ByMICHAEL FREUND

MAY 15, 2026 14:23

With Israel observing Jerusalem Day - 59 years after the city's reunification in the Six-Day War - the haftarah for Machar Chodesh ("tomorrow is the new moon") brings a relevant lesson on desire, devotion, and the lasting tie between Jews and their homeland.

Drawn from I Samuel 20:18-42, this reading depicts the intense meeting between David and Jonathan just before the new month begins. King Saul, driven by envy and fury, plots to eliminate David, whom he sees as a rival. Jonathan, Saul's son and David's loyal companion, creates a covert signal to alert his friend.

At first glance, the text focuses on court drama and deep camaraderie. Yet beneath lies a profound motif of parting's sorrow and the ache for coming together again.

David must go into seclusion, isolated from the royal court - the hub of Jewish communal life. Jonathan stakes his all on their bond. In a profoundly moving biblical moment, they hold each other and cry before David departs for the wilderness.

The haftarah states, "David wept exceedingly" (I Samuel 20:41).

These lines evoke the extended, agonizing dispersion of the Jewish people from Jerusalem.

For nearly two millennia, Jews directed their prayers toward the sacred city, yearning to return to Zion. In daily supplications three times a day, we plead for God to "return in mercy to Jerusalem." During weddings, shattering a glass recalls, "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its cunning" (Psalms 137:5).

Jerusalem has always been, and still is, the vital core of the Jewish people.

For generations, much like David, we harbored that deep longing.

Jerusalem and the Jewish Soul

This explains the striking alignment of Machar Chodesh, falling this year right after Jerusalem Day. The words "Tomorrow is the new moon" evoke expectation, a fresh start looming ahead.

Such has been the Jewish narrative. Amid our bleakest times, hope persisted for a brighter era. Similar to the moon that fades only to reemerge, Israel weathered obscurity and downturns, clinging to faith in revival.

The friendship of David and Jonathan teaches commitment to righteousness and truth. Jonathan prioritized values over expediency, loyalty over self-gain, recognizing David as Israel's destiny. Across eras, Jews stayed true to Jerusalem amid banishment, oppression, and efforts to disconnect us from our roots. The city endured in our invocations and awareness. We oriented toward it in prayer, honored it in celebration, and grieved its loss annually on Tisha B'Av.

Scholars highlight that Jonathan grasped David's pivotal place in Jewish destiny beyond current conflicts.

This perspective echoes strongly now. Jerusalem transcends mere politics or symbolism; it is the destination of Jewish history, where divine presence dwells most vividly, and redemption's source.

That yearning reached a stunning climax in June 1967.

As Israeli paratroopers battled through hostile lines into the Old City, the weight of history hung in suspense. Then radioed the iconic declaration from Motta Gur: "Har Habayit beyadeinu!" ("The Temple Mount is in our hands!")

Ending 19 years of Jordanian control that denied Jews access to the Western Wall, Jerusalem returned to Jewish rule.

Ancestral tears of sorrow turned to tears of elation.

Just as in the heartfelt clasp of David and Jonathan in this haftarah, Jerusalem Day celebrates reconnection: a people to its city, a nation to its legacy, a belief to its sacred places.

On this Jerusalem Day, with flags waving high over the capital and crowds heading to the Western Wall, let us reflect on the miracle restored in our era.

After ages of longing, Jerusalem's doors stand wide once more.

Like David stepping from concealment, the Jewish people have come home.Ͼ