Do not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, or follow the practices of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. You must not follow their customs. (Leviticus 18:3)

It is fascinating that the purpose of the Exodus was to bring the Nation of Israel from one of the two most decadent societies of the time to the other.

Sefat Emet comments that prior to Israel's entry into the Land, the Land was called the "land of Canaan," and it was a place of depravity, as our verse indicates. When the Children of Israel entered the Land, we revealed the light which is inherent within her and removed the darkness from her.
The same land can reach the heights of being the Land of Israel, in the most positive sense, or can sink to the depth of the land of Canaan. It is not dependent upon the Land itself, rather upon how we behave within the Land.
We have both the ability and the obligation to turn the Land into the most blessed place on earth. (David Magence)

Shabbat Shalom!
The Va’ad