{"id":61978,"date":"2019-08-28T13:54:11","date_gmt":"2019-08-28T10:54:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=61978"},"modified":"2023-03-22T21:20:21","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T19:20:21","slug":"building-walls-to-unify-not-separate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/building-walls-to-unify-not-separate\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Walls To Unify, Not Separate"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[635,778],"acf":{"old_id":"61978","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":46656,"related_cahpter":"295","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"The strength of a sacred center","content":"

It\u2019s not unique to the Jewish world that in times of extreme crisis or threat, or during moments of particular national pride or joy, a community that may otherwise be suffering from divisiveness unifies around a common focal point. But what usually happens is that once the event at hand is resolved or begins to wane in intensity, that sense of a unified purpose wanes with it.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is remarkable then, that for over 3,000 years a single point of spiritual unity has persisted for the Jewish people. In this chapter of the First Book of Kings, King Solomon, having completed the building of the Temple in Jerusalem, offers a lengthy and profound prayer to God. Within his words are the basis for the universally held Jewish practice of facing Jerusalem when we pray.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>They shall pray toward this place (8:35)\u201d refers to the Temple, for those in Jerusalem;<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPray to the Lord toward the city that You have chosen (8:44)\u201d refers to Jerusalem itself, for those outside the city; and<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey shall pray to You toward their land (8:48)\u201d is for those outside of Israel.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are differing opinions on whether the Temple was intended to be a house in which God\u2019s presence would dwell or a location which would host the people\u2019s service to God. Both options are evident in this chapter. King Solomon expressly states, \u201cI have built a house for You, a place where You may dwell forever (8:13)\u201d, but then almost immediately asks, \u201cBut will God really dwell on this earth? The heavens can\u2019t contain You, much less this Temple (8:27).\u201d The chapter then focuses our attention on physical service to God, including the various offerings and sacrifices brought in the Temple.<\/span><\/p>\n

Regardless of where you land in this discussion, it\u2019s easy to relate to the unity of the Jewish people during this celebratory period of Temple dedication. But here we are today still focusing our prayers in the direction of a Temple that was destroyed millennia ago. Whether our nation is divided by religious, political or ideological differences, our unification around Israel, Jerusalem and our House of God remains steadfast.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When King Solomon laid that holy foundation stone for the first wall of the Temple, he must have known, in his God-given wisdom, that he was building not just an edifice, but laying the foundation for an enduring laser-focused point of unification for the Jewish people.<\/span><\/p>\n

Image: Heinrich Bunting, <\/span>Die ganze Welt in einem Kleberblat<\/span><\/i> (The entire World in a Cloverleaf), <\/span>1581 \/ wikimedia<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":61979,"id":61979,"title":"1kings8-Bunting_clover_leaf_map","filename":"1kings8-Bunting_clover_leaf_map.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings8-Bunting_clover_leaf_map.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/building-walls-to-unify-not-separate\/1kings8-bunting_clover_leaf_map\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"1kings8-bunting_clover_leaf_map","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":61978,"date":"2019-08-28 10:53:49","modified":"2021-02-02 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