Why Is Eretz Yisrael Considered Holier Than Any Other Land?
There’s a certain awe that fills the air when one walks the streets of Yerushalayim, touches the stones of the Kosel, or stands on a quiet hillside in the Galil. It’s not just history. It’s not just scenery. It’s something deeper. Something alive. A feeling that this land is different.
But why? Why is Eretz Yisrael holier than any other land?
The answer, like the Land itself, runs deep—rooted in Torah, illuminated by Chazal, and embraced by every generation of Jews with a yearning heart.
The Torah’s Choice: A Land Chosen by Hashem
Let’s begin at the very beginning.
Before Avraham Avinu even knew where he was going, Hashem told him:
"לך לך... אל הארץ אשר אראך" “Go for yourself… to the land that I will show you.”¹
This wasn’t just a relocation. It was the beginning of a relationship between a people and a Land that was handpicked by Hashem. Later, Hashem promises:
“ונתתי לך ולזרעך אחריך את ארץ מגוריך... את כל ארץ כנען לאחוזת עולם, והייתי להם לאלקים.” “I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojourning... all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession, and I will be their G-d.”²
Notice that last phrase: “and I will be their G-d.” The Land and the relationship with Hashem are deeply intertwined.
The Ramban: Hashem’s Eyes Are Always Upon It
In Devarim (11:12), the Torah tells us:
“ארץ אשר ה’ אלוקיך דורש אותה תמיד, עיני ה’ אלוקיך בה מרשית השנה ועד אחרית שנה.” “A land that Hashem your G-d constantly seeks; the eyes of Hashem your G-d are upon it from the beginning of the year until the end of the year.”³
The Ramban writes there that Eretz Yisrael is directly under Hashem’s supervision—not like other lands that are governed by natural forces or delegated angelic powers (sarim). Hashem’s hashgachah in Eretz Yisrael is personal and constant. No filters. No intermediaries.⁴
This is a Land that breathes holiness because it is under the closest gaze of the Divine.
The Rambam: Unique in Kedushah and Mitzvos
In Hilchos Terumos (1:1), the Rambam writes:
“אין מביאין תרומה אלא מן הארץ שנאמר ראשית דגנך תירושך ויצהרך... אין ארץ ראויה לכך אלא ארץ ישראל.” “Terumah may only be brought from the Land of Israel, as the verse says... No land is fit for this except Eretz Yisrael.”⁵
Eretz Yisrael is the only place in the world where certain mitzvos can be performed—mitzvos hateluyos ba’aretz, like Shemitah, Terumah, Maaser, Bikkurim, and more. There are dozens of mitzvos that simply cannot be fulfilled anywhere else. That alone should tell us something profound: this Land was built for holiness.
Chazal: The Land Itself Is a Spiritual Force
The Midrash Tanchuma (Parshas Re’eh) says:
“ארץ ישראל משקה אותה הקב"ה בעצמו... וכל הארצות ע"י שליח.” “Eretz Yisrael is watered directly by Hashem... all other lands receive rain through a messenger.”⁶
That’s not about rain. It’s about relationship. Hashem interacts with Eretz Yisrael in a way He doesn’t with any other land. It’s as if the Land is alive, like a child in the arms of its Father.
And in Vayikra Rabbah (13:2), Chazal say:
“אין התורה נקנית אלא בארץ ישראל.” “Torah is only truly acquired in Eretz Yisrael.”⁷
This doesn’t mean you can’t learn Torah elsewhere. But it means that Torah flourishes in its natural habitat—and that habitat is the Land promised to us by Hashem.
The Shechinah Dwells There
The Zohar, the deepest sefer of Kabbalah, speaks of Eretz Yisrael as the place where the Shechinah rests most intensely.⁸
The Beis HaMikdash, the holiest place on Earth, was in Yerushalayim. And even after its destruction, the Rambam writes that the kedushah of Eretz Yisrael remains forever—because the Shechinah never fully departs:
“קדושה ראשונה קידשה לשעתה וקידשה לעתיד לבוא.” “The first sanctification sanctified it for its time and for all time to come.”⁹
This means that the holiness of the Land is not dependent on political realities or historical moments. It is eternal. It’s baked into the soil. Into the air.
Gedolim Speak of Its Power
Rav Yaakov Emden, in his Siddur, writes that every Jew should long to return to Eretz Yisrael, because:
“There the Shechinah rests. There the Jewish soul is at home.”¹⁰
The Vilna Gaon, though he lived his life in galus, constantly yearned for the Land and encouraged his students to make aliyah. He believed the Land would be the cradle of redemption.¹¹
The Chofetz Chaim reportedly said: *“Every step taken in Eretz Yisrael is a mitzvah.”*¹²
And Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l, who lived in America and led Torah Jewry in galus, wrote that the holiness of the Land is indisputable, even if the mitzvah of living there must be weighed carefully for each individual.¹³
So Why Is It Holier?
Because Hashem chose it. Because the Torah was meant to be lived there. Because the Shechinah dwells there. Because the soul feels something there that it doesn’t feel anywhere else.
Eretz Yisrael is the Land where the Avos walked, where nevi’im heard the voice of Hashem, where the Beis HaMikdash stood, and where it will stand again, soon, bimheira b’yameinu.
It’s a Land that Hashem watches constantly. A Land that responds to the mitzvos of Am Yisrael. A Land that, more than anything else in this world, is alive with kedushah.
A Personal Note
You can feel it.
Ask someone who stepped off the plane for the first time, and they’ll tell you: “It just felt right.” Not always easy. Not always comfortable. But right.
Because Eretz Yisrael is more than a place. It’s a promise. A destiny. A piece of Heaven on Earth.
And that’s why it’s holier than anywhere else.
Sources
- Bereishis 12:1
- Bereishis 17:8
- Devarim 11:12
- Ramban, Commentary to Devarim 11:12
- Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Terumos 1:1
- Midrash Tanchuma, Parshas Re’eh 10
- Vayikra Rabbah 13:2
- Zohar, Vol. 2, Parshas Terumah
- Rambam, Hilchos Beis HaBechirah 6:16
- Rav Yaakov Emden, Siddur Beis Yaakov, commentary on the prayers for return to Zion
- Kol HaTor, based on the teachings of the Vilna Gaon, esp. Chapter 5
- Cited in various biographies and Sichot of the Chofetz Chaim
- Igros Moshe, Even HaEzer I:102