What Are Some of the Benefits of Living in Eretz Yisrael from a Torah Perspective?
Living in Eretz Yisrael is not just a matter of geography — it’s a matter of neshamah. The air is different here. The ruach, the spiritual potential, the kedushah — it’s like breathing Torah itself.
From the very beginning of our people’s story, the Torah frames Eretz Yisrael as more than just a homeland. It is the land that Hashem Himself designated as the dwelling place for His Shechinah and His beloved nation.
The Ramban, in his commentary to Bamidbar 33:53, emphasizes that all mitzvos were ultimately given to be fulfilled in Eretz Yisrael, and that outside the Land they are performed merely as a preparation and remembrance.¹ In his words: “The main fulfillment of mitzvos is in the Land of Hashem.”
So what are some of the spiritual benefits of living here?
1. More Mitzvos — More Connection
There are mitzvos hateluyos ba’Aretz — commandments that apply only in Eretz Yisrael: terumos, ma’asros, shemitah, yovel, and more. Living here allows one to access a dimension of Torah that doesn’t exist elsewhere.
The Maharal (Netzach Yisrael, Chapter 1) explains that Eretz Yisrael is the only place where the Jewish people can realize their full spiritual potential — in harmony with their physical life.²
It’s not about quantity, but depth. Every one of these mitzvos is another thread connecting a Jew to Hashem in His Land.
2. The Land Responds to Your Level
The Torah tells us:
“A land that Hashem your G-d constantly seeks; the eyes of Hashem are upon it from the beginning of the year until year’s end.” (Devarim 11:12)³
Chazal explain that Eretz Yisrael is spiritually sensitive. It mirrors the behavior of its inhabitants. When we live with kedushah, it yields blessing; when we fall, the Land recoils.⁴
Unlike other lands, Eretz Yisrael is not just a backdrop for Torah life — it’s an active participant in our avodah.
3. Torah Comes Alive Here
Learning Torah in Eretz Yisrael is different.
- Rav Chaim Volozhiner, based on Bava Basra 158b, taught that **“the air of Eretz Yisrael makes one wise.”**⁵
- The Vilna Gaon longed for the clarity one can attain only in the Land.⁶
- Today, one who walks through the streets of Tzfas, Chevron, or Yerushalayim finds that the sugyos come alive — not just in the mind, but in the soul.
The hashpa'ah of kedushah is simply stronger here. It’s a land designed for Torah growth.
4. Greater Siyata Dishmaya
The Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 13:2) and the Sifri on Eikev teach:
“One who lives in Eretz Yisrael is like one who has a G-d; one who lives outside the Land is like one who has no G-d.”⁷
Of course, a Jew anywhere can connect to Hashem. But in Eretz Yisrael, there’s a heightened closeness simply from being here.
Reb Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev (Kedushas Levi) writes that mitzvos performed in Eretz Yisrael are accepted more readily in Shamayim.⁸
There’s more siyata dishmaya — more spiritual traction.
5. A Deeper National Identity
Living in Eretz Yisrael means living as part of Klal Yisrael in its fullest form.
Rav Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin writes (Tzidkas HaTzaddik 231) that the completeness (sheleimus) of the Jewish people can only be actualized in Eretz Yisrael.⁹
This is the land of our Avos, our Nevi’im, and our future. Every step taken here is a step in Jewish history.
6. Geulah is Rooted in the Land
The Gemara (Kesubos 110b) says:
“Anyone who walks four amos in Eretz Yisrael has a share in the World to Come.”¹⁰
Rav Kook explains that this isn’t just a reward — it’s a reflection of what the Land is: Every movement and moment in Eretz Yisrael is charged with redemption.¹¹
Three times a day we daven, “V’sechezenah eineinu b’shuvcha l’Tzion b’rachamim.” Living in Eretz Yisrael means we’re not just waiting for the Geulah — We’re living it.
In Summary
Living in Eretz Yisrael isn’t just about fulfilling a mitzvah — it’s about living a different kind of Jewish life.
A life where:
- Mitzvos are richer
- Torah is deeper
- And the very land itself sings the song of kedushah
It’s not always easy. It never was. But as Rav Yaakov Emden wrote:
“There is no greater zechus in our times than living in Eretz Yisrael.”¹²
It’s a gift. A challenge. A homecoming. And for those who live here — with faith, humility, and love — It is a taste of the World to Come, right here in olam hazeh.
Sources
- Ramban, Commentary to Bamidbar 33:53; see also his Hasagos to Sefer HaMitzvos, Mitzvah 4
- Maharal, Netzach Yisrael, Chapter 1
- Devarim 11:12
- Rashi and Ramban on Devarim 11:12; see also Sifri ad loc.
- Bava Basra 158b; Nefesh HaChaim 4:11
- Kol HaTor, teachings of the Vilna Gaon, compiled by Rav Hillel of Shklov
- Vayikra Rabbah 13:2; Sifri Eikev 43
- Kedushas Levi, Drush on Eretz Yisrael
- Rav Tzadok HaKohen, Tzidkas HaTzaddik §231
- Kesubos 110b
- Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, Orot Eretz Yisrael, Chapter 1
- Rav Yaakov Emden, Siddur Beis Yaakov, commentary on the prayers for return to Zion