On Ezekiel 20:32 we discuss:

First: The Attitude of Brit-Am Regarding: Gentiles Identifying as Israelites, Keeping the Law, Moving to Israel, Evolutionary Processes of Identification.
Second:  Nachmanides: The Connection Between The Law and the Land

>>THE GLORY OF ALL LANDS<< : The Land of Israel has spiritual and even physical features that elevate it over all other regions.

Here, Ezekiel is speaking about all the Children of Egypt while they were still in Egypt before the Exodus led by Moses. Even so, archaeological remains show that the Lost Ten Tribes before their exile by the ASSYRIANS were heavily influenced by Egyptian culture. Decorations and statuettes, etc, frequently depict scenes from Egyptian mythology.

In Egypt most of the Israelites worshipped idols. They followed the Egyptian pagan customs and also those of the Land of Canaan, or they adapted aspects of both systems to their own needs. Nevertheless God saved them. The Name of God is the God of Israel. The honor of Israel is ultimately HIS honor. For HIS own sake He brought them out of Egypt, made them HIS unique nation and gave them HIS laws to distinguish them from all other peoples.

Keeping the Sabbath is one of the symbols of Israel.

<<HE SHALL EVEN LIVE IN THEM>>: The Laws and Keeping the Law give a practical benefit in their own right. They enhance life, giving physical and mental health and spiritual fulfillment.

<<AS THE FAMILIES OF THE COUNTRIES, TO SERVE WOOD AND STONE>>: This does not necessarily mean open idolatry. It is also understood as indicating subservience to foreign cultures that are based on pagan concepts. The sages relate that after the Babylonian exile there were some Jewish leaders who said that since the Torah is designed for life in the Land of Israel then outside of Israel it does not need to be practiced. God is saying, No! The Jews are still obligated to keep the Law.This brings us to elucidate several important concepts: These points may be obvious to some people and you may have already heard them expressed in different ways previously. Nevertheless, the following points still need to
be emphasized since not everybody is aware of them and we often receive queries concerning them.

1. The Attitude of Brit-Am Regarding: Identifying as Israelite, Keeping the Law, Moving to Israel, Evolutionary Processes of Identification.

Brit-Am says that many people in the West are descended from the Lost Ten Tribes and from “Captive Jews”. People in these regions who identify with us can safely assume that they are of Israelite descent. Even if they are not, the fact that they dwell amongst Lost Israelites and identify with them will make them part of Israel in the Last Days (Ezekiel 47:23). Eventually the Lost Ten Tribes will return and be accepted anew into the Covenant of Moses (Malachi 3:22; Yerushalmi, Sanhedrin 10; Zohar, “VaYechi”). At present they have other goals and duties to fulfill. Technically they are Gentiles and not obligated by the Law (Jeremiah 3:8, Yebamot 17). Their obligations under the Law have been suspended temporarily (Hosea 1:9).

In the future, the Lost Ten tribes will return to re-settle in the land and they will accept the Law. Some sources indicate that they will return to the land before they once again accept the Covenant of Moses.

Nevertheless, in principle: Settling in the Land, as an Israelite, requires the keeping of the law of Moses. This means, in effect, of being a member of the Jewish religion. Today, it may be that only about 20% of the Jews in Israel are formally religious BUT many of the others are in some process of returning and most are faithful to the basic concepts.

Our message is that if, at this point, a Gentile member of the Lost Ten Tribes wishes to return to the Land of Israel they cannot do so by claiming that they are Israelites since they do not keep the law nor are they obliged to do so. They can (if they so wish) come to Israel, as many do, as non-Jews who are interested in being here.

The message of Brit-Am to Gentile members of the Lost Ten Tribes is that they should become conscious of their identity and spread this consciousness to others. They have a duty to their own tribe and to their ancestors to become aware of who they are, on the individual and communal level. They also have an international obligation and a duty towards Judah. Judah also has a duty towards them. The expectations are to be fulfilled in revolutionary stages. Some people will naturally feel a need to move at a faster rate than others. We deal with the situation in general. The initial stages of awareness should be initiated with as many people as possible.
The progress of the individual should be within his community and, as far as possible, together with it. This is what Brit-Am is attempting to do and what it is committed to, at the moment. Incidentally, some ignorant people have claimed that Brit-Am is liable to mislead people and give them the wrong impression. It has been stated by ignorant types that we are liable to cause Christian Gentiles to think that, since they are descended from the Lost Ten Tribes, they are the same as Jews and should be able to settle in Israel under the Law of Return. We have never said anything like that. On the contrary, we have always gone out of our way to describe things as they are, even at our own expense. We know of no case of anybody having misled themselves or been misled by others, because of us. Certain people HAVE received wrong ideas of the said nature from other sources and then come to us and we have endeavored to set them straight.

2. Nachmanides: The Connection Between The Law and the Land:The connection between the Law and the Land is best summed up by Nachmanides (1194-1270). Not everybody would necessarily agree with Nachmanides on every point but what he says does appear to fit all relevant Biblical passages. The extact below is a free translation:

Nachmanides:

Scripture is especially strict concerning sexual offences that if transgressed cause the Land to be polluted and vomit the offenders out of it. Are not sexual offences pertinent to the physical body rather than to the land? The secret of the matter, however, is contained in the verse,

The Almighty God created everything and made the power of [physical] things below dependent on [spiritual] things above….He distributed to every people and country its own angel, as it says, “BUT THE PRINCE OF THE KINGDOM OF PERSIA WITHSTOOD ME” [Daniel 10:13] and “LO, THE PRINCE OF GRECIA SHALL COME” [Daniel 10:20]. [Nachmanides here understands the reference to “princes” to mean guardian angels of the nation]…The Land of Israel, however, is the inheritance of God and unique to Him. God did not appoint over it any angel or other spiritual ruling power. God gave the land of Israel to His special people, the seed of His beloved ones, as it says, “YE SHALL BE A PECULIAR TREASURE UNTO ME ABOVE ALL PEOPLE: FOR ALL THE EARTH IS MINE” [Exodus 19:5], and it says, “SO SHALL YE BE MY PEOPLE, AND I WILL BE YOUR GOD” [Jeremiah 11:4]. You shall not have any other higher spiritual beings [apart from God] over you, whatsoever. God sanctified the people who dwell in His land with the sanctity of sexual prohibitions and numerous commandments to be dedicated to His Name. It therefore says,

God separated us from all other peoples who have guardian angels over them. God separated us by giving us His land and He being the only spiritual entity in charge of us [without any intermediary]. The Land of Israel, which is the inheritance of Almighty God, will vomit out those who pollute it. The Land will not tolerate the worshippers of idols, or the committers of sexual offences….[Nachmanides goes on bringing verses to prove that God has a special relationship with the Land of Israel and there it is especially important to worship ONLY HIM and keep His commandments].

Numerous other verses confirm and expsand on the points raised by Nachmanides, e.g.

Brit-Am explanation: The Lost Ten Tribes were destined to be exiled and forget the correct worship of God. In the future they will return, acknowledge the Almighty, and re-settle the Land. Jacob represents his descendants. When He returns to his spiritual and physical inheritance (“MY FATHER'S HOUSE IN PEACE”) then He will once again return to the God of Israel.

God rules over us and the Law will have to be kept.

“WILDERNESS OF THE PEOPLE”: I once heard the opinion (by Jim Jensen) that this refers to North America. Others say that it refers to the historical places of exile and dispersion in general. Still others believe it refers to the Wilderness of Sinai or Arabia or some such place. It may be understood that at least part of the Israelites will pass through such an area before their final return. In that place, they will begin the process of returning to the God of Israel.
Cf. <THEREFORE, BEHOLD, I WILL ALLURE HER, AND BRING HER INTO THE WILDERNESS, AND SPEAK COMFORTABLY UNTO HER> [Hosea 2:14].
Some say “Wilderness” refers to North America. The early Pilgrim Pioneers themselves had a kind of notion like this. They envisioned themselves as “Israelite” Pilgrims in the Wilderness creating a “New Zion”.
<AND I WILL GIVE HER HER VINEYARDS FROM THENCE, AND THE VALLEY OF ACHOR FOR A DOOR OF HOPE: AND SHE SHALL SING THERE, AS IN THE DAYS OF HER YOUTH, AND AS IN THE DAY WHEN SHE CAME UP OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT> [Hosea 2:15].

They shall once more be brought into the “wilderness” as an intermediate stage before once again accepting the Law.

<<MINE HOLY MOUNTAIN>>: This is the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

We may say that in the “Wilderness” there will be a new awareness and acceptance of the truth. Only after entering the Land, however, re-acceptance of the truth take place.

<<YE SHALL LOTHE YOURSELVES IN YOUR OWN SIGHT FOR ALL YOUR EVILS>>: We shall all repent for the bad we have done or caused others to do or for the good we could have done and did not.