Why Does God Need to Build a Rebuilt City?

I have been living in Israel with my family since August, working on a book about the daily Amidah.  It is quite an experience to live in the city—Jerusalem—which is also a central blessing in this prayer, and the focus of a lot of my writing.  As Yom Ha-atzma’ut approaches, I wanted to offer some thoughts on what it means to pray for God to build Jerusalem, while living in a rebuilt Jerusalem.  As I came to discover, the idea of “Jerusalem, Your city” and “building” are multi-layered images that shine through this prayer and enrich its meaning.