For a very long time the Jewish people maintained physical and religious allegiance to the land of Israel and Jerusalem for that matter. Jerusalem is a unique city in the world because it has a special cultural and religious importance to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. According to the Jews, it is a holy city because of very important religious events that took place there centuries ago. In fact, the city is synonymous to hope to the Jews that they will at some point return to Zion, and the Zion is in Jerusalem. When King David unified all Israel, he established it as the center of the kingdom and thus it became a very important place that has a lot of historical and the spirituality of Israelites (Asali 29). The Ark of the Covenant that is a sacred symbol among the Jews was also brought from Kiryat and placed in the First Temple, which is a sacred place of their worship. The Jews have a great attachment to this city, and their faith is largely associated with it.
Different rulers came up at different times from other nations and they directly affected Jerusalem. Most of these rulers fought over Israel and the end result was the destruction of the city and more so the religious places that form the heart of Judaism. The city was destructed and was left in ruins a couple of times but this did not kill Judaism. The destruction seemed to make the believers strong by the day because whenever they were taken captive they continued with their cultural and religious practices. Even so, the destruction of the city insinuates that they no longer have a place they call home whether religious or physical.
In the year 586 B. C. the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem and took over the city and all the Jews were driven into exile. The First temple which was the heart of their worship was also destroyed. They suffered because of the destruction of their religious and political center. In Psalms 137, there is their song of lament that insinuates this destruction, “By the rivers of Babylon, we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion. Upon the willows there, we hung our harps, when our captors demanded of our songs; our tormentors asked of us mirth: “Sing us some of the songs of Zion!” How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? If I ever forget you, O Jerusalem, withered be my right hand! May my tongue cleave to my palate, if ever I think not of you, if ever I set not Jerusalem above my highest joy?” (King James Version). The destruction of Jerusalem is by all means the greatest suffering that Judaism could ever fathom.
The Jewish religion revolves around several rites stemming from the ancient times of Abraham. Whenever they needed to practice them, they had to do them in a sacred place. Even after their dispersion to other parts of the world, Jews continue with their rites even in the absence of the temple. To this day, the city has remained the embodiment of redemption, perfection as well as wholeness. Their practices presently are an indication that they have kept the faith. It is not surprising to find synagogues from all parts of the world facing Jerusalem. Their Tora reading has to come after the reading done in Jerusalem. It is for these reasons and many others that Jerusalem remains a central place in Judaism (Dumper 108). Wherever they are in the world, they live by beliefs, and their lifestyle depicts what they used to do centuries ago.
The destruction of the city of Jerusalem devastated the Jews and even after being driven out of Zion, they held it close and in their hearts. For a very long time, they dreamt of the restoration of the city and the temple. Their long wait was a symbolism of the messianic long wait when they would be taken to Zion and Zion is given to them. In the Amida, the standard prayer in Judaism, faithful recite it three times a day and the central tenets in the prayer center on the rebuilding and restoration of Jerusalem (Klein 45). In as much as it was physically destroyed, it existed in their hearts, and they looked forward to the rebuilding of the city. In their hearts, Jerusalem was the holy city and in as much as they were away in exile, their allegiance was with it. It was the object of the promises God had given their forefathers about their continuity.
Jews across the world pray while facing the direction of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Aside from that, they continually mourn the destruction of the First and Second Temples. They also recite their solemn promise to Jerusalem, and it states that, “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand wither” (Asali 98). During their marriage ceremonies, they break a glass under the wedding canopy as a reminder of the destruction of the Temple. In solidarity of the destruction of their city, they do not plaster a section of their homes as a reminder of the destruction of Jerusalem. Perhaps what stands out most is the fact that whenever they are celebrating the Passover feast and the Day of Atonement, they end their invocation “Next Year in Jerusalem” (Klein 167). In as far as their religious activities are concerned; they incorporate Jerusalem in every one of them.
Works Cited
Asali, Kamil Jamil. Jerusalem in History. Buckhurst Hill: Scorpion, 1989. Print.
Dumper, Michael. The Politics of Sacred Space: the Old City of Jerusalem in the Middle East Conflict. Boulder, CO: L. Rienner, 2002. Print.
Klein, Menachem. The Jerusalem Problem: the Struggle for Permanent Status. Gainesville: University of Florida, 2003. Print.
