Elsewhere . . . Differently

Abstract In biblical and rabbinical tradition, the Israelite presence in the Land of Israel is not framed in terms of autochthony but rather as a conditional existence dependent on a covenant between the people of Israel and God. Consequently, starting with the Babylonian exile, Jewish history is conceived in terms of exile and dispersion, each era being termed an “exile.” This chapter examines how exile—first bearing the negative import of punishment—and dispersion came to be thought of as positive values, as means of survival and proof of divine mercy, and even as cosmic redemptive processes.