Jerusalem of Gold, such famous and powerful words. Do they refer to the color of Jerusalem Stone at sunset? the color of the dome of the rock which stands out so prominently? To the yellow color of the sky in a sand storm? To the shimmering gold sun most days? the gold flowers that smile at me as I walk to school? to the preciousness of this city, the rare gift? to the gold of the heart?
Today is Yom Yerushalayim, celebrating 40 years of a unified Jerusalem. And there is so much to think about. In my lifetime, Jerusalem has been what it is, the boundaries changing slightly, but we have always had the old city. We have fought for our right to live freely and without fear, but we have lived here. Jerusalem, the city with so many complexities it makes my head spin. So many psalms written about the love affair with this special city. SO many blisters, so many dirty feet, so many smiles, laughs, memories.
This precious place that i have been so lucky to call my home for the past 9 months, and an additional 6 months. This place that I will never forget, that will never be far from my consciousness when I leave in just over 2 weeks.
And so this Yom Yerushalayim, I look out the window at the freak thunderstorm, and wonder what we are celebrating? A unified Jerusalem that is unraveling with a barrier between parts? The Jerusalem I am living in? The Jerusalem of old? The Jerusalem of the tanach? Or, the Jerusalem of my heart, the sacred space that is filled with memories, but more than that, filled with my spiritual journey. The place in each individual where they have found their center, their golden stone, their golden experience, their place?!?!
Today is Yom Yerushalayim, celebrating 40 years of a unified Jerusalem. And there is so much to think about. In my lifetime, Jerusalem has been what it is, the boundaries changing slightly, but we have always had the old city. We have fought for our right to live freely and without fear, but we have lived here. Jerusalem, the city with so many complexities it makes my head spin. So many psalms written about the love affair with this special city. SO many blisters, so many dirty feet, so many smiles, laughs, memories.
This precious place that i have been so lucky to call my home for the past 9 months, and an additional 6 months. This place that I will never forget, that will never be far from my consciousness when I leave in just over 2 weeks.
And so this Yom Yerushalayim, I look out the window at the freak thunderstorm, and wonder what we are celebrating? A unified Jerusalem that is unraveling with a barrier between parts? The Jerusalem I am living in? The Jerusalem of old? The Jerusalem of the tanach? Or, the Jerusalem of my heart, the sacred space that is filled with memories, but more than that, filled with my spiritual journey. The place in each individual where they have found their center, their golden stone, their golden experience, their place?!?!
Rabbi Eve Posen 