The land is our home base, our center, our place of origin
The very first Rashi in the Torah notes that the nations of the world will contest Klal Yisrael’s right to Eretz Yisrael. Yirmiyahu Hanavi describes our Land as an “eretz chemdah,” a desirable land (Yirmiyahu 3). The Midrash explains: “the land that many kings desired” (Shemos Rabbah 32).
History has certainly proven these words prophetic. The Land that takes center focus in Jewish thoughts and prayers also occupies center stage in the world theater. Even ancient mapmakers recognized that Eretz Yisrael is the global nucleus. They placed it in the center of the known world, at the junction of the three continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa.
When Chazal wanted to express the centrality of Eretz Yisrael, they dubbed it “tabor ha’aretz,” the umbilicus, or navel, of the world (Midrash Tanchuma). The navel is considered the midpoint of the body because it’s situated at the dividing line of the torso, between its upper and lower segments.
The umbilicus also represents the foundation of a human being, the link of the fetus to its mother, and Eretz Yisrael was the starting point of Creation.
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