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Nachmanides as well as other Biblical commentators and Halachic authorities consider this verse a mandatory commandment – obligating every Jew to live in the Land of Israel. This Mitzvah is so significant that the Midrash tells us that this Mitzvah is the equivalent of all other Mitzvahs combined!
According to most Halachic authorities, this Mitzvah is not compulsory now that we are in exile. This is why there were so many great Tzaddikim throughout the generations who did not immigrate to Israel. However, any individual who does live in Israel is certainly fulfilling a great (yet not obligatory) Mitzvah. Clearly, the Land never lost any of its inherent holiness. The Talmud relates how the greatest of our sages would kiss the stones of the Land or even roll on its earth! As the Psalmist says2, “For Your servants desired its stones and favored its dust.”
The holiness of the Land is so potent, that it benefits even those who are buried therein; “One who is buried in the Land of Israel, is considered as if he was buried beneath the altar”.3 This is (one of the reasons) why Jacob was so insistent that his children shlep him to Israel to be buried. For those who are buried outside Israel, the custom is to place soil from Israel into the casket together with the deceased.
Even one who only visits the Land is a beneficiary of its holiness. The Talmud4 says that “one who walks four cubits in the Land of Israel will merit a portion in the world to come.”[Today, in particular, it is vital to visit Israel to demonstrate our support for our Israeli brethren in these difficult times. Visiting Israel also contributes to the Israeli economy which is suffering greatly due to a dearth of tourists.]
The Lubavitcher Rebbe maintained that those who live in the Diaspora, but are in a position where they can serve as a positive influence on others—helping them study Torah, doing mitzvahs, or serving as a Jewish role model—should stay in their community and continue with this holy work. It is selfish to do an optional mitzvah if it will have a negative affect on others. Additionally, according to Kabbalah, the Jews were dispersed throughout the nations in order to reveal and elevate all the sparks of holiness which exist throughout the world. Therefore, if Divine Providence has placed you in a particular location, is it surely because there are holy sparks which you must reveal – thus bringing the holiness of Israel to the entire world.
Footnotes
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