Three Thousand Years

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Once upon a time, in the early 90s, I was visiting some Israeli friends in Tel Aviv named Yoav and Tami.

Picture your stereotypical "hilonim" (secularists).

Floppy sandals, short pants, strong sense of irony.

They'd already traveled the world. Their English was flawless.

Now they were very happy in Tel Aviv and ... this is the important point: they said they felt very little desire to visit Jerusalem.

But as the conversation continued, it came out that they were upset about what they perceived was going on in Jerusalem.

Specifically, some religious people's attempts to close Jerusalem roads on Shabbat.

"If they want to have a religious city, let it be in Bnai Braq!" Tami said.

Yoav nodded his head in agreement. "Israel already has a religious city. Jerusalem is for everyone."

First Question for your table - What was bothering these hilonim who rarely set foot in Yerushalayim?

Three thousand years ago, King David conqured Jerusalem and made it the capital of the Jewish People.

2,500 years ago, the Babylonian empire destroyed Jerusalem and exiled us from there.

1,948 years ago, the Romans did it again.

Since then, Christians and Muslems have battled over hegemony there. Why? Because they know that Jerusalem symbolizes the eternality of the Jewish People.

And the eternality of the Jewish People implies there is something deficient with Christianity and Islam.

Tami and Yoav know that they're Jews and there isn't a snowball's chance in Mecca that that will ever change.

Question #2 for your table - Are they right?

Shabbat Shalom


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