Jerusalem in Judaism

Significance of the city of Jerusalem in Jewish religious belief From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Since the 10th century BCE, Jerusalem has been the holiest city, focus and spiritual center of the Jews.^[1] Jerusalem has long been embedded into the Jewish religious and national consciousness. Religious Jews believe that in the future the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem will become the center of worship and instruction for all mankind and consequently Jerusalem will become the spiritual center of the world.^[2]

In the Hebrew Bible

The name Yerushalem (Hebrew: ירושלם)—also written as Yerushalayim (Hebrew: ירושלים on five occasions—is mentioned a total of 669 times in the Hebrew Bible, while the term Zion, which is used as a symbolic mention of Jerusalem or as a reference to the entire Land of Israel, appears 154 times.^[3]^[4] Jerusalem first appears in the Bible, in the Book of Joshua.^[5] It is not explicitly mentioned in the Pentateuch. Instead when referring to Jerusalem, the place names Salem and Moriah, and the term "the place that God will choose" are used:

You shall seek the place where the Lord your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place.^[6]

Maimonides cites various reasons why this is so, the first being that if the nations of the world had learned that this place was destined to become the centre of the highest religious ideals they would have occupied it to prevent the Jews from ever controlling it.^[7]

In Judaism it is considered the Written Law, the basis for the Oral Law (Mishnah, Talmud and Shulkhan Arukh) studied, practiced and treasured by Jews and Judaism for three millennia (list of Jewish prayers and blessings). The Talmud elaborates in great depth the Jewish connection with the city.

For example, the book of Psalms, which has been frequently recited and memorized by Jews for centuries, says:

"By the rivers of Babylon we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion." (Psalm 137:1)

"For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the LORD's song in a strange land? If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning . If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy. Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Raze it, raze it, even to the foundation thereof; O daughter of Babylon, that art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that repay eth thee as thou hast served us. Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones." (Psalms 137:3–9) (King James Version, with italics for words not in the original Hebrew)

"O God, the nations have entered into your inheritance, they have defiled the sanctuary of your holiness, they have turned Jerusalem into heaps of rubble...they have shed their blood like water round Jerusalem..." (Psalms 79:1–3);

"...O Jerusalem, the built up Jerusalem is like a city that is united together...Pray for the peace of Jerusalem..." (Psalms 122:2–6);

"Jerusalem is surrounded by mountains as God surrounds his people forever" (Psalms 125:3);

"The builder of Jerusalem is God, the outcast of Israel he will gather in...Praise God O Jerusalem, laud your God O Zion." (Psalms 147:2–12)

In Rabbinic literature

The centrality of Jerusalem in Jewish thought is illustrated in rabbinic literature, which describes the city as the "navel of the earth," symbolizing its status as the cosmic center:^[8]

As the navel is in the middle of a human being, the Land of Israel is the navel of the world, as it is written: "dwellers of the navel of the earth. Just as Eretz Israel is located in the centre of the world so is Jerusalem in the centre of Eretz Israel, the temple in the centre of Jerusalem, the holy of holies in the centre of the temple, the ark at the centre of the holy of holies, and right in front is the foundation stone of the whole of the universe.

— Tanhuma to Leviticus, Qedoshim 10, ed. Buber, 78

Jewish religious writings contain thousands more references to Jerusalem, some of which are included in the following:

If one is praying in the Land of Israel, he should direct his heart towards Jerusalem; If he is standing in Jerusalem, he should face towards the Holy Temple — Berakhot 27a

Why are the fruits of Ginosar not found in Jerusalem? So that the pilgrims should not say "were it only incumbent on us to eat the fruits of Ginosar in Jerusalem, it would be enough" — Pesachim 8b

In the future the Holy One will expand Jerusalem to the extent that a horse will flee and its owner will be able to recover it [while still being within the city’s limits] — Pesachim 50a

Jerusalem was not divided among the tribes — Yoma 12a

A snake or scorpion never injured anyone in Jerusalem — Yoma 21a

Whoever did not see Jerusalem in her glory has never seen a beautiful city — Sukkah 51b

Ten measures of beauty descended to the world, Jerusalem took nine — Kidushin 49b

Jerusalem is the light of the world — Bereshit Rabbah 59

Jerusalem will not be rebuilt until the ingathering of the exiles has occurred — Tanchuma Noach 11

The Land of Israel sits at the centre of the world and Jerusalem sits at the centre of the Land of Israel — Tanchuma Kedoshim 10

Why did the omnipresent not create warm springs in Jerusalem, like those of Tiberias? So a person should not say “Let us ascend to Jerusalem in order to bathe” — Sifre Behaalotecha 89

There is no beauty like that of Jerusalem — Avot of Rabbi Natan 28

Ten miracles occurred for our forefathers in Jerusalem — Avot of Rabbi Natan 35

”From all your tribes” – This refers to Jerusalem because all Israel are partners in her — Avot of Rabbi Natan 35

In the future all the nations and kingdoms will be gathered unto Jerusalem — Avot of Rabbi Natan 35

All who pray in Jerusalem - it is as if he prayed before the throne of glory, because the gate of heaven is situated there — Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 35

In the merit of Jerusalem I split the sea for them — Yalkut Shimoni Isaiah 473

In the future the suburbs of Jerusalem will be filled with precious stones and jewels and all of Israel will come and take them — Yalkut Shimoni Isaiah 478

From the day Jerusalem was destroyed, God has no joy, until He rebuilds Jerusalem and returns Israel to it — Yalkut Shimoni Lamentations 1009

In Jewish Law and custom

Temple in Jerusalem

In antiquity, Judaism revolved around the Temple in Jerusalem. The Sanhedrin, which governed the nation, was located in the Temple precincts. The Temple service was at the heart of the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur proceedings. The Temple was central to the Three pilgrim festivals, namely Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot, when all Jews were incumbent to gather in Jerusalem. Every seven years all Jews were required to assemble at the Temple for the Hakhel reading. The forty-nine-day Counting of the Omer recalls the Omer offering which was offered at the Temple every day between Passover and Shavuot. The eight-day festival of Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple after its desecration by Antiochus IV. A number of fast days including the Ninth of Av, the Tenth of Tevet and the Seventeenth of Tammuz, all recall the destruction of the Temple.

Maimonides records a list of bylaws which applied to Jerusalem during the Temple period: A corpse must not be left within the city overnight; human remains must not be brought inside the city; its houses are not to be rented out; residence for a ger toshav was not granted; burial plots are not maintained, other than those of the House of David and Huldah which existed from ancient times; the planting of gardens and orchards is forbidden; sowing and plowing is forbidden due to the possibility of decaying produce; trees are not planted, except for rose gardens which existed in ancient times; garbage heaps are forbidden due to infestation; girders and balconies may not overhang the public domain; pressure ovens are forbidden due to the smoke; it is forbidden to raise chickens.

In commemoration

The words "L'Shana Haba'ah" (meaning "Next Year in Jerusalem") are traditionally recited at the conclusion of the Yom Kippur service and of the Passover Seder outside of Jerusalem.^[9] The passage first appears as part of the liturgy for Yom Kippur in the Machzor Vitry published in the 12th-13th centuries, and for Passover in the Birds' Head Haggadah published around 1300 and was attested a century later by Rabbi Isaac Tyrnau as an accepted component of the Seder.^[10] In Jerusalem itself, the Passover Seder might conclude, "Next Year in Jerusalem, the rebuilt," referring likely to the Temple that was destroyed over two millennia ago.

There are various customs as to what to say when taking leave of a mourner sitting shiva. Ashkenazi Jews recite a traditional phrase that wishes comfort to a mourner by a reassurance that they will eventually reconnect to the person who died, in the same way that God comforts the Jewish people for the destruction of the Second Temple nearly 2,000 years ago through the promise of its eventual rebuilding in the times of the Messiah.^[11]^[12] The visitor says to the mourner:^[11]

הַמָּקוֹם יְנַחֵם אֶתְכֶם בְּתוֹךְ שְׁאָר אֲבֵלֵי צִיּוֹן וִירוּשָׁלָיִם

Hamakom y'nachem etkhem b'tokh sha'ar avelei tziyon viyrushalayim:

"May The Omnipresent comfort you (pl.) among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem"

The Three Weeks beginning with the Seventeenth of Tammuz are known as Bein haMetzarim ("between the straits", i.e. between the days of distress), and serve as an annual period of Jewish communal sorrow ending on the fast day of Tisha B'Av — which is dedicated to remembering and mourning the destruction in Jerusalem of Solomon's Temple in 586 BCE and of the Second Temple in 70 CE — and has been described by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks as "the saddest day in the Jewish calendar".^[13]^[14]^[15] Some customs of mourning, which commemorate the destruction of Jerusalem, are observed from the start of the Three Weeks, particularly for Ashkenazi Jews, while many Sephardic Jews observe these customs during the Nine Days that begin on the First of Av.^[16]

In prayer

Following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE and the subsequent Jewish diaspora, classical Jewish liturgy became a primary vehicle for preserving the national memory of Jerusalem and the hope for the restoration of Zion. Consequently, explicit references to Zion and Jerusalem are ubiquitous in daily, Sabbath, and holiday prayers.

Daily liturgy

The Talmud specifies that Jewish prayer is recited while facing towards Israel by those outside it,^[17] while those reciting the prayer in Israel face Jerusalem and those in Jerusalem face towards the site of the Holy of Holies on the Temple Mount.^[18]

The structure and blessings of the Amidah prayer, recited a minimum of three times daily, were formulated to replace the sacrificial rites following the destruction of the Second Temple.^[19] The Talmud (Berakhot:30a) cites the prayer recited by the king at the dedication of Solomon's Temple (1 Kings 8) in ruling that the Amidah is recited facing towards Israel by those outside it,^[17] while those reciting the prayer in Israel face Jerusalem and those in Jerusalem face towards the site of the Holy of Holies on the Temple Mount.^[20] The Amidah's fourteenth blessing pleads for God to re-establish the Davidic monarchy and return his Divine presence to a rebuilt Jerusalem:^[21]^[22]^[23]

"And to Jerusalem, Your city, may You return in compassion, and may You rest within it, as You have spoke. May You rebuild it soon in our days as an eternal structure, and may You speedily establish the throne of King David within it. Blessed are You, God, the builder of Jerusalem...May our eyes behold Your return to Zion in compassion. Blessed are you God, who restores His presence to Zion".

It mentions Zion and Jerusalem five times.^[24]

On Tisha B'Av, that belssing is modified with a paragraph that begins Nachem ("Console...") that is added during the Amidah (for Ashkenazim, only at the Mincha service).^[25] The modified blessing opens "Lord our God, console the mourners of Zion and the mourners of Jerusalem and the city that is bereaved, destroyed, scorned and desolate".^[25] The conclusion of the blessing is revised to "Blessed are You, O Lord, Who consoles Zion and builds Jerusalem."^[25] Various Modern Orthodox and Conservative rabbis have proposed amending Nachem, as its wording no longer reflects the existence of a rebuilt Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty after the Six-Day War, though these changes have not been widely adopted.^[25]^[26]^[27]

Sabbath and Holiday liturgy

The Mussaf (additional) prayer, recited on Shabbat and festivals, emphasizes the exile and the hope for return:

But because of our sins we have been exiled from our land and sent far from our soil... Draw our scattered ones near from among the nations, and bring in our dispersions from the ends of the earth. Bring us to Zion your city in glad song, and to Jerusalem home of your sanctuary in eternal joy.

During the Torah service on the Sabbath, Mondays, Thursdays, New Months, and major Jewish holidays, the congregation sings as the Torah scroll is removed from the ark:

Ki Mitzion: "For out of Zion shall go forth the Torah, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." (כִּי מִצִּיוֹן תֵּצֵא תוֹרָה ודבר ה׳ ירוּשָׁלָֽיִם)

The Ya'aleh Ve-Yavo prayer, inserted into the Amidah and Birkat Hamazon on holidays and New Months, asks for the "remembrance of Jerusalem, the city of your holiness."

In the Hashkiveinu prayer on the Sabbath eve, the conclusion of the blessing is altered to reflect this focus: "Blessed are You Lord, who spreads the shelter of peace over us, over His entire people Israel, and over Jerusalem."

Meals and blessings

In Birkat Hamazon (Grace After Meals), recited after partaking of a meal eaten with bread, the third blessing — traditionally authored by King David — is entirely dedicated to the rebuilding of the city:^[28]^[29]

Have mercy Lord, our God... on Jerusalem Your city, on Zion the resting place of Your glory... Rebuild Jerusalem, the holy city, soon in our days. Blessed are you God who rebuilds Jerusalem in His mercy, Amen.

The Bracha Achrona (specifically the thanksgiving blessing after a light meal, such as Al Hamichya), mirrors this sentiment:

Have mercy, Lord, our God... on Jerusalem, Your city; and on Zion, the resting place of Your glory... Rebuild Jerusalem, the city of holiness, speedily in our days. Bring us up into it and gladden us in its rebuilding and let us eat from its fruit and be satisfied with its goodness and bless You upon it in holiness and purity.

Days of mourning

On Tisha B'Av, the Nachem prayer is inserted into the Mincha Amidah in the Ashkenazic tradition. It asks God to comfort those who mourn the destruction of Zion and Jerusalem. The prayer begins with "Comfort, Lord our God, the mourners of Zion and the mourners of Jerusalem..." and concludes with:

Blessed art Thou, Lord, who brings comfort to Zion and rebuilds Jerusalem.^[30]

Customs in remembrance of Jerusalem

Many traditional Jewish customs are observed in remembrance of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple. One custom has a small amount of ash touched to the forehead of the groom before he goes to stand beneath the bridal canopy. This symbolically reminds him not to allow his own rejoicing to be "greater" than the ongoing need to recall Jerusalem's destruction. The well-known custom of the groom breaking a glass with the heel of his shoe at the conclusion of the wedding ceremony connects the effort to temper the joyous celebration with the subject of mourning for Jerusalem.^[31] It is a custom to recite the verses beginning "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget [her cunning]." (Psalm 137:5-6).^[32]

Another ancient custom is to leave a portion of the interior wall, located opposite the door to one's home and to leave it unpainted, as a remembrance of the destruction (zecher lechurban), of the Temples and city of Jerusalem.^[33]

According to Jewish law, as an expression of mourning for Jerusalem, it is forbidden to listen to any form of music, other than on holidays and at celebrations such as weddings and inaugurations of new Torah scrolls. This prohibition, however, while codified in the Shulchan Aruch, is not followed by the vast majority of Orthodox and even Haredi Jews nowadays.

Pilgrimage

In the Second Temple period, Jews in and beyond the land of Israel made pilgrimages to the Temple on the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. Some pilgrims lodged at a nearby synagogue in the City of David, as described in the Theodotos inscription.^[34] Jews continued to travel to Jerusalem after the destruction of the Second Temple, although the practice was banned for a time by Byzantine decree in the fourth century.^[35] In the ninth through eleventh centuries, diaspora Jews from Asia and Europe embarked on pilgrimages to Jerusalem for the holiday of Sukkot and attended the Mount of Olives Hoshana Rabbah ceremony.

William Roberts Wilde, father of Oscar Wilde, described Jewish pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1838: "Independently of that natural love of country which exists among this people, two objects bring the Jew to Jerusalem; to study the Scriptures and the Talmud — and then to die, and have his bones laid with his forefathers in the valley of Jehosaphat... On his first approach to the city, while yet within a day's journey, he puts on his best apparel; and when the first view of it bursts upon his sight, he rends the garments, falls down to worship, and prays over the long-sought object of his pilgrimage; and with dust sprinkled on his head, he enters the city of his forefathers... This, at least, is patriotism."^[36]

Western Wall in Jerusalem

The Western Wall (kotel hama'aravi), in the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem, is one of the holiest sites in modern Judaism.^[37] This is because it is the closest point to the site of the Holy of Holies which is currently inaccessible to Jews. Until 1967, it was generally considered to be the only surviving remnant of the Second Temple from the era of the Roman conquests; there are said to be esoteric texts in Midrash that mention God's promise to keep this one remnant of the outer temple wall standing as a memorial and reminder of the past. Hence also the name "Wailing Wall", used by non-Jews because many Jews would traditionally cry when they came before it.

However, the capture of Eastern Jerusalem in the Six-Day War revealed that the retaining wall of the Temple Mount in fact survived in all places.

Rabbis and Jerusalem

The Talmud records that the rabbinical leader Yohanan ben Zakkai (c. 70 C.E.) urged a peaceful surrender, in order to save Jerusalem from destruction, but was not heeded as the city was under the control of the Zealots. An early expression of the Jewish desire to "return to Zion" is the journey of Yehuda Halevi, who died in about 1140. Jewish legend relates that as he came near Jerusalem, overpowered by the sight of the Holy City, he sang his most beautiful elegy, the celebrated "Zionide" Tzion ha-lo Tish'ali and that at that instant he was ridden down and killed by an Arab.

He was followed by Nahmanides (Ramban) who, in 1267 emigrated to the land of Israel, and came for a short stay to live in Jerusalem. He wrote that he found barely ten Jews, as it had been desolated by the Crusades, nevertheless, together they built a synagogue that is the oldest that still stands to this day, known as the Ramban Synagogue.

In the 18th century, both the Vilna Gaon and Baal Shem Tov instructed and sent small successive waves of their disciples to settle in Jerusalem, then under Turkish Ottoman rule. They created a Jewish religious infrastructure that remains the core of the Haredi Jewish community in Jerusalem to this day, currently led by the Edah HaChareidis. Some of the descendants of the Vilna Gaon's students established the extremely anti-Zionist Neturei Karta movement.

Creation of the State of Israel

The British Mandate of Palestine authorities created the new offices of "Chief Rabbi" in 1921 for both Ashkenazi Jews and Sephardic Jews with central offices in Jerusalem. Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (d. 1935) moved to Jerusalem to set up this office, associated with the "Religious Zionist" Mafdal group, becoming the first modern Chief Rabbi together with Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yaakov Meir. The official structure which housed the Chief Rabbinate until 1992, was completed in 1958 and is known as Heichal Shlomo.^[38]

In contrast, the Haredi Jews of Jerusalem formed the anti-Zionist Edah HaChareidis, an umbrella organization for all Haredi Jews, who were not Zionists and fiercely opposed the activities of the (Religious) Zionist movement. The first Chief Rabbi of the Edah HaChareidis was Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld. Several groups formerly aligned with the Edah gradually broke away from it; these include the Hasidic movements Belz and Skver. The Hasidic group Ger was never part of the Edah. Aside from the more famous Ashkenazi Edah, there is also a lesser known Sephardi Edah HaChareidit.

Jerusalem is also home to a number of the world's largest yeshivot (Talmudical and Rabbinical schools), and has become the undisputed capital of Jewish scholarly, religious and spiritual life for most of world Jewry. Examples of major yeshivos in Jerusalem are the Mir yeshiva and the Brisk yeshiva.

Major Hasidic dynasties headquartered in Jerusalem include Toldos Aharon, Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok, Dushinsky, Ger, Belz, Breslov, Karlin-Stolin, and Rachmastrivka. Most of these groups have a membership ranging from circa one thousand to tens of thousands. There are also several smaller groups, not mentioned here. (See also: Category:Hasidic dynasties headquartered in Jerusalem.)

Jerusalem in modern Israel

Jerusalem in the 21st century is perceived by Israeli Jews in different ways, depending on their religious beliefs. In the summer of 2009, riots by Haredi Jews broke out in Jerusalem over the opening of a parking lot near the Old City on Saturdays.^[39] However, secular groups counter-protested,^[40] claiming that Jerusalem should be a city for all people, religious and non-religious. The call for an "open" Jerusalem has received support from Rabbi Dr. Donniel Hartman, an Orthodox Rabbi and President of the Shalom Hartman Institute, in Jerusalem. He wrote: "As a religious Jew who is also a Zionist I believe Jerusalem is not simply important as the city of God, but as the capital of the State of Israel, a state which, as distinct from you, I value as a part of my religious life. As a committed Zionist, I believe the citizens of our country need unifying symbols around which to construct our shared collective life. Jerusalem, one of the few remaining unifying concepts in our deeply divided Jewish world, may serve as precisely such as symbol. The meaning of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is that it is a city which belongs to all citizens of the State of Israel. While you and I may observe Shabbat in similar ways, my fellow citizens of Israel observe it very differently. While you want to preserve the city, I want to preserve our people".^[41]

Reconstruction of the Temple of Solomon according with the Biblical description
A coin issued by the rebels in the year 68. Obverse: "Shekel Israel, year 3". Reverse: "Jerusalem the Holy".
The Old City in the early 1900s. The two domes in the Jewish Quarter, (lower part of the photo), are of the Hurva and Tiferes Yisrael synagogues.

References

[1]
"Israel was first forged into a unified nation from Jerusalem some three thousand years ago, when King David seized the crown and united the twelve tribes from this city... For a thousand years Jerusalem was the seat of Jewish sovereignty, the household site of kings, the location of its legislative councils and courts. In exile, the Jewish nation came to be identified with the city that had been the site of its ancient capital. Jews, wherever they were, prayed for its restoration". Roger Friedland, Richard D. Hecht. To Rule Jerusalem, University of California Press, 2000, p. 8. ISBN 0-520-22092-7

"The Jewish bond to Jerusalem was never broken. For three millennia, Jerusalem has been the center of the Jewish faith, retaining its symbolic value throughout the generations". Jerusalem- the Holy City, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, February 23, 2003. Accessed March 24, 2007.

"The centrality of Jerusalem to Judaism is so strong that even secular Jews express their devotion and attachment to the city and cannot conceive of a modern State of Israel without it... For Jews Jerusalem is sacred simply because it exists... Though Jerusalem's sacred character goes back three millennia...". Leslie J. Hoppe. The Holy City:Jerusalem in the theology of the Old Testament, Liturgical Press, 2000, p. 6. ISBN 0-8146-5081-3

"Ever since King David made Jerusalem the capital of Israel 3,000 years ago, the city has played a central role in Jewish existence". Mitchell Geoffrey Bard, The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Middle East Conflict, Alpha Books, 2002, p. 330. ISBN 0-02-864410-7

"For Jews the city has been the pre-eminent focus of their spiritual, cultural, and national life throughout three millennia". Yossi Feintuch, U.S. Policy on Jerusalem, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1987, p. 1. ISBN 0-313-25700-0

"Jerusalem became the center of the Jewish people some 3,000 years ago" Moshe Maʻoz, Sari Nusseibeh, Jerusalem: Points of Friction - And Beyond, Brill Academic Publishers, 2000, p. 1. ISBN 90-411-8843-6

"The Jewish people are inextricably bound to the city of Jerusalem. No other city has played such a dominant role in the history, politics, culture, religion, national life and consciousness of a people as has Jerusalem in the life of Jewry and Judaism. Since King David established the city as the capital of the Jewish state circa 1000 BCE, it has served as the symbol and most profound expression of the Jewish people's identity as a nation". Basic Facts you should know: Jerusalem, archived from the original on 2013-01-04, Anti-Defamation League, 2007. Accessed March 28, 2007.
[2]
Kaplan, Aryeh (1992). "25: The Messianic Era". Handbook of Jewish Thought, (Volume 2). New York: Moznaim Publishing. p. 376.
[3]
Rivkin, Mendel. "Why is Jerusalem not Mentioned in the Torah?", Chabad-Lubavitch of Louisiana, May 7, 2021. Accessed June 12, 2026. "Although Yerushalayim is mentioned 669 times in Tanach (823 if you include references to Zion), the Torah (Pentateuch) does not mention either of them."
[4]
Cargill, Robert. "First Person: A Little Jot on a Jerusalem Column", Biblical Archaeology Review, January / February 2019. Accessed June 12, 2026. "Early in the Hebrew language’s development, Jerusalem was spelled without the final yod, as ירושלם. In fact, of the 660 times that the name “Jerusalem” appears in the Hebrew Bible, all but five instances appear as this shorter version, ירושלם. However, in Jeremiah 26:18, Esther 2:6, 1 Chronicles 3:5, and 2 Chronicles 25:1 and 2 Chronicles 32:9—all relatively late Hebrew Bible texts chronologically—the spelling of Jerusalem appears as ירושלים, that is, with the extra yod as the penultimate letter."
[5]
The History of Jerusalem in the Bible, Zondervan, September 9, 2019. Accessed June 7, 2026. "Two events in the life of Abraham place him in close proximity to Jerusalem. Melchizedek, the king of Salem (Gen 14:18; cf. Ps 76:2), met Abram after his rescue of Lot. Later Abraham took his son Isaac to one of the mountains in the 'region of Moriah' to sacrifice him (Gen 22:2), the same place where Solomon built the temple (2 Chron 3:1). Jerusalem next appears in the stories of the conquest under Joshua. When the king of Jerusalem, Adoni-Zedek, heard of the Gibeonites’ treaty with Joshua, he realized that his major line of communication with the coast, and hence to Egypt, was in jeopardy. He assembled a coalition of four other Amorite kings and attacked Gibeon but was defeated by Joshua."
[6]
Deuteronomy 12:5
[7]
Kaplan, Aryeh (1996). "Beginnings". Jerusalem, the Eye of the Universe. New York: Mesorah. pp. 11–44.
[8]
Sivan, Hagith (2008-02-14), "Jerusalem: The Contrasting Eyes of Beholders", Palestine in Late Antiquity, Oxford University Press, pp. 192–193, doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199284177.003.0006, ISBN 978-0-19-928417-7, retrieved 2024-09-04
[9]
Alperin, Michele. "Next Year in Jerusalem Understanding the familiar phrase in light of modern realities", My Jewish Learning. Accessed June 11, 2025. "What, then, does it mean for today’s Jew to utter the words 'next year in Jerusalem' at the end of every Passover seder? Redemption, Past & Future The most straightforward answer is that 'Jerusalem' refers to the future city–and its Temple–rebuilt when the Messiah comes. Most traditional Jews feel quite comfortable expressing this messianic longing at the end of the seder, just as at the end of each Shabbat Jews recite the hope that the Messiah should come 'speedily in our day.' And to clarify for Israelis, some traditional Haggadot indicate that those in the Jewish state should replace the phrase with 'next year in Jerusalem, the rebuilt,' implying a rebuilt Temple."
[10]
Mondschein, Ken. "'Next Year in Jerusalem': The Medieval Origins of the Jewish Longing for a Homeland", Medievalists.net. Accessed June 11, 2026. "The saying is found in its modern form the twelfth-thirteenth century Vitry Mahzor (High Holiday prayerbook), and the earliest occurrence in a Passover Haggadah is from the Bird’s Head Haggadah from c. 1300. The fifteenth-century Austrian rabbi Isaac Tyrnau writes of it being part of the Passover liturgy, and by the time of printed Haggadahs in the sixteenth century, it had become a standard formulation."
[11]
Grumet, Zvi. "The Mourners of Zion and Jerusalem", The Times of Israel, October 19, 2023. Accessed June 10, 2026. "Ashkenazi Jews have a custom of reciting the following when visiting a shiva: Hamakom yenahem etkhem betokh she’ar aveilei Tzion ViYerushalayim. May the Omnipresent comfort you amongst all the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem."
[12]
Moss, Aron. "Who Are 'The Mourners of Zion and Jerusalem'?", Chabad.org. Accessed June 10, 2026. "I was wondering about the traditional words of consolation said to mourners: 'May the Almighty comfort you amongst the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.'... After two millennia we still mourn for the loss of Jerusalem, but the Jewish people have never lost hope that Jerusalem will one day be rebuilt. In a similar way, we mourn the loss of our loved ones, but we have faith that we will one day be reunited with them, for our prophets have promised that the dead will come back to life in the messianic era.... While the Romans were able to destroy the buildings of Jerusalem, its spirit and inner holiness were beyond their reach."
[13]
Rimon, Yosef Tzvi (2025-07-31). "Mourning the destruction of the Temples on Tisha B'Av 2025: Special guidelines when the fast falls on Saturday night". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2025-08-03.
[14]
Jonathan Sacks. "The Three Weeks and Tisha B'Av", RabbiSacks.org. Accessed July 1, 2026. "The period known as the Three Weeks (also known in Hebrew as Bein ha-Metzarim – 'Between the Straits/days of distress') is the saddest period in the Jewish calendar. Customs of mourning are observed during this time to commemorate the destruction of the First and Second Temples.... Tisha B'Av: This is the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, when the destruction of both the First and Second Temples is commemorated.... The First Temple, built by King Shlomo, was destroyed by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BCE, and the population of the Kingdom of Judah was sent into exile. The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE, scattering the people of Judea and signifying the beginning of a two-thousand-year exile."
[15]
Shurpin, Yehuda. 'What You Need to Know About the 'Three Weeks'", Chabad.org. Accessed July 1, 2026. "The Three Weeks, beginning on the 17th of Tammuz and concluding with the 9th of Av (Tisha B’Av), are a solemn period of mourning that commemorates a series of tragic events in Jewish history, primarily the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem."
[16]
The Customs of the Three Weeks, Peninei Halakha. Accessed July 1, 2026. "There are other customs of mourning that various communities have adopted. Ashkenazim and some Sephardim, including Jews from Morocco and Djerba, refrain from cutting their hair during the Three Weeks. Other Sephardim are strict about this only during the week of Tisha Be-Av. Ashkenazim, Yemenites, and most Sephardim do not conduct weddings during the Three Weeks. Other Sephardim are more lenient, only avoiding weddings from the beginning of the month of Av (see below, section 7)."
[17]
Broyde, Michael. "Orientation During Prayer", Torah Musings, October 21, 2012. Accessed June 26, 2026. "One of the more universally recognized aspects of Jewish prayer is that (at least in our part of the world) it is to be directed to the east, toward Israel. Ideally, synagogues should be designed and built to face Israel. Individuals praying alone are likewise encouraged to orient themselves eastward.... In Berakhot 30a the Talmud states that one should pray facing Israel and the Beit ha-Mikdash: The rabbis taught: … One who stands outside the land [of Israel] should direct his heart to Israel, as it says, 'And they shall pray to You by way of their land' (I Kings 8:48)."
[18]
Ullman, Yirmiyahu. "Which Way to Pray?', Ohr Somayach, July 13, 2026. Accessed The source for the practice you are used to, namely facing toward Jerusalem, is the Talmud (Berachot 30a): 'One who stands in Israel should direct his heart to Jerusalem, as it says, "And they shall pray to G-d towards the city that you have chosen" (I Kings 8:44). One who stands in Jerusalem should direct his heart to the Temple, as it says, "And they shall pray to this house" (II Chronicles 6:32). One who stands in the Temple should direct his heart to the Holy of Holies, as it says, "And they shall pray to this place" (I Kings 8:35).'"
[19]
"Tefilat Ha'Amidah", The Jewish Link, January 6, 2022. Accessed June 26, 2026. "After the destruction of the Second Temple in the year 69 of the Common Era, Rabbi Gamliel II put the Amidah into the form we know today, and the recital of the Amidah three times a day became obligatory. Prayers today are a substitute for the Korbanot, the Temple Service."
[20]
Ullman, Yirmiyahu. "Which Way to Pray?', Ohr Somayach, July 12, 2014. Accessed The source for the practice you are used to, namely facing toward Jerusalem, is the Talmud (Berachot 30a): 'One who stands in Israel should direct his heart to Jerusalem, as it says, "And they shall pray to G-d towards the city that you have chosen" (I Kings 8:44). One who stands in Jerusalem should direct his heart to the Temple, as it says, "And they shall pray to this house" (II Chronicles 6:32). One who stands in the Temple should direct his heart to the Holy of Holies, as it says, "And they shall pray to this place" (I Kings 8:35).'"
[21]
Franklin, Josh. The Origins of the Amidah, Sefaria. Accessed June 8, 2026. "Megillah 17b:8 Shimon HaPakulil arranged the eighteen blessings of the Amida prayer before Rabban Gamliel in their fixed order in Yavne. Rabbi Yochanan said, and some say related teaching that a hundred and twenty Elders, and among them several prophets, established the eighteen blessings of the Amida in their fixed order.... 14th Blessing of the Amidah (Traditional): Return in mercy to Jerusalem Your city and dwell therein as You have promised; speedily establish therein the throne of David Your servant, and rebuild it, soon in our days, as an everlasting edifice. Blessed are You Adonai, who rebuilds Jerusalem."
[22]
Cohen, Michael M. 'Parashat Bamidbar: Prayer sources; Trying to parse through tradition to find the source for Jewish prayers.', The Jerusalem Post, May 19, 2023. Accessed June 8, 2026.
[23]
Boyd, Samuel L. "Virtual Passover? Judaism has a long history of ritual innovation", University of Colorado-Boulder, April 7, 2020. accessed June 8, 2026. "In fact, the prayer in Judaism known as the “Amidah” was conceived as a substitute for sacrifice very shortly after the destruction of the Second Temple."
[24]
Franklin, Josh. The Origins of the Amidah, Sefaria. Accessed July 13, 2026.
[25]
Golinkin, David. "The Liturgical Dilemma of the Nahem Prayer on Tisha B'Av", Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies, July 26, 2020. Accessed July 23, 2026. "In June 1967, the city of Jerusalem was miraculously reunited in the Six-Day War and religious Zionists had a dilemma when Tisha B’av fell just a few months later. Because the Nahem prayer, one of the most important prayers of Tisha B’av, which is recited by Ashkenazic Jews at Mincha and by Sephardic Jews at all of the services on Tisha B’av, was no longer true."
[26]
Student, Gil. "Nachem Nowadays", Torah Musings, July 31, 2006. Accessed July 23, 2026. "R. Shlomo Goren, at the time the chief rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces, wrote an entirely new text of Nachem by combining the existing versions in the Talmud Yerushalmi, Siddur Rav Amram Gaon and Mishneh Torah into a version that removes some adjectives about Jerusalem being empty and denigrated."
[27]
Apple, Raymond. "'Nachem': to change or not to change? – Ask the Rabbi", August 2008. Accessed July 22, 2026.
[28]
Gerber, Alan Jay. "Birkat HaMazon and Jerusalem", The Jewish Star, August 9, 2017. Accessed July 13, 2026. "The third prayer in this service is the heartfelt tefillah for the rebuilding of Jerusalem. According to tradition, this prayer was written by King David, asking for G-d’s compassion toward the people and land, with King Solomon adding a segment on behalf of the Temple."
[29]
Introduction to Birkat Hamazon part 1, Sefaria. Accessed July 13, 2026. "And rebuild Jerusalem the holy city speedily in our days. Blessed are You God who in Your compassion rebuilds Jerusalem. Amen.... Berakhot 48b:5 The Sages taught: From where is it derived that Grace after Meals is from the Torah? As it is stated: 'And you shall eat and be satisfied, and you shall bless...' (Deuteronomy 8:10). 'And you shall bless', that is the blessing of: Who feeds. 'The Eternal, your God', that is the zimmun blessing. 'For the land', that is the blessing of the land; 'good', that is the blessing: Who builds Jerusalem..."
[30]
Hayim H. Donin (10 October 1991). To pray as a Jew: a guide to the prayer book and the synagogue service. Basic Books. p. 141. ISBN 978-0-465-08633-7. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
[31]
Zivotofsky, Ari Z. "What’s the Truth About…Breaking a Glass at a Wedding?", Jewish Action, Winter 2020. Accessed June 11, 2026. "Thus, while the breaking of the glass may not originally have been linked to mourning the Churban, the connection has been made over the years, with some commentators merging the two reasons."
[32]
Wolpe, David. "Breaking the glass", The Times of Israel, July 29, 2021. Accessed May 5, 2026. "Before the groom steps on a glass to conclude the wedding ceremony, there is a tradition of reciting part of the 137th Psalm, 'If I forget thee O Jerusalem….' The most immediate explanation of this is that stepping on the glass commemorates the tragedies of Jewish history, particularly the destruction of the Temple. So as we mark the destruction and exile, we promise not to forget."
[33]
Hershberg, Adina. "If I Forget Thee, O Jerusalem", Jewish Action, Summer 2012. accessed June 11, 2026. "Thus the zecher l’Churban customs are designed to inspire feelings of mourning over the current exile. These practices include leaving a commemorative space in one’s home (an unfinished square on the wall);...The unfinished square should measure one amah by one amah (one cubit by one cubit). The unfinished square should be obvious when one enters the home; ideally, it should be on the wall opposite the door of the house. (Some have the custom of leaving a commemorative space above the door.) Others say the unfinished area can be made anywhere if it is larger than an amah by an amah. If one cannot make it on the wall opposite the entrance, one should make it as close to that wall as possible."
[34]
"The Theodotus Inscription". The BAS Library. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
[35]
Ben-Śaśon, Ḥayim Hilel; Malamaṭ, Avraham, eds. (2002). A history of the Jewish people (11. print ed.). Cambridge, Mass: Harvard Univ. Press. p. 350. ISBN 978-0-674-39731-6.
[36]
Wilde, William Roberts (1838). Narrative of a voyage to Madeira, Teneriffe and along the shores of the Mediterranean, including a visit to Algiers, Egypt, Palestine, Tyre, Rhodes, Telmessus, Cyprus and Greece. Dublin, W. Curry, jun. and company. pp. 362–363.
[37]
[https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/what-is-the-western-wall/"What Is the Western Wall? The last remaining wall of the ancient Jewish Temple in Jerusalem."', My Jewish Learning. Accessed June 11, 2026. "The Western Wall (sometimes called the Wailing Wall, or the Kotel, the Hebrew word for wall) is one of the last remaining walls of the Temple Mount, the elevated plaza in the Old City of Jerusalem that was the site of both ancient Jewish temples. It is the holiest site in Judaism and a place of pilgrimage and prayer."
[38]
Rosenbaum, Alan. "Herzog College: Leading the renaissance at Hechal Shlomo", The Jerusalem Post, January 7, 2021. Accessed June 9, 2026. "On Thursday, May 8, 1958, hundreds of dignitaries gathered to dedicate Hechal Shlomo, a stately new structure in Jerusalem’s Rehavia neighborhood, as the seat of Israel’s Chief Rabbinate and its Supreme Rabbinical Court.... Finally, in 1992, with the election of Rabbi Israel Meir Lau as Chief Rabbi, the Chief Rabbinate fell under the control of haredi elements. Rabbi Lau moved the offices of the Chief Rabbinate from Hechal Shlomo to the city entrance, says Brandes, because the building had been primarily identified with the religious Zionist movement."
[39]
"Five police officers hurt as Haredi riots renew in Jerusalem". Haaretz. Archived from the original on September 1, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
[40]
Kershner, Isabel (September 3, 2009). "Religious-Secular Divide, Tugging at Israel's Heart". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
[41]
"The ultra-Orthodox, gays and the future of Jerusalem". Shalom Hartman Institute. 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-10-12. Retrieved 2009-10-12.