Yerushalayim she zahav TB Shabbat 59

I’m sure that almost everybody is familiar with Naomi Shemer’s famous song Yerushalayim shel zahav, Jerusalem of gold. She wrote it for the May 15, 1967 Israeli Song Festival. After the Six-Day War not even one month later, she revised it to reflect the new reality that for the first time in 19 years Jews would be able to enter the old city and visit the Western Wall. The refrain goes “Jerusalem of gold and of copper, and of light behold I am a violent for all your songs.” Today’s daf TB Shabbat 5 was the inspiration of the phrase “Jerusalem of gold.”

One of the things mentioned in the Mishnah a woman wasn’t permitted to wear and go out and Shabbat is a Jerusalem of gold. “The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of: With a city of gold? Rabba bar bar Ḥana said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Jerusalem of Gold, a gold tiara engraved with a depiction of the city of Jerusalem, like the one that Rabbi Akiva made for his wife.

“And on this subject, the Sages taught in the Tosefta: A woman may not go out into the public domain on Shabbat with a city of gold ornament. And if she went out with it into the public domain she is liable to bring a sin-offering; that is the statement of Rabbi Meir. And the Rabbis say: She may not go out with it ab initio, and if she went out she is exempt. And Rabbi Eliezer says: A woman may go out with a city of gold ornament ab initio.” (Sefaria.org translation)

The beautiful back story of Rabbi Akiva’s gift to his wife can be found in TB Nederim 50a. Before Rabbi Akiva was the Rabbi Akiva, he was a poor ignorant shepherd. “Rabbi Akiva became betrothed to the daughter of bar Kalba Savua. When bar Kalba Savua heard about their betrothal, he took a vow prohibiting her from eating all of his property. Despite this, she went ahead and married Rabbi Akiva.

“In the winter they would sleep in a storehouse of straw, and Rabbi Akiva would gather strands of straw from her hair. He said to her: If I had the means I would place on your head a Jerusalem of Gold, a type of crown. Elijah the prophet came and appeared to them as a regular person and started calling and knocking on the door. He said to them: Give me a bit of straw, as my wife gave birth and I do not have anything on which to lay her. Rabbi Akiva said to his wife: See this man, who does not even have straw. We should be happy with our lot, as we at least have straw to sleep on.” (Sefaria.org translation)

 Eventually Rabbi Akiva became rich and fulfilled his promise by buying his wife the gold tiara Jerusalem of Gold. Go to TB Nedarim 50 a-b for the rest of Rabbi Akiva’s story with his wife Rachel.

I’m a very lucky man because Judy allows me to go to Jerusalem every summer and study Torah at the Shalom Hartman Institute. Inspired by Rabbi Akiva, I buy a unique piece of Israeli jewelry as a gift of appreciation for her.