The Gemara states that Eretz Yisrael produces 500 Kur from one Se'ah (1/30th of a Kur) of seed in the areas that are fertile and not rocky. This is the amount produced when the land is blessed with the average degree of blessing, but when it is blessed with the ultimate degree of blessing (in the times of the Mashi'ach) 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 Hash-m..." -- "Yerushalayim, praise Hash-m, exalt your G-d, o' Tziyon -- 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 Hash-m blesses the inhabitants of Eretz Yisrael with the number hinted to "in the midst" of 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 Gematriya 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 Hash-m 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 Hash-m 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 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 it is clear that the area of the whole world is 225 times greater than the area of Eretz Yisrael.

This is alluded to in the verses (Tehilim 85:12-14) which state, "Emes me'Eretz Titzmach..." -- "Truth from the earth will sprout forth, and righteousness from the heavens will gaze down. Hash-m 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 Hash-m punishes evildoers from the heavenly Eretz Yisrael (Eretz Yisrael Shel Ma'aleh). The verse continues, "Hash-m also will give what is good, and our land will give forth its produce; righteousness will walk before Him" -- when Hash-m gives blessing to all of the nations; "v'Yasem l'Derech Pe'amav" -- Hash-m will bestow (v'Yasem) blessing upon the world which is 224 times (the Gematriya of Derech being 224) that which Eretz Yisrael needs, so that the other nations should also have blessing!