Introduction
We continue in Tehillim Chapter 84, from the verse "They go from strength to strength" through the end of the chapter. The entire chapter expresses yearning for the House of Hashem - "My soul yearns, and indeed longs, for the courtyards of Hashem" - and in the section before us, we will learn how this aspiration turns into an ascent from level to level, how it becomes a prayer for the redemption and the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash, and what the value of a single day in the courtyards of Hashem is compared to a thousand elsewhere.
"They go from strength to strength" - Grammar First
יֵלְכוּ מֵחַיִל אֶל־חָיִל יֵרָאֶה אֶל־אֱלֹהִים בְּצִיּוֹן׃ (ח) - They go from strength to strength; he will appear before God in Zion.
Here too, we will first address the grammatical nuance. One does not read "yelchu" with the stress on the final syllable (milra), but rather yélechu - the cantillation mark is on the yod, not on the chaf. The tzere is a long vowel, and therefore the lamed carries a vocal sheva (sheva na): yé-le-chu from strength to strength.
Rashi explains that this refers to those mentioned above - "those who dwell in Your house," those who have "highways in their hearts." They go from strength to strength, from the Beit Midrash to the synagogue, and then their host and assembly will appear before God Who dwells in Zion.
Radak explains that this refers to students: "Chayil" here means an army or host, not in the literal sense of military enlistment, but the legion of students who throng at the doors of the Beit Midrash and the doors of the synagogues. This host of students constantly ascends, until the one seeking wisdom appears before God in Zion - for "from Zion shall the Torah come forth, and the word of Hashem from Jerusalem"; the ultimate wellspring and source of wisdom is specifically from there. They go from the Beit Midrash to the synagogue, until they ascend to Zion, where the greatest sages sit.
The Second Approach: The Festival Pilgrims
Radak adds: If we interpret these verses as referring back to the festival pilgrims, following the approach of Ibn Ezra, we can explain the preceding verses as follows:
עֹבְרֵי בְּעֵמֶק הַבָּכָא מַעְיָן יְשִׁיתוּהוּ גַּם־בְּרָכוֹת יַעְטֶה מוֹרֶה׃ (ז) - As they pass through the valley of weeping (Baca), they make it a spring; the early rain also covers it with blessings.
"The valley of Baca" - a valley where mulberry trees grew; according to the Malbim, these are trees that grow in arid places where there is no water. When the pilgrims passed through that valley, on account of their great numbers and the throngs passing through, they would transform it into a spring: they would dig so that they would have water sources, just as the Gemara recounts regarding Nakdimon ben Gurion, who secured twelve wells for the festival pilgrims. From the extensive digging done there to draw water for the pilgrims, the entire valley became like a flowing spring.
"The early rain also covers it with blessings"
"Berachot" here means pools (berechot) of water. We find this similarly in Shoftim (chapter 1:15): Calev gave his daughter to Otniel ben Kenaz along with land in the south, and she said to him, "You have given me a dry land (eretz haNegev)" - a place wiped dry of goodness, where there is no water - "give me a blessing (berachah)," and he gave her upper springs and lower springs (gullot ilit and gullot tachtit), water springs, places with running water. Thus we see that "berachah" there means a pool (berechah), and berachah signifies abundance (shefa). It has already been explained in several places that according to the Kabbalists as well, when speaking of shefa, it refers to the pouring forth of abundance from the celestial pool, as recited in the "Leshem Yichud" before Kiddush on Friday night. This is the very essence of the term "berachah": to channel abundance from above, from the source of the celestial reservoir.
In the plain sense, the Radak explains that a pool is a trench in the ground reinforced with stones and lime so that the water does not seep through but gathers there, collecting rainwater. Thus, the festival pilgrims had water from natural springs, and they had water from cisterns, which they found full of water - "the early rain also covers it with pools (gam berachot ya'ateh moreh)," the Holy One, blessed be He, filled them with *moreh*, which is rain, as in "yoreh umalkosh." They lacked nothing, and therefore they went "from strength to strength (mei-chayil el chayil)": one group of pilgrims ascends and meets another group along the way, from legion to legion, and they all ascend together.
Two Additional Interpretations
The Radak cites another derashah: "They go from strength to strength" is the reason for what was stated earlier, "Praiseworthy are those who dwell in Your house" - praiseworthy are those present in the House of Hashem, in the Beit HaMikdash, for they go from strength to strength: from the Beit HaMikdash to the Beit Midrash. From a place where Hashem's legion is stationed, the Beit HaMikdash, to another place where Hashem's legion is stationed, the Beit Midrash.
Furthermore, he cites the derashah of Chazal, who expounded this concerning the Future to Come: Torah scholars have no rest, neither in this world nor in the World to Come, as it is stated, "They go from strength to strength; each appears before God in Zion." Even when they arrive before God in Zion, there in the presence of the Holy One, blessed be He, they continuously advance and elevate themselves. And what is the understanding behind "they have no rest," and how does this advancement take place? This has been discussed at length in lessons on Rav Dessler's Michtav Me-Eliyahu: it is not only because a person leaves behind mitzvot that continue to endure - such as having built a yeshivah that continues to operate and accrue merits for him - but even without that, there is a reality in which the tzaddik continues to ascend in the World Above. Whoever wishes may look into it there, and it will not be delved into here so as not to stray from the topic.
The Malbim's Explanation: The Highways Lead the Way
The Malbim explains: Those very highways defined earlier - "the highways in their hearts," the inner longing to reach the Beit HaMikdash - are what lead a person from strength to strength. His trust and the vivid picture he paints in his heart of how he ascends to the Beit HaMikdash, along with his yearning to reach the House of Hashem, elevate him from level to level. As it were, his heart already sees God in Zion, already arriving and offering a sacrifice before Hashem, and through this he brings about the salvation to truly merit appearing before God. For to the extent that a person yearns for the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash, so will he merit it; and to the extent that a person grieves over the destruction, so will he merit seeing the consolation of Jerusalem. Those who have highways in their hearts - they will ultimately merit to appear before God in Zion.
"Hear My Prayer" - Specifically the God of Yaakov
יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהִים צְבָאוֹת שִׁמְעָה תְפִלָּתִי הַאֲזִינָה אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב סֶלָה׃ (ט) - Hashem, God of Hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Yaakov, Selah. (9)
Rashi explains: "Hear my prayer" - regarding that which I pray for Your House to be built. The Radak explains: Hear my prayer to hasten the redemption, as he already said, "My soul yearns and even pines for the courtyards of Hashem," having sought to reach the courtyards of Hashem and for the Beit HaMikdash to be built, and now he asks that his prayer be heard and redemption be brought closer.
And why specifically "the God of Yaakov," and not the God of Avraham or the God of Yitzchak? The Radak explains: Yaakov is the father of the tribes of Yeshurun, among whom there was no outcast. With Avraham there was an outcast - Yishmael; with Yitzchak there was an outcast - Eisav; but with Yaakov, his bed was complete, and there was no outcast among them.
Furthermore, it can be explained: had he wished to refer to the Jewish people, he could have said "the God of Yisrael." However, "Yisrael" always denotes mastery and prominence, the Jewish people in their lofty state, whereas "Yaakov" is related to the word *akev* (heel), the Jewish people in their lowly state. Therefore he says: Hashem, God of Hosts, hear my prayer that the Beit HaMikdash be built; give ear, O God of Yaakov, Selah - You are the God of Israel even when they are in the aspect of "Yaakov," even when they are at the level of the "heel" and in a lowly state, and therefore hear their prayer even in such a condition.
The Malbim explains: since those people who yearn for the Beis HaMikdash still have only "highways in their hearts" - they possess an aspiration, but it remains in the heart, for in reality the Temple has not yet been built - he therefore asks: Master of the World, let them actually go, let them go from strength to strength in reality and not merely in their hearts. May they merit to make the pilgrimage tangibly along the highways they paved in their hearts, and not only in thought. This is the meaning of "Hashem, God of Hosts, hear my prayer" - that we may merit to carry these things out in practice, and that they should not remain merely an inner aspiration.
"Look upon our shield, O God"
מָגִנֵּנוּ רְאֵה אֱלֹהִים וְהַבֵּט פְּנֵי מְשִׁיחֶךָ׃ (י) - Look upon our shield, O God, and behold the face of Your anointed. (10)
The Radak explains: You are our shield, God, You protect us - therefore look and behold the face of Your anointed. And what does it mean to "behold"? Beholding is an expression of Divine providence, for Hashem's eyes watch over everything on earth and He does not require special gazing; rather, when it says that Hashem beholds something, it means He watches over it with individual providence. If so: look, as it were, upon the Mashiach, desire him, bring him, and redeem us. And if the psalm was said about David and he is the psalmist, then David is saying: Master of the World, look already upon the Mashiach - referring, in fact, to himself.
Rashi explains differently: "Our shield" refers to the Beis HaMikdash - the Beis HaMikdash is our shield. "Look upon our shield, O God" - look upon the Beis HaMikdash; "and behold the face of Your anointed" - and who is Your anointed? The one who built the Beis HaMikdash; though not in actual construction, he laboured over it greatly, namely King David. As related at the end of I Chronicles (chapter 29), David gathers the people and tells them of all his toil, effort, and preparations for the building of the House. The Holy One, blessed be He, prevented him from building it, but he exerted immense effort. Therefore: Master of the World, behold the face of Your anointed who toiled and laboured so much for the building of Your House, and build our shield for us - the Beis HaMikdash, which, through the abundance flowing down within it, protects us from our enemies.
So too explains the Malbim: see the Beis HaMikdash, which served as our shield. The Malbim adds that here begins the third section of the psalm, for the previous verse concluded with "Selah," and "Selah" indicates the conclusion of one matter and the beginning of another. "Behold the face of Your anointed" - this refers to the Davidic dynasty, and the Beis HaMikdash and the Davidic kingdom are interconnected, as the Malbim explains at length in chapter 132.
"For a day in Your courtyards is better than a thousand"
כִּי טוֹב־יוֹם בַּחֲצֵרֶיךָ מֵאָלֶף בָּחַרְתִּי הִסְתּוֹפֵף בְּבֵית אֱלֹהַי מִדּוּר בְּאׇהֳלֵי־רֶשַׁע׃ (יא) - For a day in Your courtyards is better than a thousand; I have chosen to stand at the threshold of the house of my God rather than dwell in the tents of wickedness. (11)
The Radak explains: after praying that Hashem bring near the coming of Mashiach and the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash, he says: Master of the World, a single day in Your courtyards, even if I die the next day, is better for me than living a thousand days or a thousand years in a foreign land. And some explain that this is the reason for what was said earlier, "My soul longs, and even yearns."
"I have chosen to stand at the threshold (histofef)" - histofef means sitting on the threshold, that is, not even entering inside, but sitting merely at the threshold, the entrance, the gate. I choose to sit at the threshold of the gate of the house of God rather than maintain a full dwelling in the lands of the nations. In simple terms: I prefer to live at the entrance to the House of Hashem over living in a villa in Vienna, even if groceries are cheaper there. An inferior, lowly place here in the House of Hashem is preferable to an exquisite, fine, and beautiful place there in the lands of the nations.
Others explain "tents of wickedness" based on verses such as "nor shall wickedness deliver its owners" or "wherever he turned he was victorious (yarshia)" - an expression of anxiety, conquest, and victory, as the Radak notes. That is: I choose to sit at the threshold of the gate of the Beis HaMikdash and engage in words of wisdom rather than be immersed in all the affairs of this world. This does not necessarily mean wickedness in the moral sense, but rather the entire struggle of existence - the race for another asset, another achievement, more financial wealth. All these "tents of worldly ambition" I am willing to cast aside, preferring to be at the threshold of the house of God.
The Malbim explains that here he clarifies why he yearns for the Beis HaMikdash: the joy experienced when the Temple stands surpasses all forms of success for me. He provides two examples - success that depends on time and success that depends on place. From the standpoint of time: spending an abundance of time in a particular pursuit is deemed success, whereas one who spends only a short time did not succeed; yet I prefer a short time with You over a long time elsewhere - "For a day in Your courtyards is better than a thousand." And from the standpoint of place: I prefer a cramped spot, "to stand at the threshold," the lowliest place, over permanent dwelling in "tents of wickedness," which are palaces and secure abodes - but belonging to wickedness.
The Gemara's Exposition: A Day of Torah versus a Thousand Burnt Offerings
The Gemara in Masechet Shabbat expounds "For better is a day in Your courtyards than a thousand" as words spoken by the Holy One, Blessed be He, to David. David pleaded: Master of the Universe, let the Beit HaMikdash already be built, and if it requires that I depart from this world - I am ready. The Holy One, Blessed be He, replied to him: Better to Me is a single day in which you engage in Torah study than a thousand burnt offerings that your son Solomon will offer. This is the meaning of "For better is a day in Your courtyards" - a single day that you spend in the courtyards of Hashem in the beit midrash is better than a thousand.
Rav Mazuz adds that "yom bachatzerecha" (a day in Your courtyards) has the same gematria as "David ben Yishai" (David, son of Jesse), which aligns beautifully with this exposition - David asked to die a day earlier so that the Temple could be built, yet the Holy One, Blessed be He, told him that a single day of his Torah study is preferred before Him over a thousand sacrifices.
The Sefat Emet: Light is Recognized Through Darkness
The Sefat Emet explains: "I chose to sit at the threshold of the house of my God" - by virtue of what did I choose this? "From dwelling in the tents of wickedness" (midur be'aholei resha), meaning as a result of having dwelt in the tents of wickedness. When I was in the tents of wickedness, that was where I understood the superiority of light over darkness. Often, a person feels that the place where he currently is is not ideal, but when he moves to another place and sees how bad it is there, he realizes how good he had it originally. For instance, a person worked at a company alongside observant, God-fearing people, but felt dissatisfied - perhaps harboring complaints about the salary or the treatment - and moved to another company where the employees were distant from mitzvot; only then does he begin to yearn for his old workplace: suddenly he realizes how different the interpersonal dynamics were, how different the ethical conduct was, how different everything was. So too here: from having dwelt in the tents of wickedness, I understood how good it is for me in the beit midrash, and how in other places I have nothing to seek.
Rabbeinu Avraham ben HaRambam: Not Literal Wickedness
Rabbeinu Avraham ben HaRambam raises a difficulty: it cannot be that "tents of wickedness" refers to literal wicked people. For that would be astonishing - is it truly praiseworthy to say that I prefer dwelling in the house of Hashem over living in the house of the wicked? The house of Hashem is superior even to good tents; why go all the way to such an extreme contrast? It would be like someone saying, "This honey is sweeter than vinegar." Is that a meaningful comparison? Say that it is sweeter than sugar, and I will understand. Therefore, he explains that it refers to places where holiness is mixed with impropriety. That is to say: I have two choices before me - to attend a sacred yeshiva, or to attend an institution that mixes secular studies. "I chose to sit at the threshold of the house of my God." Torah is studied in both, capable scholars might emerge from both, yet despite this, I choose to sit on the threshold in a place of uncompromised holiness alone. The same applies to synagogues: I prefer to pray in a synagogue dedicated purely to sanctity, rather than in places that are "tents of wickedness" - nominally a synagogue, but where the reading of the Torah and the prayers are mingled with the pursuit of honor, idle chatter, and levity; where people talk during prayer and act frivolously during the Torah reading. That is what the verse is addressing.
"For a Sun and a Shield is Hashem God"
כִּי שֶׁמֶשׁ וּמָגֵן יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהִים חֵן וְכָבוֹד יִתֵּן יְהֹוָה לֹא יִמְנַע־טוֹב לַהֹלְכִים בְּתָמִים׃ (יב) - For a sun and a shield is Hashem God; favor and honor Hashem will give; He will not withhold good from those who walk uprightly.
Rashi interprets the verse according to its plain sense, and cites from Midrash Tehillim that "shemesh" (sun) here is related to battlements of a rampart - not the shining sun in the sky, but the crenellations of a protective wall, which are called shemesh; the verse thus likens the Holy One, Blessed be He, to a wall that shields us.
Radak explains: the Holy One, Blessed be He, acts as a great luminary to bring light to those sitting in the darkness of exile, to lead them out of it and rescue them, and He is also their shield protecting them from the nations, until He causes the sun to shine upon them and lead them out of exile. "Favor and honor Hashem will give" - to those who walk uprightly and return to the Holy One, Blessed be He, with all their heart, wholehearted and cleaving to Hashem, blessed be He; Hashem will grant them favor and honor in the eyes of the nations, so that when they leave the exile, the nations will honor them and not withhold any good from them. Just as we found with Cyrus, who, when granting permission to ascend and rebuild the Beit HaMikdash, instructed that all should assist them and present them with gifts; and as Isaiah says, "And they shall bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders," and "Kings shall be your nursing fathers," and "You shall consume the wealth of nations"; and as we saw at the Exodus from Egypt, where Hashem gave the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, who lent to them. Thus, "He will not withhold good from those who walk uprightly" - they will ascend to the Land at the time of the redemption with the active assistance of the nations.
The Malbim: Three Paths to Redemption
The Malbim explains, against the background of "and look upon the face of Your anointed," that the coming of Mashiach can occur in one of three ways: either through the birth pangs of Mashiach - great afflictions through which Israel will repent and be redeemed; or because Hashem desires us and will redeem us purely out of His favor; or through our earning it by virtue of our good deeds, having become truly worthy of redemption.
Corresponding to the birth pangs of Mashiach - redemption born out of afflictions - it is said, "For Hashem Elokim is a sun and a shield." Hashem is simultaneously a sun and a shield, two opposing functions. The sun illuminates, which is positive, but it also burns. So it is with suffering: the Holy One, blessed be He, brings the redemption and it shines light, but it involves suffering, burning and painful. Therefore, we pray that He will also be a shield, so that this illumination does not consume us. As written in Malachi: "For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven" and "You shall tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes," but "to you who fear My Name the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings." The birth pangs of Mashiach resemble a day burning like an oven, but for the righteous there will be a shield: that very sun will not burn them, but will heal and protect them.
Corresponding to the second way - that redemption should come through grace and unearned favor even if we are not righteous - after all, among flesh and blood, an unearned gift brings no honor. If someone gives you an honorary doctorate, will people truly revere you for it? They will say, "That is merely an honorary degree." Therefore, he asks, "Hashem will grant grace and glory" - that even what is granted to us for free should also be bestowed with honor. And corresponding to the third way, that Mashiach should come by virtue of our righteous deeds, he requests, "He will not withhold goodness from those who walk uprightly" - from those who cling to the Holy One, blessed be He, and walk with Him in wholehearted integrity.
The author of Tehillot Maharitz adds: "Hashem will grant grace and glory" - if a person uses his wealth for the sake of Heaven, to fulfill mitzvot and good deeds, he need not fear that his merits will be diminished. Even though Hashem granted him grace and honor in this world, "He will not withhold goodness" - Hashem does not withhold eternal goodness from him on account of what he received here. Since they walk with integrity and conduct themselves with sincerity, they will receive reward both in this world and in the World to Come.
Concluding the Psalm: "Fortunate Is the Person Who Trusts in You"
יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת אַשְׁרֵי אָדָם בֹּטֵחַ בָּךְ׃ (יג) - Hashem, Master of Legions, fortunate is the person who trusts in You! (13)
Fortunate is the one who trusts in You and does not lose heart throughout the entire length of the exile, trusting that You will take us out of exile and rebuild the Beit HaMikdash, that very place we have yearned for throughout all the generations. We must trust in Hashem to redeem us - "Fortunate is the person whose strength is in You," one who trusts solely in Hashem, blessed is He, that He will redeem us with an everlasting redemption, speedily.
In summary:
In this section of the psalm, we learned how the yearning for the House of Hashem becomes continuous movement: "They go from strength to strength" - the legion of students going from the Beit Midrash to the Beit Knesset and up to Zion; the festival pilgrims meeting group by group on their journey; and Torah scholars who have no rest even in the World to Come, but continually ascend. According to the Malbim, the highways in the heart are themselves what lead a person from level to level, until he prays that he may realize them in deed: "Hear my prayer." From there, the psalm turns to a plea for the Kingdom of David and for the Beit HaMikdash, which depend upon each other, and to the resolute declaration that a single day in Hashem's courtyards - even merely standing at the threshold - is better than a thousand days, and preferable to palaces in the "tents of wickedness"; and from dwelling in the tents of wickedness, one recognizes the superiority of light. Finally: Hashem is a sun and a shield, illuminating yet also shielding against scorching heat, granting grace and glory, and withholding no good from those who walk uprightly - "Hashem, Master of Legions, fortunate is the person who trusts in You." With this, we conclude Psalm 84.