Holy Land - Judaism

Judaism

While the Tanakh does not refer to the Land of Israel as the "holy land", this is implied by the Land being given to the Israelites by God, that is, it is the "promised land," an integral part of God's covenant. In the Torah many mitzvot commanded to the Israelites can only be performed in the Land of Israel, which serves to differentiate it from other lands. For example, in the Land of Israel, " no land shall be sold permanently." (Lev. 25:23). Shmita is only observed with respect to the land of Israel, and the observance of many holy days is different in that that an extra day is observed in the Jewish diaspora.

According to Eliezer Schweid:

"The uniqueness of the Land of Israel is...'geo-theological' and not merely climatic. This is the land which faces the entrance of the spiritual world, that sphere of existence that lies beyond the physical world known to us through our senses. This is the key to the land's unique status with regard to prophecy and prayer, and also with regard to the commandments"

"Four Holy Cities" in Israel, Jerusalem, Hebron, Tzfat and Tiberias are regarded as Judaism's holiest cities. Jerusalem, as the site of the Temple, is considered especially significant. According to Jewish tradition, Jerusalem is Mount Moriah, the location of the binding of Isaac. Jerusalem is mentioned 669 times in the Hebrew Bible, in part because many mitzvot can only be performed within its environs. Zion, which usually refers Jerusalem, but sometimes the Land of Israel, appears in the Hebrew Bible 154 times.