Sunday, May 20, 2012

Yom Yerushalayim Sameach

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch explains how Psalm 121 flows into 122. The last line of the former psalm is " G-d will watch over your exiting and returning from now until forever." Rabbi Hirsch explains that G-d will guard us as we go into exile and will be there watching over us as we return home. And then chapter 122 starts with a taste of what it will be like when we return home to Israel.

Much has been written and explained about the portait Dovid HaMelech paints of Yerushalayim. The line that strikes me is "Yerushalayim habenuya ke'ir shechubrah lah yachdav" ("Jerusalem built, as a city that binds her together" ). It's a fun trivia question to ask - where does the phrase Yerushalayim HaBenuya appear in Tanach - the entire Bible?


What is the meaning of ke'Ir shechubrah lah yachdav? Traditionally there is an ideal, spiritual Jerusalem as well as a physical, actual one. The unification here is interpreted by some as the joining of these two aspects. Others say that it is the fact that everyone has a value in everyone else's eyes in Jerusalem - this despite that fact that often in a city individuals dwindle in importance as the metropolis grows. There is a special connectedness in Jerusalem alluded to by the word chubrah, which is related to the word chaver/friend. We've all had the experience of bumping in to someone that we know in Yerushalayim. There's a magic to the city that causes us to always see people we know, more often than anywhere else. So many times I've been tapped on the shoulder at the Kotel by someone I haven't seen for ages. My friend Avraham Newman says this is also included in Ir SheChubrah Lah Yachdav.

This thought of the fact that Yerushalayim is a connecting city, a city that brings people closer together is reflected in a story. The traditional story is pretty well known. I will present that followed by the less well known modern day version of the story.

There were two brothers who shared a field. Together they plowed, together they planted, together they harvested. They shared everything 50-50. One night one of the brothers couldn't sleep. He kept thinking - I'm single, and my brother's married. He needs the produce more than me. And he went out to the field and took from his own pile and added to his brother's stock. That same night the brother couldn't sleep, thinking - I'm married, I get so much joy from my family. My brother is alone. He deserves more than me. And he went and took from his share and put it onto his brother's pile. In the morning the piles were even. So that night the two brothers each went and again took from their own pile and gave to the other. Each morning it was even and so the cycle went on. One night they met each other at the field. When they realized what was happening they embraced. And tradition has it that it is on that spot that the Beit HaMikdash - Holy Temple is built.

The modern version goes like this: There were two brothers who shared a field. Together they plowed, together they planted, together they harvested. They shared everything 50-50. One night one of the brothers couldn't sleep. He kept thinking - I'm single, and my brother's married. I need the produce more than him. And he went out to the field and took from his brother's pile and added to his own. That same night the brother couldn't sleep, thinking - I'm married, I need to support my family. My brother is alone. I deserve more than him. And he went and took from his brother's share and put it onto his own pile. In the morning the piles were even. So that night the two brothers each went and again took from the other's pile and added it to their own. Each morning it was even and so the cycle went on. One night they met each other at the field. When they realized what was happening they beat each other up. And tradition has it that it is on that spot that the Knesset is built.

While the latter version may evoke a hearty laugh, there is of course a serious side to it. We are all familiar with the imperfections of the present state of Israel. And yet, we appreciate what we have. And we pray for the connection to become complete between the Yerushayim Shel Maalah and the Yerushalayim Shel Matah.

Not everyone is as spoiled as me - to only remember a world in which we can go to Israel and to the Kotel any time we want. When I flew to Israel for the first time in 1975 I was oblivious to the fact the Kotel had only been under our control the way I experienced it for eight years! Today kids are even more used to going, used to Yerushalayim being ours as is.

We need to appreciate the miracle that was done for us forty years ago. We have to appreciate the process of redemption that we are living through. And we have to pray for the continued completion of the redemption. Yom Yerushalayim and the time period that surrounds it is a time to think about the uniting power of Yerushalayim, the fantastic opportunity we have to be there and see everyone we know and know everyone we see. May we merit soon to see Yerushalayim HaBenuya and to experience as one the magic of the Ir SheChubrah Lah Yachdav.

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