About Israel
Israel is an amazing land with a rich history that stretches back thousands of years. Find out more about the fascinating story of both biblical and modern Israel, and learn about Israel's people and culture, in our About Israel section.The Land of Israel
Over the years, the Land was known by many names—Eretz Yisrael (Land of Israel); Zion, one of Jerusalem's hills which came to signify both the city and the Land of Israel as a whole; Palestine, derived from Philistia, and first used by the Romans; the Promised Land; and the Holy Land, to mention but a few. However, to most Israelis today, the country is simply Ha'aretz—the Land. Read more »
The Land of IsraelBasic Facts
A Land Flowing with Milk and Honey... Exodus 3:8
Israel is a small, narrow, semi-arid country on the southeastern coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. It entered history some 35 centuries ago when the Jewish people gave up its nomadic way of life, settled in the Land and became a nation.
Over the years, the Land was known by many names - Eretz Yisrael (Land of Israel); Zion, one of Jerusalem's hills which came to signify both the city and the Land of Israel as a whole; Palestine, derived from Philistia, and first used by the Romans; the Promised Land; and the Holy Land, to mention but a few. However, to most Israelis today, the country is simply Ha'aretz - the Land.
More than 7 million people live in Israel today; some 5.4 million Jews and 1.4 million Arabs. A wide spectrum of lifestyles characterizes the country, ranging from religious to secular, from modern to traditional, from urban to rural, from communal to individual.
Israel, land of the Bible and the historic homeland of the Jewish people, is situated in the Middle East, along the eastern coastline of the Mediterranean Sea, and forms part of a land bridge linking three continents: Asia, Africa and Europe. In this land, the Jewish people began to develop its distinctive religion and culture some 4,000 years ago, and here it has preserved an unbroken physical presence, for centuries as a sovereign state, at other times under foreign domination.
Long and narrow in shape, the country is about 290 miles in length from north to south and some 85 miles across at its widest point between the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean coast. Israel is bordered by Lebanon in the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the southwest and the Mediterranean Sea to the west.
Although small in size, Israel encompasses the varied topographical features and climates of a continent. In the north, the forested highlands of Galilee merge with fertile green valleys; sand dunes and farmland mark the coastal plain bordering the Mediterranean shoreline; the rocky peaks of the Samarian and Judean mountain ranges in the center of the country descend sharply to the semi-tropical Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth. Mountainous deserts, stretching southward through the Negev and Arava, end at the Gulf of Eilat, the northernmost tip of the Red Sea.
Climate
The country's temperate climate is characterized by much sunshine, with a rainy season from November to April. Total annual precipitation ranges from about 20-30 inches in the north to just over an inch in the far south. Regional climatic conditions vary considerably: hot, humid summers and mild, wet winters in the coastal plain; dry, comfortably warm summers and moderately cold winters, with rain and occasional light snow, in the hill regions; hot, dry summers and pleasant winters in the Jordan Valley; and year-round, semi-arid conditions, with warm to hot days and cool nights, in the south.
The country's temperate climate is characterized by much sunshine, with a rainy season from November to April. Total annual precipitation ranges from about 20-30 inches in the north to just over an inch in the far south. Regional climatic conditions vary considerably: hot, humid summers and mild, wet winters in the coastal plain; dry, comfortably warm summers and moderately cold winters, with rain and occasional light snow, in the hill regions; hot, dry summers and pleasant winters in the Jordan Valley; and year-round, semi-arid conditions, with warm to hot days and cool nights, in the south.
Water
Since water is scarce in the region, intense efforts are made to maximize the use of what is available and to seek new prospective resources. In the 1960s, the country's fresh water sources were joined in an integrated national grid, whose main artery, the National Water Carrier, brings water from the north and center of the country to the semi-arid south through a network of giant pipes, aqueducts, open canals, reservoirs, tunnels, dams and pumping stations. Ongoing projects for the utilization of new sources include cloud seeding, recycling of sewage water and the desalination of seawater.
Since water is scarce in the region, intense efforts are made to maximize the use of what is available and to seek new prospective resources. In the 1960s, the country's fresh water sources were joined in an integrated national grid, whose main artery, the National Water Carrier, brings water from the north and center of the country to the semi-arid south through a network of giant pipes, aqueducts, open canals, reservoirs, tunnels, dams and pumping stations. Ongoing projects for the utilization of new sources include cloud seeding, recycling of sewage water and the desalination of seawater.
Flora and Fauna
The rich variety of Israel's plant and animal life reflects its geographical location as well as its varied topography and climate. Over 500 kinds of birds, some 100 mammal and 90 reptile species, and nearly 3,000 plant types (150 of which are endemic to Israel) are found within its borders. More than 150 nature reserves and 65 national parks, encompassing nearly 400 square miles, have been established throughout the country, with several hundred additional sites in the planning stage.
The rich variety of Israel's plant and animal life reflects its geographical location as well as its varied topography and climate. Over 500 kinds of birds, some 100 mammal and 90 reptile species, and nearly 3,000 plant types (150 of which are endemic to Israel) are found within its borders. More than 150 nature reserves and 65 national parks, encompassing nearly 400 square miles, have been established throughout the country, with several hundred additional sites in the planning stage.
Source: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
History of Israel
The columnist Charles Krauthammer once said, "Israel is the very embodiment of Jewish continuity: It is the only nation on earth that inhabits the same land, bears the same name, speaks the same language, and worships the same God that it did 3,000 years ago." Indeed, Israel's history is unparalleled both in its length and in its richness. Find out more about the history of both ancient and modern Israel. Read more »
Continuity of Jewish Presence
Israel's critics often say that the Jewish presence in the Land of Israel did not exist until the modern era. But this is a falsehood easily refuted by looking at history. Find out how the Jewish people maintained a steady presence in their biblical and ancestral homeland from ancient times to the present. Read more »
War, Peace and Politics
War and terrorism directed against Jews has been a fact of life for Israel ever since the modern Zionist movement began to bring Jews from around the world to resettle their biblical and ancestral homeland. Find out more about the wars Israel has had to fight for its existence, as well as the continued efforts Israel has made to make peace with its hostile neighbors. Read more »
People and Culture
Israel, though a Jewish state, is made up of people from many nations and a variety of cultures. Here you'll learn about Israel's diverse population, and find out more about the spirit of scientific advancement that has put Israel at the cutting edge of agricultural, pharmaceutical, and computer technology. Read more »
About IsraelContinuity of Jewish Presence
Israel's critics often say that the Jewish presence in the Land of Israel did not exist until the modern era. But this is a falsehood easily refuted by looking at history. Find out how the Jewish people maintained a steady presence in their biblical and ancestral homeland from ancient times to the present.
Read more about the Jewish communities that persevered through centuries of unrest, political turmoil and overt attempts to uproot them. See links at left.
Read more about the Jewish communities that persevered through centuries of unrest, political turmoil and overt attempts to uproot them. See links at left.
A Promise Unbroken
God made a promise as far back as anyone in human history can remember. He promised that His Holy Land, the Land of Israel, would belong eternally to His Chosen People. Over and over, at different point throughout history, we see God speaking to His people and reiterating His covenant to them, reassuring them that no matter what, the Jewish people belong in the Holy Land. Read more »
Continuity of Jewish PresenceA Promise Unbroken
God made a promise as far back as anyone in human history can remember. He promised that His Holy Land, the Land of Israel, would belong eternally to His Chosen People. Over and over, at different point throughout history, we see God speaking to His people and reiterating His covenant to them, reassuring them that no matter what, the Jewish people belong in the Holy Land. Whether He was speaking to the pre-Israelite forefathers, or to the later prophets of His holy nation, the message was the same, strong and clear. "I have given you this land. Live in it long, and well."
Abraham—The Beginning of A Promise
Go To The Land (Genesis 12:1-2)
"Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing."
The Covenant (Genesis 15:18) and (17:7-8)
"In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, 'Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates.'"
"And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."
Jacob—Chosen as God's Nation
Dreaming of a Land (Genesis 28:13)
"And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, 'I am the Lord, God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac; the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed.'"
Jacob shall be called ISRAEL (Genesis 35:12)
After changing Jacob's name: "And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land."
Moses—Chosen to Lead
A Promise Given at a Burning Bush (Exodus 3:17)
"And I have said, 'I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites; and the Hittite; and the Amorites; and the Perizzites; and the Hivites; and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.'"
A History Lesson (Deuteronomy 11:9)
Why obey God? "And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the Lord swore unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey."
Ezekiel—Defining the Land
(Ezekiel 47:14 23)
Ezekiel gives precise definitions for the borders of the land—which included: Northern border of modern Lebanon; parts of modern Syria; Western shore of Dead Sea; and modern day West Bank and Gaza strip.
Isaiah—Prophet of Future Hope
Gathering of the Exiles (Isaiah 11: 11-12)
"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth."
Jerusalem, the Holy City (Isaiah 65:18 19)
"But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying."
Micah—A Time of Peace
Walking with God (Micah 4:2)
"And many nations shall come, and say, 'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.'"
Opening up a Bible, one doesn't need to look hard to find the words—the words of the promise from God that His Chosen People and the Promised Land are a natural, predetermined unit.
Peki'in, Continuity City
Peki'in is a little city with a big history. Located in the Northern District of Israel, in the Upper Galilee, Peki'in is known as a city where, for hundreds of years, Jews and Druze have lived together peacefully. Read more »
Continuity of Jewish PresencePeki'in
Peki'in is a little city with a big history. Located in the Northern District of Israel, in the Upper Galilee, Peki'in is known as a city where, for hundreds of years, Jews and Druze have lived together peacefully. Peki'in has an important place in Jewish tradition, famous for its cave which housed Mishnah-era scholar Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, and his son, Rabbi Elazar ben Shimon, for thirteen years after they escaped the Romans following the Bar Kokhba revolt in 132 CE. During this time, legend tells of how the two men lived off a miraculous spring of water and the fruit of a carob tree, and spent their time writing books on Jewish mysticism, most notably the Zohar, a central work of Kabala. Visitors to the cave today can still see the spring and the tree.
Peki'in also plays an important role in Jewish continuity in the Holy Land. From the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, until only a few years ago, there had been a continuous Jewish presence in the city. An ancient synagogue found there dates back to the Roman period. Over time, the Jews adopted the dress and language of their Arab neighbors, in order to blend in, though keeping their own religion. However, life became increasingly difficult for the Jews of Peki'in in the early part of the 20th century.
Arab riots in 1936 caused most Jewish families to flee; only a few returned. At the end of 2007, following more riots, Israeli news media reported that the last Jewish family was forced to flee, after their car was torched. A single Jewish resident, whose family has lived in the city for centuries, remains in Peki'in.
Hebron
Of all the ancient communities in Israel, none is more ancient than Hebron—the oldest Jewish community in the world. The first mention of Hebron is in Genesis, after the death of the Matriarch Sarah. Genesis 23 relates the story of Abraham approaching the Hittites in Hebron and asking to purchase an empty field in order to build a burial site for his wife (Genesis 23). Read more »
Continuity of Jewish PresenceHebron
Of all the ancient communities in Israel, none is more ancient than Hebron—the oldest Jewish community in the world. The first mention of Hebron is in Genesis, after the death of the Matriarch Sarah. Genesis 23 relates the story of Abraham approaching the Hittites in Hebron and asking to purchase an empty field in order to build a burial site for his wife (Genesis 23). After he paid for it—insisting on it, though the Hittites were willing to give it to him for free—he buried Sarah, and later, Abraham himself, along with Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, and Leah were all buried there.
Hebron is mentioned dozens of time throughout the Old Testament. Judges 1 describes the conquest of Hebron, and later King David was anointed there (II Samuel 2:5). Even after the destruction of the First Temple, there still existed a Jewish population in Hebron, as described in Nehemia 11. King Herod, during his reign around 35 BCE, built a huge structure over the Tomb of the Patriarchs, the base of which still stands today. Jews continued to be a presence in the city, through the destruction of the Second Temple and the Jewish Revolts against the Romans.
There is archaeological evidence of synagogues from the Byzantine period. During the years of Seljuk conquest, in the 7th century, the Jews lived peacefully in Hebron as well. The Crusaders expelled the Jewish community in 1100, but the Jews returned during Mamluk rule.
In the 16th century, when Israel was under Ottoman rule, Jews fleeing from Spain arrived in Hebron and established the Avraham Avinu (Abraham our Father) synagogue. The community flourished during the Ottoman Empire, with many Diaspora Jews coming to settle in the city, despite occasional pogroms from the Arab population and an often shaky economic situation. In 1893, the Beit Hadassah building was constructed, which served as a clinic for the Jewish and Arab populations.
The Hebron community suffered during the First World War, as the young men were forcibly drafted into the Turkish army, and disease and poverty were rampant. Following the war, though, the community started to recover, and by 1929, the population had risen once again.
However, in 1929 the Jews in Hebron were the victims of a brutal, planned, and systematic attack by local Arabs. The Jews and Arabs in Hebron had more or less lived harmoniously, but during the 1920s, there were many incidents of Arabs harassing the Jews. In August of 1929, the Arabs, egged on by rumors that the Jews attacked local Arabs and cursed Mohammad, started rioting in the Old City of Jerusalem. The riots quickly spread, with the worst of the atrocities occurring in Hebron and Safed. Some of the local Arab families in Hebron saved Jews by hiding them in their houses. By the end, sixty-seven Jews had been massacred, including yeshiva students, women, and young children.
Some families attempted to move back to Hebron a few years later, but were evacuated by British forces in 1936 due to the Palestinian Arab National Revolt. This effectively ended Jewish presence in Hebron until after the 1967 Six Day War. (Following the 1948 War of Independence, the city fell under Jordanian control.)
After the Six Day War, Hebron was returned to Israeli control; since then, it remains closely linked to its neighbor,Kiryat Arba. In 1968, Rabbi Moshe Levinger moved into Hebron's Park Hotel with a number of other families, in an attempt to repopulate the city. After a year of attacks on the Jews, the government moved them to a nearby military base in Kiryat Arba. In 1979, the city was more permanently established when Levinger's wife, Miriam, led a controversial group and settled in Beit Hadassah. In 1980, six Jews were killed and twenty wounded when they were attacked by the Arabs on their way home from prayers on a Friday night. Following the attack, the government agreed to refurbish Beit Hadassah along with other buildings in the area.
Since 1997, Hebron has been divided into two areas, H1, under control of the Palestinian Authority, and H2, controlled by the Israeli military to protect the Jews living there. Violence from both sides has erupted in Hebronsince the Oslo Accords. During the first and second Intifadas, the Jewish community was subject to many attacks. In 1994, Baruch Goldstein, a resident of Kiryat Arba, attacked and killed Muslim worshipers at the Tomb of the Patriarchs. After the Goldstein attack, security at the tomb has been shared by the IDF, which patrols the outside, and a special police unit, which secures the inside.
The post-1967 Jewish population in Hebron has been the subject of much controversy. Most recently, a group moved into the Beit Shalom house, but it was under much dispute, and the Israeli government evacuated those living there in 2008.
The town of Hebron is second only to Jerusalem in its holiness. The Jewish people laid claim to the city two millennia ago, when Abraham insisted on purchasing the plot of land. He must have known it was to be a stormy area.
Safed
Safed, known in Hebrew as "Tsfat," is the highest city in Israel's Galilee, with sweeping views of the surrounding mountains. Though never mentioned in the Torah, Safed later became an important center of Jewish life in the Middle Ages, and is considered one of Israel's "Four Holy Cities" (along with Jerusalem, Hebron, and Tiberias.)Read more »
Continuity of Jewish PresenceSafed
Safed, known in Hebrew as "Tsfat," is the highest city in Israel's Galilee, with sweeping views of the surrounding mountains. Though never mentioned in the Torah, Safed later became an important center of Jewish life in the Middle Ages, and is considered one of Israel's "Four Holy Cities" (along with Jerusalem, Hebron, and Tiberias.)
In the late 12th century, the Crusaders built a large citadel in Safed, but the Muslims took control of the citadel when they conquered the city. The Crusaders returned and rebuilt the fortress, but again, the Muslims gained control in the late 13th century, and the Christians were killed or sold into slavery.
Safed became an important refuge for the Spanish Jewish population starting in 1492, during the reconquista and Spanish Inquisition. Jews were expelled from Spain, and many fled to Safed, which quickly gained a reputation as the home of Kabbalists and Jewish mystics. The Zohar, the primary book on Jewish mysticism, was said to have been written in the area of Safed in the 2nd century by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, when he was hiding in a cave, fleeing Roman persecution. A 12th century rabbi, Moses de Leon, published the work. During the 15th and 16th centuries, scholars began expounding upon the Zohar, most notably Rabbi Isaac Luria, known as the "Ari" (lion). Rabbi Luria lived in Safed in the late 16th century and became the most prominent scholar of the Zohar.
Other rabbis who lived in Safed include Rabbi Joseph Caro, the author of the Shulkhan Arukh, a definitive work ofhalakha (Jewish law). The Caro synagogue in Safed, named after the scholar, houses a Torah scroll that is at least 400 years old.
The Jewish community in Safed thrived and prospered for 400 years. Sadly, during the violent riots of 1929, about twenty Jews were massacred by their Arab neighbors. During the 1948 War of Independence, the Jews fought back against the Arabs and secured Safed as part of the new State. The loss of Safed was a huge blow to Arab morale and Arabs fled the city in droves; today there is no significant Arab population living in Safed.
Safed has unfortunately been the subject of other attacks since the establishment of the state. In 1974, a bus of school children was taken hostage by The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and 22 children were killed. Safed has also been the victim of Katushya rockets fired by Hezbollah in recent years.
However, Jewish presence continues to thrive in Safed. Schools and houses of learning and worship flourish, and Safed's reputation as a center of mysticism and the arts holds strong.
In the 1950's and 1960's, Safed gained a reputation as an arts center. Artists flocked to the city from all over the country, and it became home to a diverse group of art museums and galleries. Today, the artist colony remains a highlight of any trip to Safed.
Judah HaLevi: The Philosopher Who Yearned for Home
Judah HaLevi was born in 1085/6 in Toledo, located in present-day Spain, and died around the year 1140. He was a prolific author, poet, scientist, and a philosopher. Though HaLevi lived in the Diaspora nearly his entire life, his soul longed to be in the Holy Land. Read more »
Continuity of Jewish PresenceJudah HaLevi
Judah HaLevi was born in 1085/6 in Toledo, located in present-day Spain, and died around the year 1140. He was a prolific author, poet, scientist, and a philosopher. Though HaLevi lived in the Diaspora nearly his entire life, his soul longed to be in the Holy Land.
In addition to the beautiful poems and songs he authored, making him the foremost Jewish poet of his time, HaLevi's most famous work is The Kuzari, which has become the preeminent classic text on Jewish philosophy. The text is divided into five essays, detailing a dialogue between a pagan Khazar king and a rabbi. The back and forth between the king and the rabbi included such matters as: Creation; Jews as the Chosen nation; Medieval philosophy (including Aristotle); and the names of God, and worked as a literary tool to elucidate the fundamental tenets of the Jewish religion.
Many of Judah HaLevi's poems were liturgical, written for the various Jewish festivals throughout the year, and dealt with themes such as man's relationship with God. Approximately thirty-five of his poems express a yearning to return to Zion. These poems are called the "Shirei Tsion—The Songs of Zion." At the time, Zionist longing was an unusual theme for Jewish poetry. Many speculated that HaLevi saw what was transpiring in Europe and the Holy Land with the advent of the Crusades, and he realized, when many didn't, that the Jews needed to return to their homeland.
Toward the end of his life, HaLevi made the decision to immigrate to Israel. He stopped in Egypt along the way, where he was warmly received. Though he was elderly and the trip ahead arduous, he persisted and continued on his way, traveling the path of the ancient Israelites to reach the Holy Land. In one of history's most tragic ironies, he died en route to Jerusalem; legend tells a tale of an Arab horseman trampling HaLevi to death as he knelt to kiss the holy ground.
Yishuv HaYashan: The Perushim
Rabbi Elijah ben (son of) Shlomo Zalman, is often referred to as the "Vilna Gaon" ("Genius from Vilna"), or simply "the Gra," an acronym of "Gaon Rabbi Eliyahu." He was born in 1720 in Lithuania, and from an early age showed tremendous promise as a Torah scholar. Read more »
Continuity of Jewish PresenceThe Gra
Rabbi Elijah ben (son of) Shlomo Zalman, is often referred to as the "Vilna Gaon" ("Genius from Vilna"), or simply "the Gra," an acronym of "Gaon Rabbi Eliyahu." He was born in 1720 in Lithuania, and from an early age showed tremendous promise as a Torah scholar. He had committed Torah to memory, and was fully versed in the Talmud as well. By the age of twenty, leading rabbis were sending him their most difficult questions for him to answer and elucidate.
The Gaon wrote voluminously, covering almost every Jewish text published. He was extraordinarily modest about his abilities, and despite his acknowledged authority, never accepted a formal rabbinic position in the community. He also strongly believed in embracing secular studies, believing knowledge in all fields enhanced the understanding of religious texts, and wrote extensively on mathematics and grammar.
The Gaon exhorted his followers to move to Israel. He himself attempted a trip, but for unknown reasons, never made it farther than Germany. The Gaon died in 1797, and between 1800 and 1812, groups of his students and their families, numbering over 500, made aliyah. Their organization was called "Hazon Zion"—a vision of Zion—whose tenets were reestablishing Jerusalem as a Torah center, gathering the exiles, and cultivating the existing settlements in Israel. The settlers of Hazon Zion were part of the "Yishuv HaYashan" (literally: The Old Settlement), the term referring the Jewish community in Israel from the time of the destruction of the Second Temple until the firstaliyah in 1881.
The Perushim, as they were called (from the Hebrew word to separate, because they believed in separating themselves from the world and devoting their lives to Torah study), began the settlement of modern Israel. Their journey was long and difficult. At first, the Perushim lived in Safed, in northern Israel, because the Ottomans restricted Ashkenazi Jews from moving to Jerusalem. The community flourished in Safed, religiously and agriculturally. However, following earthquakes and an outbreak of the plague, in addition to persecution by the Ottoman and Druze communities, the Perushim moved to Jerusalem. They succeeded in having the previously enforced ban on Ashkenazi Jews lifted, and their arrival represented Jerusalem's first Ashkenazi presence in centuries; there had been a group of Sephardi Jews in Jerusalem for about one hundred years.
The Perushim set up centers for Torah study, rebuilt the Hurva synagogue, and founded the neighborhood of Mea Shearim, today an ultra-orthodox enclave in Jerusalem. The leader of the Jerusalem community met with Moses Montefiore, a high-ranking British Jew, to discuss funding agricultural endeavors near Jerusalem. This resulted in the communities of Nachalat Shiva and Mishkenot Sha'ananim, the first communities established outside the walls of Jerusalem.
The Vilna Gaon was one of the most influential and prolific Torah scholars. And though he never realized his dream of living in the Holy Land, the Perushim were able to do what he wasn't—return to the Holy Land, spread his teachings, and establish a vibrant Jewish presence there, full of Torah study and religious observance.
Maimonides
Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, known in Hebrew by his acronym, "Rambam" or "Maimonides" in English, was one of the greatest Jewish thinkers, philosophers, and halakhists, as well as the physician to the Sultan of Egypt. He was born around 1135 CE in Cordoba Spain, and from an early age displayed an interest in the sciences and philosophy. Read more »
Continuity of Jewish PresenceMaimonides
Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, known in Hebrew by his acronym, "Rambam" or "Maimonides" in English, was one of the greatest Jewish thinkers, philosophers, and halakhists, as well as the physician to the Sultan of Egypt. He was born around 1135 CE in Cordoba Spain, and from an early age displayed an interest in the sciences and philosophy. When he was a young boy, the Almohades, a Muslim group, conquered Cordoba and offered the Jewish and Christian residents the choice of conversion, death or exile. Rambam and his family fled, spending years in exile, wandering from country to country. They eventually settled in Fez, Morocco, where Rambam studied at a university there and began writing on several subjects in Jewish law, including his seminal work on theMishnah.
When Morocco became unstable for the Jews, the family journeyed to the Holy Land. They settled in Acre for a few months, then later traveled around the land, visiting the holy sites. They saw first-hand the devastation wrought by Crusaders, the desolate and destroyed cities. They visited Hebron, where Rambam kissed the Tomb of the Patriarchs. Eventually the family left the Holy Land and settled in Egypt.
Under the enlightened Egyptian rulers, Jews enjoyed a full, unrestricted religious life. Shortly after Rambam's family arrived, his father died. Rambam's brother, David, was a businessman and supported the family while Rambam worked on his writing and became the de facto leader of the Jewish community. He published his commentary on the Mishnah during this time. Tragically, David died on a business trip, and the precious gems he had been carrying were lost. Rambam began practicing medicine as a way to support the family. He was soon a physician of such renown that he became the personal physician of the sultan and his family. Rambam led an exhausting life. He attended to the sultan as well as the sultan's family and court members, then returned home, where he would treat local patients late into the night. He was also the rabbinic authority in the community, and spent most of his Sabbath answering questions regarding Jewish law and practice.
Ramban died in Egypt in 1204, and was buried there, until his remains were brought to Tiberias, in Israel, to be re-interred.
His two great works are the Yad Hazakah, also called Mishnah Torah, and the Guide to the Perplexed. The first is a comprehensive work of halakha of awesome breadth and depth. Rambam felt that the Talmud's complex structure and the subtleties in the halakhic arguments barred the lay person from reading it and understanding what to do on a practical level. One of the chief difficulties was that the Talmud was not organized by topic. Discussions and treatments of one particular law could be spread throughout, making it challenging to follow the thread. Rambam gathered together all the discussions related to a particular topic, as well as the commentaries of later scholars, added his own commentary, and then organized the entire work by topic. The Mishnah Torah was one of the firsthalakhic works to be organized topically, and it is considered a forerunner of the definitive legal work, the Shulkhan Arukh, written in the 16th century by Rabbi Joseph Caro. The Mishnah Torah was controversial in its time, mainly because the rabbinic community was concerned that lay people would simply sift through it for a bottom-line answer and not take the time to learn the Talmud itself.
Rambam's Guide to the Perplexed is, as its name implied, a philosophical work. Ramban strove to reconcile Aristotelian thought with Jewish beliefs. Rambam dealt with the issues, such as astrology, the presence of evil, resurrection, and the afterlife, in a logical manner. Needless to say, this work was controversial as well. Opposing rabbis even handed over Rambam's works to the Dominican authorities for burning, though most later regretted their actions.
The Rambam's Mishnah commentary contains his "Thirteen Principals." Though he was not the first or last Jewish thinker to attempt to define the fundamentals of Jewish belief, his principals are held as truths today, especially in the Orthodox community.
The Rambam's works have become the cornerstone of Jewish faith and law. His commentaries are studied throughout the world, and for his philosophical and medical treatises, he is respected in the non-Jewish world as well. Many hospitals and schools have been named after him. At the Rambam's grave in Tiberias is a quote from the Middle Ages: "From Moses (from the Bible) to Moses (Rambam) there been no one like Moses."
Nahmanides
Rabbi Moshe ben Nahman, known by his acronym "the Ramban," or Nahmanides, was born in Spain in 1194, during the Crusades. In addition to his vast knowledge of the Torah and religious texts, he also immersed himself in philosophy, and studied, as well as practiced, medicine. Read more »
Continuity of Jewish PresenceNahmanides
Rabbi Moshe ben Nahman, known by his acronym "the Ramban," or Nahmanides, was born in Spain in 1194, during the Crusades. In addition to his vast knowledge of the Torah and religious texts, he also immersed himself in philosophy, and studied, as well as practiced, medicine.
The Ramban led his community as rabbi, and later chief rabbi, and lived in relative peace, until his later years, when he was forced into a public debate to defend the Torah in 1263. Pablo Christiani charged the Torah with heresy, and sought to prove as much from the Jewish texts themselves. Ramban appeared in front of the king, James I of Aragon, but asked that he be given total freedom of speech in debating his challenger. In a surprising move, the king agreed. In an even more surprising turn of events, Ramban was set free following his impressive performance, although he was later exiled in order to appease the Dominicans.
His banishment, though, turned Ramban into one of the first Zionists. He believed very strongly in the mitzvah(commandment) of settling the land of Israel. His famous saying that mitzvoth performed outside the Holy Land are not of equal caliber as those performed within its borders is often quoted by religious Zionists. Ramban looked at the history of the Holy Land, and commented that when it was under non-Jewish control, it was chaotic. He understood from this that non-Jews would never successfully settle the land.
Ramban practiced what he preached, and after a few years of wandering, in 1267, he made aliyah to Israel. He settled in the Old City of Jerusalem, and the synagogue he founded is known as the Ramban synagogue, and exists even today. Ramban reestablished the Jewish community in Jerusalem, which remained uninterrupted until the 1948 War of Independence. Ramban noted the deplorable state of Torah learning in Israel, and began his mission to gather students and teach. He decided to settle in Acre and people came from all over to learn from him. It was in Israel that Ramban wrote his seminal commentary on Torah, which is studied in yeshivot and schools throughout the world. Ramban died three years after his arrival, in 1270. However, the legacy of what Ramban represented, both to Torah learning and to the centrality of the Holy Land, lived on.
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