InJudaism, the "Four Holy Cities" areJerusalem,Hebron,Tiberias, andSafed. Revered for their significance toJewish history, they began to again serve as major centres of Jewish life after theOttoman conquest of the Levant.[1]
According toThe Jewish Encyclopedia in 1906: "Since the sixteenth century theHoliness of Palestine, especially for burial, has been almost wholly transferred to four cities—Jerusalem, Hebron, Tiberias, and Safed."[2]
Jerusalem has had the highest significance for Jews since the 11th century BCE, whenDavid led theIsraelites to conquer it from theJebusites and established it as the capital city of theKingdom of Israel and Judah. There, his son and successorSolomon constructed theTemple in Jerusalem, which held theArk of the Covenant after theHoly of Holies of theTabernacle.[3] Though theFirst Temple and theSecond Temple were both destroyed in antiquity, theTemple Mount, on which they stood, continues to serve as the basis of Jewish spirituality both inside and outside of theLand of Israel.
Hebron, which is home to theCave of the Patriarchs, is the burial place of theHebrew patriarchs and their wives:Abraham and his wifeSarah; Abraham's sonIsaac and his wifeRebecca; and Isaac's sonJacob and his wifeLeah. As such, Hebron's significance for Jews is second only to Jerusalem, and it is also one of the four cities whereHebrew prophets (Abraham, in particular) purchased land: Abraham bought a field and a cave east of Hebron from theHittites (Genesis 23:16–18); David bought a threshing floor at Jerusalem fromAraunah the Jebusite (2 Samuel 24:24); Jacob bought land outside the walls ofShechem (Genesis 33:18–19); andOmri bought the site ofSamaria. Further, Hebron was the first capital city ofIsrael and Judah during David's reign.[4]
Tiberias is significant in Jewish history for several reasons. It was the place where theJerusalem Talmud was composed and served as the final meeting place of theGreat Sanhedrin, which was disbanded in 425 CE. The tomb of famousrabbis and other Jewish scholars, such asYohanan ben Zakkai,Akiva, andMaimonides, are also located in the city. It was the home of theMasoretes and the place where theTiberian vocalization for theHebrew Bible was devised. According to Jewish tradition,the redemption will begin in Tiberias and the Sanhedrin will be reconstituted there,[5] and theMessiah will arise fromLake Tiberias, enter the city, and be enthroned on the summit of a lofty hill in Safed.[6]
Safed came to be regarded as a holy city at a significantly later time than the other three. The mass influx ofSephardic Jews following theAlhambra Decree, which was issued by theCatholic Monarchs of Spain during theReconquista in 1492, enabled the transformation of Safed into a centre ofKabbalah and Jewish scholarship.[7]
Term applied to the Erets Israel cities of Jerusalem, Hebron, Safed and Tiberias. These were the four main centers of Jewish life after the Ottoman conquest of 1516. The concept of the holy cities dates only from the 1640s, when the Jewish communities of Jerusalem, Hebron, and Safed organized an association to improve the system of fundraising in the Diaspora. Previously, such fundraising had been undertaken by individual institutions; now it was agreed that the emissaries would be sent on behalf of each urban Jewish community as a whole, with not more than one emissary per town. After Tiberias was refounded in 1740, it also joined the association. This arrangement did not last long, however, and by the mid-19th century there was no authority strong enough to enforce a centralized collection of ḥalukkah funds. In Jewish tradition, going back to ancient times, the only city regarded as holy is Jerusalem
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