Judaism and the Land of Israel: A Sacred Bond

The First Promise

The story of Judaism and the Land of Israel begins with a command and a promise. In Genesis 12, God tells Abraham: “Go from your country, your birthplace, and your father’s house, to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you.”

This was not merely a relocation. It was the beginning of a relationship between a people and a specific piece of earth that would define Jewish identity for the next four thousand years. God did not promise Abraham generic prosperity — He promised him this land, with specific borders, as an “eternal possession.”

The promise was repeated to Isaac, to Jacob, and finally realized (partially) under Joshua. It was lost in the Babylonian exile, partially restored under Ezra and Nehemiah, lost again under Rome, and carried as memory, prayer, and longing through nearly two millennia of diaspora.

The Land in Jewish Law

The Torah contains an extraordinary number of commandments that can only be fulfilled in the Land of Israel. According to traditional counting, of the 613 commandments, approximately 26 are specifically land-dependent agricultural laws:

Shemitah (sabbatical year): Every seventh year, the land must rest. No plowing, no planting, no pruning. Whatever grows on its own belongs to everyone — rich and poor, citizen and stranger. The institution teaches that the land belongs to God, not to its human inhabitants.

Terumah and ma’aser (tithes): Portions of agricultural produce must be given to the priests, Levites, and the poor. These tithes created a social welfare system funded by the land itself.

Leket, shikchah, and pe’ah: Farmers must leave the gleanings of their harvest, any forgotten sheaves, and the corners of their fields for the poor. The story of Ruth — gleaning in Boaz’s field — illustrates this system.

Orlah: The fruit of a newly planted tree cannot be eaten for the first three years.

These laws reflect a theology of stewardship: the land is a gift that comes with conditions. If Israel follows God’s laws, the land will be fruitful. If not, the land will “vomit you out” (Leviticus 18:28) — a graphic metaphor that the prophets invoked repeatedly.

The Land in Prayer

Even in exile — especially in exile — the Land of Israel saturated Jewish prayer and ritual:

Direction of prayer: Jews worldwide face Jerusalem when praying, creating an invisible web of orientation that connects every synagogue to a single point.

The Amidah: The central prayer includes petitions for the return to Zion, the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and the restoration of the Temple service.

Grace after meals: The second blessing thanks God for “the good land” — even when recited thousands of miles from Israel.

Wedding ceremony: A glass is broken to remember Jerusalem’s destruction, even at moments of greatest joy.

Passover Seder: Concludes with “Next year in Jerusalem” — a declaration repeated for centuries when the prospect seemed impossibly remote.

Religious Obligation or National Project?

The question of whether living in Israel constitutes a religious obligation has generated centuries of debate:

Nachmanides (1194-1270) counted settling the Land as one of the 613 commandments, binding in every generation. He himself made the arduous journey to Israel in his old age.

Maimonides (1138-1204) did not include it in his list of commandments but wrote that “a person should always live in the Land of Israel” and that it is forbidden to leave voluntarily except under specific circumstances.

The Satmar Rebbe and other ultra-Orthodox authorities argued that Jews should not establish political sovereignty before the coming of the Messiah, viewing Zionism as a human usurpation of divine prerogative.

Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (1865-1935) offered a revolutionary synthesis: even secular Zionists, without knowing it, were agents of divine redemption. The return to the land — however it happened, by whomever’s initiative — was the beginning of the messianic process.

Shemitah in Practice

The sabbatical year remains observed in Israel today, creating fascinating intersections between ancient law and modern agriculture. Since the agricultural economy cannot simply shut down every seven years, rabbinical authorities have developed several approaches:

Heter mechirah (permitted sale): A controversial legal fiction in which Israeli agricultural land is temporarily “sold” to a non-Jew for the Shemitah year, similar to the sale of chametz before Passover. Most Religious Zionist authorities accept this approach; ultra-Orthodox authorities generally do not.

Otzar beit din (court treasury): The rabbinical court takes responsibility for distributing Shemitah produce, which may be eaten but not commercially sold in the normal manner.

Import reliance: Some communities rely on produce imported from outside Israel during the Shemitah year.

The debates around Shemitah illustrate the challenge of applying ancient agricultural law to a modern economy — and the Jewish commitment to doing so despite the difficulties.

A Bond Beyond Politics

The Jewish relationship with the Land of Israel transcends any particular political arrangement. It predates Zionism by millennia. It survived the destruction of two Temples, centuries of exile, and the most determined attempts at erasure.

Whether expressed as religious obligation, national aspiration, cultural memory, or agricultural practice, the bond between Judaism and this specific piece of earth remains one of the defining features of Jewish civilization — a relationship written into every prayer, encoded in every law, and carried in the hearts of a people who never stopped turning toward Jerusalem.