Drishat Tzion – in Honor of Yom Yerushalayim – Part 2

BS”D, Erev Shabbat Bechukotai 5779, 52 Years since the Six Day War

Rabbi Yehoshua Katz

1. In Chapter 137 in Psalms – By the rivers of Babylon” we determined our slogan: “אם אשכחך ירושלים תשכח ימיני תדבק לשוני לחכי אם לא אזכרכי, אם לא אעלה את ירושלים על ראש שמחתי” – “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget [its skill]. May my tongue cling to my palate, if I do not remember you, if I do not bring up Jerusalem at the beginning of my joy.

Rashi writes there that “the Knesset Yisrael says yes.” This is the source of making a mark that is a remembrance of the destruction, especially during happy times, when we might forget this. This is where we learn in the Talmud, that a groom puts ashes on his head or breaks a glass to remember the destruction (Orach Chaim and Even Ha’Ezer).

We must try and understand the reason for this remembrance.

We find the answer in the Mishna (Rosh Hashanah, Chapter 4 and Sukka, Chapter 3): “התקין רבן יוחנן בן זכאי (שהיה בדור החורבן) ליטול לולב כל שבעה – זכר למקדש” – Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakai (who lived in the generation of the destruction) set a rule to take a Lulav for the full seven days – in remembrance of the Mikdash.”

The Gemara brings a source for maintaining a remembrance of the MIkdash (Rosh Hashanah, 30A) from Jeremiah (30:17):”ציון היא דורש אין לה” – that is Zion whom no one seeks out. From here the Gemara learns that it requires seeking out.

We will explain: From Jeremiah’s criticism we learn that throughout the generations, we must seek out Jerusalem and this is the purpose of the remembrance.

What is seeking out? Ramban (Nahmanides) says that seeking is praying and he brings several verses, from the prophets and Psalms, that prove his point. It is true that he is talking about seeking out a closeness to Hashem, but it is clear that we can also understand that seeking out Jerusalem has the same meaning: requesting the closeness of Hashem, through the rebuilt Jerusalem.

We thus find that the purpose of remembering Jerusalem is the seeking, the requesting from our heart, to the God who will build it and return it to be the home of the Shechina, the center of our spirituality, the center of Torah (see below), the center of aliya, and the source of Torah and halacha.

The Gemara (in Baba Batra, 21A) quotes Rabbi Yehoshua ben Gamla (a high priest in the Second Temple, Rashi) who set the custom of having teachers of young children in each country and in each city.

There the Gemara quotes that “before that they would have teachers of young children only in Jerusalem. Why only in Jerusalem? Because ‘for out of Zion shall the Torah come forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem’ (Isaiah 2). And this continued for a certain period, during which they brought the children up to Jerusalem.

The Tosfot explained there:

“לפי שהיה רואה (=”התינוק”) קדושה גדולה וכהנים עוסקים בעבודה [ומותר לי להוסיף שכנראה הם נפגשו גם בחכמי הסנהדרין], היה מכוון ליבו יותר ליראת שמים וללמוד תורה” – When the children would see the great holiness and the Cohanim working [and if I may add, they probably met with the sages of the Sanhedrin], it would increase their Yirat Shamayim and bring greater Torah learning.”

As explained by the Sifri: “למען תלמד ליראה וגו’ – גדול מעשר שני שמביא לידי תלמוד. לפי שהיה עומד בירושלים עד שיאכל מעשר שני שלו, והיה רואה שכולם עוסקים במלאכת שמים ובעבודה, היה גם הוא מכוון ליראת שמים ועוסק בתורה” – >>>>

Here we must mention the special verse: “כי רצו עבדיך את אבניה ואת עפרה יחוננו” – For Your servants desired its stones and favored its dust. [there is an interesting explanation on this in Sefer Hachinuch, Mitzvah 360]. This verse was brought at the end of Ketubot, as a source of Rabbi Chiya Bar Gamda’s tradition to wallow in the soil of our Holy Land. Rashi, in Psalms, brings a Midrash: “כשיצא יכניה וגלותו נשאו עמהם מאבני ירושלים ועפרה לבנות להם בבבל בית כנסת” – When Yechonya and the people left to the exile, they took with them the stones and soil of Jerusalem to build a synagogue in Babylon. They also regarded this as a remembrance, and on the way wanted its stones and soil.

So here I believe that we can explain that just as the simple meaning of the word “seeking” is to demand, ask, and its deeper meaning is to seek closeness with Hashem through prayer; so also the word “wanted” has the simple meaning of desire, and a deeper meaning of “heartfelt prayer.”

So, “Your servants desired its stones” is the Tikkun for “that is Zion whom no one seeks out” – the request for the return of the Shechina. Rabbi Chiya Bar Gamda’s tradition to wallow in the soil of our Holy Land is an expression of sadness for the exile of the Shechina and prayers for its return.

1. In all our daily prayers, as well as on Shabbat and Chagim and in bentching – we say prayers for the rebuilding of Jerusalem, of returning the holy work to the Beit Hamikdash and the Shechina as in days of old (Sefer Hachinuch, Mitzvah 95).

We must try to say this as sincerely as possible.

“ואכלת ושבעת וברכת את ה’ אלוקיך על הארץ הטובה אשר נתן לך” – And you will eat and be sated, and you shall bless the Lord, your God, for the good land He has given you. The good land – that is Jerusalem (like the “good mountain” – Brachot, 48). This is the source of the third blessing in Birkat Hamazon.

We must show gratitude and mention the good mountain in our prayers (“for out of Zion shall the Torah come forth” – and there is nothing better than Torah) and the Levanon (the Beit Hamikdash, that whitens the sins of Israel). Jerusalem must be sought after from a deep understanding of its significance for us.

Just as we must seek Hashem in our prayers in our heart, so we must seek out Jerusalem in our heart.

 

1. Those who seek out Jerusalem in prayer “רצו את אבניה ואת עפרה יכוננו” – For Your servants desired its stones and favored its dust – because they desired Your closeness through the city which You chose. They had the right to demand in public from the nations, while also demanding from our own leaders in our Holy Land: do not dare harm the holiness or unity of the King’s City.

Of course it is not enough to call out to them. It is of utmost importance to continue living on a spiritual level which Hashem requires of us as His nation.

Let us listen to the voice calling out from the heavens: you have merited living in the time of אתחלתא של גאולת ירושלים! – the beginning of the redemption of Jerusalem. Let your boys and girls play in the streets of Jerusalem, let them laugh and be happy in holiness, let us build our spirituality, not only physically, with great force.

May it be the will of a King that we shall soon see the peace in the goodness of Jerusalem – a great people, illuminated by a new light that will shine on Zion. We demand Yerushalayim, and Yeru Shalem, we will see it complete, we hope[1].

[1] The above was written in memory of the great sage, Rabbi Yeshayahu Hadari ZTZ”L, on the love of the holy city of Jerusalem and the expectation of the Mikdash. Rabbi Hadari was one of the rebuilders of the Jewish community in the Old City, renovating it in 5727 (1967) and for many years after that, while spreading Torah and building the Yeshivat Hakotel. His first yartzeit was on 10 Iyar, 5779. May his memory be a blessing to all.