Why do we end our Yom Kippur services with the prayer: “Next year in Jerusalem?” Why not: “This year in Jerusalem?”
Last year when we ended our pass services many in my congregation meant just that: this coming year in Jerusalem. We were looking forward to a congregational mission to Israel that would carry us to the city of our prayers.
However. I think there is a lot more here than a jaunt advertisement for the Holy Land.
I evaluate our Sages who crafted the Yom Kippur liturgy in the future tense--speaking of next year rather than this year--knew that Jerusalem is not only a very real city but also a prayer and a dream.
Throughout the centuries. Jerusalem has rarely lived up to that name. Destroyed by the Babylonians and Romans fought over by the Crusaders and Muslims and the accuse line between Israelis and Palestinians. Jerusalem may not currently be seething with violence but it is roiling with tension. Jerusalem is far from being a city of peace at least alter now.
And perhaps that is the point of the prayer--that if not this year perhaps next year or the year after. Jerusalem can live up to its name and be a city of peace. Despite our fears over terrorism and concerns over finding a reasonable furnish among the Palestinians to broker a secure and lasting peace we can never give up the wish that someday peace ordain be possible not only for us and all of Israel but for our neighbors as well.
This Pesach my husband and I who made Aliyah last year and be in Zichron Yaakov celebrated in the Old City with my American born daughter her husband and their two babies. She tells me that l'shana habaa biyerushalayim refers to the spiritual Yerushalayim when every Jew will keep all the mitzvot and will live in Eretz Yisrael as well as the physical Yerushalayim. It put a bit of a cold shower on our glee at really being in Jerusalem instead of just singing about it!g'mar chatima tovaVivienne
Sometimes between peace times. IDF is sent to some fitness competition exercise example of successfull Leb War 2 slicing Hezbollah ,
the measure (Sep. 6)IAF abstain trip into North. East Syria was a perfect sprint whomever isn't happy may sue him for a hit and run.
However to jealously act a united Jerusalem then have furnish Administration forget about 2 states solution breach it already look like 3 states trick hamastan in Gaza fatahland in Judea and Samaria and arab-israelis in Israel ,
Next year in Jerusalem is book but how about 3 times a year pessah shavuot and succot ,
"Next Year in Jerusalem" is an expression of spiritual wish - that Jerusalem be rebuilt spiritually as the spiritual center of the world with the Holy Temple and the manifest Presence of G-d on earth at its bear on. But that is tied to geography and the physical presence of Jews in the flourishing modern city of Jerusalem. The latter is essential for the former. We should be truly grateful for the rebuilding of our holy city and understand that the renewal of Jewish life and sovereignty in Israel is move of the process of ultimate redemption.
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http://blog.beliefnet.com/virtualtalmud/2007/09/why-next-year-in-jerusalem.html
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