LEV261 Many of the nonobservant Jews in Israel believe that the land is special in that it provides a homeland for the Jewish people, but [that] there is nothing intrinsic about the land that makes it special. This is not the Jewish approach. There is something unique about this land that makes it respond differently from any other soil in the world. It is the only land that responds physically to moral behavior. Each day, the Jews twice say the second paragraph of the Shema (Deut. 13:18) that if the Jewish people observe the Commandments and behave morally, the land will respond by having enough rain and producing enough crops. If the Jews stray from God, they will be forced to leave the land. This same idea is repeated many times in The Torah, including the beginning of the portion of Bechukotai (Leviticus 26:3-5) where it says that the reward for keeping the Torah's statutes will be proper rain and enough crops to eat until one is satiated. Therefore, the quantity and quality of crops the land of Israel will produce depends on the behavior of its inhabitants. This idea is echoed in a different context when it says [this verse] that the land will "vomit" out its inhabitants if they act in an abominable manner (referring to improper sexual behavior). Although people normally associate that Divine Providence of God is in relation to people, when it comes to the land of Israel, God declares (Deut. 11:12) that there is Divine Providence. He watches the land constantly from the beginning until the end of the year, seeking the land out. It is then apparent that the land of Israel, from a Jewish perspective, is unique and cannot be looked upon as "just another piece of earth." The land of Israel is linked to the Jewish people only through Judaism and the mitzvot.