Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem

The first radio reports came through from the Jerusalem front on that hot day in June, 1967.

The reporter was breathing hoarsely as he ran with the soldiers entering the Lion’s Gate, one of the gates to the Old City. 

The sniper fire in the background did not seem to faze either the reporter or the soldiers.  The reporter's microphone did not pick up anxious cries of "take cover" or  "stay close to the buildings". 

What you heard instead was the excitement as one soldier asked the other, "where is it?" or "which way  to the Kotel (the Western Wall). One could pick up the sense of determination as soldiers were running , intent on getting “somewhere”.

And then , General Motta Gur announced over his radio  the words that were waiting to be spoken for 2000 years:

"Har Habayit BeYadeinu - the Temple Mount is in our hands... I repeat, The Temple Mount is in our hands".

If one takes a cursory and objective glance at the recent history of the people of Israel and the rebirth of a Jewish commonwealth in the land of Israel, one cannot escape its resemblance to classical biblical text.

An oppressed, dispersed and maligned people retunrs from all over the world to their ancient homeland. A small and beleaguered nation succeeds in fighting off multiple nations’, all intent on its destruction.And then a two thousand year old yearning to return to their beloved Jerusalem and the Temple Mount  is fulfilled in  six miraculous days.

The Temple Mount is the holiest location in the universe according to Jewish tradition, which tells that it was from there that the world expanded into its present form, and it was there G-d gathered the earth used to create man.

The Torah tells us that G-d chose to rest His Divine Presence, in that location forever  and that two Jewish Temples were built there .According to the prophecies of the Bible, the Third Temple will also be located here, and  will eventually become  the eternal House of Prayer for all nations (Isaiah 1:2-3; Ezekiel . 37:26-28; 40-48;Micah . 4:1-2; Haggai. 2:7-9;andZechariah 6:12-15;  14:20).

General Motta Gur's declaration that “the Temple Mount is in our hands” stirred the soul of every Jewish person of that time.
The world, however,and especially the Muslim world, has yet to digest and accept that reality. That, too, is in the Bible. As Zachariah proclaims, many of the nations, regrettably,  will struggle against this city's  destiny to the very end:

"Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem . And it shall happen in  that day that I will  make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would try to heave it away  will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations  of the earth are gathered against it."  ( Zechariah12:2-3)

Yet most dramatically, it is first the Jewish people that need to rekindle the yearning for that holy place. It is true that General Motta Gur's declaration  that “the Temple Mount is in our hands”  stirred the soul of every Jewish person of that time .Yet over time, the sound of that declaration has become fainter and has remained but a whisper. 

It was again due to that same “abused child syndrome” that has characterized Jewish existence through exile that the Temple Mount was quickly abandoned and given over to the Moslem Waqf. The essence of this “syndrome” is that the victim of abuse and persecution begins to believe that the victim himself is responsible for the abuse. As a result, the victim will do everything to minimize his own identity and unique character.

Therefore it was important to General Moshe Dayan to give the keys to the Temple Mount to the Muslims in an attempt to show how “nice and good” the Israeli people truly are. As a result Motta Gur’s declaration remains a distant, bittersweet memory.

Yet the memory has not been erased. The yearning for the place of G-d's House continues to resonate in the hearts of many. The Mount does not have to be  liberated by warfare and the Temple clearly will be rebuilt when the world is ready for it.

It will happen when "the knowledge of G-d will cover the earth like water covers the sea" ( Isaiah 11) and all men  will join in its rebuilding. 

It is our yearning that will ensure the unfolding of these events.

In Psalm 122, King David writes "I rejoiced when they said to me,“Let us go up to the house of the Lord'. Our feet are standing in your gates, Jerusalem".( Psalm122:1-2)

Shouldn’t  it have said "I rejoiced as we went  to the house of G-d?".  The answer is that King David was not destined to rebuild the Temple, but he rejoiced nevertheless when he heard of the blossoming and growing yearning of those who cried out "“Let us go up to the house of the Lord".

It is that “yearning” that is the foundation upon which prophetic destiny is built and becomes fulfilled.

This explains another verse in the same psalm;

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:" (Psalm 122:6).

The Hebrew word used for prayer is unique in this verse. 'Shaalu' is from the root "to request". That is to say “Ask for and yearn and desire the peace of Jerusalem”. the Hebrew word for Peace is Shalom. That word's root is the concept of being whole and complete ( shalem) Jerusalem can only be a true vessel of peace if it remains a vessel that is unbroken and complet

That is the essence of the passion of those tens of thousands of young and old who will fill the streets of Jerusalem in celebration of Yom Yerushalyim (Jerusalem Unification Day). It is that yearning that will be audibly heard in their prayers and their songs.

It is the underpinnings of all those across the world who yearn to fulfill the verse " Shaulu Shlom Yerushalayim , Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem".