Let me begin by blessing all of you and welcoming you to the City of Jerusalem, the city that all of us-Jews, Christians and Moslems alike – consider holy and extremely important. I will speak to you today about the uniqueness of Jerusalem from the perspective of Judaism and the Jewish people. I will not talk about the political dimension of the issue of Jerusalem, but will concentrate on the religious / spiritual / moral dimensions.

It is my belief that followers of the three great monotheistic religions should be able to live together in peace in Jerusalem. It is also my belief, however, that any political solution must take into account what Jerusalem means for Judaism and Jews around the world.

Jerusalem was not divided among the (12) Jewish tribes. Jews are prohibited from selling or renting houses in Jerusalem. Every Jew who comes to Jerusalem should be able to find a place to stay; since Jews are required by their religion to visit Jerusalem three times a year, the need for a vast number of places for them to stay is clear. The idea is that through their frequent visits to the city, the Jewish people will become closer to each other and establish strong and friendly relations; in other words, Jerusalem is regarded as the place in which peace among Jews can be ensured.

The holiness of Jerusalem derives from the fact that it is the site of the destroyed temple. Two temples were built in Jerusalem: the first by King Solomon, the second by Herodotus (400 years after the first). Jews pray three times a day – in the morning, at noon, and in the evening – and in every prayer they mention Jerusalem and pray for the rebuilding of the Temple and to return to Jerusalem. Moreover, Jews end each meal by thanking God and remembering Jerusalem.

Throughout their history, Jews have aspired to return to Jerusalem, with numerous Jewish artists drawing or painting the city by relying on their imagination and without ever having seen or visited it themselves. The common dream has always been to return to Jerusalem, the most beautiful city in the world. The desire to return to Jerusalem exists even in the hearts of Jews who are living in peace and prosperity in other places or countries. Jews never gave up Jerusalem; for Jews all around the world, to live a life of holiness is only possible in Jerusalem.

Although the Temple was destroyed, the Divine Spirit never left Jerusalem, whose holiness - which derives from the Temple - remained intact. It is because of the holiness of The Temple Mount that one should take off one’s shoes when one enters.

All that remained of the Temple following its destruction was the Western, or Wailing Wall. According to the Jewish faith, the Divine Spirit still lives or resides within the Wall, which is why Jews go there to pray whenever they feel like it, be it day or night. If a Jew wants to ask God for something or to otherwise converse with Him, he will visit the Wall and pray, knowing that God will hear his prayer. For this reason, the Wall, like the Temple before, is visited constantly by vast numbers of worshippers.

The holiness of Jerusalem derives, as mentioned before, from the Temple and what remains of the Temple, i.e., the Western Wall; even the holiness of the areas that surround the city center results from their proximity to the Temple/Wall. This is why the City of Jerusalem is of extreme importance to Jews from a religious/spiritual perspective, as well as from a political point of view. An important part of any Jewish wedding ceremony involves the groom breaking a glass under his foot to show that the couple’s happiness can never be complete until the Temple is rebuilt.

In the past, it was not possible for the Jewish people to rebuild the Temple, the reason being that they did not rule the land. Today, however, they rule the land, which means that technically speaking, they could rebuild the Temple. However, three things should be emphasized in this regard:

a. When the Temple is rebuilt, it will never again be destroyed.
b. The Third Temple will descend from heaven, and therefore, no one will be able to destroy it.
c. The Temple will descend from heaven only when the Jews deserve it.