“My eye gives you counsel,” God says to us through King David (Tehillim 32:8), and our Sages in the Midrash interpret this as a Divine “wink of the eye” in regard to Eretz Yisrael.

A king once made a feast for everyone in his palace. When the serving plate was brought before them, the king winked a hint to his favorite guest to take a particularly good portion. When he realized that the hint was not understood, the king took the portion with his own hands and presented it to his beloved.

In similar fashion, when God divided His world amongst the nations, each of them selected a land double the size of Eretz Yisrael. God winked to the Jewish people to choose Eretz Yisrael, but they were reluctant to do so because it was so much smaller than all the other Lands. What did God do? He took Eretz Yisrael into His hand and presented it to His favorite people.

This is what the Prophet Yirmeyahu alludes to when he says in God’s Name “I presented you with a desirable land” (Yirmeyahu 3:19).

(Yalkut Shimoni, Tehillim 32)

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