JERUSALEM: Eye of the Universe

 JERUSALEM: Eye of the Universe

Rabbi Nachman said, "Wherever I go, I go to Jerusalem."
And so it is for every Jew. The eternal message of Jerusalem accompanies the Jew every day of his life. He longs for Jerusalem the 'city of peace' to find its complete fulfilment. He mourns for its Temple temporarily removed from its people.
Daily we pray for Jerusalem "the mother of Israel." She is brought to mind when we thank G-d for our food, in our Shabbat and holy-day observances, and in our prayers. Even when we paint and plaster our homes we leave an empty space to recall Jerusalem.
Under the bridal canopy ashes are placed upon the head of the bridegroom and a glass is broken in solemn remembrance of Jerusalem. When a Jew dies, earth of Jerusalem is placed inside the coffin.
The entire Jewish people concludes the Passover Seder and the Yom Kippur service with a unified insistence that the end of our longing for her comfort is nigh by proclaiming "Next year in Jerusalem."
We are in love with Jerusalem. It is this love which causes us to call upon her at every opportunity. We cannot remove her from our thoughts. As the Talmud relates: "Ten measures of beauty descended to this world. Nine were given to Jerusalem and one to the rest of the world."

JERUSALEM: THE EYE OF THE UNIVERSE

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan
Artwork - Shabbat In Old Jerusalem By Alex Levin