Blessed is Hashem from Tzion, He who dwells in Yerushalayim. HallelujahPsalms 135:21 (The Israel Bible™)בָּרוּךְ יְהוָה מִצִּיּוֹן שֹׁכֵן יְרוּשָׁלִָם הַלְלוּ־יָהּHear the verse in Hebrewba-RUKH a-do-NAI mi-tzi-YON sho-KHAYN y’-ru-sha-LA-im ha-l’-lu-YAH
The Meaning Behind the Name Yerushalayim
Why did Hashem (God) choose Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) as His resting place? In Genesis, Avraham (Abraham) was asked by God to sacrifice his son, to prove his allegiance to the Lord. This profound test took place on a mountain which Avraham called “Adonai yir’eh,” meaning ‘on the mount of Hashem there is vision,’ or ‘the mount where Hashem is seen’. A few years earlier, Avraham showed the world his allegiance to his family, to justice and to righteousness when he fought against the four kings and retrieved his nephew Lot. After that battle, Melchizedek, the King of Shalem (another name for Jerusalem), went out to greet Avraham and bless Hashem. When these two names, Yir’ehand Shalem are combined, the result is Yerushalayim. The name of the holy city thus expresses the harmonization of man’s selfless actions towards Hashem and towards other people.
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