Elie Lederman The Song that Won the War n the eve of Yom Please keep in mind that this and threatened to wipe out Israel. Yerushalayim, come take song was first released at the Yom With that, when you closely examine a fascinating journey with HaAtzmaut celebrations that year, Shemer’s lyrics, one cannot but feel me of the poet Naomi Shemer’s some three weeks before the Six-Day that this song was prophetically O 1 celebrated song, “Jerusalem of Gold,” War, a time of great anxiety for the inspired, drawing from Biblical and let’s explore the wealth of Jewish people living in Israel. Am Yisrael sources and envisioning Jerusalem’s sources from which Shemer drew her was genuinely fearful of Abdul Nasser reunification as promised by our inspiration. who had closed the Straits of Tiran prophets.
ְי ּרושׁ ָ ַל ִים שׁ ֶ ל ָז ָהב
Jerusalem of Goldnaomi shemer
אֲוִיר הָרִים צָלוּל ּכַיַּיִן אַך ְ ּבְבוֹאִי הַיּוֹם לָשִׁיר לָך ְ The mountain air is clear as wine But as I come to sing to you today וְרֵיחַ אֳרָנִים וְלָך ְ לִקְשֹׁר ּכְתָרִיםAnd the scent of pines And to adorn crowns to you 13 12 ּנִשָׂא ּבְרוּחַ ּהָעַרְבַיִם קָ ט ֹנ ּ ִ ְתי14 ּמִצְעִיר ּבָנַיִך Is carried on the breeze of twilight I am the smallest of the 15ְ עִם קוֹל ּפַעֲמוֹנִים וּמֵאַחֲרוֹן ּהַמְשׁוֹרְרִיםWith the sound of bells youngest of your children 16 And of the last poet וּ ּבְתַרְדֵמַת אִילָן וָאֶבֶן ּכִי שְׁמֵך ְ צוֹרֵב אֶת ּהַשְׂפָתַיִם And in the slumber of tree and stone שְׁבוּיָה ּב ַּחֲלוֹמָה2 ּכִנְשִׁיקַת שָׂרַףCaptured in her dream For your name scorches the lips 17 הָעִיר אֲשֶׁר ּבָדָד יוֹשֶׁבֶת3 אִם ּאֶשְׁכָחֵך ְ יְרוּשָׁלַיִםThe city that sits solitary Like the kiss of a seraph 18 ו ּ ּבְלִב ָּה חוֹמָה אֲשֶׁר ּכֻלּ ָּה זָהָב And in its midst is a wall If I forget thee, Jerusalem Which is all gold יְרו ּשָׁלַיִם שֶׁל זָהָב4 יְרו ּשָׁלַיִם שֶׁל זָהָב... Jerusalem of gold ו ְשֶׁ ל נ ְח ֹשֶׁ ת5 וְשֶׁל אוֹרAnd of copper, and of light Jerusalem of gold... 6 הֲל ֹא לְכָל שִׁירַיִך 7ְ חָזַרְנוּ אֶל ּבוֹרוֹת ּהַמַיִם Behold I am a violin אֲנִי ּכִנּוֹר8 ל ַּשׁו ּק ו ְל ַּכ ִּכָר for all your songs We have returned to the cisterns שׁוֹפָר קוֹרֵא ּבְהַר ּהַבַיִתTo the market and to 19 אֵיכָה9 יָבְשׁוּ ּבוֹרוֹת ּהַמַיִם ּבָעִיר ּהָעַתִיקָה How the cisterns have dried the market-place ּכ ִּכַר ּהַשׁוּק רֵיקָה The market-place is empty A ram’s horn calls out on And no one frequents the Temple Mount וְאֵין ּפוֹקֵד אֶת הַר ּהַבַיִת10 וּ ּבַמְעָרוֹת אֲשֶׁר ּב ַּסֶלַע the Temple Mount In the Old City ּבָעִיר ּהָעַתִיקָה אַלְפֵי שְׁמָשׁוֹת זוֹרְחוֹת20 נָשׁוּב נֵרֵד אֶל יָם ּהַמֶלַח In the Old City And in the caves in the mountain וּ ּבַמְעָרוֹת אֲשֶׁר ּב ַּסֶלַע11 ּבְדֶרֶך ְ יְרִיחוֹ מְיַלְּלוֹת רוּחוֹת And in the caves in the mountain Thousands of suns shine וְאֵין יוֹרֵד אֶל יַם ּהַמֶלַח יְרו ּשָׁלַיִם שֶׁל זָהָב... Winds are howling We will once again descend ּבְדֶרֶך ְ יְרִיחוֹ And no one descends to the Dead Sea to the Dead Sea By way of Jericho By way of Jericho. יְרו ּשָׁלַיִם שֶׁל זָהָב... Jerusalem of gold... Jerusalem of gold...
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I was first exposed to this educational before they even stepped onto the exercise when I participated in a battlefield. The war was won in the father-son learning session at my hearts of the Jewish people, and the youngest son’s school. We were soldiers just sealed the deal. instructed to look up these sources, By studying the song, the timing and identify these hints within of its launch and its aftermath, we the song. It was a very exciting can really see how Yerushalayim’s educational experience. I invite you to unification was a result of this engage in the same exercise – you’ll reciprocal relationship of love. find it exhilarating and renew your own connection with Jerusalem. To add depth to your educational experience, I suggest that you and your child/children look up the 1 https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=iJws5yNc1-U actual sources as they appear in the 2 Tehillim 126:1. footnotes. Naomi Shemer 3 Eicha 1:1. The song contains an endearing 4 Nedarim 50a. expression of love for Israel and for found its mark, and the chassid 5 Yeshayahu 60:17. 6 Yeshayahu 60:1. Jerusalem, with a burning desire to changed his mind and remained in 7 Yechezkel 26:13. renew the connection of the nation Yerushalayim. 8. A verse from Rabbi Yehuda ”ציון הלא תשאלי“ and its history, to Jerusalem, its Similarly, Rav Yehuda Halevi writes at HaLevi’s piyut capital city. the end of his epic work, HaKuzari: 9 Eicha 1:1. 10 Yirmiyahu 26:18. The same message is brought home The redemption for the city will 11 Shir HaShirim 2:14. in a wonderful Chassidic tale, .דרש רבי סימאי Shabbat 88a, from come when they desire it with a full 12. which tells of a chassid who made .בשעה שעלה משה Menachot 29b, from heart and yearn for it. When that 13. aliyah to Eretz Yisrael and made his complete yearning finally comes, the 14 Bereishit 32:11. home in Jerusalem. Unfortunately, Land will want the people and the 15 Bereishit 25:23. he was unable to acclimatize to stones will ask for the people to settle 16 Divrei HaYamim 1, 15:19-25. the difficult living conditions and within them, as it is written “You will 17 Yeshayahu 6:6-7. decided to return to Poland. Before arise and have compassion on Zion 18 Tehillim 137:6. returning though, he went to seek (Jerusalem), for it is time to show favor 19 Nechemia 4:14. a blessing from the tzaddik, Rabbi to her; the appointed time has come. 20 Yeshayahu 54:12. Simcha Bunim of Vorka, who lived in For your people love every stone in her Jerusalem. walls and cherish even the dust in her streets” (Psalms 102:13-14). Adapted from the original Hebrew article, The chassid explained to Rabbi published by Arutz-7 in celebration of the Simcha Bunim his reasons for When speaking of those amazing six 50th celebration of Yom Yerushalayim. leaving the Land. The tzaddik sighed days 53 years ago, we sometimes get deeply and said, “I pity you. It seems caught up in the stories of the brave Elie Lederman is co-founder of Haboydem you did not find favor in the eyes of soldiers. But if we ask those soldiers, social clothing shops in Jerusalem and Yerushalayim, for if you had found they would tell us they cannot explain chairman of Habayit Shel Benji, home and favor in her eyes, she would have the military success and in retrospect, guidance center for lone combat soldiers, found favor in yours.” The message they see the war was already won located in Ra’anana
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