“Torat Eretz Yisrael”

The Revival of a Rabbinic Expression and Some of its Contemporary Trends

Abstract

The concept of “Torat Eretz Yisrael” (“the Torah of the Land of Israel”) has its origins in midrashic texts and was later invoked by Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook to represent the renewal of Torah study associated with the modern return to Zion. This article reviews contemporary uses of this term over the past few decades. For some, it denotes the impetus to re-engage with the study of the Jerusalem Talmud. For others, the phrase has served as inspiration or justification for a range of spiritual and political ambitions rooted in Jewish teachings connected to the Land of Israel. By surveying these recent applications, this study aims to elucidate the diverse meanings and agendas evoked by appeals to the idea of a distinctive “Torah of the Land of Israel” in contemporary Jewish discourse.