Difference between revisions of "Choice of Yerushalayim/2"
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
This topic has not yet undergone editorial review
m |
m |
||
Line 36: | Line 36: | ||
Political Move | Political Move | ||
<p>David's choice was political in nature, a part of his effort to unite the various tribes (especially Yehuda and Binyamin) into one centralized nation.</p> | <p>David's choice was political in nature, a part of his effort to unite the various tribes (especially Yehuda and Binyamin) into one centralized nation.</p> | ||
− | <point><b>Jerusalem's status in the Patriarchal period</b> – This approach maintains that the simple sense of Torah does not support the idea that Yerushalayim was a religious center in the Patriarchal period.  The forefathers call out to Hashem and set up altars in many locations, including Shechem,<fn>See <a href="Bereshit12-6-7" data-aht="source">Bereshit 12:6-7</a> and <a href="Bereshit33-18-20" data-aht="source">Bereshit 33:18-20</a>.</fn> Beit El,<fn>See <a href="Bereshit28-12-19" data-aht="source">Bereshit 28:12-19</a> where Yaakov names Luz, "Beit El" declaring it a "House of God and Gateway to Heaven".</fn> Chevron<fn>See <a href="Bereshit13-18" data-aht="source">Bereshit 13:18</a>.</fn> and Be'er Sheva<fn>See <a href="Bereshit21-33" data-aht="source">Bereshit 21:33</a>.  Though Avraham does not build an altar here, he does cry out to God.  It is also likely that the planting of the Eshel was a religious act, as R. D"Z Hoffmann suggests, "נראה שעץ זה שימש לעבוד תחתיו, כמקום מקדש".  In the Ancient Near East many worshiped their gods under trees (See for example , so it is not surprising that Avraham might do so as well.</fn> and it was these which were the spiritual centers of the era. | + | <point><b>Jerusalem's status in the Patriarchal period</b> – This approach maintains that the simple sense of Torah does not support the idea that Yerushalayim was a religious center in the Patriarchal period.  The forefathers call out to Hashem and set up altars in many locations, including Shechem,<fn>See <a href="Bereshit12-6-7" data-aht="source">Bereshit 12:6-7</a> and <a href="Bereshit33-18-20" data-aht="source">Bereshit 33:18-20</a>.</fn> Beit El,<fn>See <a href="Bereshit28-12-19" data-aht="source">Bereshit 28:12-19</a> where Yaakov names Luz, "Beit El" declaring it a "House of God and Gateway to Heaven".</fn> Chevron<fn>See <a href="Bereshit13-18" data-aht="source">Bereshit 13:18</a>.</fn> and Be'er Sheva<fn>See <a href="Bereshit21-33" data-aht="source">Bereshit 21:33</a>.  Though Avraham does not build an altar here, he does cry out to God.  It is also likely that the planting of the Eshel was a religious act, as R. D"Z Hoffmann suggests, "נראה שעץ זה שימש לעבוד תחתיו, כמקום מקדש".  In the Ancient Near East many worshiped their gods under trees (See for example , so it is not surprising that Avraham might do so as well.</fn> and it was these which were probably the spiritual centers of the era. Though the Akeidah took place in Yerushalayim, the text does not highlight the fact, only mentioning the specific site of Mt. Moriah.<fn>Had it not been for the verse in <a href="DivreiHaYamimII3-1" data-aht="source">Divrei HaYamim II 3:1</a> which locates the site as being where David sacrificed on the threshing floor of Aravnah the Jebusite, the reader would never have known that it was in Yerushalayim at all.</fn>  In fact, Yerushalayim is not named even once in all of Torah.</point> |
<point><b>"הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר י"י"</b></point> | <point><b>"הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר י"י"</b></point> | ||
<point><b>"וַיִּקְרָא אַבְרָהָם שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא י"י יִרְאֶה"</b></point> | <point><b>"וַיִּקְרָא אַבְרָהָם שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא י"י יִרְאֶה"</b></point> |
Version as of 23:49, 1 May 2017
Choice of Yerushalayim
Exegetical Approaches
Religious Significance
Yerushalayim was picked as David's capital for its religious significance. The city was considered holy and Divinely chosen from the very creation of the world.
Center of the world and site of creation – According to Tanchuma,1 Yerushalayim lies at the heart of the world2 and from there the heavens and earth were created,3 as alluded to in Tehillim 50, "מִצִּיּוֹן מִכְלַל יֹפִי אֱלֹהִים הוֹפִיעַ".
Continuous site of worship – Rambam, following Chazal,4 maintains that Yerushalayim (and the site of the Mikdash specifically) had a history of holiness, being a site of Divine worship throughout the ages. It was the place where Avraham set up an altar to bind Yitzchak, and where Adam, Kayin, Hevel, and Noach all sacrificed to Hashem.5 This was no coincidence, but a result of the location's inherent selection. It should be noted, however, that there is no textual evidence in Sefer Bereshit that any of these individuals, except for Avraham, sacrificed in Yerushalayim.6
"וַיִּקְרָא אַבְרָהָם שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא י"י יִרְאֶה" – Rambam learns from Avraham's name of the site of the Akeidah (י"י יִרְאֶה) that he already declared it to be the future site of the Mikdash in Jerusalem.7 Rambam adds that this fact was known to many, so that in the time of Moshe it was said of the mountain, "בְּהַר י"י יֵרָאֶה".
Beit El: "אֵין זֶה כִּי אִם בֵּית אֱלֹהִים" – According to Bereshit Rabbah Yaakov declares, "this is a house of God and gateway to heaven" after his dream in Beit El, not because God was especially present in Beit El, but because in his dream, he saw Jerusalem (the midpoint of the ladder marked the site of the Beit HaMikdash). Rashi, drawing on Bavli Sanhedrin, goes a step further to suggest that Mt. Moriah was actually uprooted and brought to Beit El. Neither of these suggestions, though, match the simple sense of the verses.
"הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר י"י" – According to this approach, this verse refers specifically to Yerushalayim. Various reasons are given as to why, then, it is not mentioned by name:
- For the nations – Rambam maintains that had the nations known the elevated stature of Yerushalayim they would have either fought violently to control it, or destroyed the city so as to prevent others from having it.
- For Israel8 – Keli Yekar, in contrast, suggests that Hashem wanted to keep the name a secret lest people belittle the earlier sites of Gilgal, Shiloh, Nov and Givon which housed the Mishkan. Rambam adds that Hashem wanted to prevent the tribes from fighting over the site, as each would have desired that it be in their tribal territory.9
Why wasn't Yerushalayim the first center?
"וָאֶבְחַר בִּירוּשָׁלִַם לִהְיוֹת שְׁמִי שָׁם "
Moving the ark – The fact that David's first actions after conquering Yerushalayim are to bring the ark there and request to build the Mikdash, might support the understanding that the reasons behind the choice of city were religious in nature.
Military and Economic Advantages
David chose Jerusalem as his capital due to a combination of strategic factors including its defensibility, central location, and availability of water and other resources.
Security – The City of David it is relatively secure on all sides but the north as it is surrounded by the Kidron valley to the east, the Tyropean valley to the west and the Hinnom valley to the south. That said, it is not the highest of the cities on Israel's mountainous ridge, nor is it even the highest in its vicinity.10
Water sources – The City of David was close to two springs, the Gichon and Ein Rogel. It is likely that it was this proximity to water sources which led to the preference for the Western hill,11 despite this necessitating a compromise on security.
Central location – If David wanted his capital city to be accessible to all the tribes, a central location within the country was necessary. Jerusalem is situated fairly in the middle of the country, fitting this criteria.
Eye on enemies – It is likely that David wanted to keep an eye on the Philistines, the biggest foreign threat during his reign. Jerusalem was well situated to do so.
Trade routes – Jerusalem does not lie on either of the two international trade routes, the "Way of the Sea" (דרך הים) or the "King's Highway" (דרך המלך), though it was not far from the "Patriarch's Highway" (דרך האבות) that connected Shekhem and Chevron.12
Natural resources and agriculture – As Jerusalem cannot boast of many natural resources or rich agricultural land, these were probably not among David's reason for choosing the site.
Political Move
David's choice was political in nature, a part of his effort to unite the various tribes (especially Yehuda and Binyamin) into one centralized nation.
Jerusalem's status in the Patriarchal period – This approach maintains that the simple sense of Torah does not support the idea that Yerushalayim was a religious center in the Patriarchal period. The forefathers call out to Hashem and set up altars in many locations, including Shechem,13 Beit El,14 Chevron15 and Be'er Sheva16 and it was these which were probably the spiritual centers of the era. Though the Akeidah took place in Yerushalayim, the text does not highlight the fact, only mentioning the specific site of Mt. Moriah.17 In fact, Yerushalayim is not named even once in all of Torah.
"הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר י"י"
"וַיִּקְרָא אַבְרָהָם שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא י"י יִרְאֶה"