Halakhah for Numbers 33:53

The Torah (Bemidbar 33:53) commands, "And you shall conquer the land [of Canaan] and settle in it, because it is for you I have given the land to inherit it." The Ramban comments:

Rav Moshe Feinstein was asked (Teshuvot Igrot Moshe E.H. 1:102, written in 1952) whether one should move to Israel in accordance with the view of the Ramban (Bemidbar 33:53 and mitzvah 4 of the positive mitzvot omitted by the Rambam) that even in our day, every Jew is required to live in Israel, or if one should follow the opinion of Rabbeinu Chaim Cohen (cited in Tosafot Ketubot 110b s.v. Hu Omeir and the Mordechai, Ketubot 313) that the mitzvah to live in Israel does not apply today. The latter is of the opinion that since the journey to and subsequent life in Israel is fraught with danger and since it is difficult to fulfill the mitzvot hatluyot ba’aretz (land based mitzvot, which apply only in Israel), there exists no mitzvah to live in Israel “today” (the twelfth century).

"And you shall inhabit the land and dwell therein" (Num. 33:53) is not simply a prognostication or blessing; it is a mizvah, a commandment constituting a religious obligation. As is the case with regard to all precepts, its ramifications and parameters require careful elucidation. Indeed, the very first question to be raised is whether or not settlement of the Land of Israel constitutes a binding imperative upon a people exiled from their land. The settlement of the Land of Israel is one mizvah among many. There are situations in which residence in Israel conflicts with other obligations or desiderata. As will be shown, the issues raised in such situations have been the subject of extensive halakhic discussion.