“And the gold of that land is good...” (Gen. 2:12)
Why is the Torah suddenly interested in the quality of gold? Was this verse written for prospectors of rare metals?
The Midrash (Breishit Rabbah 16:4) explains that the land referred to is Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel), and the precious commodity is none other than the Torah itself. The Midrash then declares,
“This teaches that there is no Torah like the Torah of the Land of Israel.”
This is a pretty remarkable statement. Is there really a different Torah in the Land of Israel? And in what way is it superior to the Torah outside of Israel?
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