Yerushalayim Hineni (Jerusalem here I am)! "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem...if I set not Jerusalem above my chiefest joy" (Psalms 137:5-6)
View of the Southern Wall of the Temple from the overlook at the ancient City of David
Today we woke up in Jerusalem. The very feeling of walking outside and taking in a breath of fresh air in this holiest of Holy lands is something indescribable. Yet, I remind myself almost every time I am here that it was not always this way for me. When I would come to Israel as a child (which in some years was multiple times a year) Jerusalem to me was no different than any other city in Israel. In fact, it might have even been a city I tried not to have to go to. Even when I had my Bar Mitzvah at the base of the Western Wall (where 25 years later to the exact same day I had the opportunity to attend the Bar Mitzvah of one of my students), this holy city never truly carried any particularly special "value" to me. It was only as a young adult, when t'fillah (prayer), my personal theology, and having possessed a deeper understanding of what it meant to be Jewish, did Jerusalem finally receive the respect and awe which I know have for it today.
The "Value of Values" has been our theme as we toured Jerusalem and looked at it through the eyes of the 1st & 2nd Temples. "What were the values that guided our ancient leaders decisions?" was the repeating questions from our guides Tzvi Grumet & Shalom Berger (Associate Educational Director of the Lookstein Center, and Co-Director of the Jim Joseph Fellowship Program respectively). "Values?" I kept asking myself as we walked the paths that were laid thousands of years ago...what values did our ancient ancestors have that built cities which have lasted longer than most countries have even been in existence! What values guided these leaders visions and understandings of creating ways of life that we still try and emulate today?
As I pondered (and am still pondering as I write this posting) we wrapped up our day today with a special presentation by Hanan Eshel, Associate Professor and former Head (2002-2004) of the Department of Land of Israel Studies & Archeology at Bar Ilan University. Dr. Eshel capped our day by sharing with us a few personal stories and anecdotes on one of his particular interests and personal excavations, the Caves of Qumran and its "Dead Sea Scrolls". Todah Professor Eshel for helping to personalize and frame the lives which these Jews experienced during those ancient times!
Lastly, I feel as though I have not tackled the question of the day and its "Value of Values" theme. It will have to wait for a later positing as I struggle with simply wanting to remain at the 40,000 foot level of this theme, and leave everything to Divine direction and human vision.
And now to enjoy Shabbat in Yerushalayim!
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