THE PROMISED LAND
(ח) וְנָתַתִּ֣י לְ֠ךָ וּלְזַרְעֲךָ֨ אַחֲרֶ֜יךָ אֵ֣ת׀ אֶ֣רֶץ מְגֻרֶ֗יךָ אֵ֚ת כָּל־אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן לַאֲחֻזַּ֖ת עוֹלָ֑ם וְהָיִ֥יתִי לָהֶ֖ם לֵאלֹהִֽים׃
(8) And I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.’
(ג) וְשָׁב יקוק אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת שְׁבוּתְךָ וְרִחֲמֶךָ וְשָׁב וְקִבֶּצְךָ מִכָּל הָעַמִּים אֲשֶׁר הֱפִיצְךָ יקוק אֱלֹהֶיךָ שָׁמָּה. (ד) אִם יִהְיֶה נִדַּחֲךָ בִּקְצֵה הַשָּׁמָיִם מִשָּׁם יְקַבֶּצְךָ יקוק אֱלֹהֶיךָ וּמִשָּׁם יִקָּחֶךָ. (ה) וֶהֱבִיאֲךָ יקוק אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יָרְשׁוּ אֲבֹתֶיךָ וִירִשְׁתָּהּ וְהֵיטִבְךָ וְהִרְבְּךָ מֵאֲבֹתֶיךָ.
3. then, the Lord, your God, will bring back your exiles, and He will have mercy upon you. He will once again gather you from all the nations, where the Lord, your God, had dispersed you.4. Even if your exiles are at the end of the heavens, the Lord, your God, will gather you from there, and He will take you from there. 5. And the Lord, your God, will bring you to the land which your forefathers possessed, and you [too] will take possession of it, and He will do good to you, and He will make you more numerous than your forefathers.
(1) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
(א) בראשית. אמר רבי יצחק לא היה צריך להתחיל [את] התורה אלא (שמות יב ב) מהחודש הזה לכם, שהיא מצוה ראשונה שנצטוו [בה] ישראל, ומה טעם פתח בבראשית, משום כח מעשיו הגיד לעמו לתת להם נחלת גוים (תהלים קיא ו), שאם יאמרו אמות העולם לישראל לסטים אתם, שכבשתם ארצות שבעה גוים, הם אומרים להם כל הארץ של הקדוש ברוך הוא היא, הוא בראה ונתנה לאשר ישר בעיניו, ברצונו נתנה להם וברצונו נטלה מהם ונתנה לנו:
Rabbi Yitzchak said: The Torah could have started from, 'This month shall be to you the first of months' (Exodus 12:2), which is the first mitzvah which Israel was commanded. So what is the reason that it opened with with 'In the beginning'?
Because of [the idea expressed in the verse]: '[God] has declared to His people the power of His works, in order to give them the inheritance of the nations.' (Psalms 111:6). Thus, should the nations of the world say to Israel: 'You are robbers, having conquered the lands of the seven [Canaanite] nations [by force],' [Israel] can say to them: 'The whole earth belongs to the Holy Blessed One; He created it and gave it to whomever He saw fit. By His will He gave it to them, and by His will He took it from them and gave it to us.'
מכילתא דרבי ישמעאל, יתרו, עמלק
שלשה דברים נתנו על תנאי, ארץ ישראל ובית המקדש ומלכות בית דוד, חוץ מספר תורה ובריתו של אהרן שלא נתנו על תנאי. ארץ ישראל מנין, שנאמר +דברים יא טז+השמרו לכם פן יפתה לבבכם וגו' וחרה אף ה' בכם.
Mechilta d'Rabbi Yishmael
Three things were given conditionally: the Land of Israel, the Temple, and the Kingship of the House of David. But the Torah and the Covenant of Aaron were given unconditionally.
From where do we know this about the Land of Israel? It says (in Deut. 11:16), "Take care, lest your heart be seduced to serve other gods and bow to them. For then the anger of the Lord will flare up against you...."
THE MITZVAH OF SETTLING THE LAND OF ISRAEL
עשה ד' – ליישב את ארץ ישראל
.היא מצות עשה לדורות, מתחייב כל יחיד ממנו, ואפילו בזמן גלות, כידוע בתלמוד במקומות הרבה...
Ramban Book of Mitzvot
"...Settling the Land of Israel is a positive commandment for all the generations, every individual is obligated to do it, even in the time of exile, as it's written in the gemara in many places."
ת"ר לעולם ידור אדם בא"י אפי' בעיר שרובה עובדי כוכבים ואל ידור בחו"ל ואפילו בעיר שרובה ישראל שכל הדר בארץ ישראל דומה כמי שיש לו אלוה וכל הדר בחוצה לארץ דומה כמי שאין לו אלוה שנא' (ויקרא כה, לח) לתת לכם את ארץ כנען להיות לכם לאלהים
Our masters taught: A person should ever strive to live in the Land of Israel, even in a city whose inhabitants are mostly idolaters, and should avoid living outside the Land, even in a city whose inhabitants are mostly Jews.
For he who lives in the Land of Israel is like one who has a God, and he who lives outside the Land is like one who has no God. Therefore it is said, “To give you the land of Canaan, to be your God” (Lev. 25:38)
(ב) ישרה אדם בארץ ישראל אפילו בעיר שרובה עובדי כוכבים ולא בחו"ל אפי' בעיר שכולה ישראל מלמד שישיבת ארץ ישראל שקולה כנגד כל מצות שבתורה.
"It's better for a person to live in Israel in a city inhabited mostly by idol worshippers/non-Jews, rather than outside the Land in a city that is completely Jewish. It's taught that living in Israel is equal to all the mitzvot of the Torah."
אמר רבי זירא שמע מינה אוירא דארץ ישראל מחכים.
Rabbi Zeira- We learn that the air in Eretz Yisrael makes people wise.
A pilgrim song. When God restored the exiles to Zion it seemed like a dream. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with joyful song. Then they said among the nations: "God has done great things for them." Yes, God is doing great things for us, and we are joyful. Restore our fortunes, O God, as streams revive the desert. Then those who have sown in tears shall reap in joy. Those who go forth weeping, carrying bags of seeds, shall come home with shouts of joy, bearing thier sheaves.
HaTikvah - The Hope
As long as the Jewish spirit is yearning deep in the heart, With eyes turned toward the East, looking toward Zion, Then our hope - the two-thousand-year-old hope - will not be lost:
To be a free people in our land, The land of Zion and Jerusalem.
“They shall be taken to Babylonia and there they shall remain until the day that I recall them, said the Lord” (Jeremiah 27:22). Based on that verse, Rav Yehuda held that since the Babylonian exile was imposed by divine decree, permission to leave Babylonia for Eretz Yisrael could be granted only by God. The Gemara asks: And how does Rabbi Zeira interpret that verse? The Gemara answers that Rabbi Zeira maintains that that verse is written about the Temple service vessels, and it does not refer to the Jewish people, as the previous verse states: “Thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that remain in the house of the Lord” (Jeremiah 27:21).
Consequently, Rabbi Zeira sought to ascend to Eretz Yisrael. The Gemara asks: And how does Rav Yehuda respond to this argument? The verse is clearly referring to the Temple vessels, not to the people. The Gemara answers that another verse is written: “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and by the hinds of the field, that you not awaken or stir up love, until it please” (Song of Songs 2:7). Rabbi Yehuda derived from here that no act of redemption should be performed until a time arrives when it pleases God to bring about the redemption.
And Rabbi Zeira maintains that the oath mentioned in that verse means that the Jews should not ascend to Eretz Yisrael as a wall, i.e., en masse, whereas individuals may immigrate as they wish.
The Gemara asks: And what does Rav Yehuda reply to this? The Gemara answers that this command is derived from another verse in which “I adjure you” (Song of Songs 3:5) is written.
The Gemara asks: And how does Rabbi Zeira explain the repetition of this oath in these verses? The Gemara explains: That verse is necessary for that which was taught by Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, who said: Why are these three oaths (Song of Songs 2:7, 3:5, 8:4) needed? One, so that the Jews should not ascend to Eretz Yisrael as a wall, but little by little. And another one, that the Holy One, Blessed be He, adjured the Jews that they should not rebel against the rule of the nations of the world. And the last one is that the Holy One, Blessed be He, adjured the nations of the world that they should not subjugate the Jews excessively.
And how does Rav Yehuda respond? It is written: “That you not awaken or stir up love” (Song of Songs 2:7), which serves to amplify and include a prohibition against Jews immigrating to Eretz Yisrael.
The Gemara asks: And how does Rabbi Zeira explain the extra emphasis of this phrase? The Gemara explains: He needs this phrase for that which was taught by Rabbi Levi, who said: These six oaths, i.e., the aforementioned three verses containing oaths, each of which contains the phrase “That you not awaken or stir up,” why are they necessary? Three are those that we said and explained above. The other three oaths are as follows: That those who know should not reveal the end of days; and that they should not distance the end of days by saying that it is still distant; and that they should not reveal the secret of the Jews to the nations. § The Gemara discusses a phrase in the verse cited above. “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and by the hinds of the field” (Song of Songs 2:7).
Rabbi Elazar said: The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to the Jewish people: If you fulfill the oath, it is good, and if not, I will abandon your flesh and all will devour you like the gazelles and like the hinds of the field.
Rabbi Elazar said: Anyone who resides in Eretz Yisrael dwells without transgression, as it is stated: “And the inhabitant shall not say: I am sick; the people that dwell there shall be forgiven their iniquity” (Isaiah 33:24).
Rava said to Rav Ashi: We learned this promise with regard to those who suffer from sickness. The phrase “I am sick” indicates that they are the ones who are forgiven their sins.
Rav Anan said: Anyone who is buried in Eretz Yisrael is considered as though he is buried beneath the altar. It is stated here: “An altar of earth [adama] you shall make for Me” (Exodus 20:21), and it is stated there: “For He does avenge the blood of His servants, and renders vengeance to His adversaries, and atones for the land of [admato] His people” (Deuteronomy 32:43). This teaches that one who is buried in the earth of Eretz Yisrael is considered as though he is buried beneath the altar in the Temple. §
Israeli Ministers Greenlight Nation-state Bill: Arabic Isn't an Official State Language
From Haaretz, By: Jonathan Lis
A cabinet committee on Sunday gave its support to a new version of the nation-state bill, which revokes Arabic's "official language" status, holds that the State of Israel is “the national home of the Jewish people,” and that “the right to realize self-determination in the State of Israel is unique to the Jewish people.”
In contrast to an earlier version, the new bill doesn’t subordinate democracy to the state’s Jewish character. The bill also states that “the national language is Hebrew” and downgrades Arabic's status to "a special status in the state," adding that "its speakers have the right to language-accessible state services.” The bill states that “every resident of Israel, without distinction of religion or national origin, is entitled to work to preserve his culture, heritage, language and identity,” and that “the state may allow a community, including members of the same religion or national origin, to have separate communal settlements.”
The bill also proposes to enshrine in basic law the Admissions Committees Law that stipulates that "the state may allow communities, including the members of one religion or one nationality, to maintain separate communal settlement." It also states that "any resident of Israel, regardless of religion or nationality, is permitted to act to preserve his culture, heritage, language and identity." Likud Knesset member Avi Dichter, who sponsored the nation-state bill, called the approval of the proposed bill by the ministerial committee "a major step in establishing our identity" not only abroad but particularly among Israelis themselves. Referring to lyrics of the national anthem Hatikva, he said it reflects "being a free people in our land."
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked congratulated Dichter, the bill's sponsor, calling the legislation an important and necessary step in establishing Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.
Meretz party leader Zehava Galon strongly criticized the bill and called it "a declaration of war against Israel's Arab citizens and against Israel as a democratic and properly governed society." She added: "Even in its 'softened' version, the bill seeks to define the country as a Jewish state, not alongside its being democratic but rather at its expense."
Reacting to the bill's backing by the ministerial committee, Arab Knesset member Esawi Freige of the opposition Meretz party said the committee's decision "again proves that for the current government, democracy is a swear word." Referring to the leader of France's far-right National Front, Marine Le Pen, Freige said the bill was Le Pen-style nationalism and populism "with nothing behind it." read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.787689
No, Zionism Does Not Equal White Nationalism—Or Apartheid BY GIL TROY
Anticipating Israel’s 70th anniversary, a year from now, we need two educational goals: one expansive, one defensive. The expansive one is for every Jew to discuss the meaning of Israel and Zionism. Let’s convene Zionist Salons worldwide to read some basic Zionist texts – old and new – and argue it out, together (if the texts come from my forthcoming anthology, The Zionist Ideas, even better). The defensive goal is to learn how to explain to harsh critics on the alt-left and false friends on the alt-right why Zionism is neither racism nor similar to white nationalism. (In fact, such perverse misreadings indict the accuser not the accused).
This defensive goal responds to a young rabbi’s recent humiliation when the white nationalist Richard Spencer appeared at Texas A&M University. The rabbi challenged Spencer to study Judaism’s “radical inclusion” and love. Spencer responded – smiling, not sneering –“Do you really want radical inclusion in the state of Israel? Maybe all of the Middle East can go move into Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.” Spencer explained: “Jews exist precisely because you did not assimilate to the gentiles… I want my people to have that same sense of themselves.”
White nationalists seeking legitimization and anti-Zionist leftists seeking to delegitimize Zionism insist the rabbi’s silence affirmed Spencer, equating the two movements and exposing Zionism as “illiberal.” Actually, the rabbi’s silence reflected a scandalous educational failure on the part of his particular rabbinic seminary – and American Jewry.
Today, most involved Jews know how to explain why Zionism is not racism and Israel doesn’t practice South African apartheid, noting that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is national, not racial, involving some dark-skinned Israelis and light-skinned Palestinians. We note that Israel has no legislation based on race – which is a biologically-based distinction. Security-based distinctions may keep Israelis and Palestinians apart but that’s not apartheid, a noxious race-based form of legal discrimination. Many have also exposed this New Big Lie as Palestinian propagandists’ attempt to racialize the conflict to demonize Israel.
In fairness to this rabbi, few American Jews could explain why Spencer’s “White Zionism” lie slurred Zionism – and nationalism. Nazi Germany and apartheid South Africa discredited race-based nationalism, especially for whites. Zionism, however, sprouts from an ancient synthesis of ethnicity and religion which yielded a democratic state that, like America, is defined, yet porous. The world remains a network of nationalisms, with 193 nations in the United Nations. Some nationalisms are noble, others are noxious.