Modern Day Israel at 75

Jewish law defines ארץ ישראל. It is necessary to have a precise definition as many mitzvot are specifically relegated to the land. These commands are in a separate category called “mitzvot that depend on the land.” The command to give “terumah,” a special food gift to the priestly tribe, is one such mitzvah. Maimonides, Laws of Terumah, 1:2-3 states, “The land of Israel is any land conquered by the king of Israel or prophet with the consent of most of the people after they subdue all the land of Canaan.” So, for example, should Israel possess all of Canaan and then conquer Florida, a la “The Mouse That Roared,”  Jewish Floridians would then be living in Israel. All the mitzvot that apply to the land of Israel would then apply to Florida. The “kedusha” or specialness of the land of Israel would be extended there as well. Our produce (oranges, grapefruits, etc.) would be subject by Torah law to all the laws of tithing.

What, however, is ארץ ישראל philosophically? The Torah repeatedly ties the land of Israel to keeping the mitzvot and to fulfilling the specific commands of the Sabbatical and the Jubilee years to receive God’s blessings of bounty. At the same time, the Torah warns us that failure to do so results in the loss of the land of Israel. While there have always been Jewish inhabitants in the geographical area of biblical Israel since the time of Joshua’s initial conquest (a land area much larger than today’s geographical Israel), from the year 70 CE until 1948 CE there was no nation or internationally recognized land or country of Israel. What, then, is the idea of Israel? Why do we need the land of Israel? Can’t we live as Jews anywhere?

The philosophic concept behind having a “land of Israel” is to be understood in the following way. It is part of a class of things called ברכות, blessings. Blessings are bestowed upon us by God to help support our earthly existence. They are provided to us to help us live the correct way of life. They are a means to help us advance, personally and collectively. Properly understood, the purpose of Israel is not so we have a place we control and dominate, a place where we are the rulers and make the laws we want to live by.

Rather, having our own land is necessary to achieve two main purposes. The first is to establish an ethical and moral society, a civilization centered on living a life of mitzvot and the pursuit of knowledge as described in our Torah. The second aspect or goal in having a land of Israel relates to God’s plan for mankind. ארץ ישראל is not just for Jews; rather it is for all people to look at and emulate. The current situation, Jews dispersed among other nations, thwarts the recognition of this equally important second purpose, to be a model for others. Jews living in every corner of the world not only dilutes this goal but contributes to seriously negative and destructive impacts on Jewish life and values, assimilation being the most destructive and harmful consequence.

Having the land of Israel is not something we automatically get by virtue of our heritage. The land of Israel is not something we can take for granted. Having it requires not only a change in our living habits but requires self-sacrifice as well. It is not only the secular society that must adjust their attitude but the religious as well.

The current issue of conscripting religious Jews into the IDF is complex. It is wrong, however, for anyone to create the impression that Torah study qualifies as an exemption from military service. Avraham, Joshua, King David, Bar Kochba, Rabbi Akiba, Rabbi Shlomo Goren, and others were great scholars and military leaders. According to Torah law, certain categories of people are exempt from military participation in “optional wars,” wars undertaken, for example, just to expand Israel’s borders. The stated exemptions by the Torah do not include those who are learning Torah. However, in a “mandatory war,” for the very survival of the nation, “halacha,” Jewish law, is clear. “All must go out and fight even a bride and groom from their wedding chamber.”  (Maimonides: Laws of Kings, 7:4) The Holocaust should remove all doubt about the necessity of a superb Jewish army, capable and ready to defend Jews anywhere.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the IDF. All Jews secular and religious should appreciate their heroic efforts and sacrifice. They make it possible for anyone who wants to live a Torah way of life in the land of Israel. Especially the “chareidim,” who revere the holy sites and landmarks, should remember who makes it possible for them to go to these places.

As we celebrated Yom Ha’Zikaron and the 75th anniversary of Yom Ha’atzmaut this week,  all of us should be mindful of the words used by Maimonides concerning those who engage in military service for Israel. “Whoever fights valiantly, without fear, and is inspired by the desire to sanctify God’s name, may be assured that he will not come to harm and will meet no adversity. He will be granted a worthy family in Israel and gain everlasting merit for himself and his family. He will also merit eternal life in the world to come.” (Laws of Kings, 7:15)

On this 75^th anniversary of the modern State of Israel, let us pray for the welfare of the IDF and recognize the holy responsibility they shoulder. May both sides, religious and secular, be motivated by the spirit of “ahavat yisrael,” a love of Israel. Out of that love, let us search for understanding and commitment to the true purposes for having a nation of Israel that lives securely and peacefully within its own sovereign borders.

Shabbat Shalom and עם ישראל חי

Rabbi Robert Kaplan