Based on Chazal’s teaching, we presented various understandings of the essence of the city and its character, as expressed both in Avraham himself and in the history of the city throughout the generations.
It should be noted that Jerusalem has several other names (the Midrash teaches that it has seventy names), and our discussion here concerns only its principle name – Jerusalem. Obviously, every other name of the city has its own significance.
We have now concluded our exploration of the hints to the essence of the city in Sefer Bereishit.
Notes:
[1] Several of the Rishonim comment on the numerical value of the name. A comment attributed to Rashi on the Midrash states, “‘yeru,’ in gematria, is [the same as] ‘yir’eh,’ and the Rosh, in his book Hadar Zekeinim, teaches: “yir’eh – alef + heh is numerically equivalent to vav; thus ‘yeru-shalem.’ For ‘Yerushalem’ is a complete word.”
[2] Some sources have tried to suggest that in its destruction, Jerusalem is referred to without the yud, while in its future rebuilding it will be called “Yerushalayim” with a yud. This is an interesting view, but the verses in which the name of the city appears in full do not provide support for it.
[3] See also the Gemara in Ta’anit 12a, Ta’anit 5a, Yerushalmi Berakhot 4,5 and Mekhilta Beshalach 10, etc.
[4] The Gemara in Arakhin 32b teaches: “There were two Jerusalems.” Midrash Tadshe, Kovetz Beit ha-Midrash, Yaelinek Publishers edition III, Sifrei Vahrman, Jerusalem 5727 (quoted in Da’at Mikra on Yehoshua 15:63, note 158), describes Jerusalem as follows: “Jerusalem was two cities – one heavenly one and one earthly one. The heavenly one fell to the lot of Binyamin, while the earthly one fell to the lot of Yehuda.” In other words, according to this Midrash, there are – geographically speaking – two parts of the city, belonging to two separate tribes. We shall not elaborate here on the Midrash, for we shall address it further in a shiur on Jerusalem during the period of the conquest and settlement of the land, but this nevertheless represents yet another way of understanding the two aspects of the city – in terms of a physical and tribal division.
[5] Rav Yehuda Shaviv, “Yerushalayim U-Mashma’uyoteiha,” Shema’atin 113, p. 94 onwards.
[6] For example, Tehillim 122:6 – “Seek the welfare (lit. “peace”) of Jerusalem; let those who love you prosper. May there be peace in your walls, tranquility in your palaces. For the sake of my brethren and friends I say, ‘Peace be within you.'” Likewise we find an interpretation of the name “Shelomo” in I Divrei Ha-yamim 22:9 – “Behold, a son will be born to you; he will be a man of tranquility, and I will give him rest from all his enemies around, for his name will be ‘Shelomo’ (‘peace unto him’), and I shall give peace and quiet to Israel in his days….”
[7] Rav Eliyahu Yadid, “Yerushalayim,” Shema’atin, 111-112, 5757.
[8] Rav Mordekhai Breuer, in his book “Pirkei Mo’adot,” Chorev Publications, Jerusalem 5746, vol. II, pp. 327-346.
[9] In the future shiurim we will try to demonstrate the interesting parallel in both aspects of Jerusalem between the period of Avraham and the period of David.
[10] Some commentators see this as the uniqueness of Jerusalem: it is the place that joins the unique faith of Am Yisrael with the general faith of the nations of the world – a hint at the prophetic vision of all the nations of the world coming to recognize, in the future, the Kingship of God (for example, Yishayahu 2; Mikha 4, etc.).
[11] In the Mishna (Kelim 1,6 onwards), Chazal refer to Jerusalem as “inside the wall, because consecrated foods of lesser sanctity, and ma’aser sheni, may be eaten there.” The definition of the city is based on its connection with the Temple. Likewise, the parallel that Chazal draw between the camp of Israel in the desert and Jerusalem, between the camp of the Leviim and the Temple Mount, and between the camp of the Divine Presence (the innermost area of the camp, where the Mishkan rests) and the Temple courtyard, defines three levels of increasing sanctity, by means of which the status of Jerusalem is determined around the Temple Mount and the Temple courtyard. We shall dwell on this point at greater length in a shiur about “the place that God will choose.”
