Eqev, Deuteronomy 7:12 to 11:25 and Isaiah 49:14-51:3
Moses emphasizes divine benevolence and exhorts the Bnei-Israel to observe the mitzvot so that they may prosper in the Promised Land (Deut. 11:13-15), a land “flowing with milk and honey.” In the Haftarah, God assures the Bnei-Israel of His love and promises the gathering of the exiles at the coming of the Messiah.
Deuteronomy 8:7
ה’ אֱלֹריךָ, מְבִיאֲךָ אֶל-אֶרֶץ טוֹבָה: אֶרֶץ, נַחֲלֵי מָיִם–עֲיָנֹת וּתְהֹמֹת, יֹצְאִים בַּבִּקְעָה וּבָהָר.
For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with streams of water, springs, and torrents, flowing in the valley and the mountain.
In Upper Galilee, the Biriya Forest, mainly composed of Jerusalem pine trees, houses the Naburiya synagogue, dating from the late 1st century, as well as the Ein Naburiya spring, once used for watering livestock. The KKL has developed terraces and planted fruit trees around this spring. Built by the Palmach1 in 1946 on the slopes of the mountain, the Biriya fortress served as a base for the defense of Safed and as a passage point for Jewish immigrants. Today, the fortress has become a museum.
1 Created in May 1941, the Palmach (פלמ”ח – פלוגות מחץ – strike units) is an elite unit of the Haganah (ההגנה – the defense), the main Zionist paramilitary organization from 1920 to 1948. After the creation of the State of Israel, it became the core of the Tsahal (צה”ל – צבא ההגנה לישראל – Israel Defense Forces (IDF)).