This post has shed light on 3 questions I have had:
1) Why did our forefather Yaakov (Jacob) make such an issue of being buried in Israel?
2) Why did the central prayer of Shemoneh Esray (literally “18” also known as the “Amidah” – prayer said standing) get fixed?
3) Why is the form of Tachanun (prayers after the Shemonah Esray) also fixed, especially the longer V’hu Rachum we say on Mondays and Thursdays?
Answer: Our home and destiny is in the land of Israel. Our spiritual reference points must be in Israel, not outside it. We pray for the full national and spiritual restoration in Israel, not for the re-creation of the European Shtetel.