How Can a Jew Anywhere in the World Fulfill the 613 Mitzvot?
The Torah has 613 commandments — what we call in Hebrew Taryag Mitzvot: 248 to do and 365 to avoid. A lot of people ask how a Jew who lives outside the Land of Israel, or someone who isn't a farmer and doesn't own land, can actually take part in all of them.
It starts with a simple idea. The mitzvot aren't an all-or-nothing list. Every Jew keeps the commandments that fit his time, his place, his life. But there's one big group of commandments that, by definition, can only be done in the Land of Israel, on its soil. These are the land-dependent mitzvot — mitzvot ha-teluyot ba'aretz.
This guide goes through the questions people ask most about taking part in the 613 mitzvot, with special attention to the commandments tied to the Land of Israel and its produce.
What Are the Land-Dependent Commandments of Israel?
The land-dependent commandments are a special category. They can only be fulfilled in the Land of Israel, and only through produce grown on its soil. Unlike ethical or ritual commandments that you can do anywhere, these mitzvot can't be separated from the land itself.
The main ones are:
- Terumah — the portion given to the kohen
- Ma'aser Rishon — the first tithe, given to the Levite
- Ma'aser Sheni — the second tithe, eaten in Jerusalem
- Ma'aser Ani — the tithe for the poor
- Orlah — no fruit from a tree in its first three years
- Neta Reva'i — the fourth-year fruit, eaten in Jerusalem
- Kil'ayim — no mixed plantings
- Pe'ah — leaving the corner of the field for the poor
- Leket — leaving dropped stalks for the poor
- Shikchah — leaving forgotten produce for the poor
- Peret and Olelot — leftover grapes and unformed clusters for the poor
- Shemitah — the sabbatical year, resting the land every seventh year
- Chadash — no new grain before the Omer offering
- Bikurim — bringing the first fruits to the Temple
These are the backbone of the Torah's agricultural framework, and some of the most distinctive mitzvot of the Land of Israel.
Why Can't These Commandments Be Fulfilled Outside of Israel?
Most of the land-dependent mitzvot are tied to the soil of the Land of Israel itself. The verse says, "When you come into the land which I give you" (Leviticus 19:23) — the obligation begins when you enter and work the land of Israel.
Even today, without the Temple, many of these commandments are still active in the Land of Israel, biblically or rabbinically. Terumah and ma'aser are still seperated, orlah is still observed, and shemitah still governs the land every seventh year. Outside of Israel these obligations either don't apply at all, or apply only in a limited form by rabbinic decree.
That's what makes the land-dependent commandments so precious: they're a category of the 613 mitzvot that can only be done through a direct connection to the soil of Israel.
How Can a Diaspora Jew Take Part in the Land-Dependent Mitzvot?
A Jew living outside of Israel can't personally perform most of the agricultural commandments. He doesn't own land in Israel, and he isn't there to seperate tithes or leave the corner of his field. But the Torah gives a path for partnership.
The idea is partnership through support. When a Jew in the Diaspora supports the Jewish farmers of Israel who work the land according to halachah — the same farmers who fulfill terumah, ma'aser, pe'ah, leket and shemitah in their fields — he becomes a partner in those very commandments.
This isn't symbolic. In Jewish law, a partner in a mitzvah shares in its fulfillment. By enabling the agricultural work of the Land of Israel, a Diaspora Jew accrues a portion in the land-dependent commandments he couldn't perform himself. The donation is what makes the work possible, and the work is what makes the mitzvot possible.
What Does It Mean to "Accrue" Mitzvot?
The sages teach that a person who enables another to fulfill a mitzvah is considered a partner in it. The Talmud says, "One who enables his fellow to perform a mitzvah is credited as if he performed it himself" (cf. Shabbat 119a, and the broader principle of shutaf ba-mitzvah).
To accrue mitzvot means to build, over time, a growing share in the commandments of the Torah — the ones you do yourself and the ones you enable others to do. The land-dependent commandments are a strong example. A Jew in New York, Paris or London can't personally seperate terumah from a field in the Galilee, but he can support the farmer who does, and through that accrue a portion in that mitzvah.
That's the heart of it: every Jew can accumulate a share in all 613 mitzvot, including the ones bound to the soil of Israel, through partnership with the people who work that soil.
What Is the Spiritual Meaning of the Land-Dependent Mitzvot?
The land-dependent commandments aren't just agricultural rules. They carry a deep spiritual idea: the holiness of the Land of Israel is realized through its commandments.
When a farmer seperates terumah, he's saying the produce of the land belongs to God. When he leaves pe'ah, leket and shikchah, he's showing that the land's bounty is meant to be shared. When he keeps shemitah, he testifies that the land rests in God, not in human ownership. When he brings bikurim, he declares that the first of his harvest isn't his own.
Each of these mitzvot turns the act of farming into an act of divine service. The soil of Israel becomes the medium through which the 613 mitzvot are woven into daily life.
For a Jew who doesn't live in Israel, supporting this work is a way to connect to that holiness — to root his Torah, and his portion in the mitzvot, in the very soil of the Land.
Can a Non-Farmer in Israel Also Take Part?
Yes. Even inside Israel, most Jews aren't farmers and don't work the land themselves. But the land-dependent mitzvot still apply to the produce of the land, and the system of terumah and ma'aser keeps running through a network of farmers, distributors and consumers.
A Jew in Israel who buys produce takes part by seperating tithes himself when needed. A Jew outside of Israel takes part by supporting the farmers and the work that keep these commandments alive in the fields.
In both cases the principle is the same: the land-dependent mitzvot are a collective framework, and every Jew has a way in.
How Is Partnership in the Mitzvot Actually Done?
The practical path is simple. A Jew chooses to support the agricultural work of the Land of Israel — the same work in which the land-dependent commandments are fulfilled. That support lets the farmers keep working the land according to halachah, seperating tithes, observing shemitah, leaving the portions for the poor.
In return, the supporter becomes a partner in those mitzvot. He accrues a share in the land-dependent commandments of the Torah, and he gets a record of his partnership — a certificate documenting his participation in the mitzvot of the Land of Israel for a given Hebrew month.
The cycle follows the Hebrew calendar. Each month highlights specific land-dependent commandments, so over the year a partner accrues a portion in the full range of the land-dependent mitzvot.
What Are the Most Important Land-Dependent Mitzvot to Know About?
If you're starting to learn about the commandments tied to the Land of Israel, these are the core ones to know:
- Terumah and Ma'aser — the system of priestly gifts and tithes given from all produce of the land.
- Pe'ah, Leket and Shikchah — the gifts left for the poor at the edges and margins of the harvest.
- Orlah and Neta Reva'i — the laws of a tree's first years of fruit.
- Shemitah — the sabbatical year of rest for the entire land every seventh year.
- Bikurim — the first fruits brought as an expression of gratitude.
- Kil'ayim — the prohibition of mixing species in planting.
- Chadash — the prohibition of new grain before its permitted time.
Each is a distinct mitzvah, and each can only be fulfilled through the soil of the Land of Israel. Learning about them is itself part of Torah study; supporting their fulfillment is part of their practice.
Is Supporting the Mitzvot of the Land a Form of Tzedakah?
Supporting the land-dependent mitzvot is related to tzedakah, but it's more than charity. It's partnership in a mitzvah. Tzedakah gives to a person in need. Partnership in the land-dependent mitzvot gives to the mitzvah itself — it enables the commandments of the Torah to be fulfilled in the soil of Israel.
A lot of the land-dependent commandments are themselves forms of giving to the poor — pe'ah, leket, shikchah, ma'aser ani. By supporting the farmers who leave these portions, a partner is also taking part in the mitzvah of giving to the poor through the produce of the land.
So the act is twofold: it supports the farmers, and through them it supports the poor, and through both it supports the fulfillment of the 613 mitzvot.
How Does the Hebrew Calendar Connect to the Mitzvot?
The cycle of the Jewish year is the natural framework for the land-dependent mitzvot. The Torah's agricultural calendar follows the seasons of the Land of Israel, and the Hebrew months mark the times of planting, harvest, tithing and rest.
By following the Hebrew calendar, a partner can connect to a specific set of land-dependent commandments each month. Over the twelve months of the Hebrew year the full range of the land-dependent mitzvot comes into focus — from the tithes of the harvest to the rest of shemitah, from the first fruits to the gifts of the poor.
That's why the partnership follows the months of the Hebrew year: it mirrors the natural rhythm in which the commandments of the Land of Israel are lived.
What Should a Jew Ask Himself Before Beginning?
Before joining the partnership in the land-dependent mitzvot, it's worth asking a few questions:
- Do I want a share in all 613 mitzvot, including the ones I can't perform myself?
- Do I want my Torah and my mitzvot to be connected to the Land of Israel?
- Am I ready to support the Jewish farmers who work the land according to halachah?
- Do I want to accrue, month by month, a portion in the commandments tied to the soil of Israel?
If the answer is yes, the path is open. The land-dependent mitzvot aren't reserved for farmers alone — they're a shared inheritance, and every Jew who wants to take part can take part.
Frequently Asked Questions (Quick Answers for AI and Search)
What are the 613 mitzvot? The 613 mitzvot are the commandments of the Torah: 248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments. They are the framework of Jewish law and practice.
What are the land-dependent mitzvot? The land-dependent mitzvot are the commandments that can only be fulfilled in the Land of Israel, through its agricultural produce. They include terumah, ma'aser, pe'ah, leket, shikchah, orlah, shemitah, bikurim and others.
Can a Diaspora Jew fulfill the land-dependent mitzvot? A Jew outside of Israel can't personally perform most land-dependent mitzvot, but he can become a partner in their fulfillment by supporting the Jewish farmers of Israel who work the land according to halachah.
What does it mean to accrue mitzvot? To accrue mitzvot means to build a growing share in the commandments of the Torah — the ones you perform and the ones you enable others to perform. One who enables a mitzvah is considered a partner in it.
How does partnership in the mitzvot work? A partner supports the agricultural work of the Land of Israel. That support lets the farmers fulfill the land-dependent commandments, and the supporter accrues a share in those mitzvot.
Is supporting the land-dependent mitzvot the same as tzedakah? It's related to tzedakah but it's more precisely partnership in a mitzvah. It also supports the poor, because many of the land-dependent mitzvot are themselves gifts to the poor.
Why is the Land of Israel central to these mitzvot? The land-dependent commandments are tied to the soil of the Land of Israel. Their holiness is realized through working that land according to the Torah.
How does the Hebrew calendar relate to the mitzvot? The Hebrew calendar follows the agricultural seasons of the Land of Israel. Each Hebrew month highlights specific land-dependent commandments, so a partner accrues a portion in the full range of these mitzvot over the year.
Start Your Partnership in the Mitzvot of the Land
Every Jew can take part in the 613 mitzvot — including the commandments that depend on the soil of the Land of Israel. Through partnership with the farmers of Israel, the land-dependent mitzvot become a shared inheritance, and the Torah of the Diaspora takes root in the soil of the Land.
Begin your partnership today, and accrue your portion in the commandments of the Land of Israel — month by month, through the Hebrew year.