It’s a question that has captivated sages and storytellers for millennia, and the answer, like so many things in Jewish tradition, is layered with meaning.
Imagine a world freshly formed, still finding its shape. In the beginning, the area where Jerusalem now stands wasn't a mountain at all. It was a valley, a simple vale. But God, in His infinite wisdom, had a vision: this place, this unassuming valley, would become the site of His sanctuary, the place where His Shekhinah – that radiant, divine presence – could dwell.
But how do you transform a valley into a mountain worthy of the Divine?
Well, the story goes that God issued a command, a kind of cosmic invitation, to the mountains surrounding the valley. He beckoned them to come together, to unite and form an abode, a fitting place for the Shekhinah. And here’s where the magic happens: all the mountains nearby, as if answering a call only they could hear, began to move. They converged, they fused, they became one. And that, according to some traditions, is how Mount Moriah was created. It's a beautiful image, isn't it? Mountains, ancient and powerful, answering the call of the Divine.
But, as is often the case in Jewish lore, there's more than one way to understand the story. Another tradition, found in Tree of Souls by Howard Schwartz, suggests that God created not one, but seven mountains. Of these seven majestic peaks, He chose Mount Moriah to be the site of the Holy Temple. Why Moriah? Because, as the Psalmist sings (Psalm 132:13-14), it was the mountain that God desired as His dwelling. "For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation. This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it."
So, which story is "true?" Maybe both. Maybe neither. The point, perhaps, isn't the literal geological formation of the mountain, but the powerful idea that Mount Moriah, and by extension Jerusalem, is a place divinely chosen, a place where heaven and earth meet.
Think about it. Whether formed by converging mountains or selected from among seven, Mount Moriah represents a deliberate act of creation, a conscious choice by God to establish a connection with humanity. The Midrash Rabbah, that incredible collection of rabbinic teachings, is filled with similar stories explaining the deep meaning behind the creation of even the smallest thing.
The Zohar, the foundational text of Kabbalah, could tell us even more about the mystical significance of mountains and their connection to the divine realm. That's a journey for another time, though.
It makes you wonder, doesn't it? What "mountains" are being called to converge in our own lives? What places, what moments, are we being invited to transform into sacred spaces? Perhaps the story of Mount Moriah is not just about a physical place, but about the potential for holiness within us all.