Why is Israel important to Jews?

I am sorry for the delay of this post, internet has been an issue.

You may be wondering why I have decided to address this subject considering the subject I choose for my project is that of the Palestinian side of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. The reason for this is that many people know that the land that is called Israel is important to both side, however, many people do not know why.

And the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves”

(Genesis 12; 1-3).
…
And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are – northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and descendants forever”

(Genesis 13: 14,15).
…
On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates – the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”
(Genesis 15;18)

…

With these words the promise of Israel was created.

The maps below illustrate the boundaries for said "Promise Land". The map on the left is a reflection of Genesis' purposed boundary lines where as the map to the right shows the lines according to Ezekial and Numbers.

Outside of God's promise to them, what makes Israel so important to Jews?

There are numerous reasons as to why Israel is of such importance to the Jewish people. Culturally, religiously and historically it has stood on and off as their center for centuries. However, for the sake of time I will focus predominantly on two of the religious reasons.

The first reason is that of the Temple Mount. The Temple Mount is considered to be the holiest of sites in Judaism. It was to this place that King David brought the Ark of the Covenant, also known as, the 10 Commandments after he unified the 12 tribes of Israel and created Jerusalem as their capital. However, due to God’s decree, an actual temple was not built on the grounds until sometime during the 10th century during the reign of David’s son, King Solomon. The temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon between 587 and 86 BC. After their Babylonian Exile at the hand of Nebuchadnezzar II Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple. In 515 BC the temple was rebuilt and quickly resumed its place as the

religious and economic center of Judaism. However, the following centuries were not kind to the Jewish people or their temple. At the hand of various foreign leaders Jews experienced persecution and hardship and their temple was often looted and/or desecrated. Things began to change under King Herod the Great who decided in 20 BC to once again rebuild the temple. With Herod’s help the temple underwent major renovations and was completed in 26CE. This second temple lasted until 70 CE when the Romans destroyed it, leaving only the Western Wall remaining. This Western Wall, as known as the Wailing Wall, continues to be important to the Jewish faith and tradition and is the site of many Jewish pilgrimages.

But what makes the Temple Mount so holy for the Jews?

The reason why the Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism is because of the religious deeds that are said to have taken place there. These include:

• Site where God is thought to live
• Where the World is said to have begun
• Where God collected the dust used to create Adam
• Where Abraham bound Isaac to be sacrificed

It is the desire of Jews to see a third temple built where the previous two once stood. It is an event that is prayed for on a regular if not daily basis. Within Judaism however much contention on how this third temple should come about. For example Orthodox Jews believe that the Messiah will come and build the temple himself and that it is wrong for the people to start before him. Others believe that the Messiah can only come once the temple has been rebuilt.

Judaism is more than just a set of beliefs it is also about following a set of rules that dictate how one should conduct themselves in life. For example, many gentiles (non-Jews) have heard of the term Kosher. We know that some Jews keep Kosher while others do not. All the word kosher is telling us is that the food being eaten is prepared in such a way that it follows the Jewish Laws and is thus able to be eaten by observing Jews This might include the way in which the animal being eaten was slaughtered to not allowing meat and dairy products to be
cooked together. The second religious reason why Israel is of so much importance in Judaism is because there are parts of Jewish law that can only be practiced in Israel.

There are 613 Jewish Laws or rules set to guide Jews through life, of those 26 of them can only apply when in Israel. These laws are predominantly agriculture in nature such as bringing an offering from the first harvest. However, there are civil and military laws as well.

While it might seem trivial, these laws, but believers feel that by following them it brings them closer to God.

Consulted websites:

theisraelconnection.blogspot.com
http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/history.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promised_Land
www.biblegateway.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/second_temple
http://www.jeremyrosen.com/node/34
www.jewfaq.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Mount