash, i.e., the Mishkan in the midbar. The second is a static, set Mikdash, i.e., the Beis HaMikdash in Eretz Yisrael. What is the meaning of this? Why are there two, what are the differences between them, and what can we learn from this?
While we generally think of the Mishkan as the precursor to the Beis HaMikdash, the Beis HaMikdash actually predates the Mishkan, in a sense. The roots of the Beis HaMikdash appear at the beginning of Sefer B’reishis by Akeidas Yitzchak, and when Yaakov slept at the makom haMikdash (place of the Temple). This was the root of our connection to the transcendent and of our ability to bridge the gap between the finite and the infinite. This unique ability is most powerful in the makom haMikdash, at the heart and center of Eretz Yisrael, above the Even Sh’siyah.
However, as we have explained many times, every process has three stages:
The first stage is the high, the inspiration, and an experience of perfection and clarity.
Next comes the second stage: a complete fall, a loss of everything that was experienced in the first stage.
Following this is the third stage: a return to the perfection of the first stage. However, this third stage is fundamentally different from the first. It is the same perfection and the same clarity, but this time it’s a perfection and clarity that has been earned. The first time it was given to you; now you have worked to build it for yourself.
Our foundation was the makom haMikdash – the gift our Avos gave to us. We then had to rebuild toward that ideal through the Mishkan in the midbar. Then, we were finally able to reconnect to that original perfection through the Beis HaMikdash in Eretz Yisrael.
Now that we have lost the Beis HaMikdash, it is our job to rebuild it, beginning within ourselves. This is the meaning of the phrase: “Bilvavi Mishkan evneh – Within [myself], I will build a Mishkan [for Hashem]” — not a Beis HaMikdash, but a Mishkan! This is because when the Beis HaMikdash is gone, when we have lost that ideal, we are called upon to recreate that light within ourselves. We transform ourselves and our lives into a vessel that connects us to Hashem, receives His light, and projects it into this world. We thereby connect the physical to the spiritual, the finite to the infinite, and the limited to the transcendent. In transforming our lives into a Mishkan, we work our way back to the perfection of the Beis HaMikdash.
Levels of Spirituality
We can now understand the sin of the M’raglim on a much deeper level. The spies not only spoke lashon ha’ra; they rejected the uniqueness, holiness, and transcendence of Eretz Yisrael. While the entire world is infinitely spiritual, Eretz Yisrael possesses a fundamentally higher spiritual quality. Eretz Yisrael has no equal; there is nothing that can be compared to it.
May we be inspired to continuously deepen our connection with Hashem and Eretz Yisrael, and may we become the ultimate vessels for Hashem in this world, fully fulfilling the words of “bilvavi Mishkan evneh.”
Rabbi Shmuel Reichman is the author of the bestselling book, The Journey to Your Ultimate Self, which serves as an inspiring gateway into deeper Jewish thought. He is an international speaker, educator, and the CEO of Self-Mastery Academy. After obtaining his BA from Yeshiva University, he received s’micha from RIETS, a master’s degree in education, a master’s degree in Jewish Thought, and then spent a year studying at Harvard. He is currently pursuing a PhD at UChicago. To invite Rabbi Reichman to speak in your community or to enjoy more of his deep and inspiring content, visit his website: ShmuelReichman.com.
