The world cannot look away from Jerusalem. This Sunday evening we will celebrate Jerusalem Day, marking the moment in 1967 when Jewish soldiers returned to the Western Wall after 2,000 years of exile. Yet while we celebrate, the world schemes. The United Nations repeatedly attempts to internationalize our holy city, stripping Israeli sovereignty. European powers demand Jerusalem’s division. The Palestinian Authority claims it as their capital. And most tellingly, Hamas named their October 7th massacre the “Al-Aqsa Flood” ā centering their campaign of terror on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount despite this site never appearing in the Quran. When Hamas terrorists brutally attacked southern Israeli border towns, their battle cry focused squarely on Jerusalem.
What explains this obsession with Jerusalem? Kings and emperors, caliphs and sultans, prime ministers and presidents have all sought to claim Jerusalem as their own. The prophet Zechariah foresaw this phenomenon when he wrote:
This prophecy unfolds before our eyes as Jerusalem remains the epicenter of global conflict. The fixation defies rational explanation ā Jerusalem isn’t particularly strategic militarily, lacks natural resources, and sits on no critical trade route. Yet world leaders have spent centuries scheming to possess it.
To understand this mystery, we must first grasp the fundamental constraints that define human existence itself.
Three primary limitations restrict all human beings across history. The first is the limitation of place. You cannot be in Jerusalem and New York simultaneously. Your physical body anchors you to a single location at any given moment. Throughout history, humans have tried to overcome this constraint by increasing speed of movement ā from horses to trains to airplanes. Today’s technology creates the illusion of transcending place through video calls and virtual reality. Yet the fundamental limitation remains. Your physical body occupies exactly one position in space, never more.
The second limitation is time. You exist only in the present moment, never in the past or future. The past is gone forever; the future remains unreachable. Science fiction obsesses over time travel precisely because we find this limitation so oppressive. We study history to understand what came before us. We make plans and predictions to prepare for what lies ahead. Yet we remain prisoners of the present moment, unable to move backward or forward along time’s axis.
These two physical limitations connect to a third, even more restrictive boundary: the confinement of self. You will always remain you ā never experiencing existence as another person. This isolation drives us to read literature, watch films, and engage in deep conversation. We desperately seek windows into other minds, other experiences. Yet despite these attempts, everything remains filtered through our personal consciousness. The self stands enclosed on all sides, with no true entrance or exit.
In Jerusalem, these boundaries dissolve in ways found nowhere else on earth.
The sages called Israel eretz hatzvi ā “the land of the deer,” referencing the prophet Daniel’s words: “And he came to the land of the deer” (Daniel 11:16). Our tradition explains that just as a deer’s skin has the unique capacity to expand and contain far more flesh than appears possible, the Land of Israel contains far more people than initially seems possible. This spiritual elasticity intensifies as one approaches Jerusalem.
The Sages teach that “no one ever said that Jerusalem was too crowded for them” (Avot 5:5). During the Temple festivals, millions of pilgrims would flood Jerusalem, yet miraculously, everyone found accommodation. The physical laws governing space began to loosen in Jerusalem’s atmosphere.
This transcendence of normal boundaries reached its peak in the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant “took up no space” (Bava Batra 99a). The Talmud explains that the distance from each wall to the Ark was ten cubits, while the entire room measured twenty cubits ā a mathematical impossibility. The sages concluded the Ark “stood by miracle,” beyond the laws of physics.
On Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), the holiest day of the Jewish year, the High Priest would enter this transcendent space. In that sacred moment, all three human limitations were overcome simultaneously. The High Priest transcended self-limitation by representing and embodying the collective soul of Israelāhis heart containing the hearts of all Israelites, as the Torah states: “Aaron carried the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart” (Exodus 28:30). He entered the Holy of Holiesāa place that transcended normal spatial laws. And on Yom Kippur, he transcended time itself, as this day exists outside normal temporal boundaries, allowing return to past events for atonement, as written: “For on this day he will atone for you” (Leviticus 16:30).
This is Jerusalem’s secret. In this city, humanity can momentarily escape the confines of ordinary existence. Jerusalem operates within different spiritual physics, offering a portal to something beyond our limited reality. This explains why Jerusalem remains the most contested piece of real estate on earth ā because at some deep level, humanity recognizes it as the gateway to transcendence. (Rabbi Ouri Cherki, A Clear Thought: World and Man in Rav Kook’s Teachings, 154)
When Israel reclaimed Jerusalem in 1967, Jewish soldiers wept at the Western Wall. Their tears weren’t just patriotic or historical ā they were experiencing this transcendent quality that makes Jerusalem unique among all cities. Jerusalem’s reunification was not just a military victory; it was the restoration of humanity’s access to the divine gateway, where we can reach beyond our finite selves.
Experience Jerusalem’s Transformative Power This Sunday!
We invite you to participate in an extraordinary event this Sunday, on the eve of Jerusalem Day (May 25). Our spectacular “Be A Light For Israel” Celebration marks 13 years of connecting people worldwide to the biblical heartland of Israel.
Beginning at 1pm CST (2pm Eastern, 12pm Mountain, 11am Pacific), our “Be A Light For Israel” event will feature powerful testimonies from young leaders who will share their personal stories of how connecting with Jerusalem has transformed their lives and faith. Attendees will also view exclusive, never-before-seen content demonstrating Israel365’s significant impact. The event will culminate with a special ceremony honoring Steven & Jayne Foss, who will receive the prestigious “Light for Israel” Award in recognition of their outstanding contributions.
After 13 years of blessing Israel, Israel365 is stepping into a new level of impact. Just as Jerusalem unites heaven and earth, past and future, Israel365 connects you directly to the beating heart of God’s eternal city.
Join our hosts Rabbi Tuly Weisz & Rabbi Rami Goldberg for this virtual celebration as we come together in a powerful communal prayer for Israel. Every donation made during this celebration will be DOUBLED through our special matching gift program! Your contribution strengthens Jerusalem’s future and puts you in the running for our exclusive raffle featuring authentic Israeli treasures.
Register now to join us Sunday for this historic celebration as we unite to secure the eternal, undivided capital of Israel for generations to come.
