Kedoshim קדושים

My Musing
With parshat kedoshim coming on the eve of Yom HaShoah it is tempting to find a midrash about the idea of dying al pi Kiddush Hashem, dying for the sanctification of the Name. But I found this midrash which helps us frame the nature of the gift of Eretz Yisrael celebrated by Yom Ha’atzmaut which comes on the heels of Yom Hashoah .

מדרש תנחומא (ורשא) פרשת קדושים סימן יא
דבר אחר (ויקרא יט:כג) "וְכִי תָבֹאוּ אֶל הָאָרֶץ וּנְטַעְתֶּם כָּל עֵץ מַאֲכָל וַעֲרַלְתֶּם עָרְלָתוֹ אֶת פִּרְיוֹ שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים יִהְיֶה לָכֶם עֲרֵלִים לֹא יֵאָכֵל" זה שאמר הכתוב (תהלים קה:מד-מה) "וַיִּתֵּן לָהֶם אַרְצוֹת גּוֹיִם וַעֲמַל לְאֻמִּים יִירָשׁוּ. בַּעֲבוּר יִשְׁמְרוּ חֻקָּיו וְתוֹרֹתָיו יִנְצֹרוּ הַלְלוּ יָהּ"

Another idea. “And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as forbidden; three years shall it be as forbidden unto you; it shall not be eaten.” This is what the scriptures said “And He gave them the lands of the nations, and they took the labor of the peoples in possession; That they might keep His statutes, and observe His laws. Hallelujah.”

"וַיִּתֵּן לָהֶם אַרְצוֹת גּוֹיִם", כל מה שנטל הקדוש ברוך הוא מהעכו"ם [עובדי כוכבים ומזלות] נתן לישראל; ארצות כסף וזהב, שדות וכרמים וערים. ולא נתן להם כל אלו, אלא כדי שיתעסקו בתורה. שנאמר, "בַּעֲבוּר יִשְׁמְרוּ חֻקָּיו וְתוֹרֹתָיו יִנְצֹרוּ הַלְלוּ יָהּ".

“And He gave them the lands of the nations”, all that was taken by the Holy One, blessed be He, from the idolaters He gave to Israel; lands of gold and silver, fields, vineyards and cities. And He did not give all of this to them, except to enable them to occupy themselves with Torah. As it says, “That they might keep His statutes, and observe His laws. Hallelujah.”

והם לא עשו כן, אלא (יחזקאל לו:יז) "בֶּן אָדָם בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל יֹשְׁבִים עַל אַדְמָתָם וַיְטַמְּאוּ אוֹתָהּ [אותם] בְּדַרְ

כָּם וּבַעֲלִילוֹתָם כְּטֻמְאַת הַנִּדָּה הָיְתָה דַרְכָּם לְפָנָי"
טמאו אותן בחרמו של עכן שכך כתיב, (ירמיהו ב:ז) "וָאָבִיא אֶתְכֶם אֶל אֶרֶץ הַכַּרְמֶל לֶאֱכֹל פִּרְיָהּ וְטוּבָהּ וַתָּבֹאוּ וַתְּטַמְּאוּ אֶת אַרְצִי וְנַחֲלָתִי שַׂמְתֶּם לְתוֹעֵבָה"
" וַתְּטַמְּאוּ אֶת אַרְצִי" בחרם עכן, "וְנַחֲלָתִי שַׂמְתֶּם לְתוֹעֵבָה" בצלם מיכה.

But they did not do this, rather, 'Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their way and by their doings; their way before Me was as the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.”
They defiled it in the incident with Achan who caused Jericho to be sealed off, as it is written, “And I brought you into a land of fruitful fields, to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled My land, and made My heritage an abomination.”
“ye defiled My land” with the desecration of Achan, “and made My heritage an abomination.” With the image that Micah erected.

ומה עשה להם הקדוש ברוך הוא? הגלה אותן מתוכה. שנאמר, (דברים כט:כז) "וַיִּתְּשֵׁם יְדֹוָד מֵעַל אַדְמָתָם בְּאַף וּבְחֵמָה וּבְקֶצֶף גָּדוֹל וַיַּשְׁלִכֵם אֶל אֶרֶץ אַחֶרֶת כַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה" מהו "וַיִּתְּשֵׁם" תש חילם.
היו זורעין ויגעין ואומות העולם באין ונוטלין שנאמר, (שופטים ו:ג-ד)"וְהָיָה אִם זָרַע יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעָלָה מִדְיָן וַעֲמָלֵק וּבְנֵי קֶדֶם וְעָלוּ עָלָיו. וַיַּחֲנוּ עֲלֵיהֶם וַיַּשְׁחִיתוּ אֶת יְבוּל הָאָרֶץ עַד בּוֹאֲךָ עַזָּה וְלֹא יַשְׁאִירוּ מִחְיָה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וְשֶׂה וָשׁוֹר וַחֲמוֹר"

And what did the Holy One, blessed be He do to them? He exiled them from it. As it says, “and the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day'.” What is “Vayitshem ‘rooted them out’, weakened their strength.
They would plant, and toil and the nations of the world would come and take their produce, as it says, “And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east; they came up against them; and they encamped against them, and destroyed the produce of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance in Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.”

וכשיעשו תשובה (ישעיהו סה:כב) "לֹא יִבְנוּ וְאַחֵר יֵשֵׁב לֹא יִטְּעוּ וְאַחֵר יֹאכֵל כִּי כִימֵי הָעֵץ יְמֵי עַמִּי וּמַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיהֶם יְבַלּוּ בְחִירָי:
למה? שהן נוטעין ואין נותשים שנאמר (עמוס ט:טו) "וּנְטַעְתִּים עַל אַדְמָתָם וְלֹא יִנָּתְשׁוּ עוֹד ֵעַל אַדְמָתָם אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לָהֶם אָמַר יְדֹוָד אֱלֹקֶיךָ"

And when they do teshuva “They shall not build, and another inhabit, they shall not plant, and another eat; for as the days of a tree shall be the days of My people, and Mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.”
Why? Because they plant but do not reap as it says “And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be plucked up out of their land which I have given them, says the LORD thy God.”