Citizenship Based on Torah: Internalize It

Published date28 June 2021
AuthorYshai Amichai
Date28 June 2021
This is the third part in a series of articles concerning citizenship in Israel. In Part I we discussed the demographic dilemma, that there are almost as many Arabs as Jews in the Holy Land, and what this means for Israel. In Part II we discussed the Torah's Position, reading passages from the Books of Exodus and Numbers. In this third part I will offer you a glimpse of my Hebrew book, "The Constitution of Israel" ("חוקת ישראל"), which is a proposed Constitution for the State of Israel, firmly based on the Torah, the Five Books of Moses (otherwise referred to as the "Pentateuch").

The clauses of this Constitution have been divided into four groups, to clearly delineate between their sources. The first group (A) is directly quoted from the Pentateuch. The second group (B) is either directly inferred from the Text of the Pentateuch or is attributed to God and is directly quoted from the rest of the Hebrew Bible. The third group (C) is an interpretation of God's Word. The fourth group (D) is independent from, but subservient to, the Torah.

Out of extreme caution I have labelled the following passages as (D), meaning they are not attributed to God's Word or its interpretation, so they are to be considered secular laws, although they are very much aligned with God's Word in my opinion. This "D-" appears in the original text at the beginning of each clause, although I have removed it below due to its redundancy. The (T) and (M) markings at the end of certain clauses are there to indicate that these clauses are intended to remain in the Constitution only temporarily, (T) because in time they will become obsolete and (M) because they will be moved to a law. The following is a direct translation of the subsection "Citizen" under the main section "Citizenship" under the book grouping "The Nation" as it appears in Hebrew in my book, "The Constitution of Israel":

Citizen

The children of Israel, residents of the Land, are entitled to citizenship, subject to the Constitution and the law. Israeli citizenship is not guaranteed from birth, and one who requests it must prove himself and earn his citizenship. Only a citizen of the Land will be counted in the army, inherit an ancestral inheritance, and elect or be elected in the elections. A citizen also bequeaths citizenship and an ancestral inheritance to his children, subject to the Constitution and the law.

A son or daughter of a citizen man and a citizen woman are entitled to citizenship. A son or daughter of the progeny...

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