The Amidah contains two apparently redundant blessings: blessing God for "building Jerusalem" and blessing God for "restoring the Divine Presence to Zion". These both seem to refer to the messiah, and one of them seems redundant.
But the modern state of Israel points out the difference between the two blessings. We have built Jerusalem. It's a hoppin' place. But there is still much unholiness: Jews fighting with Arabs, Jews fighting with Jews, and political scandals, just to mention a few problems that seem omnipresent. We have built Jerusalem, but we could use a little more Divine Presence there as well.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Amidah - Building Jerusalem and Restoring the Divine Presence to Zion
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