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Question: Why is the land of Israel called a “land flowing with milk and honey”?
Answer: The phrase was used to describe the Promised Land when the Jews were still in Egypt (Exodus 3:8,17;13:5), and many times when they were in the desert (Exodus 33:3; Lev. 20:24; Numbers 13:27;14:8;16:14; Deuteronomy 6:3; 11:9; 26:9,15; 27:3; 31:20). When the phrase is used for the first time, Nachmanides explains that it’s a way of dramatizing the fertility and productivity of the land: The abundance of milk indicates that the cattle thrive on the good air, water, and pasturage; and that the fruit is so rich and sweet that its juices drip like honey.
Rabbi Azriel Schreiber
