{"id":75743,"date":"2020-06-09T22:44:40","date_gmt":"2020-06-09T19:44:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=75743"},"modified":"2020-06-09T22:44:40","modified_gmt":"2020-06-09T19:44:40","slug":"ezekiel-renames-jerusalem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/ezekiel-renames-jerusalem\/","title":{"rendered":"Ezekiel Renames Jerusalem"},"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":[],"acf":{"old_id":"75743","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":38322,"related_cahpter":"500","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"And from a national capital it becomes the spiritual fulcrum of the world\u00a0\r\n\r\n","content":"

Ezekiel\u2019s finale begins with a topography of the land of Israel as it is divided between the tribes, separated by clearly defined borders. It ends by narrowing down its scope to Jerusalem, confined specifically to the outer limits of the city, three at every direction with gates named after each tribe. A summarizing verse marks the transition between the geographic allotment to each tribe and these gates which designates all the bounded shares in the land \u201cas an inheritance (<\/span>nachalah<\/span><\/em>) for the tribes of Israel and their portions (<\/span>machlekotam<\/span><\/em>)\u201d (29).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Both terms express a potential danger inherent in territorial boundaries. Though intending an equitable distribution within a unified federation, they can easily fragment into a disunion of autonomously non-aligned states. Apportionment can contribute to unity or divisiveness-\u00a0<\/span>machlekotam<\/span><\/em> (their portions) can deteriorate into <\/span>machloket<\/span><\/em> (argument\/schism)<\/span><\/p>\n

Machlekot<\/span><\/em> appears once as a place name, the Rock of Separation (1 Sam 23:28), commemorating a pivotal moment in the conflict between David and Saul that captures its unity\/disunity ambiguity at a formative moment in Israel\u2019s political history. Saul was about to encircle David when an enemy threat on another front diverted his attention and he abandoned his pursuit. The general consensus among commentators is that the name memorializes their departure from each other at that critical interval. Thus, the term\u2019s association with geography captures its positive and negative sense. It is a monument to both a schism within the Israelite state and the historical moment ensuring David\u2019s survival and the future of the Davidic kingship line.<\/span><\/p>\n

The original apportionment of Israel involved an unequal distribution with Jerusalem spanning both Benjamin and Judah. However, difficult as it is to map, Ezekiel\u2019s reimagined utopia envisions Jerusalem as neutral territory sandwiched between all the other tribes occupying precisely equal areas to the north and south of it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Machlekot<\/span><\/i> signifies the thin line between unity and disintegration. Its strategic position in the chapter capping off the partitioning of the land among the tribes and introducing the twelve tribal gates of Jerusalem identifies the firewall preventing a collective of mutual interests from dissolving into an assortment of self-interests. The twelve gates occupying the city\u2019s extremities from every direction and bearing the names of each tribe reflects Jerusalem\u2019s equally belonging to all in a sense that transcends borders and geography. That is why Ezekiel ends of the entire book anticipating a new name for Jerusalem, like Isaiah\u2019s \u201c<\/span>chefzi-bah<\/span><\/em>\u201d (\u201cespoused\u201d 62:4), and Jeremiah\u2019s \u201cthe Lord is our righteousness\u201d (<\/span>tzidkenu,<\/span><\/em> 33:16).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the ideal future the holy city will not be identified by a name that is always associated with a certain country or nation but rather by a much broader principle or idea that transcends time, place, and ownership. Thus no longer will it be known as Jerusalem, a city located in Judah and Benjamin, but by what it should represent which is the spiritual fulcrum of the world: \u201cand the name of the city from that day on shall be \u2018The Lord is There (<\/span>yhvh shamah<\/span><\/em>)\u2019\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Image: Jerusalem, by Bracha Lavee, courtesy of the artist<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":75744,"id":75744,"title":"jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee","filename":"jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/ezekiel-renames-jerusalem\/jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee-2\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":75743,"date":"2020-06-09 19:43:32","modified":"2023-07-23 10:25:10","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":454,"height":635,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee-214x300.jpg","medium-width":214,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee.jpg","medium_large-width":454,"medium_large-height":635,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee.jpg","large-width":454,"large-height":635,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee.jpg","1536x1536-width":454,"1536x1536-height":635,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee.jpg","2048x2048-width":454,"2048x2048-height":635,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee.jpg","post_full_size-width":454,"post_full_size-height":635,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee-300x420.jpg","home_baner-width":300,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"Ezekiel Renames Jerusalem","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"And from a national capital it becomes the spiritual fulcrum of the world\u00a0","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":{"ID":75744,"id":75744,"title":"jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee","filename":"jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/ezekiel-renames-jerusalem\/jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee-2\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":75743,"date":"2020-06-09 19:43:32","modified":"2023-07-23 10:25:10","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":454,"height":635,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee-214x300.jpg","medium-width":214,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee.jpg","medium_large-width":454,"medium_large-height":635,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee.jpg","large-width":454,"large-height":635,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee.jpg","1536x1536-width":454,"1536x1536-height":635,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee.jpg","2048x2048-width":454,"2048x2048-height":635,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee.jpg","post_full_size-width":454,"post_full_size-height":635,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/jo15-jerusalem-bracha-lavee-300x420.jpg","home_baner-width":300,"home_baner-height":420}},"preview_video":"","external_link":"","link_for_pay":false,"tile_gallery_items":false,"credits":""},"alternate_tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"","hide_media":false},"tile_group":{"preview_image_url":false,"main_caption":"","sub_caption":"","":null,"popup_package_extra_content":"","read_time":""},"home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo":{"seo_title":"","seo_description":"","seo_default_title":"","seo_default_description":""},"links":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75743"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75743"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75745,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75743\/revisions\/75745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}