If I Forget You
Even though the idea of an ethnic homeland has caused untold suffering, I connect with Matisyahu’s song Jerusalem. Jerusalem represents for me the promised land of human destiny, the ideal human community for which I hope. May I never forget that goal, or may my right hand forget what it’s supposed to do.
![[Earth Flag]](wp-content/images/earth-flag.png){kind=small}
![[Gadsden Flag]](wp-content/images/gadsden.png){kind=small}
![[Old Glory]](wp-content/images/old-glory.png){kind=small}
BEEHIVE said,
August 28, 2008 @ 12:22 pm
I listen to Matis at least three times a week. Question, if you are not Jewish, how can Jerusalem mean so much to you?
Jonathan Blake said,
August 28, 2008 @ 12:57 pm
For me, it’s not Jerusalem per se which is just another city with unusually high religious tensions. It has more to do with the Mormon idea of Zion that I grew up with, the ideal human community. I look forward to a time when we can all rest from war and strife, disease and ignorance. I hope for a day of peace and love. I can’t say exactly what Jerusalem means to Jews like Matisyahu, but it seems to be the earthly nexus of their highest hopes. The song reminds me to living each day with my highest hopes in my mind’s eye.