What Is the Difference Between the Kedushah of Eretz Yisrael in the Times of the Beis HaMikdash and Now?
To a Torah Jew, Eretz Yisrael is not just a place on the map. It is a land imbued with kedushah, a spiritual essence that is unique and eternal. But does that kedushah change depending on the time period? Is there a difference between the holiness of the land during the times of the Beis HaMikdash and today?
The answer is: Yes—and No.
1. Yes—There Is a Difference in Manifestation
When the Beis HaMikdash stood, the kedushah of Eretz Yisrael was fully revealed and active. The Divine Presence, the Shechinah, dwelled in the Mikdash, and miracles occurred regularly. The entire structure of Jewish life—korbanos, taharah, shemitah, terumos and maasros—was built upon that sanctity.
In that era:
- Korbanos could be offered only in the Mikdash, which sanctified the entire land.
- Aliyah l’regel—pilgrimage to Yerushalayim three times a year—was a Torah obligation (Shemos 23:17).
- The Sanhedrin sat in the Lishkas HaGazis, the Chamber of Hewn Stone, and their authority radiated from the kedushah of the Mikdash (Sanhedrin 11a).
- Shechinah dwelled visibly. The Ramban explains that the presence of Hashem in the Mikdash was an extension of Har Sinai (Ramban on Shemos 25:2)¹.
The Kedushah was active, like a blazing fire. Today, it is like burning coals under the surface—still alive, still powerful, but waiting to be reignited.
2. No—The Essential Kedushah Never Left
Even after the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash, Eretz Yisrael retains its inherent kedushah. The Rambam writes:
“Even though the Beis HaMikdash was destroyed… the kedushah of the Mikdash and Yerushalayim never ceased.” (Hilchos Beis HaBechirah 6:16)²
Why? Because the first sanctification (in the days of Yehoshua) was temporary, but the second sanctification (in the days of Ezra) was eternal, since it was done with the intent of remaining forever, based on Divine promise and the Torah itself (Rambam, ibid).
Thus, halachically:
- Terumah and maaser still apply mid’rabbanan (Rambam Terumos 1:26).
- Shemitah applies mid’rabbanan today (Gittin 36a).
- Aliyah to Eretz Yisrael remains a mitzvah (Ramban, Sefer HaMitzvos, Addendum #4)³.
The kedushah of the land never disappeared—even though it is concealed.
3. Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l: The Flame Still Burns
In a teshuvah, Rav Moshe wrote:
“The kedushah of Eretz Yisrael is not dependent on our control, or a Beis HaMikdash… It is kadosh because Hashem made it kadosh.” (Igros Moshe, Even HaEzer Vol. 1:102)⁴
Even in exile, even under foreign rule, the land remains holy.
4. The Chazon Ish: The Land Feels It
The Chazon Ish zt”l wrote that walking the streets of Eretz Yisrael with Yiras Shamayim is different than anywhere else:
“The land responds to its inhabitants. When Torah is learned in Eretz Yisrael, the air is refined, and kedushah becomes tangible.” (Chazon Ish, Letters, Vol. 1, Letter 172)⁵
This is kedushah today—quiet, hidden, but present for those with eyes to see.
5. The Gra: Every Step Is a Mitzvah
The Vilna Gaon zt”l taught that every step taken in Eretz Yisrael is a mitzvah (as based on the Sifri on Devarim 11:24), because walking in the land itself builds the Jewish future. Even in galus. Even before Moshiach⁶.
6. The Charedi View Today: Waiting, But Present
Charedim believe that Eretz Yisrael retains its kedushah — but the full revelation of that kedushah awaits the return of the Shechinah.
We walk the land with reverence. We keep its mitzvos. But we do not confuse this time with the time of the Mikdash.
We yearn for more.
As Rav Shach zt”l would say:
“We must never mistake the appetizer for the seudah. Eretz Yisrael without Torah and the Beis HaMikdash is like a palace without a king.”⁷
Conclusion
So yes, there is a difference between the manifest kedushah in the times of the Beis HaMikdash and the hidden kedushah we experience now. But the holiness itself has never left. It sleeps beneath our feet, in every stone of Yerushalayim, in every field of the Galil.
And when Moshiach comes and the third Beis HaMikdash is built — the fire will blaze again.
Footnotes & Sources
- Ramban on Shemos 25:2 – Connection between the Mishkan and Maamad Har Sinai.
- Rambam, Hilchos Beis HaBechirah 6:16 – Kedushas Yerushalayim remains forever.
- Ramban, Hasagos on Sefer HaMitzvos (Shoresh 4) – Aliyah to Eretz Yisrael is a mitzvah.
- Igros Moshe, Even HaEzer I:102 – Kedushas Eretz Yisrael is intrinsic, not circumstantial.
- Chazon Ish, Letters I:172 – On the spiritual atmosphere of Eretz Yisrael.
- Sifri on Devarim 11:24, as quoted by the Vilna Gaon – Every step in Eretz Yisrael is a mitzvah.
- Rav Shach, Michtavim U’Maamarim, Vol. 3 – Eretz Yisrael’s essence is Torah and the Shechinah.