In an interesting twist in Torah, it should be noted that Jerusalem, or Yerushalayim, is not mentioned. The single reference to this city by name is in regards to the King Shalem, with whom Avraham celebrates after routing the enemy in war, way back in Bireishit. Other than this winking mention, the name of the city itself is not contained in the chumash.
Why? Instead of, perhaps, being ashamed or embarrassed by this lack of our holiest city in Torah, we finally learn why that is - its location simply hasn't been selected yet. In this second aliyah of Ri'ay, we hear over and over again about the site for the mikdash where all the offerings should be brought and all the people should rejoice is "to be selected."
I once heard Judaism as being reduced a teleology - a straight as an arrow - or at least spiral - approach to a very end. This implies that the path is in some ways set in stone, which we do believe as part of H's omnipotence and omniscience. But there is something more nimble and vulnerable and ambiguous here - that path does not appear to be entirely known, perhaps, somewhat heretically, even to G-d - the city is not yet entirely selected, or at least its location is very much not explicitly told and very much hidden from this current generation.
What lies between the lines is that everything that happened before then, everything happening currently, and everything happening in the future - that all seems to have some modicum of effect on H's - well, running the world, in the future. The city is not yet selected because it cannot be - there is still so much more that must happen between then and now. In fact, I believe that something like 410 years passed between when B'nei Yisrael entered the land and when Solomon finally completed the Temple. That is a very, very long time in which the express words of Torah apparently not totally fulfilled (I am aware that there was a mikdash and that it moved from town to town). And yet, when it was time - wow, did that holy structure go up quickly.
The Torah again repeats rejoicing at least three times in this parasha - twice, I believe, in reference to the fact that all people (men, women workers/slaves/servants) should rejoice, and a repetition of a verse from the first aliyah in that we should rejoice in all things that our hand undertakes. The message is clear: joy and rejoicing and allowing and encouraging and in fact mandating rejoicing for everyone - that will certainly have an impact on what H' will "choose" for us.
Comments
Post a Comment