Wednesday, November 25, 2015

VaYishlach / Psalm 122 # 15 - The Glory of Jerusalem

Psalm 122 expresses the thoughts and joy a person has when approaching Jerusalem. The Metsudas David comments that it refers to the thoughts of the Jews in exile when they decide to visit Jerusalem for the Jewish holidays. The psalm captures the feelings that a person coming from abroad experiences when they see Jerusalem for the first time. It also captures the feelings of a resident of Israel when they approach the Old City of Jerusalem on the Jewish holidays especially if they are part of a large throng of pilgrims. The picture of Jerusalem in the psalm is Jerusalem in its glory. This is its text.

1. A song of ascents of David,
א. שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת לְדָוִד
 I rejoiced when they said to me,
שָׂמַחְתִּי בְּאֹמְרִים לִי
"Let us go to the house of the Lord."
בֵּית ה' נֵלֵךְ

2. Our feet were standing within your gates, Jerusalem.
ב. עֹמְדוֹת הָיוּ רַגְלֵינוּ בִּשְׁעָרַיִךְ יְרוּשָׁלָם

3. The built-up Jerusalem
ג. יְרוּשָׁלַם הַבְּנוּיָה
like a city that joins itself together.
כְּעִיר שֶׁחֻבְּרָה-לָּהּ יַחְדָּו

4. There ascended the tribes, the tribes of God,
ד. שֶׁשָּׁם עָלוּ שְׁבָטִים שִׁבְטֵי-קָהּ
testimony to Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
עֵדוּת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל לְהֹדוֹת לְשֵׁם ה'

5. For there were set seats of judgment,
ה. כִּי שָׁמָּה יָשְׁבוּ כִסְאוֹת לְמִשְׁפָּט
thrones of the house of David.
כִּסְאוֹת לְבֵית דָּוִד

6. Request the peace of Jerusalem;
ו. שַׁאֲלוּ שְׁלוֹם יְרוּשָׁלָם
those who love you will be in tranquility.
יִשְׁלָיוּ אֹהֲבָיִךְ

7. May there be peace at your wall,
ז. יְהִי-שָׁלוֹם בְּחֵילֵךְ
tranquility in your palaces.
שַׁלְוָה בְּאַרְמְנוֹתָיִךְ

8. For the sake of my brethren and my companions,
ח. לְמַעַן-אַחַי וְרֵעָי
I shall speak please of peace in you.
אֲדַבְּרָה-נָּא שָׁלוֹם בָּךְ

9. For the sake of the house of the Lord our G-d,
ט. לְמַעַן בֵּית-יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ
I shall seek good for you.
אֲבַקְשָׁה טוֹב לָךְ 

When King David saw that the nation was still using the tent constructed by Moshe Rabenu as the Temple, he wished to erect in it’s a place a very magnificent building. He discussed it with Nathan the prophet who gave him his blessing. However, that night the prophet had a vision from the Holy One, blessed be He, that told him, because David was such a warrior of renown, that the message of the Temple would be understood as a monument to war when really it was a monument to peace. In fact G-d considered all of the blood that David had shed to be the equivalent of burnt offerings, therefore his son Solomon, who would be a king of peace, would receive the honor of building this sacred shrine.

An ancient midrash (Socher Tov) tells a legend that the mischief-makers of David’s time would go to the windows of the palace to say things like when is this old man, David, going to die and his son Shlomo will build the Temple so we can go to it and celebrate the holidays. To this David would reply that even though they only came to tease me, I’m still happy as it says, “I celebrated when they said to me to the house of Hashem we will go”. HaKadosh Baruch Hu replied to David saying, “Better for Me is a day in your courts then a thousand”, meaning better for me is one day that you are busy with Torah than a thousand burnt offerings that in the future Solomon, your son, will sacrifice to Me on the altar.

The singer describes Jerusalem as a built up city that joins itself together where all the tribes of Israel go. The Ibn Ezra explains that the reason people stood, when they arrived at the city, was to admire the well-constructed walls and the fine beauty of its gates. The Malbim explains that the Psalm envisions the nation as a whole like one body which is composed of differing individual limbs. Jerusalem is the city which joins them together to be a complete body in which will rest the spirit of life, an intelligent soul, and a G-dly soul. The Temple is the vessel which prepares the body to accept the divine presence in it, just like the heart and brain which prepare the human body to receive these things. Jerusalem is the heart of the nation of Israel. Specifically that it unifies the various limbs of the nation and the different components of the people rally around the capital city. Also just as the heart gives life to the body Jerusalem is the seat of the spirit of life that invigorates the nation and draws the scattered bones near to the people and awakens the individual to himself.

Concerning “standing” the Meiri expresses the opinion that we owe our standing and existence to “your gates” which is an appellation given to the wise. He then brings the explanation of the Gemara (Berachos 8a) that “gates” in this context means those that excel in halacha. Rashi comments that our feet were standing in war in every place for the gates of Jerusalem that were busy with Torah.

The tribes of Israel are called the tribes of the Powers that Be.  The Malbim continues that Jerusalem is the place of testimony to Israel, giving thanks to G-d, the seat of values, and the throne of the dynasty of David. The testimony is that Israel is one united nation which gets together on the three pilgrim festivals for the single purpose of giving thanks to Hashem because He is the inner unifying force and encompassing life of the nation. The seat of judgement is the Sanhedrin from which goes out Torah, religion, and law. The throne of David is the general leadership given to all segments of the people. Rashi adds that the divine presence manifested itself in Jerusalem and this was the seat from which the nations of the world were judged.

The Psalm then preaches that one should seek the peace of Jerusalem and adds those that love her will be serene. The Midrash Socher Tov reckons those that pray for the peace of Jerusalem as the righteous. Samson Raphael Hirsch comments that only those that love Jerusalem, who are numbered among its friends, may face the future with calm and serenity. The prayer or prophesy for peace at the walls outside of Jerusalem and for the palaces inside is an aspect of internal and external peace. This means that those that seek the peace of Jerusalem should be free not only from the attacks and aggravation of others but should not have internal turbulence either.

The last two lines of the psalm seem to be King David addressing himself to the reader. He is saying that he will talk peace to whoever may be reading his book and wish him well. He apparently believes that this will benefit the house of Hashem as well as his own family and friends. Samson Raphael Hirsch concludes his commentary on the psalm by saying the wish is not based upon one sided, selfish motives rather it is for the benefit of all that would join Israel as brethren and companions. Finally the ideal underlying the salvation, which will blossom from Jerusalem, will at last be perfected for the future of Israel and all mankind.



לע"נ הסבא אהרן בן יוסף ז"ל נלב"ע כז בטבת תשכ"ו
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