Is there a connection between our spiritual condition and our climate, at least in the land of Israel?

Egypt Vs. Canaan

"YHVH your Elohim is bringing you into a good land a land which lacks nothing."  (Deut 8:7-9)

"The land which you are about to conquer is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your field and watered it with your foot.  The land which you are about to conquer is a land of hills and valleys, and receives its water from the rains of heaven."  (Deut 11:10-11)

So, which land do you think is better?

Let's take a look at this Biblical comparison between the lands of Israel and Egypt.

"For your land is not like the land of Egypt, where you planted your field and watered it with your foot."  (Deut 11:10) 

Why was Egypt described as a 'land which you watered with your foot'?

The Egyptians used the water from the Nile River to water their fields by digging irrigation ditches.  They opened the ditch by kicking away the dirt 'with their foot' and 'turned off' the water supply with their foot once again, to move the dirt to close the ditch.  It is specifically this agricultural aspect of the land of Egypt, which the Torah contrasts with the land of Israel.

"The land of Israel is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks from the rains of heaven."  (Deut 11:11) 

In contrast to Egypt, Israel does not have a river such as the Nile.  Their river (the Jordan) is located very low down in the Jordan Valley and thus not helpful to water the fields.  Instead, they depend on rainfall.  When it rains, the fields are watered automatically; and when it does not rain, nothing grows and the crops dry out.

Even though the land of Israel may have a slight advantage over Egypt when it does rain, from an agricultural perspective the land of Egypt has a clear advantage.  Any farmer would obviously prefer the more secure option of Egyptian agriculture to the 'risky' Israeli alternative.  

"And now, O Israel, what is it that YHVH demands of you?  It is to fear YHVH your ELOHIM, to walk in his ways and to love Him.  Keep, therefore, this entire commandment that you should conquer the Land."  (Deut 10:12-14) 

But what does the water source of a country have to do with the fear of YHVH? 

"It is a land which YHVH your ELOHIM looks after, on which YHVH always keeps His eye, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year."  (Deut 11:12) 

YHVH Himself controls the rainfall in the Land of Israel.  In contrast to Egypt where the water supply from the Nile is constant, the sporadic water supply in Israel becomes a direct function of YHVH's will.  Since survival in the Land of Israel is dependent on rain, and the rain itself is dependent on YHVH, then to survive in the land of Israel one must depend on YHVH.

The Land of Israel is not better than Egypt; rather it is different, for its agriculture dependents on the abundance of rain.  Living in a land with this type of rainy season should reinforce the fear of YHVH.

"If you obey the commandments, I will grant the rain for your land in season, then you shall eat and be satisfied.  Be careful, lest you be lured after other gods, for YHVH will be angry and He will shut up the skies and there will be no rain."  (Deut 11:13-16) 

Rain acted not only as a barometer of Israel's faithfulness, but also as a vehicle of divine retribution. Through rain YHVH communicated with His nation in their special land.  Rainfall at the proper time was a divine reward for national 'good behavior', while a drought (the holding back of the rain) was understood as a sign of divine anger.  

So which land is better?  An individual striving for a closer relationship with YHVH would obviously prefer the Land of Israel, while an individual wary of such direct dependence would opt for the more secure life in Egypt.

When Abraham left for Canaan, he traveled together with his nephew Lot.  After their return from a trip to Egypt, a quarrel broke out between them, which ultimately led to Lot's rejection from Abraham's 'chosen family'. 

"Abraham said to Lot, let there not be a quarrel between us, if you go to the right (south) I'll go to the left (north)."   (Gen 13:8-9)   

Abraham suggested that Lot choose either north or south, not east or west as is often assumed.  Standing in Beth El, Abraham offered Lot a choice between the mountain ranges of Judah (South) or Samaria (North).  To our surprise, Lot chose neither option.  He decided to separate himself from Abraham altogether, choosing the Jordan Valley instead.  Lot's decision to go east related to his most recent experience in Egypt. 

"Lot lifted up his eyes and saw the whole plain of Jordan, that it was all well watered, just like the Garden of Elohim, like the land of Egypt."  (Gen 13:10-12) 

After a brief visit to Egypt, Lot no longer wanted the hard life in the hills and valleys of Israel.  Instead he chose the more 'secure' life on the banks of the Jordan River.  The reference to the "Garden of Elohim" (Garden of Eden) also related to its four rivers and its abundance of water.

Lot departed towards Sodom for the 'good life', while Abraham remained in the hills of Israel.  (Gen 13:14-16)  The path chosen by Abraham led to Beth El, the House of YHVH, while the path chosen by Lot led to Sodom, the city of corruption.

The story of the Garden Eden opens with a statement concerning rain.

"When YHVH made heaven and earth, no shrub of the field had yet grown in the land and no grains had yet sprouted, because YHVH had not yet sent rain on the land, nor was there man to work the field."   (Gen 2:4-5) 

Nothing could grow without rain and man.  Both rain and man were essential for all growth and development.  Rain was more than a source of water.  It was the evidence of the relationship between YHVH and His people, and served as a vehicle by which Israel could perfect their relationship with Him.