In the Jewish textual tradition, exile (galut in Hebrew) is viewed as both a punishment and a way to make amends with God. The tension between exile from and return to Israel is a common theme in Jewish literature — from Abraham's exile to Egypt to the modern return of Jews to the state of Israel.
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The Prophetic Warning of ExileTANAKH
The Prophetic Warning of Exile
TANAKH
God promised to give the land of Israel to the Israelites, on the condition that they follow God’s commandments. In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses warns the Israelites about the perils of disobeying God’s commandments.
Exile to the City of RefugeMISHNAH
Exile to the City of Refuge
MISHNAH
The book of Deuteronomy instructs an accidental killer to flee to a city of refuge as protection from those seeking revenge. The Mishnah, the first codification of Jewish law from the early third-century land of Israel, describes the types of accidental killings for which one flees to a city of refuge.
Exile as AtonementTALMUD
Exile as Atonement
TALMUD
According to the rabbis, exile can serve as an atonement for sins. The Babylonian Talmud, in tractate Sanhedrin, brings examples of biblical figures who were exiled and forgiven, in full or in part.
Mourning the ExileTANAKH
Mourning the Exile
TANAKH
In the sixth century BCE, Judeans living in the land of Israel were exiled to Babylonia. The book of Psalms poetically expresses the refugees’ yearning for their homeland.
God's Lament in ExileTALMUD
God's Lament in Exile
TALMUD
Rabbinic sources describe God as mourning the exile of God’s people. The Babylonian Talmud details Rabbi Yossi’s encounter with God’s lament.
Awake and YearningMIDRASH
Awake and Yearning
MIDRASH
The ancient rabbis interpreted the biblical book Song of Songs to describe the relationship between God and the people of Israel. In Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a seventh-century midrash on Song of Songs, sleep and wakefulness are metaphors for exile and spiritual connection.
The Divine Presence in ExileKABBALAH
The Divine Presence in Exile
KABBALAH
The Shekhinah, or divine presence, is the manifestation of God’s presence in the world, according to Lurianic kabbalah. The Zohar, a foundational work of Jewish mysticism, explores the intimate relationship between the divine and the Jewish people, particularly through the concept of the Shekinah's presence in exile.
Exile and the Land's JusticeMIDRASH
Exile and the Land's Justice
MIDRASH
The sabbatical year is the seventh year of a seven-year cycle, during which no crops are harvested or planted. The Sifra, an ancient midrash on the book of Leviticus from the land of Israel, explores the consequences of neglecting the sabbatical year.
The Hope for IngatheringLITURGY
The Hope for Ingathering
LITURGY
The Amidah is the central prayer of daily Jewish liturgy. It consists of 19 blessings, one of which includes a plea for the divine ingathering of Jewish exiles.
The Divine Purpose of ExileJEWISH THOUGHT
The Divine Purpose of Exile
JEWISH THOUGHT
Exile, while seemingly degrading, serves a divine purpose. In the Kuzari, a 12th-century philosophical dialogue, Rabbi Yehuda Halevi likens the period of exile to the growth of a tree and the ripening of its fruit.
The Divine Mission of ExileCOMMENTARY
The Divine Mission of Exile
COMMENTARY
In the Babylonian Talmud, Rabbi Elazar states that the Jews are exiled in order to gather converts. Rabbi Hayyim Joseph David Azulai, better known as Chida, provides a kabbalistic interpretation of this statement.
The Land That Cannot Tolerate SinCOMMENTARY
The Land That Cannot Tolerate Sin
COMMENTARY
The book of Leviticus states that the land of Israel will “vomit out” those who defile it. Rashi, the renowned 11th-century northern French rabbi and commentator, explains this formulation with a parable.
The Painful Path to PurificationCHASIDUT
The Painful Path to Purification
CHASIDUT
Exile is painful, and it may seem that the Jews’ pleas to return go unheeded. Rabbi Chaim Tyrer of Czernowitz, in his Chasidic work Be’er Mayim Chayim, relates a parable to explain how exile is an act of love and compassion.
Chronicles of ExileMIDRASH
Chronicles of Exile
MIDRASH
According to midrashic interpretation, the Israelites were exiled ten times. Otzar HaMidrashim, a 20th-century encyclopedia of midrash compiled by Judah David Eisenstein, presents this tradition.
The Silence of ExileCOMMENTARY
The Silence of Exile
COMMENTARY
The mystical idea of the “exile of the word” (galut hadibbur) describes how exile can create alienation even in language. Dr. Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, a contemporary biblical scholar, discusses this idea in the context of the Exodus.
Exile for the Sake of TorahMUSAR
Exile for the Sake of Torah
MUSAR
Pirkei Avot, a work of ancient rabbinic ethics and wisdom from the land of Israel, states that one should “exile oneself to a place of Torah.” Pele Yoetz, a 19th-century ethical tract by Rabbi Eliezer Papo, discusses the meaning and implications of this phrase.
The Unnatural State of DispersionJEWISH THOUGHT
The Unnatural State of Dispersion
JEWISH THOUGHT
Exile, the dispersion of a united entity, is an unnatural state. In his 16th-century work Netzach Yisrael, Rabbi Judah Loew of Prague, better known by the acronym Maharal, discusses how this applies to the exile of the people of Israel.
Balancing Exile and RedemptionJEWISH THOUGHT
Balancing Exile and Redemption
JEWISH THOUGHT
Exile and redemption are inextricably linked. Rabbi Moshe Avigdor Amiel, a 20th-century rabbi in Antwerp and Tel Aviv, discusses what assimilationists and nationalists have in common in their views of exile and redemption.
The First ExileTANAKH
The First Exile
TANAKH
Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the garden of Eden is the first instance of exile in the Jewish textual tradition. The book of Genesis describes the disobedience and expulsion of the first humans.
Ancestral ExileMIDRASH
Ancestral Exile
MIDRASH
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – patriarchs of the Jewish people – were all sent away from their lands. Pesikta DeRav Kahana, a fifth- or sixth-century collection of midrash, explores the ancestral connection to exile and the consequences of neglecting divine commandments.