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Jerusalem above all? Not at all
By Ruth Meisels
Tags: commandments, Jerusalem 

Hanukkah and the Annapolis conference apparently caused some hysteria among the self-appointed "guardians" of Jerusalem. In recent weeks it has been almost impossible to tune in to any of the stations of Israel Radio without hearing one of two commercials, both of which seek to strengthen the ties between the (Jewish) people living in Zion and their capital city.

In one ad, the Jewish masses are called upon to visit the Temple Mount. "The days of Hanukkah, during which the Temple was purified by the Maccabees! What are you, Jerusalem: the city of God or an ordinary city? And where is your heart: at Givat Ram and the Kirya, or at Mount Moriah?" the announcer, Avshalom Kor, asks rhetorically, in the voice that is so closely identified with the annual Bible quizzes and the nationalistic language spots that he broadcasts daily on Army Radio. Afterward, he informs listeners that "the Temple Mount is open to Jews under police protection" every day, and urges them to come and visit, "after immersion in a mikveh [ritual bath], and not wearing leather shoes."

The religious audience of this preaching has no need for such instructions, but if they are already preaching religious behavior to secular listeners, it would have been fair to inform them as well that most contemporary rabbis - including the most important ones on the religious right - continue to forbid Jews to ascend the Temple Mount altogether. Even "after immersion in a mikveh, and not wearing leather shoes."
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But while this commercial arouses fears of a security risk, if masses of Jews decide suddenly to answer the call and try to go up to the Temple Mount, the second commercial, part of a new campaign for Jerusalem headed by former minister Natan Sharansky and Yehiel Leiter, former head of Benjamin Netanyahu's bureau, arouses a different kind of unease. "Every nation has a capital that is theirs alone. The French have Paris, the British have London, and we have - a unified and liberated Jerusalem," thunders the announcer several times an hour, continuing: "Above all places - Jerusalem. Above any controversy - Jerusalem. Above all the generations - Jerusalem. Now is the time to come and swear allegiance to Jerusalem. Now is the time to tie a gold ribbon to identify with Jerusalem. Because above all - Jerusalem."

It's worth examining the claim on which this new campaign is based. Above all, Jerusalem? Not at all, certainly not from a religious point of view.

Judaism praises the sanctity of life, and accordingly the halakha instructs us that only three commandments are "yehareg uval ya'avor" - that is, laws for which a person must give up his life before violating them: the prohibitions on shedding of blood, idol worship and forbidden sexual relations. Control over Jerusalem is not included in these commandments. Nor is Jerusalem above Shabbat observance, the laws of kashrut, or commandments that instruct us to care for orphans and widows. In fact, there is no connection in Jewish tradition between sovereignty and sanctity; certainly there is no commandment mandating Jewish political sovereignty in Jerusalem.

Yes, Jerusalem is a symbol. According to tradition, it was conquered by King David, who turned it into his capital. His son Solomon built the Temple there, to which Jews made a pilgrimage three times a year. Yes, for 2,000 years Jews longed for Jerusalem and mentioned it in their prayers, but it was as much a symbol as a concrete place.

Risking Jewish lives over Jerusalem is far from being "above any controversy," in the words of the commercial - certainly not from a religious point of view. It is no coincidence that the leaders of the National Religious Party at the time, headed by minister Moshe Haim Shapira, were among the prominent opponents of the Six-Day War, and once it started, of the Israel Defense Forces entering East Jerusalem even in the midst of the fighting. The sanctity of Jerusalem in general, and of the Temple Mount in particular, does not depend on who is sovereign in the city.

And we haven't even said a word here about undermining the rights of another nation, members of another faith, who also hold Jerusalem and the Temple Mount sacred. Jerusalem above all? Not at all.

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  1.   Why not? 10:50  |  Walter 14/12/07
  2.   A one way street 10:56  |  Sherlock Holmes 14/12/07
  3.   Ruth Meisels, you simply don`t get it, do you? 10:59  |  Terry 14/12/07
  4.   Selective quotes 11:02  |  Joseph 14/12/07
  5.   Are we suicidal? 11:07  |  Sherlock Holmes 14/12/07
  6.   Iran and Israel: 2 countries, 1 problem with ideology..... 11:08  |  Swiss (Dino) 14/12/07
  7.   Modern Israel is NOT the restitution of Tanach covenants 11:14  |  Ivar 14/12/07
  8.   Meisels Obviously Is Ignorant Of Judaism 11:14  |  Yishai Kohen 14/12/07
  9.   Israeli Left 11:21  |  Ben Azai 14/12/07
  10.   Ruth:your ignorance is abysmal 11:24  |  trumpeldor 14/12/07
  11.   Absolute Rubbish 11:25  |  Ben Israel 14/12/07
  12.   Inspiration 11:28  |  Yossi 14/12/07
  13.   SO NOW I SHOULD LEARN JUDAISM FROM HAARETZ? 11:30  |  A Jew 14/12/07
  14.   Is This Girl Jewish? She Sounds like a Palestinian. 11:32  |  J 14/12/07
  15.   A unique capital for two nations 11:34  |  Esther 14/12/07
  16.   No commandment prior to 1967 11:38  |  Johnny Weintraub 14/12/07
  17.   They Will Be Out to Lynch Ruth Meisels 11:44  |  Yaakov Sullivan 14/12/07
  18.   Swiss (Dino)...as usual, ignorance is bliss 11:46  |  Ofer Maimon 14/12/07
  19.   And on Pikuach Nefesh... 11:49  |  Ofer Maimon 14/12/07
  20.   Ben Azai Regrets What He Left in Baghdad 11:51  |  Yaakov Sullivan 14/12/07
  21.   Yaakov Sullivan...2 questions for you.. 11:57  |  Ofer Maimon 14/12/07
  22.   Jerusalrem in `67 11:59  |  Avi Yerushalmi 14/12/07
  23.   Ben Azai`s fanciful revision of history 12:04  |  Ivar 14/12/07
  24.   First I Rationalized My City`s Loss, And Then... 12:05  |  dyinglikeflies 14/12/07
  25.   Isaiah 12:09  |  Joe 14/12/07
  26.   Yes of course I celebrated Hannukah 12:23  |  Yaakov Sullivan 14/12/07
  27.   # 18 Ofer Maimon 12:34  |  Swiss (Dino) 14/12/07
  28.   Re Ya`akov Sullivan #17 12:41  |  Esther 14/12/07
  29.   Re: 14. Was Abraham Jewish Mr. J? 12:46  |  Sam 14/12/07
  30.   # 7 national self-determination 13:15  |  Joseph 14/12/07
  31.   Final territorial demand? 13:21  |  Avi 14/12/07
  32.   Ruth Meisels, would you... 13:23  |  Motic 14/12/07
  33.   If I Forget Thee, O Ruth, Let My Right Hand ... 13:25  |  Lavi 14/12/07
  34.   No commandment for muslims in Jerusalem either! 13:25  |  Petra 14/12/07
  35.   # 7 Then prove it and let Israel dig! 13:28  |  Petra 14/12/07
  36.   #23 Fanciful history 13:33  |  Ben Azai 14/12/07
  37.   Jews pray 3x daily about returning to Jerusalem 13:37  |  Moshe 14/12/07
  38.   What do East Jerusalem Arabs have to say? 13:37  |  Sherlock Holmes 14/12/07
  39.   COMMANDMENT to settle all of Israel is "yehareg v`al yaavor"--MC 13:40  |  M 14/12/07
  40.   Ivar # 7 The Location Of The Second Temple 13:54  |  Jeff Northridge 14/12/07
  41.   Jewish political sovereignty in Jerusalem on of 613 commandments 14:00  |  Nathan 14/12/07
  42.   It never ceases to amaze me 14:13  |  T A Sheppard 14/12/07
  43.   Yaakob #17 14:22  |  Avi Yerushalmi 14/12/07
  44.   Swiss..."remove the trouble makers"? 14:24  |  Lynn 14/12/07
  45.   Ms. Meisels 14:25  |  Avi Yerushalmi 14/12/07
  46.   Yihareg val yavor 14:35  |  avi 14/12/07
  47.   Very well spoken Yossi @ 12, I`d just like to add 14:36  |  Virginia 14/12/07
  48.   Thanks, Jeff, for looking at my argument 14:37  |  Ivar 14/12/07
  49.   Jerusalem 14:41  |  Ralph 14/12/07
  50.   6Swiss Dino,7 Ivar,and zionists,swiss dino well said! Ivar,good 14:46  |  lakshmi 14/12/07
  51.   Swiss Dino 14:49  |  Ralph 14/12/07
  52.   May Jerusalem be a City of Praise to our God. 14:51  |  Sovereignty? 14/12/07
  53.   Undermining Jerusalem 15:10  |  Brod 14/12/07
  54.   # 44 Lynn, it`s about time to make up your mind...... 15:17  |  Swiss (Dino) 14/12/07
  55.   Esther #15 15:28  |  GABE1 14/12/07
  56.   Jerusalem above all or not at all ? malachi says above all 15:35  |  yahn goodey 14/12/07
  57.   #6 Swiss (Dinosaur) 15:42  |  Axel 14/12/07
  58.   "For to us a child is born, 15:55  |  Virginia 14/12/07
  59.   And That`s How Meisels Rejoyce at a West Bank Disengagement 15:56  |  Joseph E . 14/12/07
  60.   ralphsrant1 15:59  |  Ralph Levy 14/12/07
  61.   Non sense 16:02  |  Taieb 14/12/07
  62.   Meisels, stop trying to pervert Judaism to fit your leftist 16:08  |  Chaim 14/12/07
  63.   Ignorant Rubbish of enlightened logic of erev rav? 16:16  |  B 14/12/07
  64.   # 51 Ralph 16:33  |  Swiss (Dino) 14/12/07
  65.   To Yaakov 16:39  |  PE Haberman 14/12/07
  66.   # 57 Axel (II) ?? 16:41  |  Swiss (Dino) 14/12/07
  67.   Where did Haaretz dig this "gem" up? She sounds like Sullivans gf 16:44  |  Smarter then Ruth 14/12/07
  68.   Swiss (Dino) 17:01  |  Yaron 14/12/07
  69.   Ruth Meisel is actually making me nausious 17:05  |  SHIMON 14/12/07
  70.   u think giving away jerusalem brings peace?! Tell that to sderot! 17:06  |  SHIMON 14/12/07
  71.   perverting of judaism in its highest form-no suprise from haaretz 17:08  |  SHIMON 14/12/07
  72.   Ruth and Yaakov sullivan do nothing but encourage terrorism 17:11  |  SHIMON 14/12/07
  73.   What, Yaakov, should we do when rockets fire in western jerusalem 17:15  |  SHIMON 14/12/07
  74.   Meisel The Brain Surgeon 17:40  |  Barry 14/12/07
  75.   ruth contradicts herself in the last 3 lines 17:47  |  victor hardman 14/12/07
  76.   Meisels and CAMERA 17:48  |  Elvis Baldwell 14/12/07
  77.   RELIGIOUS MANIACS 17:58  |  gearoid 14/12/07
  78.   Remarkably empty article - 18:04  |  17 14/12/07
  79.   # 50 lakshmi and Ballistic attended the same "history" course 18:07  |  17 14/12/07
  80.   58Virginia,your quote from Handel`s Messiah,is pretty and I 18:08  |  lakshmi 14/12/07
  81.   Jerusalem above all 18:31  |  david gershon 14/12/07