Jerusalem as a holy place? The problematical perspective of Maimonides

In Maimonides' philosophy, the relationship to the holy is devoid of any ma terial aspect. Therefore, the notion of a holy place, or a holy city, altho ugh entrenched in Judaism, seems problematical within the Maimonidean frame work. Maimonides rejects frames of thought in which some places rather than others are intrinsically holy. Rather, for Maimonides the holiness of a th ing is directly related to the observance of the divine commandments. Speci fically, the Temple in Jerusalem is holy by virtue of its having been const ructed on divine injunction. Jerusalem has been chosen as the site for the construction of the Temple because at this spot some important moments of c ommunication between God and man(Jewish and non-Jewish) had taken place.