3,218. What Is Considered Israel?

Terumos 1:2

Whenever we say “Israel” in the context of terumah, it means all the lands conquered by the king of Israel or a prophet with the accord of the Jewish people. The latter is called a conquest by the community. However, if an individual, a family or a Tribe conquers territory for themselves, it is not considered “Israel” vis-à-vis observing the mitzvos of the land. This is true even if the territory is among the land given to Avraham. This is why Yehoshua and his court divided all of Israel by Tribe even though parts of it were not yet conquered. That way, when each Tribe conquered its portion, it wouldn’t be considered the conquest of an individual.

Terumos 1:3

The lands that David conquered outside of Canaan – including Aram Naharaim, Aram Tzovah, Achlav, etc. – are not identical to Israel in all ways, even though he was king and acting in accordance with the Sanhedrin. These lands are also not exactly like lands outside of Israel, like Babylonia and Egypt. They’re somewhere between Israel and outside of Israel in these matters. The reason these lands were not made identical to Israel is because David conquered them before he conquered all of Israel, i.e., there were still members of the seven Canaanite nations there. Had he conquered Israel entirely and then conquered these other lands, then they would have been equial to Israel in all ways. The lands that David conquered are referred to as “Syria.”