The Gemara says that Eretz Yisrael produces 500 Kur from one Se'ah (1/30th
of a Kur) of seed in the areas that are not rocky and are fertile. This is
when the land is blessed with the average amount of Berachah, but when it is
blessed with the ultimate Berachah (in the time of the Mashiach), it will
produce 50,000 Kur from each Se'ah of seed.
The BEN YEHOYADA finds an allusion in the verse that the number 500
represents the Berachah of Eretz Yisrael. The verse says, "Shabechi
Yerushalayim Es Hashem..." -- "Yerushalayim, praise Hashem, exalt your G-d,
o' Tzion -- for He has strengthened the bolts of your gates; He has blessed
your children in your midst (b'Kirbech)" (Tehilim 147:12-13). This means
that Hashem blesses the inhabitants of Eretz Yisrael with the number that is
hinted to "in the midst," or within, the word "Yerushalayim." When the
letters of the word "Yerushalayim" are each spelled-out (for example, the
letter Yud is spelled "Yud-Vav-Dalet"), the "hidden" letters (for example,
the "Vav" and "Dalet" of Yud) are considered the letters that are "in the
midst" of the word "Yerushalayim." The Gematria of the letters "in the
midst" of "Yerushalayim" (including the unwritten Yud before the final Mem,
when Vav is spelled as "Vav-Yud-Vav" and Mem as "Mem-Yud-Mem") equals 500.
The HAFLA'AH explains that the reason Hashem sends so much blessing to Eretz
Yisrael is because the Gemara (Taanis 7a) says that all of the other lands
receive their flow of rain from the rain that Hashem sends to Eretz Yisrael;
it is as if they receive the "leftovers," so to speak. Hence, what comes to
Eretz Yisrael must suffice for all of the other lands as well.
He points out, as an allusion, that the amount of rain that passes through
Eretz Yisrael is actually 225 times what Eretz Yisrael needs for itself,
because the area of the rest of the world is 225 times larger than the area
of Eretz Yisrael. The Chachamim teach us that the area of Eretz Yisrael is
400 by 400 Parsah (Megilah 3a), and the area of the whole world is 6000 by
6000 Parsah (Pesachim 94a). Through simple mathematical calculation we see
that the area of the whole world is 225 times the area of Eretz Yisrael.
This is alluded to in the verses (Tehilim 85:12-14) that say, "Emes me'Eretz
Titzmach..." -- "Truth from the earth will sprout forth, and righteousness
from the heavens will gaze down. Hashem also will give what is good, and our
land will give forth its produce. Righteousness will walk before Him, and he
will set his footsteps on the way (v'Yasem l'Derech Pe'amav)," as follows:
"Truth from the earth will sprout forth" refers to the Torah, which will
come from the "Eretz," referring to Eretz Yisrael (see Berachos 63a, Bava
Basra 158b). "Righteousness from the heavens will gaze down" means that
Hashem punishes evildoers from the heavenly Eretz Yisrael (Eretz Yisrael
Shel Ma'aleh). The verse continues, "Hashem also will give what is good, and
our land will give forth its produce; righteousness will walk before Him" --
when Hashem gives blessing to all of the nations -- "v'Yasem l'Derech
Pe'amav" -- Hashem will bestow (v'Yasem) blessing upon the world which is
224 times (the Gematria of Derech being 224) that which Eretz Yisrael needs,
so that the other nations should also have blessing!