Life on the Edge

When a person is involved in Torah study, he need not be cautioned to avoid unholy preoccupations. But when it comes to a Jew’s mundane affairs, on the surface they are activities that non-Jews engage in as well. Here, the Jew must know that Torah draws a line of distinction – and this is a total, absolute divide.

According to Jewish law, when one stands just within the border of the Land of Israel, the area has the full status of the Holy Land. However, as soon as one crosses even a hairsbreadth to the other side of the border, one is fully and completely in a state of Diaspora. All that divides these two states of existence is a line the width of a hairsbreadth.

Every Jew, no matter where in the world he may be, is instructed: “Turn this place into a Land of Israel.” When one’s sole intent, even in mundane matters, is “for the sake of Heaven” and “to know G-d,” then one extends “the borders of the Holy Land” to encompass all of reality.