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Zion — in Hebrew, Tzion — is another name for Jerusalem in the Bible. It can also refer to the land of Israel. The term often highlights a spiritual connection between heaven and earth or a yearning for messianic redemption.
Notable Sources
All Sources
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Zion, God's Sacred Throne
TANAKH
The book of Deuteronomy refers many times to “the place that God will choose” to dwell. The book of Psalms, a biblical collection of religious poetry attributed to King David, designates Zion as this place.
Journey of Zion's Transformation
TANAKH
Biblical prophets often criticize the Jewish people for defiling Zion by behaving unjustly — while a future vision of Zion hails morality and holiness in God’s dwelling place. Micah, a prophet of the First Temple period, uses a parallel structure to equate Zion and Jerusalem.
Zion's Location
MIDRASH
Although used to refer to Jerusalem or to the whole land of Israel, Zion is the name of a specific hilltop adjacent to Jerusalem. The encyclopedic work Otzar Midrashim quotes the Vilna Gaon, who himself quotes Joseph Bonfils’s 14th-century argument with 11th-century exegete Abraham Ibn Ezra about whether Zion is located on the north or south side of Jerusalem, based on verses, a midrash, and personal experience.
Blessings from Zion
MIDRASH
According to rabbinic tradition, God grants spiritual and material blessings to the people of Israel through Zion. Midrash Tehillim, a midrash on the book of Psalms, connects a list of these blessings to verses that mention Zion to demonstrate that these good things emanate from Zion.
Zion's Role as a Spiritual Link
CHASIDUT
According to rabbinic tradition, Zion — that is, Jerusalem — and specifically the Temple, were sites of miracles. Rabbi Shmuel Bornsztain, in his early 20th-century Chasidic work Shem MiShmuel, explores Zion as the place where the physical world and the heavenly world meet such that the realms touch — making miracles possible.
A Blessing for Zion's Comfort and Joy
LITURGY
Asking God to have compassion on Zion and to restore it to its former glory is a common element of Jewish liturgy. The blessings recited after the haftarah, the liturgical prophetic reading on Shabbat and holidays, include such a plea.
Mourning the Destruction of Zion
HALAKHAH
Traditionally, upon hearing of a close relative's death, one tears one's garments as a sign of mourning. The Shulchan Arukh, the authoritative 16th-century code of Jewish law by Rabbi Joseph Karo, extends this practice to one's mourning the destruction of Zion and the Temple.
Compassion for Zion and the House of David
CHASIDUT
Throughout the Torah, Jews are instructed to show compassion to widows and orphans. Comparing Zion to an orphan, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, a prominent 18th-century Chasidic leader, underscores the connection between such acts of kindness and the restoration of Zion and the Davidic monarchy.
The Transformation of Zion
TANAKH
King David was an astute military leader and a spiritual leader who enjoyed God’s favor. The book of II Samuel recounts King David’s unlikely conquest of the city from the Jebusites.
Unveiling Zion, God's Timeless City
COMMENTARY
The Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish court during the Roman period that debated issues of both religious and civil law, held its proceedings in the Temple, making Jerusalem a place of great Torah study. Rabbi David Altschuler’s 18th-century commentary on the Prophets and Writings of Tanakh, Metzudat David, highlights this spiritual connection as a feature of the city of Zion.
Embroidery with the quotation "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat, sat and wept, as we thought of Zion." (Psalms 137:1). Israel, mid-19th-early 20th century
Embroidery with the quotation "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat, sat and wept, as we thought of Zion." (Psalms 137:1). Israel, mid-19th-early 20th century
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