Why Yerushalayim is not mentioned in the Torah
כִּ֠י אִֽם־אֶל־הַמָּק֞וֹם אֲשֶׁר־יִבְחַ֨ר ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶם֙ מִכָּל־שִׁבְטֵיכֶ֔ם לָשׂ֥וּם אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ שָׁ֑ם לְשִׁכְנ֥וֹ תִדְרְשׁ֖וּ וּבָ֥אתָ שָֽׁמָּה
12:5
The Torah states numerous times in this parsha, “the place that I will choose.” We all know this refers to Yerushalayim and more specifically to Har Hamoriah. Why wasn’t the name of the place told to Bnei Yisrael? What was the secret?
The Rambam in Moreh Nevuchim offers three explanations. The first two pertain to the nations of the world. If the nations were privy to the immense significance of this location, they would vehemently contest Am Yisrael’s possession of it. This contention could manifest either through waging fierce battles or through completely obliterating the site.
The third reason, which the Rambam writes is the most powerful, was to avert the tribal clashes that could erupt over the coveted city. Had the precise location of “the chosen place” been exposed, the specter of civil strife loomed, with tribes pitted against each other, vying to incorporate this treasure within their inheritance.
Yerushalayim was only revealed after a sovereign ruler assumed the throne. This curtailed disagreements and discord, unifying the nation under a single leadership.
The notion that Yerushalayim is meant to unify the nation is seen as well in Dovid Hamelech’s acquisition of the site of the Beis Hamikdash from Aravna the Yevusi by collecting 50 shekels from each of the 12 shevatim, amassing a sum of 600 shekels. By doing so, each shevet would have an equal portion of the site.
The Yerushalmi (Chagiga 3:6) explains the passuk “Yerushalayim that is built like a city that is joined together” (Tehillim 122:3) to mean that it is a city that fosters camaraderie among Jews.
Lo Tisgodedu
The theme of unity surfaces in another part of this parsha, where it is stated:
בָּנִ֣ים אַתֶּ֔ם לַֽה אֱלֹקיכֶ֑ם לֹ֣א תִתְגֹּֽדְד֗וּ וְלֹֽא־תָשִׂ֧ימוּ קָרְחָ֛ה בֵּ֥ין עֵינֵיכֶ֖ם לָמֵֽת
You are sons to Hashem, your God; do not lacerate yourselves and do not make yourselves bald between your eyes for a dead person.
14:1
From extra letters in the word “תתגודדו”, the Gemara (Yevamos 13b) unravels an additional layer of meaning, interpreting this directive as also prohibiting the formation of different factions (אגודות) within a community. This halacha comes into play when different segments of a community adhere to disparate halachic interpretations. Rashi elucidates that the rationale behind this prohibition lies in the perception it creates – when certain individuals observe one law while others follow a different one, it suggests the existence of multiple Torahs. On the other hand, the Rambam (Avoda Zara 12:14) offers an alternative explanation, asserting that the aim of this prohibition is to prevent disputes among fellow Jews.
Though the technical application of "lo tisgodedu" might not encompass firmly established minhagim, which accounts for why this prohibition is, for the most part, circumvented amid the myriad practices we observe, there remains a valuable lesson in unity to be gleaned from this directive. It serves as a reminder that we should endeavor to operate as a cohesive entity, presenting ourselves not as divergent factions, but as a harmonious whole.
Good Shabbos!