What’s the Difference Between Eretz Yisrael and Medinas Yisrael in Charedi Thought?
This question touches the heart of one of the most misunderstood distinctions in the Charedi worldview. To many outside the community, the terms Eretz Yisrael and Medinas Yisrael sound nearly identical. But in the Torah world, they represent two vastly different realities—one eternal and holy, the other temporal and political.
Let’s walk through it gently and clearly.
Eretz Yisrael – Hashem’s Beloved Land
Eretz Yisrael is the holy land promised to our forefathers, the land imbued with kedushah, the place where the Shechinah never fully departs.¹ It’s the land we face when we daven, the land from which Torah was destined to shine to the world.² It’s not a nationalistic concept—it’s a spiritual one.
Charedim treasure Eretz Yisrael as the land of our Avos and the future of our people. It’s where the Shechinah rests, where mitzvos dependent on the land can be fulfilled, and where the presence of Hashem is palpably closer.³ That love is not new. There were Charedi Jews—students of the Baal Shem Tov and the Vilna Gaon, Sephardic mekubalim, Hungarian talmidei chachamim—who made tremendous sacrifices to settle in Eretz Yisrael long before there was any notion of a modern state.⁴
As the Radvaz wrote centuries ago:
“It is well known that the air of Eretz Yisrael makes one wise and pure... even one day in the land is more precious than years elsewhere.”⁵
So yes, the Charedi world holds Eretz Yisrael dear—not as a flag to wave but as a gift from Hashem. It’s not a slogan—it’s a spiritual heartbeat.
Medinas Yisrael – The Secular State
Medinas Yisrael, by contrast, refers to the political state founded in 1948. It was built by men, not mandated by the Torah.⁶ And while it arose in the Land that Hashem gave us, its founding ideology was largely secular—at times even hostile to tradition.⁷ Its early leaders often envisioned a new type of Jew: strong, independent, unbound by what they saw as the “old world” of Torah and mitzvos.⁸
This created deep discomfort in the Charedi world. How could a Jewish identity be constructed without Torah? How could Jewish power be celebrated if it came with spiritual abandonment?
The problem is not that there are Jews in power—the problem is when power is used to redefine what it means to be a Jew.⁹
So How Do Charedim Navigate This?
With nuance and emunah.
On one hand, Charedim do not believe the secular state represents the geulah. They don’t sing its praises, nor do they recite Hallel on its Independence Day.¹⁰ And no, they don’t see the founding of the state as “reishit tzemichat ge’ulateinu.”
But on the other hand, they recognize that Jews live here, and every Jew is precious. So they daven for their safety. They benefit from the roads, hospitals, and infrastructure. They even engage in politics to protect Torah values.¹¹
There’s a quiet balancing act: appreciate the good, stay grateful to Hashem—not the ideology—and remain vigilant about what’s sacred.
Torah Voices with Nuance
Rav Moshe Sternbuch שליט”א, a prominent posek and Dayan of the Eidah HaCharedis, wrote in Teshuvos V’Hanhagos:
“There is a mitzvah to live in Eretz Yisrael, but we must be cautious not to confuse that with supporting secular nationalism.”¹²
The Aderes, Rav Eliyahu David Rabinowitz-Teomim zt”l (father-in-law of Rav Kook), wrote passionately about the kedushah of the Land, while also expressing grave concern over Zionist leaders replacing Torah ideals with nationalist fervor.¹³
Rav Dovid Povarsky zt”l, Rosh Yeshiva of Ponovezh, would often say:
“We must love Eretz Yisrael with all our heart—but not confuse that love with the flag or anthem of a secular state.”¹⁴
In Simple Terms
Eretz Yisrael is Hashem’s eternal promise. Medinas Yisrael is a chapter in history.
One is a cornerstone of our emunah, rooted in the Torah and the dreams of our Avos; The other is a political framework that arose in our times—a tool in Hashem’s hands, but not the fulfillment of our hopes.
We do not confuse the kedushah of the Land with the policies of a state.
A Charedi can—and often does—love Eretz Yisrael deeply, build Torah in its cities, raise generations of talmidei chachamim on its soil, and yet have serious reservations about the vision and goals of the modern state.
It’s not a contradiction.
It’s clarity.
Sources
- Rambam, Hilchos Beis HaBechirah 6:16 – “Kedushah rishonah kidshah l’sha’atah v’kidshah l’asid lavo”
- Yeshayahu 2:3 – “For from Zion shall go forth Torah…”
- Ramban, Hasagos to Sefer HaMitzvos, Positive Commandment 4
- See Kol HaTor, letters of Rav Hillel of Shklov, and Beis Rebbe
- Radvaz, Teshuvos, Chelek 2, Siman 691
- See HaTekufah HaGedolah by Rav Avigdor Miller, p. 114–116, on the founding of the state
- See Herzl’s Diaries and David Ben-Gurion’s early speeches to the Histadrut
- Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch warned against Jewish identity rooted in nationalism rather than Torah; see Collected Writings, Vol. 5
- See Rav Elchonon Wasserman, Ikvesa D’Meshicha
- Position of the Eidah HaCharedis and Satmar Rav in Vayoel Moshe
- Rav Shach zt”l in Michtavim uMa’amarim expressed gratitude for services but opposed religious legitimization of the state
- Teshuvos V’Hanhagos, Vol. 1, Siman 841
- Torat HaAderes, letters and essays on Zionism and kedushah
- Oral testimony recorded by Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein and others; quoted in Shiurei Daas Yeshiva archive collection