Restoring Jerusalem

Today, something very important is going to happen. I say “very important”. Let me rephrase…

Dramatic. Significant. Epical. Necessary. Vital. Historical.

I could keep going by merely opening a thesaurus and just picking any word that relates to “important”, for you see today something wonderful is going to happen, something which we have been waiting for a long time.

President Trump is going to announce his recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel.

Now, before I continue, let me say first I’m still skeptical. Like many, I don’t trust politicians. Any of them. “I’ll believe it when I see it,” is usually my modus operandi. Second, I’m not going to get political about this. While this declaration of a governmental authority is based in global politics, the reality of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital transcends man’s political influences in the world.

What I am going to do is take a step back from the specifics of the moment and attempt to broaden the horizon of the greater reality at play on this multi-leveled chess board.

When you hear the word “Jerusalem”, there’s something magical behind the sound. Why is that? What is that mystical essence which exudes from the mere mentioning of a city’s name? Sure, there are other international cities of acclaim with their own identities, but what makes Jerusalem so different, so special than say Paris, Tokyo, or New York City?

Having walked its ancient, exotic streets, I can tell you it is different. Really. The air is a mixture of fragrant spice, sweet and aromatic; there is a continuous cacophony of old men talking at the city gates while children play in the streets as young and old both meet to pray; all around you is a gathering of nations; and all the while as you wander through its maze of cobblestone passages, you ponder the fabric of reality itself enchanted by the magic sparking in the vibrant energy of the city.

It’s spectacular. It’s breathtaking.

You see, Jerusalem is chosen. Just as the Jewish people are the chosen people of Hashem, so too is Jerusalem His chosen city.

This is not a mere arbitrary spiritualisation. It’s a fact.

Why else would it have been feuded over for millennia? Why else would the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans of antiquity try to conquer it? Why then would the nations of Medieval Europe launch bloody crusades to control it? And what about the Mamluks and the Ottomans? Why else would there be three major religions who claim it as their “home”?

Has there ever been a city whose existence has been more disputed than Jerusalem? No.

Tell me, do we fight over Rome as a city of religious refuge, or a “homeland” so to speak, for Catholics? What about the capital of Great Britain? Is it Belfast or Cardiff or Edinburgh? No, it’s London.

Thus, there must be something which drives man to such madness as he has acted over Jerusalem. Even now, many are exclaiming their outrage at such a tempestuous move by the President. Of course, their concerns over how it will upset peace discussions in the Middle East is bupkis. Why? I couldn’t explain it any better than was already done by Ben Shapiro.

Next week, a special holiday begins. Now it’s not as “holy” as the others, like Pesach or Yom Kippur. Even Purim is Biblical, but Chanukkah is special. It’s different. Like Jerusalem.

I love Chanukkah. If I’m honest with myself, it’s my favourite holiday. Truly. Why? Maybe I’ll write a different post to explain the depth of tradition and nuances hidden in the magic of its Light; there’s just so much.

What I will say is it is a holiday of rededication, of remembrance. We remember our struggles under harsh persecution from the Seleucids of Ancient Greece; of how we were forced into hiding, similar to the horrors of the Holocaust; of how death was the sentence for anyone found practicing our faith.

But we fought. We reclaimed Israel as our own, and even Jerusalem, who was so abominably desecrated by our enemies. We cleansed and restored the Temple and also ourselves. And in so doing, we remembered we belong to Hashem, and He is our inheritance.

That is why we light our candles for eight nights. We remember what it means to not give into assimilation and persecution, to stand up for ourselves, our faith, our right for existence, our very lives. Even when the world is at its darkest, when daylight grows dim and the sun shines less, there is still light for there is still hope.

Chanukkah is a season of hope as much as it is for remembrance.

That is why I find it fascinating the President should declare to the world his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital during this season. I could be wrong, but I do not think there is a greater hope for the Jewish people than to return to Israel, to Jerusalem (except maybe the return of Mashiach).

Does he realise the plausible significance? I doubt it. Regardless, it means something even if he is unaware. I pray others, too, see and hear and understand this moment of history because that’s precisely what it is. This is a moment of history in the making, of Jerusalem continuing to be restored to its rightful place to the Jewish people.

And one day, we all will return home.