Is Jerusalem's choseness annulled when the Israelites breach the Torah?
Zvi
Ya`aqov wrote:
"Jerusalem, as well as all the Land of Israel, belongs to YHWH (Lev
25:23), the descendants of Avraham only have right to sojourn there as
long as they hold to the Covenant of Sinai; Jerusalem was YHWH's
Chosen Place as long as the People kept the Covenant of Sinai (1 Kin
9:7; 2 Chr 7:20)"
My reaction:
These 2 verses state that the *edifice* built on Har haBayit for
YHWH's honor would be tossed away by YHWH from His Presence if the
Sinaitic Covenant is broken. IMHO this does not amount to annulling
the Mount's choseness let alone the city of Yerushalayim's.
The Torah enjoins the Israelites to construct a Tabernacle made of
fabric and not stone or wood. What's more... `Ezra 3:6 shows us
*incontrovertible evidence* that the Temple Mt's choseness *wasn't
voided* at the time the First Temple was laid waste since totally
legitimate sacrificial worship took place there from 538 to 515 BCE
before the Second Temple's construction was completed:
א וַיִּגַּע הַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי, וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בֶּעָרִים;
וַיֵּאָסְפוּ הָעָם כְּאִישׁ אֶחָד, אֶל-יְרוּשָׁלִָם
ב וַיָּקָם יֵשׁוּעַ בֶּן-יוֹצָדָק וְאֶחָיו הַכֹּהֲנִים, וּזְרֻבָּבֶל
בֶּן-שְׁאַלְתִּיאֵל וְאֶחָיו, וַיִּבְנוּ, אֶת-מִזְבַּח אֱלֹהֵי
יִשְׂרָאֵל--לְהַעֲלוֹת עָלָיו, עֹלוֹת, כַּכָּתוּב, בְּתוֹרַת מֹשֶׁה
אִישׁ-הָאֱלֹהִים
ג וַיָּכִינוּ הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, עַל-מְכוֹנֹתָיו, כִּי בְּאֵימָה עֲלֵיהֶם,
מֵעַמֵּי הָאֲרָצוֹת; ויעל (וַיַּעֲלוּ) עָלָיו עֹלוֹת לַיהוָה, עֹלוֹת
לַבֹּקֶר וְלָעָרֶב
ד וַיַּעֲשׂוּ אֶת-חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת, כַּכָּתוּב; וְעֹלַת יוֹם בְּיוֹם
בְּמִסְפָּר, כְּמִשְׁפַּט דְּבַר-יוֹם בְּיוֹמוֹ.
ה וְאַחֲרֵי-כֵן עֹלַת תָּמִיד, וְלֶחֳדָשִׁים, וּלְכָל-מוֹעֲדֵי
יְהוָה, הַמְקֻדָּשִׁים; וּלְכֹל מתְנַדֵּב נְדָבָה, לַיהוָה
ו מִיּוֹם אֶחָד, לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי, הֵחֵלּוּ, לְהַעֲלוֹת עֹלוֹת
לַיהוָה; וְהֵיכַל יְהוָה, לֹא יֻסָּד.
1. The seventh month arrived, and the Children of Israel [were] in the
cities, and the people gathered like one man to Jerusalem.
2. And Yeshu`a the son of Yehosadaq arose, and his brethren the
priests, and Zerubavel the son of She'alti'el, and his brethren, and
they built the altar of the God of Israel, upon which to offer up
offerings-up, as it is written in the Torah of Moshe, the man of God.
3. And they set up the altar on its bases, for because of the fear
that was upon them from the people of the lands, they offered up
offerings-up to YHWH, offerings-up for the morning and for the
evening.
4. And they observed the feast of Sukkot as is written, and the
offering-up of each day in its day, in the number, as the ordinance of
each day in its day.
5. And afterwards [they offered] the continual offering-up, and for
the New Moons and for all the appointed times of YHWH that were
hallowed, and for everyone who willingly offered a free-will offering
to YHWH.
6. From the first day of the seventh month they commenced to offer up
offerings-up to YHWH, but the foundation of YHWH's Temple was not yet
laid.
YHWH `Imakhem,
Zvi
Zvi
on the one hand that after the first instance of YHWH's Temple being
sent away by him from before His Presence Yerushalayim is still "the
Place YHWH chooses", and on the other totally lacks a solid statement
as to Jerusalem's choseness when the Second Temple gets destroyed, I
maintain we're not at liberty to believe Yerushalayim's choseness was
abolished by YHWH after the Second Temple was ruined.
The only possibility to conclude otherwise is to receive word on this
from a true prophet of YHWH who proves he or she is a true navi, or to
hear it from a kohen who consulted the Urim & Tumim.
In YHWH we shall trust
Zvi