Jerusalem: Between Holiness and Purity
This sicha was first delivered on Yom Yerushalayim 5753 (1993). It was translated and adapted by Rav David Silverberg based on a transcript by Aviad Biller. Printed in Alei Etzion vol. 16.
THREE CAMPS
I would like to examine the halakhic status of
The Israelites shall encamp troop by troop, each man with his division and each under his standard. The Levites, however, shall camp around the Tabernacle of Testimony, that wrath may not strike the Israelite community; the Levites shall stand guard around the Tabernacle of Testimony. (Bamidbar 1:52-54)
In addition to the military and aesthetic value of the arrangement of the camp (see Midrash Shir Ha-shirim 7:1), this tripartite division has important halakhic ramifications, which we shall soon address. The Rambam (Hilkhot Beit Ha-bechira 7:11) spells out the parallel between the desert encampment and
There were three camps in the desert: the “Camp of Israel” [containing the twelve tribes]; the “Camp of the Levites,” about whom it is stated, “around the Tabernacle they shall encamp” (ibid. 1:50); and the “Camp of the Shekhina” (Divine Presence), which extended from the opening of the Courtyard of the Tent of Meeting and onward [towards the Tent itself]. Correspondingly, for all generations [there are three different areas in Jerusalem]: the area from the gate of Jerusalem until the Temple Mount is like the Camp of Israel; from the entrance of the Temple Mount until the entrance of the Azara (Temple courtyard), i.e., the Gate of Nikanor, is like the Camp of the Levites; and from the entrance of the Azara onward is like the Camp of the Shekhina.
What is the relationship between these three areas? Halakhically, one could regard this division as reflecting three gradations of the same phenomenon. The most intense manifestation occurs in the center, in the Camp of the Shekhina. This intensity is diluted somewhat as one moves out of the innermost circle, into the Camp of the Levites, and it becomes even less intense in the outermost circle, the Camp of Israel. This theory may account for the different requirements for entry into the various areas (see Pesachim 66b ff.). The Israelite camp remains accessible to everyone except a metzora, one afflicted with tzara’at (a spiritual malady with symptoms akin to leprosy); the Levite camp is off-limits even to those who have become impure as the result of certain bodily discharges; the Camp of the Shekhina may not be entered by any ritually unclean individual, even one whose impurity does not come from within, but who has simply come in contact with a corpse. The various levels of stringency, one may contend, correspond to the varying levels of spiritual intensity.
“MAKOM KADOSH” VS. “MAKOM TAHOR”
However, one can explain this division differently. Perhaps the three regions do not contain differing amounts of the same spiritual substance, but rather each area has an entirely different quality. Such an approach emerges from the Rambam’s explanation of why kodashim kallim (lower-level offerings) may be consumed throughout the city of
[The kodashim kallim] may be eaten throughout the city [of
The Rambam derives his distinction between makom kadosh and makom tahor from Parashat Shemini, where Moshe implicitly distinguishes between kodashim kallim and kodshei kodashim in his instructions to Aharon and his sons:
A. Moshe spoke to Aharon, and to Elazar and to Itamar, his remaining sons, saying: Take the meal-offering that is left over from God’s fire-offerings and eat it unleavened beside the altar, for it is most holy (kodesh kodashim). You shall eat it in a sacred place, inasmuch as it is your due. (10:12-13)
B. The breast of waving and the thigh of lifting you shall eat in a pure place, you and your sons and your daughters with you, inasmuch as it is your due. (10:14)
The meal-offering (A) is kodshei kodashim; it must therefore be eaten within the Courtyard, “in a sacred place.” Verse (B), however, deals with kodashim kallim, and it requires that the sacrificial meat of the peace-offering be eaten “in a pure place,” but not necessarily a “sacred place.” The Rambam, noting this subtle distinction, deduces that unlike kodshei kodashim, kodashim kallim may be eaten anywhere in
Thus, the distinction between the Camp of the Shekhina (inside the Azara) and the Camp of Israel (
Where does the difference lie between a makom kadosh and makom tahor? How are we to understand the relationship between the
A makom kadosh is an area detached from day-to-day life, designated exclusively for matters of absolute holiness (kedusha). Activities associated with the ongoing existence of the individual – however acceptable and spiritually significant they may be – have no place in the Azara. Even the simplest, most elementary activities are forbidden in the Azara – for example, no one may even sit in the Azara,[2] and sleeping there is certainly forbidden (Kiddushin 78b). In short, the Azara is characterized by its being reserved exclusively for kedusha.
However, in the Camp of Israel – i.e.,
STRUGGLING FOR JERUSALEM
As we celebrate Yom Yerushalayim, we contemplate the significance of the city and our struggle for it, both past and present.
Our struggle for the city takes place on several planes. First and foremost, we struggle with the nations of the world. Historically, Christian anti-Semitism denied our entire connection to
The Muslim stance, however, was somewhat more tolerant. Generally speaking, they never objected to our having a “Camp of the Shekhina,” allowing us to maintain independent religious institutions throughout the Islamic world. They permitted us to maintain synagogues and yeshivot, as long as we were content with a makom kadosh, but regarding a makom tahor, a national Jewish existence characterized not by small “shteiblech” and isolated pockets of religiosity, but by a thriving blend of the holy and the mundane – this was intolerable. They could allocate space for a few little institutions here and there. However, for a large, bustling camp with tribal banners and military prowess, we must continue to fight until this very day. Indeed, in this sense, the city of
TWO ATTEMPTS TO ELIMINATE THE MAKOM TAHOR
Le-havdil, we confront far different struggles from within our own people, at both ends of the spectrum. Some among us contend, often out of genuine religious fervor and fear of God, that our camp must be sacred – a makom kadosh – and nothing but sacred. They recognize the significance of the Camp of the Shekhina, but contend that the reality of a makom tahor, the Camp of Israel, must wait for the time of the Mashiach. For them, the Camp of Israel is a place in which one may eat kodashim kallim and the second tithe, but not a place for a military camp, tribal banners or general societal development.
However, such a stance, which denies the significance of the Camp of Israel and wishes to replace its tahara with an undifferentiated kedusha, is opposed to Judaism, to Halakha, to our very humanity. This view is not in consonance with Tanakh, the Sages or the Rishonim. Undoubtedly, kedusha stands at the epicenter of our existence, and it serves to orient the Camp of Israel; but this focus on kedusha certainly is not tantamount to negating the value or viability of the Camp of Israel.
At the other extreme, we wage an ongoing ideological and political struggle with those who recognize and respect only the secular, without including the “tahor” quality of the Camp of Israel. They refuse to relate to the concept of “purity,” and their involvement in the mundane is characterized by the values of the world at large. These communities support the concept of a makom kadosh: synagogues, a respectable area near the Western Wall for prayer, and military swearing-in ceremonies by the Wall. So long as the kedusha is concentrated into a small corner somewhere, these people are not troubled. However, they are not prepared to allow for a makom tahor, a place where the values of purity and holiness are expressed on a national level, in all facets of life.
We follow the Rambam and other halakhic authorities; as such, we proudly raise the banner of
THE MEANING OF PURITY
But what is the precise nature of this quality of tahara for which we strive? What exactly does “tahor” mean in this context? The term “tahor” has several connotations.
1) The Torah refers to “zahav tahor” – “pure gold” (e.g., Shemot 25:11), that which is unalloyed and unadulterated.
2) When King Yoshiyahu and others clear the
3) Kosher animals are called “tahor” (e.g., Devarim 14:11), i.e., that which has received God’s stamp of approval as consonant with His will.
4) King David speaks of “lev tahor,” “pure heart” (Tehillim 51:12), an internal cleansing and spiritual revival.
We yearn for all these forms of tahara and we strive to implement them in our Camp of Israel. We long for a city where the environment remains pure of all forms of spiritual dross, a place where the world of Halakha is actualized in full force, an area where we experience spiritual elevation and catharsis as we stand before the Almighty, even while conducting our daily, mundane affairs.
Essentially, a makom tahor can take one of two forms. Certain sin-offerings are burnt outside all three camps: “[The High Priest] shall carry the entire bull to a pure place outside the camp, to the ash heap, and burn it up in a wood fire...” (Vayikra 4:12). Rashi explains that there are areas outside the city that are usually reserved for stones contaminated with tzara’at (see Vayikra 14:40-45) and graveyards. The verse thus stresses that although the sin-offering is to be burnt outside the city, it must be burnt in a makom tahor, i.e., away from the cemeteries and contaminated stones, which are a “makom tameh,” a ritually impure place. With regard to
These two types of “makom tahor” reflect two different types of tahara in general, a distinction critical for our understanding and appreciation of
Similarly, a makom tahor outside the camp, where the sin-offering is burnt, receives its status of tahara by virtue of its lack of association. These places are off the beaten track; they are in empty lots which could be used for trash. This is the purity of the one who has no impurity to confront; it is pure simply in that it is not rendered impure. The metaphysical world of tuma and tahara bears no relevance to such a place.
The tahara of the Camp of Israel, by contrast, relates to the bustling activity of day-to-day affairs, to the interface of the sacred with the exigencies of life. This tahara results from the infusion of spiritual significance into all life’s endeavors, the adherence to our system of values and rising above the influence of the forces of tuma. This is the tahara of a culture that is exposed to all areas of life but manages to be purified and elevated from within those variegated realms. This makom tahor lies not to the side of some plagued stones, but alongside factories, offices, stores and government buildings. In such an existence, this quality of tahara can be actualized and become rooted in serving God.
The tahara of
RENEWED COMMITMENT
Our historical responsibility to ensure the purity of the city continues perpetually. It is true that it was sufficient for
If the altar inside the Tabernacle requires a renewed sanctification and purification each year, how much more so does our city of
There once were major sanctification and purification ceremonies; the places were specified and designated as makom kadosh and makom tahor. Still, each year, each month, each day we confront the challenge of perpetuating, renewing and enhancing the status of Jerusalem as both makom kadosh and makom tahor – in the face of political-religious opposition from without and ideological disagreements from within. May we find the wherewithal to designate both a makom kadosh and a makom tahor, to establish a purity that stands alongside holiness and draws its strength from that holiness; and may this purity impact upon the entire Camp of Israel.
[1] Rashi, in his commentary on these verses, understands likewise.
[2] A Davidic king is an exception to this rule (Yoma 25a).
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