"There is no beauty like the beauty of Jerusalem." ~~ Avot Derabbi Nathan
"Malchi Tzedek king of Shalem, said “this place makes its inhabitants righteous?”, so he called Jerusalem “Tzedek” (righteousness). " ~~ Midrash, Bereshit Rabba 43
"There were 480 places of worship (Synagogues) in Jerusalem, and each one of them had a school for Scriptures (Bible) and a learning center for the Mishna (the oral law). " ~~ Talmud Yerushalmi, Megilah 3
"There are three gates to Gehinam (purgatory) – one of them is in Jerusalem. " ~~ Talmud, Eiruvin 19a
"The Land of Israel is the House of God." ~~ H. Ibn Attar
"No city in the world, not even Athens and Rome, ever played as great a role in the life of a nation for so long a time, as Jerusalem has done in the life of the Jewish people." ~~ David Ben-Gurion
"In Ne”ilah [the closing prayer] of Yom Kippur, what did he [the Cohen] say? “And Hashem will bless you from Zion and you will see the good of Jerusalem all of the days of your life.” " ~~ Talmud, Sotah 40a
"The punishment of vain hatred is so harsh that it destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. " ~~ Beth Hamidrash
"Jerusalem is like a city that people are friendly together; a city in which all [the people of] Israel are friends when the tribes ascend there for the pilgrimage. " ~~ Talmud Yerushalmi, Hagiga 3
"There used to be a very good custom in Jerusalem: a table-cloth was spread at the door – – – so long as it was in place, guests would enter the house. When it was removed, they would not." ~~ Talmud, Bava Batra
"There were no days as glorious for the people of Israel as the fifteenth of Av [the Hebrew Month] and as Yom Kippur, when the daughters of Jerusalem would come outside with borrowed white garments and dance in the vineyards. " ~~ Talmud, Ta’anit 26b
"Avraham called it Yireh (See) as it says [in the Scriptures], “And Avraham called the name of that place Yireh Hashem” (See God). Shem called it Shalem (Complete) as it says “And Malki Tzedek, King of Shalem.” The Holy One, Blessed be He said “I will call it Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) like both of them called it – Yireh, Shalem – Yerushalayim. " ~~ Midrash, Bereshit Raba 56