The Cosmic Navel

As the navel is located in the middle of one’s body, so the Land of Israel is the navel of the world, as the verse states: “Who live at the center (tabur, literally “the navel”) of the world” [Ezekiel 38:12]. The Land of Israel is at the center of the world, Jerusalem is at the center of the Land of Israel, and the Temple is at the center of Jerusalem, the Sanctuary is at the center of the Temple, and the Ark is at the center of the Sanctuary, and the Foundation Stone, from which the world was founded, is before the Sanctuary.

                                   Midrash Tanḥuma, Parashat Kedoshim, 10

            Maharal [Be’er haGola 6:13] writes that the intention of the Midrash is not to provide “physical, tangible measurements,” rather, it is a statement of the essence of the Land and of its capital, and does not deal with the material level. (Based upon the enlightening comments of Rabbi Yehoshua David Hartman.) After all, the navel is not actually located in the middle of the human body based upon measurement of height, rather:

The navel is the center in the sense that it is between the upper and lower parts of the body; it divides the upper and lower parts of the body and is, as it were, the point of connection between the two parts. So too is the Land of Israel: she is the intermediate point between the lower world and the spiritual worlds, and in this sense she is the “center” of the world. And the “center” of the Land of Israel, the holiest place in the Land is the Holy of Holies (the Sanctuary).

            The “upper part of the body” is the intellectual – spiritual part, while the “lower part of the body” is its more material – tangible part. The navel is located between the two parts of the human body, and, symbolically, it connects them, and in a similar manner, the Land of Israel connects the material and spiritual worlds.

            In his commentary on the Song of Songs, Rabbi Sa'adya Gaon explains the metaphor of the navel: as a fetus in its mother’s womb receives its nurture through the navel, so too the bounty which descends to the entire earth comes through and because of God’s direct supervision of the Land of Israel, as our Sages taught/ [Babylonian Talmud, Ta’anit 10a].