Beth HaDerech; Messianic Jewish Congregation, Toronto, Canada

Jerusalem – City of David – עיר דוד

Jerusalem the Center of the World City of David - עיר דוד, Jerusalem of ancient times, was located on a narrow ridge south of the present-day Old City. On the east it borders the deep Kidron Valley where the Gihon Spring, the city’s water source, is located. In Biblical theology, Jerusalem is the place where God chose for his name to dwell, forever hallowed (see Deut 12:5 for the origins of this doctrine which is fleshed out in the Psalms and prophets). Jerusalem is central to the Jewish heart. When religious Jews pray three times a day, they always turn toward Jerusalem (they also keep a small section of an eastern wall in their house unplastered and unpainted (Mizrach - East) as a sign of mourning for the destruction of the Temple). The Jewish people close the Passover Seder with the words LaShanah Haba'ah Bi Yerushalayim! ("Next Year in Jerusalem"). These same words are invoked to conclude the holiest day of the Jewish year, Yom Kippur. During a Jewish wedding ceremony, the groom breaks a glass as a sign of mourning to commemorate the destruction of the two Temples which stood in Jerusalem. Maran Rabbeinu Yeshua called Jerusalem the "City of the great King" (Psalm 48:2; Matt 5:35). It is the place where He died, buried, resurrected, and from whence he ascended to heaven. Soon our holy Rabbi, Maran...