Jewish liturgy is replete with mention of the Land of Israel. We say at the Pesach seder, “Now here, next year in the Land of Israel, now slaves, next year free people.” What kind of freedom do we seek and what does it have to do with Israel?

Modern history abounds with “freedom from” movements, that have ended in dictatorships worse than the original. For example, in Russia freedom from the Tzar to Stalin, in  China freedom from the Emperor to Mao and in Rhodesia freedom from minority rule to Mugabe etc

Judaism is a “freedom to” program. We strive to have freedom to live the life of spiritual responsibility (mitzvot) that the Torah places upon us. We see this as our purpose and we aim to continually increase our yoke as we grow.

Torah Judaism is an all-encompassing, life program. It incorporates the most sophisticated legal, ethical  and ritual systems. In order to realize this to the full, we need complete freedom to adhere to and fulfill the whole package.

Whilst there have been many periods over the thousands of years of Jewish history that we have merited to autonomous communities within the diaspora, there is no opportunity to live the model Torah life completely, outside of Eretz Yisrael.

Israel is a special land. In fact, most of the 613 mitzvot of the Torah are dependent on the land.

There are mitzvoth that apply to the land of Israel in general, for example peah (leaving the corners of the fields for the poor,) Trumot and Ma’asrot (dedications of percentages of crops to Kohanim, Leviim and the poor) and shmita (refraining from farming in the seventh year.)

There are other mitzvoth that apply only in Jerusalem, for example, offerings in the Beit Hamikdash, Maase Sheini (the third tithe that must be eaten in Jerusalem) and aliyot haregel (pilgrimage to Jerusalem on the 3 festivals.)

Israel has what is called kedushat ha’aretz (holiness of the land) that requires a heightened awareness of how we treat the land, what we allow to be brought in and what behaviors are acceptable or not, in the land.

So, for example, at the height of Jewish control over Israel, in the times of King David, within Israel idol worship was strictly forbidden both for Jews and non-Jews alike.

The utopian Jewish picture is living in Israel, ruled by a King who is a model of Torah. All lost articles will be announced in a special way, there is compulsory tax given to the poor, inadvertent murderers are sent to one of 48 Levite cities to live under the influence of the most scrupulously ethical human beings, there is a direct line to Heaven through the Beit Hamikdash etc etc.

The philosophical idea of this is the revelation of the One God controlling a universe of multitude, by having all the Jewish People in the land of Israel adhere as one to the program of Torah.