In contrast to all other lands, over which heavenly beings are appointed, God Himself watches over the Land of Israel, and therefore the land spews out those who defile it with idol worship or forbidden sexual relations. Because of the Jewish people’s closeness to God, He punishes them severely when they sin.

The Land of Israel is the portion of God, and He Himself watches over it:

For God set the authority over the lower world into [the hands of] higher creatures, and appointed, over every nation in its land, a star and an astrological sign, as it states, “which the Lord your God distributed to all the peoples” (Deuteronomy 4:19). And above the astrological signs are the heavenly angels, [who serve] as officers, and God is supreme [Master of] the entire world. However, the Land of Israel is the center of the world, and is the portion of God. It is assigned to Him and not to the angels. He bequeathed it to His nation, which unifies His name…. Because they are set aside for Him, He gave them the land that is the portion of God, which spews out all who defile it with idol worship and forbidden sexual relations. Outside the land, although everything is God’s, there is no perfect purity, because of the servants [the angels] who rule there. The nations go astray and serve their ministers.

The heavenly Temple is directly opposite the earthly Temple:

It is not permitted to explicate further with regard to the land [as it is a mystery to be revealed only to a few], but if you merit to understand the first land mentioned in the verse “In the beginning, [God created the heavens and the land]” (Genesis 1:1), and the one mentioned in Parashat Behukotai [“And the land, I will remember” (Leviticus 26:42)], you will know a sublime mystery, and will understand that which is stated, “The heavenly Temple is directly opposite the lower one” (Tanĥuma, Vayak’hel 7).

The closeness to God in the Land of Israel requires higher standards of conduct.

We find that Israel’s closeness to the Holy One, blessed be He, is what causes them to be distanced [when they sin]. [This applies] all the more so to those who merit to sit before the Holy One, blessed be He, in His land, as they are like those who are in the presence of the king. If they are careful with regard to His honor, they will be joyful, but if they defy him, woe to them more than to all other creatures, as they make war and they anger the king in his own palace…. It is taught in the Sifra (Kedoshim 11:14), “The Land of Israel is not like other lands; it does not sustain transgressors.” (Ramban, Leviticus 18:25; Homily on Rosh HaShana)

Further reading: For more on the heavenly Temple, see p. 161.

Although the Jewish people are the chosen people and they have a special connection to God, this connection is fully realized only in the Land of Israel. The Land of Israel is also where the prophets prophesy and where one can cleave to God. This is analogous to plants that require a certain type of soil in order to grow. They can grow properly only when they are placed in that soil.

Without the Land of Israel it is impossible to attain the special distinction of the Jewish people:

The special virtue comes first to the nation that is distinguished [by God] and is the nucleus…. Subsequently, the land also has a role regarding this virtue, as do the deeds and mitzvot that are dependent on the land, which are like the cultivation of a vineyard. But unlike a vineyard, which could produce grapes in another location as well, the chosen people can connect to the divine only in this land.

Abraham and his descendants prophesied exclusively in the Land of Israel:

You see that the outstanding one of the distinguished people, Abraham, after he had advanced through the levels of perfection and became fit to adhere to the divine, was moved from his land to that place, the only place where he could reach complete perfection. This is what a farmer does when he finds, in barren land, the root of a tree whose fruit is good; he transfers it to cultivated land, as by its nature it will thrive there. He will tend to it there until it becomes a tree [like the other] trees of the garden. Until then, its growth was random, and its location was random. The same was true with regard to the prophecy of the descendants of Abraham in the Land of Israel. While they were in the Land of Israel, there were many who received prophecy, and there were many conditions that supported it: purity, Temple service, offerings, and above all, the closeness of the Divine Presence. (Rav Yehuda HaLevi, Kuzari 2:12–14)

Further reading: For more on the factors that contribute to prophecy and the presence of the divine spirit, see p. 203.