The Road to Jerusalem (III)
Jerusalem in the Bible
Yeshivat Har Etzion
The
Road to Jerusalem (part III)
Rav
Yitzchak Levi
In the previous
shiur, as part of our attempt to understand the significance of the road
to Jerusalem in the travels of the forefathers and the future generations of
their descendants, we analyzed the inherent character of the cities of Shekhem
and Beit-El respectively. In this shiur, we shall examine Hebron and
Jerusalem, and then attempt to derive the significance of the process in its
entirety.
A.
Hebron
1. The sources
- Hebron is
mentioned for the first time after Avraham separates from Lot; this happens upon
their return from Egypt. Here there is an interesting change. Until now, Avraham
kept moving his tent from place to place; in Hebron we read for the first time
that he "dwelled" in Elonei Mamrei which is in Hebron (Bereishit 13:18).
This implies a permanent dwelling.
- It is no
coincidence that Hebron is the first place in Eretz Yisrael that is
bought and fully paid for. The purchase is made for the purposes of burying
Sara, and Avraham takes great care to ensure that the sale is complete and paid
for in full (Ibid. 23:17-18).
- When Yosef is
sent to investigate the welfare of his brothers and of the sheep, he leaves from
the valley of Hebron (symbolizing, in accordance with its name, "connection"
'chibur') and goes to Shekhem (a place of divisiveness) (Ibid.
37:14).
- Concerning
the verse, "He came as far as Hebron" (Bamidbar 13:22), Chazal
explain that the reference is to Kalev, who went to Hebron to pray at the graves
of the forefathers (Rashi ad loc, in accordance with the Gemara in
Sota 34b).
- The first
city that is actually settled by Bnei Yisrael after the conquest is
Hebron, which is given to Kalev ben Yefuneh as an inheritance in reward for
carrying out God's will (Yehoshua 14:-13-14).
- In David's
time we discover another aspect to the city.
The burial of
Avner, of the tribe of Binyamin, in Hebron (II Shmuel 3:32), within the tribal
boundaries of Yehuda (rather than in his own tribal inheritance) is most
surprising. No less surprising is the burial of the head of Ish-Boshet, Shaul's
son, in Avner's grave in Hebron (Ibid. 4:12).
Hebron also
represents the beginning of David's reign. First he reigned there over Yehuda
(Ibid. 2:1-4, 11), and thereafter all the tribes of Israel came there and
accepted him as king over them, with great joy and with a forging of a covenant
(ibid. 5:1-10; I Divrei Ha-yamim 11:1-3; Ibid. 12:24, 39-31). It is no
coincidence that even the rebellious Avshalom establishes his kingdom first in
Hebron (II Shmuel 15:10), using this as a platform to reach
Jerusalem.
- It is
interesting that the Midrash (Bereishit Rabba, Noach, 4) sees Hebron (as
opposed to Yosef's land) as one of four condemned places in Eretz
Yisrael. As Rashi writes (on Bamidbar 13:22)
"Nowhere in all
of Eretz Yisrael is as rocky as Hebron; therefore it was set aside for burying
the dead."
- An
interesting point to note is Hebron's precedence before Jerusalem. We find
different references to this:
* In Pirkei
de-Rabbi Eliezer (chapter 36) we read:
"Avraham forged
a covenant with the inhabitants of the land. When the angels were revealed to
him he believed that they were mortal guests, and ran towards them, wanting to
prepare a great feast for them
and he ran to bring an ox. The ox escaped from
him and he ran after it; he found Adam and Chava lying upon their beds,
sleeping, with lit candles over them and a sweet smell, like incense, around
them. Therefore he desired the cave as a burial ground.
He told the
children of the Jebusites that he wanted to purchase Ma'arat ha-Makhpela from
them with a full sale, for gold, with an immutable contract, as a burial
possession. Were they indeed Jebusites? Were they not Hittites? They were called
Jebusites after the city, Yevus
They said to him: We know that the Holy One is
destined to give you and your descendants all of these lands. Make an oath to us
that Bnei Yisrael will not inherit the city Yevus unless it is in
accordance with the will of the children of Yevus
What did the people of Yevus
do? They fashioned brass idols and placed them in the city square, and inscribed
upon them Avraham's oath.
When Bnei
Yisrael reached the land, they wanted to gather in the city of the Jebusites
but were unable to enter, because of the sign of the covenant, Avraham's oath
And when King David wanted to enter the Jebusite city, they did not allow him
to, as it is written (II Shmuel 5:6) "You shall not come here unless you remove
even the blind and the lame" referring to these idols, upon which the sign of
Avraham's oath was inscribed
Later on, David purchased the Jebusite city for
Israel with an immutable contract as an everlasting
possession."
* The
Zohar (Part I, page 79, ot 10) writes:
"'David said
where shall I go up? And He said to Hebron' (II Shmuel 2:1)
Because David
could not accept kingship until he had connected himself with the forefathers,
who were in Hebron."
* There is a
hint at this in Mishna Yoma (Chapter 3, Mishna
1):
"The person
responsible (at the Temple) said to them: "Go out and see if it is time yet for
the slaughter (of the daily sacrifice in the morning)." If the time had come,
the person who saw it would say: "The dawn has arrived!" Matitya ben Shmuel
said: "Has it illuminated all of the east, up to Hebron?" And he would answer,
"Yes."
2.
Significances
Hebron
symbolizes permanent rootedness in Eretz Yisrael. This is the first place
where Avraham made himself a permanent dwelling in Eretz Yisrael;
here the first purchase of land in Eretz Yisrael was made, for the
purposes of burial itself an aspect of eternal possession. This was also the
first city that Bnei Yisrael actually settled in the land, owing to the
devotion and selflessness of Kalev, in the episode of the
spies.
Hebron also
symbolizes the Israelite kingdom. Here was the beginning of David's kingship
first over Yehuda, and thereafter over all of Israel. For this reason Avshalom,
too, chooses to begin his reign here.
These two
aspects the establishment of possession and kingship share a fundamental
internal connection. Kingship is permanent reign, with the king succeeded by his
son (as opposed to the period of the judges, when each judge came from a
different tribe and there was no continuity between father and son (except for
the case of Gidon and Avimelekh), and as the Beraita teaches (Horayot
12a):
"Kings are
anointed only at a spring, so that their reign will be long, as it is written:
"The king said to them: Take with you your masters' servants
and bring him to
Gichon.""
The anointment
of the king at a spring expresses continuity and eternity like the continual
flow of the spring.
In addition,
Hebron is as its name suggests a place of attachment and unity;
characteristics that are likewise clearly related to kingship. The role of the
king, "whose heart is the heart of all the congregation of Israel" (Rambam, Laws
of Kings, Chapter 3 Law 6), is to lead all of Israel and to unify them together
under his royal reign. Thus it is understandable why Avner who sought to unify
the tribes of Israel and Yehuda under the leadership of King David was buried
in Hebron. Similarly, we can understand the burial of Ish-Boshet, Shaul's son,
in Hebron. Ish-Boshet and Avner, both of whom should by virtue of their tribal
and familial lineage have been buried in the inheritance of Binyamin, were
both buried in Hebron; the symbolical significance of this is the joining of
Binyamin and Yehuda and their unification.
According to
the above analysis, then, Hebron is the city of Israelite royalty, where the
unity of Israel is revealed with its aspect of permanence and rootedness in
Eretz Yisrael.
The
significance of the precedence of Hebron over Jerusalem is based, essentially,
on the desire to connect with the root:
·
The
Zohar (Zohar Chadash Rut, 79, ot 4) teaches that the
entrance to the Garden of Eden is to be found in Hebron, while the Garden of
Eden itself is at Mount Moriah. We also read in Pirkei de-Rabbi
Eliezer (Chapter 20), "The gateway to the Garden of Eden is by Mount
Moriah."
·
Avraham wanted
to be buried close to Adam, the "firstborn of the world," with the intention of
continuing his role.
·
David ruled
first in Hebron, before he reigned in Jerusalem, in order to start his reign on
the basis of a connection to the forefathers of the world and as a continuation
of them.
·
Therefore the
Temple service likewise begins with the illumination of the entire eastern side
up to Hebron, in order to connect the service in the Temple with the
forefathers.
Permanence
means connection: connection to the land, to Eretz Yisrael, and an
eternal connection to a good man who was buried in Hebron Avraham. The road
towards the complete revelation of the connection of mortal reign to God's reign
begins in Hebron the capital of earthly kingship.
B. Jerusalem
[1]
As we noted in
the first shiur in the series, Jerusalem is only hinted at in the Torah
(in the reign of Malkitzedek, representing earthly kingship, and in the story of
the 'Akeida,' representing Divine kingship). During the period of the
conquest and settlement of the Land, it is likewise mentioned only in passing,
with no focused attention.
The first
biblical figure to pay specific attention to Jerusalem and to choose it is King
David; he does this immediately upon his coronation over all of Israel. In other
words, David wants his reign over all of Israel to be revealed and established
in Jerusalem, and based on unity. Jerusalem is located on the boundary between
Yehuda and Binyamin, arises from David's desire to bring about unity between
these two tribes. The text testifies to hostility between them at that time "A
lengthy war was waged between the house of Shaul and the house of David" (II
Shmuel 3:1). Binyamin and Yehuda represent the children of Rachel and
Leah, respectively, "who built, both of them together, the house of Israel"
(Ruth 4:11). As king over all of Israel, David wants to express the unity
of Israel. Therefore he chooses not to establish his capital in Hebron where
he went by God's word, preferring Jerusalem instead: a super-tribal capital that
is supposed to belong to Binyamin, but which Binyamin has not yet possessed and
has therefore remained, meanwhile, a non-Jewish city.
But David does
not suffice with the capital city of his earthly reign. He immediately wants to
turn the capital of Israelite sovereignty into the focus of God's Divine
sovereignty [2], and therefore his first act after establishing himself in
Jerusalem and conquering the Philistines is to have God's Ark brought up to
Jerusalem, thereby publicizing the aim of his kingship: the establishment of a
Temple in the royal capital.
David wants to
build a Temple, and when this is refused him he devotes himself wholeheartedly
to doing whatever he can to prepare for it. He seeks the appropriate site, finds
it and pays for it with communal funds from all of Israel; he prepares the
plans, the materials and the artisans; he even draws up the rosters and
positions to be served in the Temple when it is built. David expends such
efforts towards the building of the Temple that our Sages teach, "In any matter
for which a person exerts himself and devotes himself completely, the Holy One
does not hold back his reward
Shlomo built the Temple
but because David
devoted himself completely to the future Temple that would be built
the Holy
One did not hold back his reward, but ascribed it to his name, as it is written:
"A psalm of song at the inauguration of David's Temple" (Tehillim 30:1);
the verse does not read 'Shlomo's Temple,' but rather 'David's Temple.'"
[3]
David's vision
was one of bringing together city and Sanctuary: a joining of [earthly]
Israelite sovereignty and Divine sovereignty in the same place. This is the
uniqueness of Jerusalem the combination of both
elements.
This reality
matches and is reflected in the location of the city: in between the tribe of
Yehuda, representing earthly kingship, and the tribe of Binyamin, representing
the abode of the Divine [4]. This also explains the location of the royal palace
during Shlomo's reign: close to the Temple, as a 'bridge,' as it were, between
the Temple and the rest of the city.
C. The
Significance of the Route as a Whole
Our hypothesis
is that the progression from one city to the next according to a certain order
(Shekhem, Beit-El, Hebron, and finally Jerusalem) expresses a certain spiritual
reality. Each of the cities represents a spiritual point on the road towards
Jerusalem.
This
progression has several aspects. One aspect, which we addressed at length in the
first shiur, is the process of the entry into the land. We noted that
Avraham was the only figure to complete the route in its entirety, as an "act of
the forefathers that is a sign for their descendants." He visits Shekhem,
Beit-El and Ai, Hebron, Jerusalem, and eventually the site of the Temple. His
descendants covered only parts of this complete route: Yaakov covered the
stations of Shekhem-Beit-El-Hebron, while Bnei Yisrael, upon entering the
land, reached Ai and Mount Eival, but also stopped at Hebron. It was only when
David arose that the final stage from Hebron to Jerusalem was
completed.
Another aspect
that should be kept in mind in this context is the significance of the cities in
the tribal division of the Land. Shekhem is located on the border between the
children of Yosef Ephraim and Menasheh; Beit-El is on the northern border of
the portion of Binyamin between the tribes of Binyamin and Ephraim; Hebron is
the capital of Yehuda and sits at the heart of that tribe's inheritance, while
Jerusalem as explained is on the border between Binyamin and Yehuda, i.e.,
on the southern border of the portion of Binyamin, which is also the portion of
the Divine Presence [5].
If we bring the
two aspects together, we note immediately that the development as a whole is
comprised of two processes, representing two ways of approaching the inheritance
of Binyamin. The first is from the north, from Shekhem to Beit-El; the other is
from the south from Hebron to Jerusalem.
The northern
route is the more natural one, the path of the forefathers. This route matches
the natural course of events a progression that is symbolized by the land of
Yosef, the firstborn of Rachel, expressing the beginning of the settlement in
Eretz Yisrael [6]. This region expresses the sanctity of the Land and its
primacy. Just as Shekhem, in its "firstness," represents the "firstborn" city,
so Yosef the firstborn of Rachel expresses the sanctity of the body the
material blessings of the earth and the continuation of the path of Yaakov (an
aspect which will find later expression in the leadership of Mashiach ben
Yosef).
From this
perspective, the arrival is up until Beit-El the natural Sanctuary of the
forefathers; a place that is entirely holy. This primal aspect is expressed,
inter alia, in the monument that Yaakov places there (Bereishit
28:18). Rav Shimshon Rephael Hirsch explains that a monument symbolizes the
sanctity of nature: Divine service performed with natural stone expresses
something that is primary, temporal and natural, firstborn and
holy.
The southern
approach, leading from Hebron to Jerusalem, complements the natural route of the
forefathers and adds an element of uniqueness. This route is revealed at a later
stage, and its essence is royalty mortal kingship and Divine kingship and
the permanence and eternity of the possession of the Land and of the kingship.
The level of kingship is built, in essence, on top of the natural layer laid by
the forefathers, just as Mashiach ben David replaces Mashiach ben Yosef. This
path like kingship in general is the path of inherent uniqueness, arising
from below and not necessarily following the natural route. Yehuda was selected
for leadership and royalty even though he was not the firstborn. Likewise his
inheritance is not of "firstborn." character: it is rocky terrain, and its
natural conditions are not as fertile as those of the inheritance of Yosef. Yet
it is specifically in this inheritance that the future and eternal leadership of
Am Yisrael dwells.
In between the
inheritance of Yosef and that of Yehuda, we find the inheritance of Binyamin
and, within it, Jerusalem, which is meant (like the entire inheritance of
Binyamin) to unify in its midst the primal, natural firstness and sanctity of
the children of Rachel along with the aspect of inherent uniqueness, kingship,
and eternity of the children of Leah.
The order of
the cities visited by the forefathers Avraham and Yaakov, by their descendants
in their conquest of the Land, and finally by King David, creates a gradual
progression leading up to the city that unifies all of the tribes, subjecting
them by virtue of this unity to the kingship of Israel and the Kingship of
God:
·
Shekhem is the
firstborn city, the northern gateway, a border city. The place brings whoever
enters the land into an immediate encounter with the body of the Land its
"firstborn," natural, physical and primal aspect; the place where foreign gods
are left behind before one proceeds further inward.
·
Beit-El is the
natural place of sanctity, the Sanctuary of the forefathers, establishing the
connection with God and the ways of serving Him in relation to His
revelation.
·
From Beit-El
one may continue on to Hebron and dwell there permanently expressing the
eternal possession of Eretz Yisrael. This is the place of earthly unity
and kingship; a place that is arrived at out of choice, not just a station
somewhere along a natural path. Here the world of the spirit prevails over the
material world, as in the figure of Yehuda, the "ba'al teshuva"
(Bereishit 38).
·
Only at the end
do we reach Jerusalem, which joins earthly kingship with the Kingship of God;
Yehuda and Binyamin; kingship and inherent uniqueness with sanctity and
firstborn status; a leveling place which, as part of the inheritance of
Binyamin, brings together and unifies within itself both Yosef and Yehuda, both
Shekhem and Hebron.
The transition
from Shekhem to Beit-El is reminiscent of the proper way of entering a
synagogue, as described by Rav Chisda:
"A person
should always enter two doorways in the synagogue
and only thereafter begin to
pray" (Berakhot 8a).
There are two
doorways that are necessary in order to embark in the proper way on prayer. At
the outer doorway the point of transition between the outside and the inside
we remove our external aspect, but it is only when we pass through the inner
doorway that we really come inside and pray. The same applies to the entry into
the Land. First we pass through Shekhem, leaving behind on the outside of the
gateway the foreign gods; only afterwards do we proceed inward to Beit-El, the
place of natural sanctity.
The fact that
Hebron precedes Jerusalem on the second layer may be understood as a desire to
connect with the root of the world Adam, the firstborn of the world, and to
the forefathers who were buried there after him, and by virtue of this
connection to establishing kingship. The connection to the root is what allows
us as arising from permanence and kingship to ascend towards the
holy.
Reaching
Jerusalem means connecting Yosef and Yehuda in the inheritance of Binyamin, the
unifying tribe, which is the portion of the Divine Presence [7]. All of the
divisions that are revealed in Shekhem, Beit-El and Hebron, and in the divided
kingdoms all of these are reunited in Jerusalem, which allows for the
perfected revelation of all potential.
To complete the
picture, let us take note of three more points:
* The four
cities that we have discussed may be divided into two groups; two circles. There
is an outer circle, with two capital cities corresponding to one another:
Shekhem, the capital of the children of Yosef, and Hebron the capital of
Yehuda. Then there is the inner circle, including the two border cities of the
inheritance of Binyamin, Beit-El and Jerusalem the Sanctuary of the
forefathers and the Sanctuary of their descendants. The progression is from the
outer circle towards the inner one; from Shekhem to Beit-El and from Hebron to
Jerusalem with all the accompanying significance, as discussed
above.
* In our
context we should make mention of Chazal's teaching in Bereishit
Rabba (79, 7):
"
This is one
of three places concerning which the nations of the world cannot accuse Israel
and say, "You have stolen them." And these are the places: Ma'arat ha-Makhpela,
the Temple [Mount], and the burial place of Yosef."
In other words,
three central sites along the mountain range are an eternal possession of Am
Yisrael for all generations: Hebron, Shekhem, and
Jerusalem.
* All in all,
Avraham built four altars: in Shekhem, between Beit-El and Ai, in Hebron, and on
Mount Moriah. In other words in the same four places whose significance we
have been discussing. Chazal (Bereishit Rabba 39:16) note
the substance of the construction of three of these:
"Rabbi Elazar
taught: [Avraham] built three altars: one in honor of the promise concerning
[the inheritance of] the Land, one commemorating its acquisition, and one
[with the prayer] that his descendants would not fall."
The altar in
Shekhem was built in honor of God's promise concerning the inheritance of the
Land; the altar in Hebron commemorated Avraham's purchase of a portion of
Eretz Yisrael. The altar between Beit-El and Ai was a monument to his
prayer for the safety of his descendants. What we have said above, then, matches
Chazal's teachings both concerning Shekhem (the promise of Eretz
Yisrael), and concerning Hebron (the acquisition of Eretz
Yisrael).
In this sense,
Jerusalem is a leveling element between Shekhem and Hebron; hence, it does not
stand with Beit-El parallel to Shekhem and Hebron, but rather stands
alone.
Notes:
[1] Since this
course as a whole focuses on Jerusalem, we shall bring here only the essence of
our conclusions as to its essence. This subject will be discussed at length in
these shiurim throughout the year.
[2] There are
many sources that prove that the Temple is the place of God's kingship; they
will be addressed in detail in future shiurim.
[3]
Tanchuma (Buber edition), Parashat Naso, siman
20
[4] Especially
in light of the Sages' description of the border (Yoma 12a;
Megilla 26a), according to which a strip extends from the portion of
Yehuda and protrudes into the portion of Binyamin, such that the Sanctuary
itself is located in the portion of Binyamin, while the adjacent chambers
including the "Chamber of Hewn Stone," the seat of the Sanhedrin are located
in the portion of Yehuda; thus, the earthly kingdom is bound up with the place
of God's kingship.
[5] This is
especially in light of the verse, "To Binyamin he said: the beloved of God shall
dwell in safety by Him; He shall cover him all the day and He shall dwell
between his shoulders" (Devarim 33:12). We shall elaborate on this in a
future shiur that will be dedicated to this
subject.
[6] In
Divrei Ha-yamim (I 7:21-24) we find evidence of a very early arrival of
the tribe of Ephraim in Eretz Yisrael, and the building of cities within
Ephraim's inheritance: "Lower- and Upper- Beit-Choron, and
Uzen-She'era."
[7] The fact
that the inheritance of Binyamin is the portion of the Divine Presence, unifying
the tribes, will be proven in one of our future shiurim. Here we shall
note only that just as the moment when Binyamin presents himself before Yosef in
Egypt is what ultimately brings about the reunion between Yosef and his
brothers, so Binyamin's portion also sits in between the portion of Yosef and
Ephraim in the North and the portion of Yehuda in the South; this gives rise to
Jerusalem's status as the city that unifies all of Israel.
Translated by
Kaeren Fish
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