When asked about the foundations of a Torah-observant life, most of us would likely point to Shabbat, the laws of kashrut (Jewish dietary practice), regular prayer, and Torah study. These, indeed, have stood at the heart of Jewish life for centuries. Yet they do not fully capture the broader vision that the Torah first sets forth in this week’s parasha, Lech Lecha.
“Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you.”
(Genesis 12:1–3)
Here, God calls upon Abram (later Abraham) to leave the comfort and familiarity of his home—to uproot himself from his country, his birthplace, and his family—and embark upon a journey to an unknown land. Why would God demand such a radical act of faith? Because through Abram, God intended to bring forth a “great nation,” one that would serve as a blessing to all the families of the earth.
But what does it mean to become a “nation”, and how would the creation of such a nation bring blessing to all humanity?
The distinction between peoplehood and nationhood is essential here. Peoplehood refers to a shared cultural, spiritual, and historical identity—a collective bound by faith, memory, and destiny. Nationhood, however, is something more: a political and territorial identity, defined by sovereignty, governance, and land.
Thus, to make Abram “a great nation” required two elements:
- Descendants—a family that would grow into a people.
- A land—a home in which that people would live as a sovereign nation.
Accordingly, God promises Abram both offspring and the Land of Canaan (Genesis 12:7; 13:14–15; 17:1–8; 22:17–18)—a promise later reaffirmed to Isaac (Genesis 26:2–5) and to Jacob (Genesis 28:3–4, 13–14; 35:10–12).
The Book of Exodus opens with the fulfillment of the first promise: “The Israelites were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong.” (Exodus 1:7). The narrative then turns to the second promise—the Land. God instructs Moses to tell the people:
“I have taken note of you and of what is being done to you in Egypt, and I have declared: I will bring you up out of the misery of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites…” (Exodus 3:16–17)
Moses then leads the people out of Egypt and, after receiving the commandments at Sinai and constructing the Mishkan—a portable structure to house God’s presence—guides them as they embark upon their journey toward the Promised Land (Numbers 10:11–33).
Though their journey was delayed for forty years because of the sin of the spies (Numbers 13–14), and though Moses himself would not enter, the Book of Deuteronomy records his final charge: preparing the people to be loyal to God and follow the mitzvot in the Promised Land.
The centrality of the Land is evident not just from the Torah’s narrative but from the mitzvot themselves. Many mitzvot are inseparable from life in the Land: the Sabbatical year, agricultural tithes, the laws of gleanings, and others. Even the festivals are rooted in the Land’s agricultural cycle (Leviticus 23; Deuteronomy 16), and tzedakah (charity) is framed in its social context in the Land (Deuteronomy 15:4–11). The Torah’s teachings on warfare, kingship, and justice (Deuteronomy 7, 16–17, 20) likewise assume a sovereign people living in their homeland.
Furthermore, the Torah explicitly connects the observance of all the mitzvot to dwelling in the Land:
“See, I have imparted to you laws and rules, as the Lord my God has commanded me, for you to abide by in the land that you are about to enter and occupy.” (Deuteronomy 4:5)
“These are the laws and rules that you must carefully observe in the land that the Lord, God of your fathers, is giving you to possess.” (Deuteronomy 12:1)
How does this national destiny serve to fulfill God’s promise that Abraham’s descendants would be “a blessing to all the families of the earth”? The Torah itself provides an answer.
“Observe them faithfully, for that will be proof of your wisdom and discernment to other peoples, who, on hearing of these laws, will say: ‘Surely, that great nation is a wise and discerning people.’” (Deuteronomy 4:6)
When other nations witness the justice, compassion, and moral wisdom of a society living in the Land and guided by Torah, they will recognize its truth and aspire to follow its example. In this way, the Jewish nation becomes a source of blessing and moral light to all humanity.
A Torah-observant life, then, is not limited to the private sphere of the home or to the life of the community in the Diaspora. It is also—and perhaps primarily—about how we live as a sovereign nation within the Land.
While we have not yet fully realized the Torah’s vision in the modern State of Israel, that does not absolve each and every one of us from striving toward it. Shabbat Shalom.
