• Home
  • Parashah
  • Ask the Rabbi
  • Festivals
  • Freemasonry
  • Articles
  • About
  • Books
  • Media
  •  

    Shalem – Vayyishlach

    Jerusalem, by Ruth MayerJacob came to Shalem (Gen. 33:18). The name suggests Jerusalem, the holy city.

    The rabbis speak of the Jerusalem Above and the Jerusalem below (Ta’anit 5a). Says Rabbi Yochanan ben Nappacha, “The Holy One said, ‘I will not enter the heavenly Jerusalem until I enter the earthly Jerusalem’.”

    Is there a difference between the two? They are actually one and the same. When the earthly Jerusalem is spiritually and ethically elevated it will morph into the heavenly Jerusalem.

    Ideally everyone in Jerusalem will one day be a religious believer, but the heavenly Jerusalem is ethical too.

    When there is no corruption, cruelty or callousness anywhere in Jerusalem we will know it is a truly holy city.

    Comments are closed.