(א) וְלִירוּשָׁלַֽיִם עִירְ֒ךָ בְּרַחֲמִים תָּשׁוּב
וְתִשְׁכּוֹן בְּתוֹכָהּ - כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבַּֽרְתָּ -
וּבְנֵה אוֹתָהּ:
1. בְּקָרוֹב
2. בְּיָמֵֽינוּ
בִּנְיַן עוֹלָם
וְכִסֵּא דָוִד (עבדך) מְהֵרָה לְתוֹכָהּ תָּכִין:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה בּוֹנֵה יְרוּשָׁלָֽיִם:
(1) And return in mercy to Jerusalem, Your city and dwell therein as You have spoken; and rebuild it soon, in our days, as an everlasting structure, and may You speedily establish the throne of David therein. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Builder of Jerusalem.
This clause is stylistic of the verse on Zecharia which says:
(טז) לָכֵ֞ן כֹּֽה־אָמַ֣ר יְהֹוָ֗ה שַׁ֤בְתִּי לִירוּשָׁלַ֙͏ִם֙ בְּֽרַחֲמִ֔ים בֵּיתִי֙ יִבָּ֣נֶה בָּ֔הּ נְאֻ֖ם יְהֹוָ֣ה צְבָא֑וֹת (וקוה) [וְקָ֥ו] יִנָּטֶ֖ה עַל־יְרוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃
(16) Assuredly, thus said the LORD: I graciously return to Jerusalem. My House shall be built in her—declares the LORD of Hosts—the measuring line is being applied to Jerusalem.
Although it would seem obvious that we want Hashem to return to Jerusalem in a merciful fashion, Chazal made sure to stress in this beracha that Hashem makes His return to Jerusalem "mercifully" because in the times preceding the destruction of the first Beis HaMikdash, Yirmiyahu prophesised that Hashem will to Jerusalem in a wrathful way. Therefore we are specific in our tefilla that Hashem returns to Jerusalem in a merciful fashion. The nevuah of Yirmiyahu reads:
Etz Yosef avoids the approach that our tefilla is that Hahsem returns out of "mercy" in the sense that although we aren't worthy because there is an idea that Jerusalem will only be redeemed if Klal Yisrael is acting according to His ways. See also Malbim below to the other passuk alluded to in this bereacha who says explicitly that Yerushalayim will be redeemed through the righteous acts of Klal Yisrael.
(לא) כִּ֧י עַל־אַפִּ֣י וְעַל־חֲמָתִ֗י הָ֤יְתָה לִּי֙ הָעִ֣יר הַזֹּ֔את לְמִן־הַיּוֹם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּנ֣וּ אוֹתָ֔הּ וְעַ֖ד הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה לַהֲסִירָ֖הּ מֵעַ֥ל פָּנָֽי׃
(31) This city has aroused My anger and My wrath from the day it was built until this day; so that it must be removed from My sight
וְלִירוּשָׁלַֽיִם
The vav prefix וְלִירוּשָׁלַֽיִם means "and" which implies that there is a preceding object we are are also asking for to be returned with Hashem's mercy, however it is left ambiguous as to what that object is?
Etz Yosef answers that we are asking in ambiguous way for the return of Yerushalyim shel Maala, the celestial Jerusalem. The Gemara in Taanis discusses the concept of Yerushalaim shel Maala.
הָכִי אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: לֹא אָבוֹא בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם שֶׁל מַעְלָה עַד שֶׁאָבוֹא לִירוּשָׁלַיִם שֶׁל מַטָּה! וּמִי אִיכָּא יְרוּשָׁלַיִם לְמַעְלָה? אִין, דִּכְתִיב: ״יְרוּשָׁלִַים הַבְּנוּיָה כְּעִיר שֶׁחֻבְּרָה לָּהּ יַחְדָּו״.
Rabbi Yoḥanan said the verse should be understood as follows: The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: I shall not enter Jerusalem above, in heaven, until I enter Jerusalem on earth down below at the time of the redemption, when it will be sacred in your midst. The Gemara asks: And is there such a place as Jerusalem above? The Gemara answers: Yes, as it is written: “Jerusalem built up, a city unified together” (Psalms 122:3). The term unified indicates that there are two cities of Jerusalem, a heavenly one and an earthly one, which are bound together.
From Etz Yosef here it's clear that without the 'vav' there wouldn't be a reference in the word "Yerushalayim" to Yerushalayim shel Maalah. However, I heard in a shiur from R' Yitzchak Breitowitz that the extra yud in Yerushalayim itself gives that connotation. He bases this on the Medrash which says:
(י) וַיִּקְרָא אַבְרָהָם שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא ה' יִרְאֶה (בראשית כב, יד) ...
אַבְרָהָם קָרָא אוֹתוֹ יִרְאֶה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיִּקְרָא אַבְרָהָם שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא ה' יִרְאֶה. שֵׁם קָרָא אוֹתוֹ שָׁלֵם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית יד, יח): וּמַלְכִּי צֶדֶק מֶלֶךְ שָׁלֵם, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אִם קוֹרֵא אֲנִי אוֹתוֹ יִרְאֶה כְּשֵׁם שֶׁקָּרָא אוֹתוֹ אַבְרָהָם, שֵׁם אָדָם צַדִּיק מִתְרָעֵם, וְאִם קוֹרֵא אֲנִי אוֹתוֹ שָׁלֵם, אַבְרָהָם אָדָם צַדִּיק מִתְרָעֵם, אֶלָּא הֲרֵינִי קוֹרֵא אוֹתוֹ יְרוּשָׁלַיִם כְּמוֹ שֶׁקָּרְאוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם, יִרְאֶה שָׁלֵם, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם.
(10) "And Avraham called the name of the place "Ad-nai Yireh" [Ad-nai will see] (Gen. 22:14)...
Avraham called it "Yireh", as it says "and Avraham called the name of the place Ad-nai Yireh." Shem called it Shalem, as it says "And Malchitzedek, the king of Shalem..."(Genesis 14:18) The Holy One of Blessing said "If I call it Yireh, as Avraham called it, then Shem, who was a righteous man, will become angry; and if I call it Shalem, Abraham, who was a righteous man, will be angry. Instead, I call it Yerushalayim [Jerusalem], as they called it together: Yireh Shalem. Jerusalem.
(א) הרי אני קורא אותו כמו שקראוהו שניהם ירושלם יראה שלם ירו גימטרי' יראה:
Instead of it being called "Yireh-shalem" which would be a more direct compound name of the two names, it is called Yerushalauim, by adding the gematria of alef and hei to just vav, six.
However, the yud in middle is still unexplained, what is it not called "Yeru-shalem"? The answer is that a yud transforms the word to be "plural." The plural aspect of Yerushalayim alludes to the plurality that exists in Yerushalayim, namely Yerushalayim shel Maaleh.
With this in mind, it is a little difficult how Etz Yosef is saying that the vav alludes to Yerushalayim shel Maaleh, when added to allude to Yerushalayim shel Maala.
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See our comment on the words "Binyan Olam" below.
וְתִשְׁכּוֹן בְּתוֹכָהּ - כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבַּֽרְתָּ -
With Hashem's Presence returned to Yerushalayim, it will be a great display of Kiddush Hashem. The passuk being referred to in the words "as You have spoken" refers to a passuk in Zecharia which reads:
(ג) כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהֹוָ֔ה שַׁ֚בְתִּי אֶל־צִיּ֔וֹן וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּת֣וֹךְ יְרֽוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם וְנִקְרְאָ֤ה יְרוּשָׁלַ֙͏ִם֙ עִ֣יר הָֽאֱמֶ֔ת וְהַר־יְהֹוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת הַ֥ר הַקֹּֽדֶשׁ׃
The Malbim says that the return to Jerusalem will only be if we act according to Hashem's Torah with faithfulness and righteousness. See previous comment.
כה ולכן כה אמר ה' שבתי אל ציון, דעתי לשוב אל ציון שתהיה שכינתי קבועה שם כמקדם, וגם ושכנתי בתוך ירושלם בין העם, שתהיה שכינתי בתוכם ושתשוב אליהם הנבואה והקדושה וכל מחמדיה אשר היו לה מימי קדם, אבל זה תלוי בתנאי אם ונקראה ירושלם עיר האמת, ע"י שיעשו שם משפט אמת בין אדם לחברו וגם שידברו אמת באמונה, ואם יקרא הר ה' צבאות הר הקדש, ע"י שכהניה יהיו קדושים לאלהיהם...
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(1) ‘So said the Lord: I will return to Zion,’ My intention is to return to Zion in order that My Presence be established there as it was before. Also ‘and I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem’ among the people, that My Presence be within them and that prophecy, holiness and all the desirable things which they had in days of old return to them. However, this is on condition – if Jerusalem will be called the city of truth because of the true justice they will administer there between people and the truth and faithfulness with which they speak, and if the mountain of the Lord of Hosts is called the holy mountain because its priests are sanctified to their G-d...
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בִּנְיַן עוֹלָם
We are asking Hashem here, "Please You rebuild the Beis HaMikdashso that it will always remain under Jewish authority. The reason the previous Batei Mikdashos were susceptible to being destroyed is because they were built by people. However, a "G-d-made"structure is impervious to destruction. This idea is found in the Navi Yirmiyahu where he says:
(ד) ע֤וֹד אֶבְנֵךְ֙ וְֽנִבְנֵ֔ית בְּתוּלַ֖ת יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל ע֚וֹד תַּעְדִּ֣י תֻפַּ֔יִךְ וְיָצָ֖את בִּמְח֥וֹל מְשַׂחֲקִֽים׃
(4) I will build you firmly again (lit. build you, surely build you), O Maiden Israel! Again you shall take up your timbrels And go forth to the rhythm of the dancers.
(א) עוד אבנך ונבנית. ר״ל הנה הבית הראשון והשני בנו בני אדם ונחרבו ועוד אבנך אני את השלישי ותשאר בנויה עד עולם:
The Third Beis HaMikdash being special in this respect as being especially lustrous parallels the idea of the Beis HaMikdash Shel Maaleh being parallel to Beis HaMikdash Shel Mattah (no pun intended) based on an essay from the Lubavitcher Rebbe. He writes:
This correspondence extends to the particular dimensions and components of the Beis HaMikdash, each of which reflected the level of sanctity enjoyed by its precise counterpart in the heavenly Beis HaMikdash.
There is reason to assume that this correspondence will be especially true of the Third Beis HaMikdash. In the First and Second Beis HaMikdash the correspondence was not apparent in detail: one could only tell that this was a House of G‑d with a general division into parts. In the Third Beis HaMikdash, by contrast, the parallelism will be visible in all its precision even to fleshly eyes.
(Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XXIX, p. 22)
וְכִסֵּא דָוִד עבדך מְהֵרָה לְתוֹכָהּ תָּכִין:
This supplication borrows the Scriptual style from a passuk in Tehillim (written by none other than Dovid HaMelech himself, the forerunner of the kingdom that will reign supreme in Jerusalem in the future) where he writes:
(לז) זַ֭רְעוֹ לְעוֹלָ֣ם יִהְיֶ֑ה וְכִסְא֖וֹ כַשֶּׁ֣מֶשׁ נֶגְדִּֽי׃ (לח) כְּ֭יָרֵחַ יִכּ֣וֹן עוֹלָ֑ם וְעֵ֥ד בַּ֝שַּׁ֗חַק נֶאֱמָ֥ן סֶֽלָה׃
his throne, as the sun before Me, (38) as the moon, established forever,
an enduring witness in the sky.” Selah.
עבדך
As we've mentioned in other places, the number of words and letters in each beracha of Shemoneh Esrei was also calculated by the Anshei Kneses HaGedola, usually corresponding to a figure that relates to the theme of the beracha.
The number 24 is found in two places in respect to Yerushalyim, and therefore there are exactly 24 words in this beracha, as we will show below.
The Etz Yosef uses this fact to disprove some editions of the Siddur which add the word עבדך into the beracha, since by having that extra word, the tally of words in the beracha would come to 25.
Our editions, which omit עבדך, follow the girsa of Rabbeinu Chananel and Machzor Vitry. Rambam has the girsa of עבדך.
(See Tikkun Tefilla here and to Haara L'Shemoneh Esrei)
1. The first where the number 24 appears in the context of Yerushalayim is a passuk in Yechezkel which is discussing...which has 24 words.
2. There are 24 blessings that Hashem promises in Sefer Yeshaya to...
Raise your voice like a ram’s horn!
Declare to My people their transgression,
To the House of Jacob their sin.
(2) To be sure, they seek Me daily,
Eager to learn My ways.
Like a nation that does what is right,
That has not abandoned the laws of its God,
They ask Me for the right way,
They are eager for the nearness of God: (3) “Why, when we fasted, did You not see?
When we starved our bodies, did You pay no heed?”
Because on your fast day
You see to your business
And oppress all your laborers! (4) Because you fast in strife and contention,
And you strike with a wicked fist!
Your fasting today is not such
As to make your voice heard on high. (5) Is such the fast I desire,
A day for men to starve their bodies?
Is it bowing the head like a bulrush
And lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Do you call that a fast,
A day when the LORD is favorable? (6) No, this is the fast I desire:
To unlock fetters of wickedness,
And untie the cords of the yoke-a
To let the oppressed go free;
To break off every yoke. (7) It is to share your bread with the hungry,
And to take the wretched poor into your home;
When you see the naked, to clothe him,
And not to ignore your own kin.
(8) Then shall your light burst through like the dawn
And your healing spring up quickly;
Your Vindicator shall march before you,
The Presence of the LORD shall be your rear guard. (9) Then, when you call, the LORD will answer;
When you cry, He will say: Here I am.
If you banish the yoke from your midst,
The menacing hand,-b and evil speech, (10) And you offer your compassion to the hungry
And satisfy the famished creature—
Then shall your light shine in darkness,
And your gloom shall be like noonday. (11) The LORD will guide you always;
He will slake your thirst in parched places-d
And give strength to your bones.
You shall be like a watered garden,
Like a spring whose waters do not fail. (12) Men from your midst shall rebuild ancient ruins,
You shall restore foundations laid long ago.
And you shall be called
“Repairer of fallen walls,
Restorer of lanes for habitation.” (13) If you refrain from trampling-e the sabbath,
From pursuing your affairs on My holy day;
If you call the sabbath “delight,”
The LORD’s holy day “honored”;
And if you honor it and go not your ways
Nor look to your affairs, nor strike bargains— (14) Then you can seek the favor of the LORD.-f
I will set you astride the heights of the earth,
And let you enjoy the heritage of your father Jacob—
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
On the topic of the amount of words in each beracha, the Abudraham writes:
(לו) יש אנשים שמנו התיבות שיש בכל ברכה וברכה משמנה עשרה והביאו פסוקים על כל ברכה מענינה שעולין תיבותיהם כמנין תיבות הברכה. וכן עשיתי אני בראשונה מנין כזה. ואחר כך נראה לי שאין לו יסוד ולא שורש כי לא תמצא מקום בעולם שאומ' שמונה עשרה ענין אחד תיבה בתיבה אלא יש מוסיפין תיבות ויש גורעין ואם כן המנין הזה אינו מועיל אלא למי שעשאהו לא לזולתו ולמה נטריח על הסופרים לכתבו.
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בּוֹנֵה יְרוּשָׁלָֽיִם
This phraseology uses phraseology of another passuk in Tehillim which reads:
(ב) בּוֹנֵ֣ה יְרוּשָׁלַ֣͏ִם יְהֹוָ֑ה נִדְחֵ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל יְכַנֵּֽס׃
He gathers in the exiles of Israel.
See Etz Yosef to Pesukei D'Zimra on this passuk...