Dear Language Enthusiast,
Welcome to the Hebrew
Monthly, the Internet newsletter from
Transparent Language. This month's issue
features one possible itinerary to take in
some of Jerusalem's many historial and
religious sites.
Sincerely,
Transparent Language
www.transparent.com
Hahistoriya ha'ashira shel yrushalayim
khoderet el tokh hakhayim hamoderniyim shela
k'ir habira shel yisrael, mishtalevet bahem
vyotseret avira m'yukhedet bmina. Tayarim
rabim nifamim m'od kshehem mvakrim bair
bapa'am harishona. Yrushalayim hi ir kdosha
vya'ad aliya leyregel livney shlosh hadatot
hamonoteyistiyot: yahadut, natsrut, v'islam.
Hahistoriya shel yrushalayim matkhila
ka'asher hakna'anim yisdu et hair lifney k-
4,000 shana. David hamelekh bakhar ba k'ir
habira shel yisrael k-1,000 shala lifney
hasfira. Ushlomo hamelekh b'no, bana et beyt
hamikdash harishon al har habayit. Habayit
harishon nekherav al-ydey habavlim bishnat
586 lifney hasfira. Beyt hamikdash hasheyni,
asher nivna k-70 shana l'akhar-mikeyn,
nekherav al-ydey haromaim bishnat 70
laspira. Bashanim shelakhar-mikeyn, yad'a
hair kovshim rabim: bizantinim, tsalbanim,
muslmim v'otomanim. Birushalayim hamodernit
nitan lhavkhin bahashpa'a shel kol akhat
mehehatkufot ha'eyle, hen al hatarbut vhen
al ha'arkhitektura shel hair.
Hava natkhil et habikur shelanu birushalayim
al-reka hahistorya shela.
Yhudim, bderekh-klal, matkhilim et habikur
hirushalayim bakotel hama'aravi. Hakotel hu
sarid shel hakhoma shehikifa et har habayit.
Mitakhat lifney haritspa shel t'alat
hakotel, nitan lirot et shney hanidbakhim
hatakhtonim byoter shel hakhonma hazu. Shney
nidbakhim eyle, habnuyim meyavanim gdolot
m'od, myukhasim litkufat shlomo hamelekh, k-
1,000 lifney hasfira. Shney hanidbakhim
shemeyaleyhem bnuyim meyavanim ktanot yoter.
Umyakhasim otam litkufat hordus, reyshit
hameya harishona lasfira. Lyad hanidvakhim
haeyle ordim kayom hamvakrim brakhavat
hakotel. Ha'avanim shemeyhem banui hakotel
holkhot ukteynot, k'khol shehatkufa sheba
hosifu otan m'ukheret yoter. Hanidbakhim
hagvohim byoter shel hakotel, mosfu al-ydey
haotomanim bmeya hashesh esrey lasfira.
Hanidbakhim haeyle bnuyim meyha'avanim
haktanot byoter.
Hakdusha shel hakotel halkha vgadla,
heykheyl mehameya hashesh esreh raeylakh, ad
shehu hafakh la'atar hakadosh byoter
layahadut vlaseymel shel ha'am hayhudi.
Hakotel hu ya'ad aliya leyregel shel yhudim
mikol rakhabey haolam. Rabim bokharim
lakhgog sham et shlosh hareygalim: pesakh,
shvuot vsukot, o tsiyuney-derekh hashuvim
bkhayeyhem kgon: bar-mitsva o khatuna,
vkhamuvan gam stam lhitpaleyl. Harova
hayhudi shel hair haatika, nimtsa samukh
lakotel. Harova shukhazar lakhar ikhod
yrushalayim bishnat 1967, tokh shmira al
signon habniya ha'atik. Kayom hu m'ukhlas
bvatim p'ratiyim rabim uviyshivot rabot.
Al har tsiyon, mikhuts lkhomot hair
ha'atika, mintsa kever david hamelekh. Ad
shnat 1967, ze haya hamakom hakadosh hakarov
byoter el har habayit, eylayv yakhlu yhudim
lhagiya. Al har tsiyon nimtsaim gam kama
mkomot hamkudashim lanatsrut. Hakheder shebo
hitkayma, lfi hamasoet, "hasuda ha'akharona"
nimtsa bakoma hashniya shel kever david.
Samukh laze shokhnim "kneysiyat sent peter"
v"dormitsyon". Shnei mivnim eyle nivnu bmeya
ha-12, al khorvotehen shel kneysiyot atikot
yoter.
Al har hazeytim, mashkif el pney hair
haatika, nimtsa beyt kvarot yhudi atik.
Samukh eylayv, yeshnam mispar atarim
hamkudashim lanatsrut. Kneysiyat dominos
flevit, mimena nishkaf nof otser nshima shel
yrushalayim hamodernit, nivneyta bishnot
hakhamishim, tokh shmira al signon habniya
ha'atif. Al-pi hamasoret, zehu hamakom shebo
yeshu bakha, ka'asher hu hishkif al
yrushalayim (Luke 19:37-42). Makom khashu
nosaf ltsalyanim notsrim hu gat shmanim.
Zehu ekhad ha'atirim hanotsriyim habodedim,
asher sardu bmeshekh 2,000 hashanim
ha'akharonot kimat llo shinu. Al-pi
hamasoret, yeshu bila bgat shmanim et
halayla shekadam lama'asar shelo (Mark
14:32-50).
Notsrim rabim holkhim l'orekh viya-doloroza,
meyhar hazeytim el tokh hair haatika. La-
"viya-doloroza" yesh 14 takhanot. Hameysh
hatakhanot ha'akharonot shela nimtsaot
bamitkham shel kneysiyat hakever. Notsrim
roim kneysiya zo kamakom hakadosh byoter
birushalayim. Hamasoret hanotsrit mlamedet,
sheyeyshu nasa et hatslav l'orekh hanativ
haze. Nzirim frantsiskanim nohagim kayon
leykayeym bkhol yom shishi, tahalukha
l'orekh "viya doloroza", kshehem nosim tslav
umluvim al-ydey tsalyaynim notsrim, b'ikar
bizman shvua khag hapaskha.
QBtokh hair ha'atika, al har habayit,
nimtsaim shnayim meyhamisgadim hamkudashim
byoter lamuslmim. Misgad el-aktsa, ba'al
kipat hakesef, nekhshav lamakom hashlishi
bikdushato baolan hamuslmi, l'akhar meka
umdina. Muslmim rabim nohagim lalekhet
b'ikvot mukhamad, el ha'atar haze. Misgad
el-aktsa nivna pa'amayim. Hamisgad harishon
nivna breyshit hameya hashminit, al sridey
misgad atik meyhameya hashviyit. Misgad el-
aksa ze, shehaya kaful bgadlo meyhamisgad
hanokh'khi, kharav biridat adama. Misgad el-
aktsa hanokh'khi nivna al gabey hamisgad
harishon.
Al har habayit, samukh lmisgad el-aktsa
nimtsa misgad kipat hasela o misgad omar.
Misgad ze, nivna bmeya hashviyit al-ydey
hakholif abd el-maleyk. Hamisgad, ba'al
kipat hazahav, sholet al kav hanof shel
yrushalayim. Kipat hazahav atsma, zeyha
bgodla lakipa shel kneysiyat hakever.
Hakirot hakhitsoniyim shel misgad omar
mtsupim bmuzayka marhiva. V'ilu pnim
hamisgad, mkushat bitsirot omanut
uvakhalonot zkhukhit rabim. Kfe sheshmo
romeyz, hamisgad nivna sviv sela anak.
Hakuran mlamed shemukhamad kashar et suso,
el-burak, el hasela haze bizman shehalakh
lhitpaleyl bmisgad el-aktsa. L'akhad-mikeyn
hu ala lashamayim kshehu rakhuv al suso
umiyad khazar lmeka.
Kmo atarim rabim birushalayim, gam atar ze
mkudash lhuter mibney dat akhat. Al-pi
hamasoret hayhudit, avraham akad et yitskhak
bno al gabey hasela haze (Breyshit 22).
Bizman shebeyt hamikdash haya kaya, hasela
haze shimeysh kamizbeyakh alayv ne'erkhu
hazvakhim.
Siyur katsar ze sokeyr mispar meyhamkomot
hakdoshim birushalayim. Anakhnu mkavim
shnukhol lhatsiya siyurim nosafim
birushalayim uvyisrael bdapey khadashot
atidiyim.
In English:
Jerusalem: her rich history permeates her
modern life as Israel’s capital, creating a
unique atmosphere. Many travelers are
overwhelmed as they visit this holy city, a
pilgrimage destination for all three major
western monotheistic religions: Judaism,
Christianity and Islam.
The story began when the Canaanites
established Jerusalem about 4000 years ago.
King David chose Jerusalem as the Capital of
Israel about 1000 years before the Common
Era (BCE). His son, King Solomon, built the
First Temple on Temple Mount; it was
destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. The
Second Temple, built about 70 years later,
was destroyed by the Romans in the year 70
of the Common Era (CE). In succeeding
years, the city knew numerous conquerors:
Byzantine, Christian (the Crusaders),
Islamic, and Ottoman. Modern Jerusalem shows
the cultural and architectural influence of
each era.
With this history in mind, let's begin our
tour.
Jews generally begin visiting Jerusalem at
the Kotel or Western Wall, the remainder of
the wall that once surrounded the Temple
Mount. The Western Wall Tunnel displays the
huge stones of the lowest two levels,
remnants of King Solomon’s Temple (1000
BCE). The next two levels, where today's
visitors stand, date from King Herod's time,
early in the First Century CE. The stones at
each level became smaller over time.
The Ottomans added the highest and
smallest levels of stones during
the sixteenth century.
At around the same time, the Kotel gradually
became the most sacred Jewish site and the
symbol of the Jewish People. Jews from
around the world make pilgrimage to the
Kotel during the Pilgrimage Holidays of
Passover (Pesach), the Feast of Weeks
(Shavuot) and the Feast of Tabernacles
(Sukkot). They also celebrate life cycle
events such as Bar Mitzvahs or weddings
there. The Jewish Quarter is adjacent to the
Kotel. It has been reconstructed since the
reunification of Jerusalem in 1967, keeping
the ancient style. Today it houses many
private homes as well as Yeshivot, Jewish
study schools.
Just outside the Old City, King David’s Tomb
stands on Mount Zion. Until 1967, this was
the holiest site that Jews could visit and
the closest they could get to the Temple
Mount.
Mount Zion also houses some of Jerusalem's
many Christian sites, including the
"Coenaculum," or room of the Last Supper,
located on the second story of King David's
Tomb. Twentieth century buildings include
the Church of St. Peter and the Dormition
Abbey, both built on the remains of earlier
churches.
Other reminders of Christian history stand
on the Mount of Olives. As on Mount Zion,
modern buildings honor the past. The Dominus
Flevit Church, built in the 1950s, offers a
breathtaking view of modern Jerusalem. The
Gospel of Luke explains the location's
significance: the site where Jesus wept
(19:37-42). Another important visit for
Christian travelers is the Garden of
Gesthemene, one of few Christian monuments
to have survived the past 2,000 years
relatively unchanged. The Gospel of Mark
relates that Jesus spent the night before
his arrest here (14:32-50).
Back within the walls of Old Jerusalem, Via
Dolorosa begins. Christian tradition teaches
that Jesus carried his cross along this
route. Via Dolorosa has fourteen stations;
the last five are in the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre complex. Many Christians consider
this church Jerusalem's most sacred site.
Every Friday, Franciscan monks lead a
procession along Via Dolorosa. Many pilgrims
follow, particularly during Easter Week.
Nearby, two of Islam's most sacred mosques
stand atop the Temple Mount. Muslims
consider the silver-domed El-Aqsa Mosque the
third most sacred place in the world, after
Mecca and Medinah. Every year, Muslim
pilgrims follow the footsteps of Mohammed to
this site. The first El-Aqsa arose in the
early eighth century on the site of a
seventh-century mosque, but was destroyed by
an earthquake. The present mosque
incorporates elements which survived.
However, the original mosque was twice as
large as the current one.
The second mosque is the golden-domed Dome
of the Rock or Mosque of Omar, built in the
late seventh century by the caliph Abd El-
Malik. For many, this imposing building
dominates their vision of Jerusalem's
skyline. The famed Dome is the exact size of
the dome of the Holy Sepulchre church.
Beautiful mosaic covers the exterior, and
magnificent artwork and stained glass
windows adorn the inside. As its name
implies, it is built around a huge rock. The
Koran teaches that Muhammad tied his horse,
El-Burak, to the rock while praying in El-
Aqsa, afterward ascending to heaven astride
the horse and returning instantaneously to
Mecca.
Like much of Jerusalem, this site is holy to
more than one religion. According to Jewish
tradition, Abraham tied Isaac to this rock
(Genesis, Chapter 22). In the time of
the Temples, it served as the sacrificial
altar.
This brief tour visits only a few of
Jerusalem's most sacred sites. We hope to
offer more glimpses of Jerusalem and Israel
in future newsletters.
