Amidah: Yom Yerushalayim: A Torch

Rabbi Hoshiah said: Jerusalem is destined to be a lantern for all the nations, and they will all walk by its light (Yalkut Shimoni, Isaiah #499).

When we pray for Jerusalem, we are not only praying for the physical city, but for its beauty and truth to shine as a guiding light for all the nations of the world.

We must therefore pray with the intention to become Builders of Jerusalem, emulating God the “Builder of Jerusalem,” by acting in a way that inspires others to walk in paths of truth and good.