JERUSALEM IN THE SOURCES

(A partial listing)

Theme

In the Bible:

Uniqueness of Jerusalem as the royal city, center of worship, dates back to the period of David

II Samuel 6-7; 24;
18-25;

I Chronicles 21:18-22:1

In Solomon’s prayer, where the Temple is considered a house of worship, “the city” is linked with the “house”

I Kings 8

Choosing Mt Zion, symbolizes the choice of Judah (after Efraim and Shiloh), the Temple on Mt Zion is conceived as the continuation of the Mishkan in Shiloh

Psalm 78:68

Zion is conceived as the place, seat, resting place and abode of the Lord, the Lord has and will attach His name to Jerusalem

II Kings 21:4

A hymn of admiration and love of Jerusalem

Psalms 122; ref Ps 87

“Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord”, as foreseen by Jeremiah, symbol of divine righteousness and justice

Jeremiah 3:17

Psalms 89:15

Jeremiah’s ideal Jerusalem

Jereemiah 33:16

Isaiah’s "city of righteousness"

Isaiah 1:26; cf 1:21,27

The greatness and splendor of Jerusalem are described in poetic imagery:

- Beautiful..joy of the earth

- Perfection of beauty, joy of all the earth

- Yearning for the past

- The beloved is compared to Jerusalem, symbol of beauty and loveliness

Psalms 48:3

50:2

Eichah / Lamentations 1:1

Shir Ha Shirim / Song of Songs 6:4

The pilgrims (olei regel) praise Jerusalem

Psalms 122, 125, 132

Zion and Jerusalem – symbols of the whole country, and their destruction – symbol of the Exile

Psalms, 137

In the Prophets and Lamentations, the name and concept of Jerusalem is used to represent the whole of Judah as well as the whole of Israel. Sometimes the parallel between “Jerusalem” or "Zion” on the one hand, "Judah”, the "cities of Judah” or "Israel” on the other, emphasizes in praise or disparagement – not that which is common to them, but the central, independent status and special features of the elected city. "Daughter of Jerusalem" and "daughter of Zion" sygnify both the city and the kingdom, either as an expression of affection or as a designation of the sinful city and nation.

Jeremiah’s vision of the rebuilt Jerusalem, including the demarcation of its enlarged area

Jeremiah 30:18-19; 31:37-39

Zechariah anticipates Jerusalem being called "the faithful city, mountain of the Lord of Hosts the holy mountain"; its streets will be "filled with old men and old women" and "boys and girls" will play there.

Zechariah 8:3-5

The chapters of consolation in Isaiah, expresses the fervent love for Jerusalem on the one hand and descriptions of its future greatness and splendor, on the other.

Isaiah 40 - 66

In Aggadah:

The many aggadic statements or stories about Jerusalem may be divided into three classes:

1. Jerusalem of historical reality

There is no beauty like that of Jerusalem

ARN 28, 85

Of the ten measures of beauty that came down to the world, Jerusalem took nine

Kiddushin 49b

A man who has not seen Jerusalem in its splendor, has not seen a beauty city in his life

Sukkot 51b

The size of Jerusalem and the number of inhabitants were magnified in order to glorify it

Eichah [Lamentations] Rabbah

1:1 no. 2

As well as by the name of the Holy One, blessed be He

Bava Batra 75b

The wisdom of the inhabitants of Jerusalem

Eichah/Lam Rabba 1:1 nos. 4-14

Causes for the destruction of Jerusalem

Kamtza Bar Kamtza

Gittin 55b

Deterioration of relations between men

Bava Metzia 30b

Man’s transgressions towards God

Shabbat 119b

2. Statements and homilies about Jerusalem

The history of Jerusalem begins with an aggadah on creation

Midrash Psalms to 76:3

Eliezer b Jacob held that Adam offered a sacrifice “on the great altar of Jerusalem”

Breishit Rabbah 34:9

According to one view, Adam was created from a pure and holy place, the site of the Temple

Pirkei d’ Rabbi Eliezer 12;

Breishit Rabbah 14:8;

Talmud Jerusalem Nazir 7:2, 56b

Another maintained that all the world was created from Zion

Yoma 54b

A second century B.C.E. Diaspora Jew views Jerusalem as “situated in the center of the land of Judah on a high and exalted mountain”

Letter of Aristeas 83

A braita on the verse (Deut 17:8) ".get thee up unto the place" shows that the Temple is higher than Eretz Yisrael, which is higher than all other countries

Kiddushin 69a

Philo in Legatio ad Gaium 294

Josephus – Wars, 3:51-52

Ezekiel 38:12

Tanchuma B Levit 78; Sanh 37a;

Song Rabbah 7:5 no 3

Second Book of Enoch 23:45

Jerusalem, the place where decisive events in man’s history occurred, as recalled in Genesis

Breishit Rabbah 22:7;

Pirkei d’ Rabbi Eliezer 23,31

To the name by which the place/city was first mentioned, Salem (peace/perfection -Genesis 14:18) was added yir’ah,(reverence – Gen 22:14) after the Akedah combining to form the name Jerusalem

Breishit Rabbah 56:10

• Jerusalem, the "navel" of the earth and light of the world

   

   

• R Yochanan says "is destined to become the metropolis of all countries"

   

   

• In the future all nations would be "daughters of Jerusalem

Breishit Rabbah 59:5

Shmot Rabbah 23:10

Tanh B. Deut. 4

3. The Ideal Jerusalem

Shmuel b Nachmani says " Jerusalem will not be built until the exiles are gathered in"

Tanch Noa’ah 11

In time to come God will rebuild Jerusalem and never destroy it and it will be rebuilt with fire

Talmud Jer Berachot 4:3, 8a

Simeon b Gamliel declared that “all the nations all kingdoms will in time to come gather together in the midst of Jerusalem”

ARN 35, 106

The widespread concept of the heavenly Temple (Isaiah 6) is the source of a hevenly Jerusalem (Yerushalayim shel Ma’alah)

Rabbi Yochanan said “The Holy One blessed be He declared, ‘I shall not enter the heavenly Jerusalem until I cah enter the earthly Jerusalem’.

Ta’anit 5a

God says that the heavenly Jerusalem is “prepared beforehand here from the time when I took counsel to make paradise”

Syriac Apocalypse

In Liturgy:

If I forget thee , O Jerusalem, let my ...

Psalms 137:5

The mention of Jerusalem in all the prayers was obligatory

• 14^th blessing of the Amidah
• Nachem, additiuonal prayer on Tish’a B’av
• The first of the last 3 blessings of the Amidah (all) – restoration of the sacrificial system
• 4^th blessing of the Mussaph on Rosh Chodesh and festivals

   

   

• Grace after meals devotes a large portion to Jerusalem, Zion, restoration and rebuilding
• Lecha Dodi prayer, symbolizes the longing for Jerusalem (6 out of 9 stanzas)

Siddur

In Kabbalah:

According to Bahya b Asher, the dual ending of the word Yerushalayim indicates that there is a heavenly Jerusalem corresponding to the earthly Jerusalem (see Aggadah)

The Holy Land – center of the world, in its center is Jerusalem, whose focal point is the Holy of Holies

Zohariah 2:157a

Nachmanides on Genesis 14:18, 28:17

The walls of Jerusalem will eventually approach the Throne of Glory, and then there will be complete harmony in the realm of the Sefirot

Zeohariah 3: 56a

Until the 16^th century, only a few Kabbalists lived in Jerusalem.

From the 17^th century, many more were attracted to Jerusalem, while others tended to look towards Jerusalem. The author of Chemdat Yamim wrote as if he lived in Jerusalem.