Choosing Jerusalem as the capital made political sense for King David. First of all, it was centrally located in the land of Israel just like Washington DC was chosen as the capital for the original 13 states. Secondly, Jerusalem was a Jebusite city; consequently, none of the 12 tribes could claim it as his own. Economically though Jerusalem wasn’t the best choice because no international trade route passed through its city’s limits. There was one route that did include Jerusalem.
“The Road
of the Patriarchs or Way of the Patriarchs (Hebrew: דֶּרֶךְ הֲאָבוֹת Derech haʾAvot Lit. Way
(of) the Fathers), is an ancient north–south route traversing the land of Israel.[1] The name is used by biblical scholars because of
mentions in biblical narratives that it was frequently travelled by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.[2]
“It is also
called the Hill Road or the Ridge Route[3] because it follows the watershed ridge line of
the Samarian and Judaean Mountains. It runs from Megiddo and Hazor south to Beersheba by way of Shechem,[4] Bethel, Jerusalem, Ephrath and Hebron. Unlike the Via Maris and the King's Highway which were international roads
crossing the territories of many peoples, the Ridge Route was wholly within the
territory of ancient Israel.[citation needed]
“We already
find Abraham using this route. After entering the land he goes to Shechem, and
then via Beth El to Hebron and finally to Beer-Sheva.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Way_of_the_Patriarchs)
A city that
hosts a Super Bowl game can expect somewhere between an extra $30 million and
$130 million tourist dollars to its coffers. What advantage did Jerusalem have
to generate tourist dollars? Jerusalem at the Temple when three times a year,
Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot, the Jewish people made a pilgrimage and offered
up the appropriate sacrifices. Today’s daf
TB Rosh Hashana 5 provides the scriptural proof for the mitzvah of lina (לִינָה ) that the pilgrims couldn’t just offer up
their sacrifice and then leave to go home.
“Just as the festival of
Passover requires remaining overnight in Jerusalem, and only on the following day
may one return home, so too, the festival of Sukkot requires
remaining overnight (לִינָה
) in Jerusalem before
returning home.
“The Gemara asks: And there, with
regard to Passover, from where do we derive this halakha? The
Gemara explains: As it is written about the Paschal offering: “And you
shall roast and eat it in the place which the Lord your God shall choose; and
you shall turn in the morning, and go to your tents” (Deuteronomy 16:7).”
(Sefaria.org translation) The Sefat Emet explains the reason behind this
mitzvah. By staying overnight the pilgrim shows that this isn’t casual event
that he comes and goes, but lingers for some time.
Of course there is a
disagreement on how long should a person linger in Jerusalem. There are three
approaches. The first is a person needs to stay only one night, the night after
the Yom Tov, and is permitted to go home and second day of the holiday. (Rashi
and Tosefot in Yoma and Zevakhim) The
second approach that one must spend the entire holiday of Passover and Sukkot
including all of Hol Hamoed, the
intermediate days. (Tosefot in Rosh
Hashana and Haggigah). The last approach is that the requirement to spend the
entire holiday in Jerusalem applies only to the holiday of Sukkot as it seems
to have happened in the books of Kings in the Bible. One only needed to spend
the first night after Yom Tov of Passover and leave on the second day of
Passover.
Obviously, the pilgrims must
have traveled on the Road of the Patriarchs up to Jerusalem.
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