Every Four Amot

Baruch Hashem, we recently celebrated modern Israel’s Independence Day, Yom Ha’atzmaut. However, long before we observed our contemporary separation from the British Empire, we claimed Eretz Yisrael as our own and, before then, Hashem claimed the land as ours.

If there is anything unique about the Jewish people, it is its beginning: its deliberate creation as a nation, rather than its evolution and development into such an entity. The same applies to the land of Israel. We read in Tehillim (105:9-12): [that the bond] which He made with Avraham, and His oath to Yitzchak; and He set it for Ya’akov as a law, as an eternal covenant for Israel, saying, to you I will give the land of Canaan, the tract of your inheritance, when they were few in number, barely living there (Amital).

Hashem holds by His oaths, including His promise that we would inherit this land.

The Gemara…brings three oaths that G-d made the Jewish people, and the nations of the world swear to uphold[;] that Israel should not ascend [altogether] like a wall…that [we] would not rebel against the nations of the world [and that] the nations…would not oppress Israel too much. (Ketubot 111a).

The second oath avers that

the Holy One, blessed be He, made Israel swear that they would not rebel against the nations of the world. In…“Avnei Nezer[,”] R. Avraham Bornstein…explains that once the nations of the world give permission for all the Jews to go up to the land of Israel, the oath is annulled. Admittedly, R. Bornstein says this annuls the oath of going like a wall, however he reads the phrase “going like a wall” as Rashi, to mean “together by force” which has the same implications as the words of this second oath. The oaths that bound the Jewish people to a difficult fate have been removed and a new fate, the fate of redemption, calls to action. An epic opportunity to turn fate into destiny, to participate in the unfolding of history, and to effect the very perfection of creation, expectantly awaits [Am Ysrael] in the land of Israel (Navon).

Namely, we were meant to inhabit; to help Hashem cause to flourish, this hallowed expanse. Yet, “[f]or 1,900 years, Jews could only dream of visiting and moving to the Land of Israel” (Zivotofsky). Later, after the successful establishment of agricultural enterprises, it pleased Hashem

for the Jews to return [to Israel.] For the first time in almost 2000 years, Jews were able to immigrate to the land of their forefathers—en masse. [During] the First Aliyah, some 35,000 souls[,] over the course of 20 years, [ascended] under the permit of “individuals” settling the land within the parameters of the oaths [and] the later aliyot…brought on average 4,000, 8,000, and 16,400 per year… the Third Aliyah (1919-1923) brought 40,000 souls over five years; and the Fourth Aliyah (1924-1929) brought 82,000 over five years (Aviner, 17).

Consequently, today, “we have access to every gift from Hashem, from personal aptitudes to communal dwelling in Eretz Yisrael…We repay this loan by using G‑d’s gifts to us to fulfill His objective of making this world into a dwelling place for Him. Not only is [possessing and dwelling in Israel] a mitzva but our sages laud it as one of the most important and basic of all commandments (Shvat).

Am Yisrael is to live in Eretz Yisrael as a consecrated people. What is more, our “attachment to the physical Land is…seen in the description of the Rambam (Hilchot Melachim 5:10; based on Ketubot 112a) that the greatest of the sages would kiss the ground at the border of the Land of Israel and kiss its rocks and roll in its dirt” (Zivotofsky). Viz., “[t]hroughout Jewish history, tzaddikim have longed to reach Eretz Yisrael, and many of them made tremendous sacrifices to travel there, even for just a temporary stay” (Kluger). As it is, Yeshayahu 42:5 reminds us that whoever walks four amot in the Land of Israel is guaranteed to be a “ben Olam Haba,” a person destined for the World to Come. (Zivotofsky).

More exactly,

Chatam Sofer (Shu”t OC 194) sees two levels [to “walking four amot”]. The higher level is living in the Land and having one’s sins forgiven; the lower level is being considered a ben Olam Haba by [literally] walking four amot. To gain the higher level, one must actually live in the Land of Israel. Similarly, Teshuvot Maharit (2:YD:28) says that the ideal is to live in the Land, and the consolation prize for walking in the Land is only gained if one goes with the intention to live there and then does not succeed because he died and is then buried in the Land of Israel (Zivotofsky, n2).

All in all, we belong here. Doing so is our histadlut, is our part in Hashem’s contract. As a result, “[s]oon[,] the Jewish people will be centered—not just spiritually but physically—in [our] ancient homeland” (Yoseph). We are fortunate to be able to transverse Eretz Yisrael’s amot.

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Credits:

Amital, Harav Yehuda. “Guardian of Israel—Watch Over the State of Israel.” Torat Har Etzion. 25 Mar. 2018. etzion.org.il/en/holidays/yom-haatzmaut/guardian-israel-watch-over-state-israel. Accessed 6 May 225.

Aviner, Rabbi Shlomo. “Do Not Ascend Like A Wall.” Torah Musings. 21 Oct. 2005. torahmusings.com/2005/10/kuntres-she-lo-yaalu-ke-homah-iv. Accessed 22 Dec. 2023.

Kluger, Harav Avraham Tzvi. “The Gift of Eretz Yisrael 1.” Kolhalason.com. kolhalashon.com/PDF/Shiurim/01414/01414876.pdf. Accessed 6 May 2025.

Navon, Rabbi Mois.”The Three Oaths of Jewish History.” The Divrai Navon: the Writing of Mois Navon. divreinavon.com/pdf/TheThreeOathsOfJewishHistory.pdf. Accessed 23 Jul. 2023.

Shvat, Rabbi Ari. “Centrality of Eretz Yisrael to Judaism.” Machonmeir.net. 27 Feb. 2023.machonmeir.net/centrality-of-eretz-yisrael-to-judaism/#_ftn7. Accessed 6 May 2025.

Yosef, Rabbi Ovadia. “The Mitzva of Living in Israel in our Days.” Torah She Ba’alPeh 11 (5729/1968). 42.

Zivotofsky, Ari. “What the Truth about …. [‘] Walking Four Amot in the Land of Israel[’]?” Jewish Action. jewishaction.com/religion/jewish-law/whats-the-truth-about-walking-four-amot-in-the-land-of-israel. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.