The heavenly Jerusalem is that for which we pray, dream, and hope.
A Shabbat afternoon stroll on the Old City rooftops gives you a taste of the world for which we yearn.
Laundry set out to dry, gardens groomed, tanks heating up water to wash off the day. Domes of mosques and churches and a rebuilt Hurva Synagogue silently in dialogue.
The air so quiet and sweet you can hear your thoughts. Petitions seem palpable.
The earthly Jerusalem is that in which we live.
Vibrant, diverse, pilgrims and tourists from across the globe comingled with shopkeepers and schoolchildren and scattered soldiers assuring that calm is kept.
Muslim calls to prayer. Jewish davening with devotion. Christians walking the Via Dolorosa imagining Jesus’ last steps.
Chaotic, energetic, historic, beautiful but, at times, tense. Even the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is divided in four.
If only we could bring the spirit of Shabbat to our week, the spirit of our prayers to our streets, and a taste of heaven to today.
