Unity in Yeshivos
“But only to the place which Hashem, your G-d shall choose from all your tribes, to set His Name there; you [plural] shall inquire after His dwelling and come [singular] there” (12:5).
Why does the pasuk start off in the plural and end up in the singular? On the way to the Beis HaMikdash there may not be complete unity amongst the olei haregel, since peoples’ temperaments, natures, backgrounds and customs differ, but as soon as they enter the Beis HaMikdash the public unites completely to serve Hashem.
Similarly, Yeshivos are the Beis HaMikdash of our times and even though the boys learning there come from different backgrounds, as soon as they have entered the Beis HaMedrash to sit and learn, there must be complete unity between them to fulfil the Will of Hashem.
Heresy in Eretz Yisroel
“And you shall tear down their altars, smash their monuments, burn their asherim with fire, cut down the graven images of their gods, and destroy their name from that place” (12:3).
This pasuk includes a special warning to the residents of Eretz Yisroel not to permit any idol worship whatsoever. Although overseas a person is also obligated to destroy any idol worship which he comes across, in Eretz Yisroel there is a special obligation. Even when one does not come across it directly, one is obligated to ensure that there is no trace of idol worship in the country, and one must pursue it in order to eradicate it.
In our times too, we have a special duty in Eretz Yisroel to eradicate heretical views, “to destroy their name”, i.e., that they should not be mentioned, that they should have no possibility of distributing their views, and certainly not to strengthen or encourage them in the Holy Land. For example, one has to keep a distance from movements such as the “Hillel” organization, which encourages and incites people to leave religion. We are obligated to prevent them from gaining a foothold in our communities.
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