“Beloved by all,” King David and his equally famous son, King Solomon, called their renowned capital city nestled high in the Judean mountains. Described alternately as the seat of greatest earthly holiness, home of the two Temples of the Israelites, the “houses of the Lord,” and the scene of the almost thorough destruction of the Jewish people by their various enemies through the centuries, Jerusalem—its walls, corridors, streets and homes—has echoed cries of joy and terror on an almost constant basis continuously for the last three millennia.
Since the establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948, every living person has had an opportunity presented to very few individuals over previous generations: How exactly should they, descendants of the ancient rulers of this famous and venerated city, relate to the city?
Like other famous cities throughout the world, Jerusalem can be approached and valued as a contemporary metropolis where a modern, vital population goes about their daily lives, working, educating their families, providing shelter and a good life for their loved ones. All those activities take place, however, on the site revered by hundreds of million people as being among the holiest places in the universe. Given this duality of Jerusalem as both a locale “now, new and exciting,” as well as “ancient, holy and worthy of reverence,” exactly how should we express our feelings and comport ourselves in the city of David? In other words, how should one today express his love for Jerusalem? In addition, can we properly talk of being “in love with Jerusalem,” and what should we mean by that phrase?
Before drawing any conclusions, we should first address some historical realities centered around clear-cut examples of individuals, some quite famous, others, many more quite ordinary, personages who fell in the category of falling or being in love in Jerusalem. Yes, this holiest of scenes was never far removed from the material world: religious zeal and passion never far removed from other, baser human passions. This is not a new notion. Examine first the sacrificial commandments that were ordained to be performed on the Temple Mount. The highest and purest religious zeal behind the bringing of sacrifices was matched with the prescribed physical actions of animal slaughter and accompanied with regulated removal of the residues left in the wake of that slaughter.
On a different plane, one finds Jerusalem the site of biblical romances where royals meet, court marry, and beget children. We all know the saga of David and Batsheva, the essential Jerusalem romance. David is viewed by most rabbinic sources (and the Talmud itself) as being blameless of any wrongdoing in the relationship, perhaps divinely inspired. A minority of authorities take issue with this approach. But either way, the origin of the David-Batsheva relationship in the heart of Jerusalem is viewed by no one as exceptional, and that’s the very point of Jerusalem being home to basic human emotions. However his parents got together, King Solomon was the product of that union and he proved an exceptional person in, and leader of, Israel. The question that remains is whether Jerusalem still possesses the magic to inspire the descendants of the Davidic kings to build on the past achievements of their ancestors.
During the post-Six Day War influx of Jews to Israel, and Jerusalem in particular, sociologists and religious leaders at the Hebrew University noted a phenomenon where religious Jews became less devout in their religious practices upon their arrival in Israel. The rationale for adopting religion “lite” was that the stricter observance of the galut was required by the lack of holiness pertaining to the foreign climes in which the Jews resided. Plunk a Jew into Kikar Zion in Jerusalem, place him at the plaza of the Kotel, let him ascend the walls of Migdal David and what need did he have for inspiring tefillah? The air itself that surrounded him, the sights, the sounds were more than sufficient: He or she needed nothing to supplement their very presence at the center of Jewish existence.
Not all Jews reacted to their first trip to Israel the same way. Those less religious or irreligious outside of Israel were often transformed by the experience into the most steadfast practitioners of Halacha. Some members of both types of Jews, however, experienced a Jerusalem romance. They found in the streets, hills, valleys and avenues, what David found in Batsheva: a unique soulmate reflecting Jerusalem’s eternal ability to infuse common life with the exceptional quality of timeless magic. For these Jews, the holiness of Jerusalem is that of two people in love holding hands and kissing on the same spot where others did before them 100, 300 and 2,000 years ago—maybe the very spot where David and Batsheva first embraced.
So what is holy, what profane? In Jerusalem, one never knows for sure.
Joseph Rotenberg, a frequent contributor to The Jewish Link, has resided in Teaneck for over 45 years with his wife, Barbara. His first collection of short stories and essays, entitled “Timeless Travels: Tales of Mystery, Intrigue, Humor and Enchantment,” was published in 2018 by Gefen Books and is available online at Amazon.com. He is currently working on a follow-up volume of stories and essays.
