1) A few places in shas refer to halachos that were taught "when the Chachamim came to Kerem b'Yavneh," e.g. the famous sugya that everyone just learned on Lag baOmer about Rashb"I entering the cave (Shabbos 33b) starts off כְּשֶׁנִּכְנְסוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ לַכֶּרֶם בְּיַבְנֶה. The gemara elsewhere tells us that the Sanhedrim bounced around to 10 different places after they were exiled from Yerushalayim. One of those places that they came to when they were on the run was Kerem b'Yavneh. Whenever the name appears, Rashi explains why it was called Kerem b'Yavneh: לכרם - זה בית המדרש שיושבין שורות שורות ככרם כך מפורש בירושלמי בברכות. The place gets its name from the fact that the Chachamim sat in rows, like the way grapes are arranged in a vineyard.
Some batei medrash have tables; some have shtenders. Does it really make a difference how people are sitting? Is it really noteworthy that the Chachamim sat in rows as opposed to some other configuration?
I heard on a shiur from R' Shmuel Eliyahu that the reason for the emphasis on how the Chachamim sat is because the gemara has a din that when Sanhedrin is in its proper place, in the Lishkas haGazis, next to the Mikdash, they sit in a half circle so that each member can see all the other members. When the Chachamim came to Kerem b'Yavneh, they davka did not sit that way. They davka sat in rows so as to distinguish their current situation from the way things were before they were exiled. "Tein li Yavneh v'Chachameha" is a consolation prize, but the Chachamim did not want to forget for a moment that it was a pale substitute for the real thing.
Ki miTzion teizei Torah! Baruch Hashem we have a Yom Yerushalayim and can see the rebirth and resurgence of Torah in Yerushalayim. Sure, there are yeshivos and batei medrash all over the world, but we should never deceive ourselves into thinking they are anything but a consolation prize that falls far short of the real thing.
2) Chapter 51 of Tehillim speaks about David's cry to Hashem for forgiveness after Nasan haNavi came to speak to him about what happened with Bat Sheva. The chapter ends with two pesukim that seem out of place. Ibn Ezra goes so far as to quote a view that these pesukim were in fact added later אמר אחד מחכמי ספרד: כי אלה השנים פסוקים הוסיפם אחד מהחסידים שהיה בבבל, שהיה מתנפל לפני השם ומתפלל המזמור הזה. Here are the two pesukim:
הֵיטִ֣יבָה בִֽ֖רְצֽוֹנְךָ אֶת־צִיּ֑וֹן תִּ֜בְנֶ֗ה חוֹמ֥וֹת יְרֽוּשָׁלִָֽם
אָ֚ז תַּחְפֹּ֣ץ זִבְחֵי־צֶ֖דֶק עוֹלָ֣ה וְכָלִ֑יל אָ֚ז יַֽעֲל֖וּ עַל־מִזְבַּֽחֲךָ֣ פָרִֽים:
What does the rebuilding of the walls of Yerushalayim have to do with David's plea for kapparah?
I think it has everything to do with it. I remember once hearing or reading a story about a chassan who came to ask R' Tzvi Yehudah what to daven for when he went to the kotel before his wedding. R' Tzvi Yehudah answered that he should daven for the Shechina to return to Tzion, because if that prayer is answered, everything else will take care of itself.
David haMelech understood that, "A rising tide lifts all boats." We each have our own pratei pratim of our avodas Hashem that we are concerned with, be it a need for kapparah, a need for refuah, a need for parnasa, etc. David haMelech had his need that he was davening for. But David understood that if הֵיטִ֣יבָה בִֽ֖רְצֽוֹנְךָ אֶת־צִיּ֑וֹן תִּ֜בְנֶ֗ה חוֹמ֥וֹת יְרֽוּשָׁלִָֽם, then everything else will take care of itself. David understood that the geulas ha'nefesh of each prat is in some way or other bound to the geulah of the klal, which centers around Yerushalayim.
3) שִׂמְח֧וּ אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַ֛ם וְגִ֥ילוּ בָ֖הּ כָּל־אֹהֲבֶ֑יהָ שִׂ֤ישׂוּ אִתָּהּ֙ מָשׂ֔וֹשׂ כָּל־הַמִּֽתְאַבְּלִ֖ים עָלֶֽיהָ׃ (Yeshayahu 66:10) The mashgiach of (the modern day) Kerem b'Yavneh, Rav Rivlin, quotes Chasam Sofer as distinguishing between simcha and sasson. Simcha is a physical enjoyment, e.g. simchas Yom Tov means you have to have a nice meal and wine. Sasson is spiritual pleasure, e.g. Chazal darshen "sas anochi al imrasecha" as referring to the joy of bris milah. Obviously this is a spiritual happiness, as we know minhag Ashkenaz is to not say she'hechiyanu at a bris because the baby has physical pain.
Those who are מִּֽתְאַבְּלִ֖ים עָלֶֽיהָ and feel the spiritual loss of Yerushalayim will experience the joy of sasson when it is rebuilt, the joy of their spiritual longing being fulfilled. However, even those who are not מִּֽתְאַבְּלִ֖ים עָלֶֽיהָ, those who do not feel the spiritual pain of Yerushalayim's absence, will rejoice in its rebuilding. שִׂמְח֧וּ אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַ֛ם וְגִ֥ילוּ בָ֖הּ כָּל־אֹהֲבֶ֑יהָ. Even the restoration of the physical place of Yerushalayim alone is worthy of rejoicing, the joy of simcha, of happiness in physical delight, in its buildings, its streets, even its traffic jams.
We have only just begun to have a taste of the sasson of Yerushalayim's spiritual riches being revealed. Hopefully one day we will have a Beis haMikdash and see it in its full glory. For now, let us at least have simcha and gratitude for the physical place of Yerushalayim being ours.
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