Commentary פַּרְשָׁנוּת
Near the end of Sefer Bemidbar, God commands Benei Yisrael to enter Eretz Yisrael and live there:
וְהוֹרַשְׁתֶּם אֶת הָאָרֶץ וִישַׁבְתֶּם בָּהּ כִּי לָכֶם נָתַתִּי אֶת הָאָרֶץ לָרֶשֶׁת אֹתָהּ׃
And you shall take possession of the land and live in it, for I have given the land to you to possess.
Is there still a mitzvah to live in Eretz Yisrael today?
Ramban (Spain, 800 years ago) believes this is a mitzvah that every Jew should try to keep today:
הִיא מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה לְדוֹרוֹת מִתְחַיֵּב כָּל אֶחָד מִמֶּנּוּ וַאֲפִלּוּ בִּזְמַן גָּלוּת כַּיָּדוּעַ בַּתַּלְמוּד בִּמְקוֹמוֹת הַרְבֵּה. וּלְשׁוֹן סִפְרֵי מַעֲשֶׂה בְּרַבִּי יְהוּדָה בֶּן בְּתֵירָא וְרַבִּי מַתְיָא בֶּן חָרָשׁ וְרַבִּי חֲנַנְיָה בֶּן אֲחִי ר' יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְר' נָתָן שֶׁהָיוּ יוֹצְאִין חוּצָה לָאָרֶץ וְהִגִּיעוּ לִפְלַטְיָא וְזָכְרוּ אֶת אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְזָקְפוּ אֶת עֵינֵיהֶם זָלְגוּ דִּמְעוֹתֵיהֶן וְקָרְעוּ בִּגְדֵיהֶם וְקָרְאוּ הַמִּקְרָא הַזֶּה וִירִשְׁתָּהּ וְיָשַׁבְתָּ בָּהּ (דברים כו:א) וְשָׁמַרְתָּ לַעֲשׂוֹת (דברים ו:ג). וְאָמְרוּ יְשִׁיבַת אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל שְׁקוּלָה כְנֶגֶד כָּל הַמִּצְוֹת.
This is a mitzvah for all generations. Everyone is obligated to do it, even in times of galut (exile). It comes up in the Talmud in many places. The Sifrei tells a story about R. Yehudah ben Beteirah, R. Matya ben Harash, R. Hananyah ben Ahi, R. Yehoshuah, and R. Natan who were leaving Eretz Yisrael. They arrived at a street crossing, remembered Eretz Yisrael, and burst into tears. They tore their clothing (in mourning) and read these pesukim: “And you shall take possession of the land and live in it” (Devarim 26:1), and “You shall keep this mitzvah to do it” (Devarim 6:3). They said: Living in Eretz Yisrael is equal to all the mitzvot combined.
Ramban took his own words to heart and moved from Spain to Eretz Yisrael even though he was old by then and it was a very difficult journey!
But Rambam (Spain and Egypt, 850 years ago) doesn’t list this mitzvah at all, and some people think this means that Rambam thought the mitzvah to live in Eretz Yisrael doesn’t apply at all times:
נִרְאֶה לִי כִּי מָה שֶׁלֹּא מְנָאָהּ הָרַב הוּא לְפִי שֶׁמִּצְוַת יְרֻשַּׁת הָאָרֶץ וִישִׁיבָתָהּ לֹא נָהֲגָה רַק בִּימֵי מֹשֶׁה וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ וְדָוִד וְכָל זְמַן שֶׁלֹּא גָּלוּ מֵאַרְצָם אֲבָל אַחַר שֶׁגָּלוּ מֵעַל אַדְמָתָם אֵין מִצְוָה זוֹ נוֹהֶגֶת לְדוֹרוֹת עַד עֵת בּוֹא הַמָּשִׁיחַ.
It seems to me that Rambam didn’t list a mitzvah of living in Eretz Yisrael because this mitzvah applied only in the time of Moshe, Yehoshua, and David, and any time before the Jewish people were exiled from their land. But after they were exiled from their land, this mitzvah doesn’t apply until the Jewish people have redemption.
- What could it mean for there to be a mitzvah just to live your life in a certain place? What would it teach us about that place if just being there is considered doing a mitzvah?
- Why is Eretz Yisrael so important in the Torah?
- In what way might living in Eretz Yisrael be equal to all the mitzvot combined? Try looking up Devarim 6:3, one of the pesukim quoted by the rabbis in the story. Does it seem to connect living in Eretz Yisrael to all other mitzvot? How so?
- Why would it be important to live there according to the Ramban, and according to R. Ibn Tzur? How can each approach teach you something about the way you relate to Eretz Yisrael?
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