Eretz Yisrael — The Land of Israel in Jewish Consciousness
The Land of Israel in Jewish theology is not merely a geographical location but a spiritual reality — the land that enables the fullest expression of the Jewish covenant way of life.
Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel) occupies a unique place in Jewish theology — it is the 'land flowing with milk and honey,' promised to Abraham and his descendants, in which the majority of the Torah's commandments (particularly those connected to agriculture and social justice) can be fulfilled. The Ramban (Nachmanides) taught that residence in the Land of Israel is itself a positive commandment. The spiritual geography of the Land — Jerusalem, the Temple Mount, the sacred rivers and mountains — is woven throughout Jewish prayer and thought: Jews face Jerusalem in prayer, end the Passover Seder with 'Next Year in Jerusalem,' and incorporate longing for the Land into the blessing after meals. The Zohar describes the relationship between the Jewish soul and the Land of Israel as a mystical marriage — each needs the other to be complete. The complexity of contemporary Israeli politics does not negate the depth of this theological relationship, which predates and transcends any political configuration.
The eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.
Philosopher Yeshayahu Leibowitz's distinction between the sanctity of the Land of Israel (as a religious-historical value) and the politics of the State of Israel (a human construct to be evaluated on ordinary political-ethical criteria) represents the most rigorous Jewish thinker's attempt to maintain both the theological significance and the ethical accountability of Jewish statehood.
Torah