As illegal immigration reshapes borders and stirs political turmoil across the globe, Israel is not immune. From foreign laborers and asylum seekers to infiltrators who undermine security and identity, the Jewish state faces its own version of the crisis.
But one issue stands apart in both scale and sensitivity: the Arab population living within and around Israel, many of whom do not accept the legitimacy of the Jewish state.
To address these layered challenges, we must return to a foundational Torah concept that offers a vision of balance - national strength without cruelty, and moral clarity without naïveté: the ger toshav.
A Status Rooted in Torah
The ger toshav is not a Jew. But he is also not an enemy. He accepts the seven Noahide laws, agrees to live peacefully under Jewish sovereignty, and refrains from undermining the spiritual and national identity of the people of Israel. In return, he is granted legal protections, basic rights, and the dignity due to every human being created in the image of God.
This concept is neither a call for assimilation nor a denial of national security. It is a framework that creates clear boundaries, moral obligations, and the possibility of coexistence - not on the terms of Western liberalism, but on the terms of Torah and Jewish sovereignty.
When the Stranger Is Already Inside the Gate
Unlike other nations, Israel’s challenge is not just who comes in - but who is already here. Hundreds of thousands of Arab residents - in the Galilee, the Negev, East Jerusalem, and especially Judea and Samaria - live within the geographic and political orbit of the Jewish state, but many do not identify with it. Some openly resist its legitimacy, support terror, commit terror , or reject Jewish sovereignty altogether. Yet others live quietly, work, and do not pose a threat.
In this context, the model of the ger toshav becomes more relevant than ever. The Torah does not demand that every non-Jew living among us convert, nor does it require their expulsion. But it does require that those who remain in the Land accept the basic terms of moral conduct and recognize the rightful authority of a Jewish nation in its homeland.
This means drawing clear distinctions: between citizens and non-citizens, between peaceful residents and hostile actors, between those who live under Jewish sovereignty in good faith - and those who seek to dismantle it from within.
Sovereignty with Compassion - Not Confusion
Modern Israeli policy often struggles to strike this balance. Western-style democracy pushes toward equal rights for all, even for those who oppose the very foundation of the state. But the Torah insists: the Land of Israel is not a neutral territory. It is a holy inheritance given to Am Yisrael - and its security, sanctity, and identity must be preserved.
That does not mean cruelty. The Torah commands us to treat the ger toshav with kindness, to support him economically, and to allow him to live in peace. But only if he accepts the foundational norms of the society he lives in.
A Model for the Nations
While the concept of ger toshav was originally given to Israel, its underlying principles carry universal wisdom. In a world overwhelmed by mass migration - from Latin America to Europe, from Africa to Asia - the binary choice between open borders and total exclusion has failed.
The concept of ger toshav offers a third path: a structured, moral framework that distinguishes between the citizen and the peaceful outsider, while upholding the dignity of both. Imagine if nations adopted a legal status for non-citizens who commit to shared moral norms, respect the sovereignty of the host country, and contribute to the common good - without demanding full assimilation or citizenship as the only alternatives.
Such a model, rooted in Torah, could help restore sanity, justice, and order to a global system that is collapsing under the weight of its contradictions.
A Jewish State Guided by Jewish Wisdom
Israel today needs more than laws - it needs a framework of Torah-rooted moral clarity. A modern adaptation of the ger toshav could offer a legal, ethical solution not only for economic migrants or infiltrators, but also for long-term Arab residents who are not enemies, but who are not full partners in our national destiny either.
This status would not grant full citizenship or political rights, but would recognize their humanity, regulate their presence, and define the terms of coexistence - with dignity, but without illusions.
Conclusion
The Torah never ignores the stranger. But neither does it ignore the nation.
The ger toshav reflects the delicate, eternal balance between justice and sovereignty - between compassion and national responsibility.
As Israel navigates the storms of immigration, demographic complexity, and internal division, perhaps it’s time we remember that the best answers don’t always come from think tanks or foreign models - but from our own eternal Torah.
Note: This article was written following a lesson I heard from Rabbi Eliezer Melamed shlita. If there is an error or misunderstanding, the entire responsibility lies with me.
Yonaton Behar is Marketing And Public Relations Specialist at Yeshivat Har Bracha. Originally from Queens, NY, he is one of the earliest residents of Har Bracha. He also translates many of the writings of Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Eliezer Melamed into English as well as penning his own.