Holy Land

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For other uses, see Holy Land (disambiguation).

Map of the Holy Land, Pietro Vesconte, 1321. Described by Adolf Erik Nordenskild
as the first non-Ptolemaic map of a definite country[1]

Sidon's Sea Castle, built by the Crusaders as a fortress of the Holy Land in Sidon,
Lebanon
The Holy Land (Hebrew ????? ?????????? Eretz HaKodesh, Latin Terra Sancta;
Arabic ????? ??????? Al-Ar? Al-Muqaddasah) is an area roughly located between the
Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea that also includes the Eastern Bank of the
Jordan River. Traditionally, it is synonymous with both the biblical Land of Israel
and historical Palestine. The term usually refers to a territory roughly
corresponding to the modern State of Israel, the Palestinian territories, western
Jordan, and parts of southern Lebanon and southwestern Syria. It is considered holy
by Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

Part of the significance of the land stems from the religious significance of
Jerusalem, the holiest city to Judaism, the historical region of Jesus' ministry,
and the site of the Isra and Mi'raj event in Islam.

The holiness of the land to Christianity was part of the motivation for the
Crusades, as European Christians sought to win back the Holy Land from the Muslims,
who had conquered it from the Christian Byzantine Empire.

Many sites in the Holy Land have long been pilgrimage destinations for adherents of
the Abrahamic religions, including Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Bah's. Pilgrims
visit the Holy Land to touch and see physical manifestations of their faith,
confirm their beliefs in the holy context with collective excitation, and connect
personally to the Holy Land.[2]

Contents [hide]
1 Judaism
2 Christianity
3 Islam
4 Bah' faith
5 See also
6 References
7 External links
Judaism[edit]

Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem. The holiness of Israel attracted
Jews to be buried in its holy soil. The sage Rabbi Anan said To be buried in Israel
is like being buried under the altar.[3][4]

Olives trees, like this one in Qefin, have intrinsic holiness in Judaism,
especially during the Sabbatical Year. This seventh year holiness carries with it
many religious laws.[5]
Jews do not commonly refer to the Land of Israel as Holy Land
(Hebrew ????? ????????? Eretz HaKodesh). The Tanakh explicitly refers to it as holy
land in only one passage, in Zechariah 216. The term holy land is further used
twice in the deuterocanonical books, Wisdom 123 and 2 Maccabees 17. The holiness of
the Land of Israel is generally implied in the Tanakh 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,[6] which serves to differentiate it from other
lands. For example, in the Land of Israel, no land shall be sold permanently (Lev.
2523). Shmita is only observed with respect to the land of Israel, and the
observance of many holy days is different, as 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[7]

From the perspective of the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, the holiness of Israel had
been concentrated since the sixteenth century, especially for burial, in the Four
Holy Cities Jerusalem, Hebron, Safed and Tiberias - as Judaism's holiest cities.
Jerusalem, as the site of the Temple, is considered especially significant.[8]
Sacred burials are still undertaken for diaspora Jews who wish to lie buried in the
holy soil of Israel.[9]

According to Jewish tradition, Jerusalem is Mount Moriah, the location of the

binding of Isaac. The Hebrew Bible mentions the name Jerusalem 669 times, often
because many mitzvot can only be performed within its environs. The name Zion,
which usually refers to Jerusalem, but sometimes the Land of Israel, appears in the
Hebrew Bible 154 times.

The Talmud mentions the religious duty of colonising Israel.[10] So significant in

Judaism is the act of purchasing land in Israel, the Talmud allows for the lifting
of certain religious restrictions of Sabbath observance to further its acquisition
and settlement.[11] Rabbi Johanan said that one who walks a distance of 4 cubits in
Israel may be confident of a share in the future world. A story says that when R.
Eleazar b. Shammua' and R. Johanan HaSandlar left Israel to study from R. Judah ben
Bathyra, they only managed to reach Sidon when the thought of the sanctity of
Israel overcame their resolution, and they shed tears, rent their garments, and
turned back. Due to the Jewish population being concentrated in Israel, emigration
was generally prevented, which resulted in a limiting of the amount of space
available for Jewish learning. However, after suffering persecutions in Israel for
centuries after the destruction of the Temple, Rabbis who had found it very
difficult to retain their position moved to Babylon, which offered them better
protection. Many Jews wanted Israel to be the place where they died. R. Anan said,
To be buried in Israel is like being buried under the altar. The saying His land
will absolve His people implies that burial in Israel will cause one to be absolved
of all one's sins.

Christianity[edit]