Likutei Moharan, Part II 40:1/ליקוטי מוהר"ן·תנינא מ׳:א׳

1Whoever knows of the Land of Israel, has really tasted the Land of Israel, can recognize in another whether he was by a tzaddik for Rosh HaShanah, and whether that tzaddik’s spiritual level is great or small, and whether he is a genuine tzaddik or not; or [even] whether [that other person] is himself a tzaddik.

2For the taste of the Land of Israel can be described to someone who knows the taste of intellect, which only someone who is a boor is incapable of knowing. But whoever knows of the intellect—such as students of Torah, who taste a bit of intellect in the straightforward meaning and difficult questions, which they are wont to study; or experts in other wisdoms who experience the taste of intellect—can understand the taste of the Land of Israel, because “the air of the Land of Israel makes wise” (Bava Batra 158b).

3Although the taste of wisdom and intellect is certainly very precious, what primarily makes the Land of Israel’s holiness great is nothing other than Divine providence—on account of God constantly eyeing the Land of Israel, as it is written, “God your Lord keeps His eyes on it continuously, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year” (Deuteronomy 11:12). On account of this, the Land of Israel is sanctified and its air makes wise, because the eyes connote wisdom. For the opening of wisdom is referred to as the concept of eyes, as it is written (Genesis 3:7), “Then the eyes of both of them were opened”—and Rashi comments: This is said in reference to wisdom. And because God’s eyes are upon the Land of Israel, for He eyes it continuously, therefore “the air of the Land of Israel makes wise.”

4However, from where does this, the concept of eyes of providence, derive and develop in relation to God? It comes about through the souls of the Jewish people, in whom God takes pride, as in “Israel, in whom etPa’ER (I take pride)” (Isaiah 49:3). This pride creates the concept of tefilin, which are called Pe’ER (grandeur) (Sukkah 25a). The tefilin are the concept of intellects. They enter within and burst out through the eyes, and from this is created Divine providence, as it were, producing the Land of Israel’s holiness—the concept of “the air of the Land of Israel makes wise.” This is the reason it is called “the Land of Israel,” for it receives its sanctity from the concept of “Israel, in whom I take pride.”

5However, Israel’s closeness to God is certainly not the same at all times. Sometimes, one person grows distant from God, Heaven forbid, and then, on the contrary, the Divine Presence screams: “I am burdened by My head! I am burdened by My arm!” (Sanhedrin 46a). Her scream is that the concept of pride has been ruined and blemished, so that [God] cannot take pride in them, and the concept of tefilin, which is made from the pride, has become blemished. This is: “I am burdened by My head! I am burdened by My arm!”—specifically “by My head” and “by My arm,” the concept of tefilin (which are worn on the head and arm).

6But when a single Jew draws closer to God, that is one more Jew who wants to serve Him. And the more the number of Jews who want to serve and draw closer to Him increases, the more God’s pride grows and expands, for God takes pride in His people Israel drawing closer to Him. This pride produces tefilin -intellects, and from this comes the Land of Israel’s holiness, the concept of “the air of the Land of Israel makes wise” as a result of the eyes of His Divine providence, as mentioned above.