Getting Our Land Back

The Rashbam famously taught that the akeida was a punishment of sorts, a lesson for Avraham, who failed to cling wholeheartedly to the land by virtue of making a covenant by which he showed a willingness to sacrifice part of the land to Avimelech, and his general, Pichol. 

More than one has seen similar resonances in the expulsion of Jews from their homes in Gush Katif. 

It's interesting to note, though, the sequence of events in the last two Parshas: after the covenant with Avimelech, the akeida comes about, and then, after Sarah imeinu dies, Avraham has to reaffirm his bond to the land by purchasing a permanent stronghold, that cannot be eroded or called into question. That word, achuzah - as in achuzat kever, is mentioned repeatedly. A gift could not be property that you have an inviolable right to, which meant, that Avraham in the wake of his personal sorrow needed to make a lasting imprint reaffirming his right to the land, perhaps to amend his errant ways prior. 

And now, with the horrific travesty and tragedy we have experienced, it would seem the only way to amend the horrible suffering and trials by fire that we have experienced, is to return to our ancestral lands, not only in Gush Katif but also Yehudah and Shomron, to reaffirm our bond to the land, one that is eternal, and hinges, nonetheless, on our desire to possess it in every sense of the word.