Introduction
In this lesson, we continue with Chapter 122 of Tehillim, from the fourth verse through the conclusion of the chapter. The entire chapter revolves around Jerusalem: its essence, its role in unifying all of Israel, and the double blessing that emanates from it - political blessing and spiritual blessing. We will follow the order of the verses through the commentaries of Rashi, Radak, and the Malbim.
"Where the Tribes Went Up" - Testimony to the Lineage of Israel
שֶׁשָּׁם עָלוּ שְׁבָטִים שִׁבְטֵי־יָהּ עֵדוּת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל לְהֹדוֹת לְשֵׁם יְהֹוָה׃ - Where the tribes went up, the tribes of the Lord, as a testimony for Israel, to give thanks to the Name of Hashem.
Rashi explains: "Where the tribes went up" - the tribes went up to Shiloh when they came up from Egypt, for the Mishkan was initially established there. And regarding "the tribes of the Lord (Shivtei Kah)," Rashi cites the exposition of Chazal: The nations scoffed at them. When the Jewish people left Egypt, the nations sneered: Is each person here truly the son of his stated father? If the Egyptians ruled over their bodies, did they not rule over their wives as well? And if so, this son is not really his son. This would be a terrible blemish on the entire Jewish people, a blemish on their lineage.
However, through Hashem's kindness toward us, the Holy One, Blessed be He, had mercy on the Jewish people, and the Hebrew women were considered repulsive in the eyes of the Egyptians. A person might feel insulted by being seen as repulsive in their eyes, but the truth is that the Holy One, Blessed be He, made us loathsome to them specifically so that they would not touch us.
Incidentally, the very same dynamic occurred during the Holocaust: under German law, a German was forbidden from consorting with a Jewish woman, because it supposedly defiled the "Aryan race" - as they imagined it. This is reminiscent of the story with the Baal Shem Tov: Once, the Baal Shem Tov was walking with his disciples past a priest, and overheard him telling his novices, "Let us distance ourselves from the Jews; when they speak, saliva might spray from their mouths and defile us." The Baal Shem Tov said to his disciples: "Do you see how the Holy One, Blessed be He, watches over us? He planted such a thought in his mind so that he would distance himself from us of his own accord." That is precisely what the Holy One, Blessed be He, did in Germany: He put the idea in their minds, "We are the Aryan race; we are forbidden from approaching Jewish women; it is lowly and corrupt." It is not that violations never occurred, but they were very rare, as the Germans were exceedingly meticulous, and what was forbidden to them was strictly enforced, especially since they did not want to assimilate and supposedly taint their race.
The same occurred in Egypt. The nations of the world said: Surely the Egyptians took advantage of their wives as well, and who can testify otherwise? The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: I testify about them that they are indeed the children of their fathers. He attached His Name to them: ha-Reuveni, ha-Shim'oni - adding a letter on one side and a letter on the other, a hei at the beginning and a yud at the end, forming the Name Kah. This is the meaning of "Where the tribes went up, the tribes of the Lord," and this is "a testimony for Israel" - testimony that we are Israel, that we are not Egyptian, and that none of their tainted seed became intermingled with us.
Radak: The Miracle of the Gathering of All Israel in Jerusalem
Radak explains: "Where the tribes went up" - that is where the twelve tribes would ascend, and they are "the tribes of the Lord," observers of Hashem's commandments, and Jerusalem accommodated all of them. This was truly wondrous, for it was such a confined space. This was not the Old City within today's walls, which is approximately three times the size of ancient Jerusalem. The area was far smaller, and yet the entirety of the Jewish people would gather there, and never did a person say, "The space is too cramped for me to lodge overnight in Jerusalem." This is a testimony for Israel that Hashem is in our midst, that Hashem chose us, and that He performs great and wondrous miracles for us.
An even greater miracle occurred in the Azarah (Temple courtyard): they stood crowded together, yet prostrated themselves with ample space. Anyone familiar with the dimensions of the Azarah can appreciate the magnitude of this miracle. The width of the Ezrat Yisrael - for anyone ascending from the Nicanor Gate and stepping inside - was merely about five and a half meters, running along the length of the courtyard. Beyond that was already the Ezrat Kohanim, where an ordinary Israelite was forbidden to enter. Thus, naturally speaking, it was an exceedingly narrow space. If one were to build a synagogue of that size, how many people could possibly fit inside? And yet: they stood crowded together, and prostrated themselves with ample space.
What is the meaning of "standing crowded together" (omdim tzafufim)? When you take several sticks and pack them tightly together, the middle ones are forced upward. The word tzafufim is related to tzaf, floating - from the intense pressure, people are literally buoyed upward. A person once recounted an experience from Meron many years ago, about ten years before the tragedy, when he attempted to reach the gravesite. At one point, he felt his feet were no longer bearing his weight, almost like a living person being carried along without effort. He experienced suffocation and crushing pressure on his chest, and when he finally emerged, he collapsed onto the ground, feeling his breath leaving him. He remarked: "I experienced firsthand what tzafufim means - I was simply suspended in midair, my feet not even touching the ground." That is the reality of "standing crowded together"; yet when they needed to prostrate themselves, they did so with ample space.
A Place Beyond Space and Beyond Time
This is "a testimony for Israel, to give thanks to the name of Hashem." How much must we thank the name of Hashem for such wonders, which proved the Creator's presence among them! As discussed previously, the Beit HaMikdash was home to miracles whose entire essence was to show that this place transcends space and time. A spiritual reality has two dimensions: it occupies no space, and it is also beyond time. In the higher realms, terms like "next year" or "in two years" are meaningless; they exist only in a physical, material world.
It has been noted that Einstein discovered, eight hundred years late, that time is bound to matter. Wherever there is matter, there is time. And why late? Because the Ramban wrote this centuries before him: time is intrinsically tied to physical existence, and the moment the primeval primordial matter was created, time was created along with it. Where there is matter, there is time; and where there is no matter, time does not exist.
And where was this expressed in the Beit HaMikdash? In transcending space: millions of people stood packed closely together, yet none felt cramped. Another manifestation: the space of the Aron was not part of the physical measurements. When one measured the Holy of Holies from wall to wall, one obtained a certain measurement, say ten cubits; and when measuring from one side of the Aron to one wall, and from its other side to the opposite wall, one obtained ten cubits again! Where, then, was the Aron? The Aron occupied no physical space. This is reminiscent of the well-known story: a man came to the rabbi claiming the neighbor's cat had eaten a kilogram of his cheese. The rabbi said, "Bring the cat." He weighed the cat, and it weighed exactly one kilogram. The rabbi said, "Here is your cheese, but where is the cat?" In any case, for our purposes: the space of the Aron was not part of the measurement. Another example of transcending space: the altar ashes that were discarded onto the floor of the Azarah were swallowed in place and vanished.
And where was the reality of transcending time manifest? In the sacrificial parts that could not be burned during the day: one places them on the Altar to remain overnight. Whatever was placed upon the Altar was no longer subject to the passage of time. Even if its allotted time had ostensibly expired, once placed upon the Altar, it was elevated beyond time. We see that the Sanctuary was so spiritually elevated that an existence beyond space and beyond time was manifest there.
The Radak offers another explanation for "a testimony for Israel" (edut le-Yisrael): the pilgrimage of the tribes to Jerusalem was an edut in the sense of a mitzvah, as in the phrase "the testimonies and the statutes" (ha-edot ve-hachukim). That is, not from the root of bearing witness, but an ordained commandment: their ascending to Jerusalem was a mitzvah incumbent upon Israel, and they would go up to give thanks to the name of Hashem.
The Malbim: Jerusalem Is the Unifying Heart
The Malbim explains: "For there the tribes went up, the tribes of the Lord" - there they were united through this city, and this served as a testimony for Israel that they are one nation. The very fact that everyone gathers together to give thanks to the name of Hashem, serving one God and sharing one faith, proves that we are a single body. This is what the Midrash notes regarding the difference between Israel and the nations: the nations are divided among themselves, as the god one worships is not the god another worships, each having its own deity; but Israel all worship one God.
This purpose of "giving thanks to the name of Hashem" is the force that binds all the limbs into one body. We are not disconnected limbs; this is what grants life to the collective body. There they gather just like the heart, as explained, through which the spirit of life animates the body, pumping blood to all the limbs. Any limb that does not receive blood withers and dies. The heart is what links them all together, and Jerusalem is in the aspect of the heart: it unites all of Israel and draws scattered bones together, bone to its bone, until a unified entity of Israel is formed.
Therefore, when those who sought to sever themselves from the Jewish people did so, what was the first thing they deleted from the siddur? Jerusalem. The early Reform movement, in one of the first resolutions of its conferences, excised "And to Jerusalem Your city return in mercy." Berlin is our Jerusalem, they declared; wherever a person is born is his homeland, and we seek no homeland in the Land of Israel. Until the destroyer arose and showed them what that Jerusalem truly was. Thus we see: those who sought to detach themselves, the dead limbs of the body, first revolted against Jerusalem and rejected it, because Jerusalem is the great unifier.
"For There Sat Thrones for Judgment" - The Speaking Soul of the Nation
כִּי שָׁמָּה יָשְׁבוּ כִסְאוֹת לְמִשְׁפָּט כִּסְאוֹת לְבֵית דָּוִד׃ - For there sat thrones for judgment, thrones for the House of David.
Rashi explains: In Jerusalem, too, the Shechinah will dwell. There are thrones there to judge the nations, and there are thrones of royalty for the House of David. Therefore, the word "thrones" is stated in the plural: in judgment, it refers to the many judges, and "thrones for the House of David" refers to the future kings from the House of David - David, Solomon, and those who followed them.
The Malbim explains that this city is also like the rational soul within the body, a "speaking spirit" (*ruach memalela*) - the part possessing the spiritual power of speech, which is man's advantage over the beast. There sit thrones for judgment, which is the Sanhedrin, the judges of Israel; from there speech emerges, from there Torah goes forth, and from there law and justice issue forth. And "thrones for the House of David" represents the general leadership. Thus we have two realms of leadership: the spiritual leadership, the seat of judgment and Torah from which ruling goes out to the entire world, and the royal leadership, the government from Jerusalem that rules over the entire world.
"Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem" - Inner Serenity Precedes External Peace
שַׁאֲלוּ שְׁלוֹם יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם יִשְׁלָיוּ אֹהֲבָיִךְ׃ - Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; may those who love you enjoy serenity.
Rashi states: Inquire after her welfare and say to her, "May those who love you enjoy serenity, may there be peace within your ramparts, serenity within your palaces." According to Rashi, all of this is included in inquiring after the peace of Jerusalem: ask after her welfare and speak words of encouragement and strength to her. "Yishlayu" means they will be tranquil, they will have serenity.
The Radak explains that the children of the exile come and pray to the Holy One, blessed be He, for the peace of Jerusalem. And what is the peace of Jerusalem? The ingathering of the exiles. It does not merely mean that there will be no riots in Jerusalem; we are still only a minority of the Jewish people here, and to our sorrow, the majority of Am Yisrael is still in exile. Therefore, we pray that all the exiles gather here. Until that time, says the Radak, she will not have peace, because the uncircumcised and Ishmaelites wage war over her. Crusaders will be here, Ishmaelites will be here, and there will be no peace. When will there be peace? At the time of the ingathering of the exiles. And with regard to Jerusalem, he says, "May those who love you enjoy serenity": the Jewish people in exile mourn her destruction and anticipate when tranquility will come upon them and when they will arrive in Jerusalem.
The Malbim: Death Is Disintegration
After the Malbim explains that Jerusalem is what unites the various parts of the nation, he notes: Just as when you inquire after the welfare of the individual physical body - you ask a person how he feels and how his health is - the answer depends on whether the limbs and organs are properly connected to one another. The Malbim explains in several places that death is essentially separation and disintegration. Even though at the moment of death a person may appear whole, in truth a separation has occurred, because the entire essence of life is connection and unity: the heart pumps blood to all the limbs, the lungs supply oxygen to the blood and to the whole body, and so on.
When there is peace among the foundations of the body, there is life. But when there is no peace, the heart might suddenly say to the hands and feet: "Why should I supply you with blood? You are parasites; I have been working since I was born, and even before I was born - ask the midwife's monitor and it will tell you that I was heard before birth. Yet everyone - the hands, the feet, the intellect, and the head - gets blood for free." The moment there is no peace and no part supplies what the other needs, death arrives. And by the way, the hands and feet also contribute to the body's life: without hands and feet, what good is the heart? Who will go to eat, and who will work in order to eat? Everything is based on peace among all the foundations of the body, with each part supplying the needs of the other, and through this all the bodily faculties exist and function. If separation occurs between them, death follows.
So too here: if you inquire after the peace of Jerusalem, the answer is that everything depends on "May those who love you enjoy serenity." If there is inner serenity among them, therein lies the peace of Jerusalem, and therein lies the preservation of the entire nation.
The Malbim notes with grammatical precision that in Lashon HaKodesh there is a difference between *shalom* (peace) and *shalvah* (serenity): *shalom* is external peace, peace with one's enemies, whereas *shalvah* is internal serenity. We express it the same way to this day: we do not say, "I have serenity with my enemies," but rather, "peace with enemies"; by contrast, we say, "I have inner serenity." Says the Malbim: You ask about the welfare of Jerusalem - are the Jewish people connected? Is this collective body united? The answer is: only if those who love you enjoy serenity - only if there is inner serenity, where each part supplies the needs of the other and everyone cares for one another, will Jerusalem have peace from her enemies as well.
There is a wonderful piece of guidance here: to withstand our enemies, we must have peace among ourselves, and through that, "No sword shall pass through your land." But when we are divided and fragmented, the enemies will surely come. As the Gemara notes regarding the difference between the generation of Saul and the generation of David, we see the extent to which internal division causes collapse on the outside as well.
"May there be peace within your rampart" - From the Inside Out
יְהִי־שָׁלוֹם בְּחֵילֵךְ שַׁלְוָה בְּאַרְמְנוֹתָיִךְ׃ - May there be peace within your rampart, serenity within your palaces.
The Malbim continues: Since the primary essence of Yerushalayim is that it is "joined together as one," embodying the unity of the nation, if strife, discord, and division arise among individuals, the peace of Yerushalayim cannot exist. Its primary peace lies in being like a city joined together, where people are not divided. If so, when the people of Yisrael possess inner serenity and love among themselves - "may those who love you find serenity" - Yerushalayim will also have peace from external enemies.
And then: "May there be peace within your rampart." "Your rampart" refers to the exterior, the walls that encircle Yerushalayim. When the tribes dwelling around Yerushalayim do not quarrel, having no disputes or arguments between one tribe and another, and each respects the other tribe, its customs, its ways, its rabbis, and its Torah leaders, with esteem rather than disdain - through this, there will also be "serenity within your palaces." The palaces represent the interior, in contrast to "your rampart," which represents the exterior. When is there peace within your rampart? When there is serenity within your palaces, when there is peace and tranquility within.
"For the sake of my brothers and comrades" - The Civic Community
לְמַעַן אַחַי וְרֵעָי אֲדַבְּרָה־נָּא שָׁלוֹם בָּךְ׃ - For the sake of my brothers and comrades, I will now speak peace within you.
The Radak explains: Each of the exiles says, "For the sake of my brothers and comrades, I speak peace within you." I, King David, speak that there should be peace within you. And who are "my brothers"? The people of Yisrael, who are destined to be exiled from Yerushalayim. For their sake I ask that there be peace within you, so that they may return to Yerushalayim and dwell there in peace.
The Malbim explains: Regarding the benefit of the civic community, for the good of my brothers and comrades, this is "I will now speak peace within you." That is to say, the very gathering of all of Yisrael here is termed the civic community, and this depends on the peace found within you. For the sake of my brothers and comrades, so that they may assemble in Yerushalayim, I will now speak peace within you, for through the peace within you, their preservation and well-being will be secured.
"For the sake of the House of Hashem our God" - The Spiritual Good to Be Sought
לְמַעַן בֵּית־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ אֲבַקְשָׁה טוֹב לָךְ׃ - For the sake of the House of Hashem our God, I will seek good for you.
He further says: For the sake of the House of Hashem our God that was destroyed, I will ask Hashem for good on behalf of Yerushalayim, that He rebuild the Beis HaMikdash for us. And the Malbim explains: As noted earlier, the "House of God" corresponds to the spiritual soul of the body, representing the resting of the Shechinah upon the people of Yisrael. And regarding the House of God, for the sake of the soul's welfare and the spiritual bliss that stems from holiness, prophecy, and the Shechinah - "I will seek good for you."
What does this mean? The Malbim explains: This depends on the good a person performs, through mitzvos and good deeds. When there is "good for you" in the form of mitzvos and good deeds, you will merit that the House of Hashem our God will shine and bestow upon us its holiness and spirituality. After all, we saw that when they acted corruptly, it did not help them to cry out, "The Temple of Hashem, the Temple of Hashem, the Temple of Hashem are they!" They were told that the Beis HaMikdash was destined to be destroyed, and they answered: "It is the Temple of Hashem; there is nothing to worry about as long as the Beis HaMikdash stands." Yet what did they do? They corrupted their deeds - during the First Temple with the three cardinal sins, and during the Second Temple in matters between man and his fellow. Thus we see that the Shechinah resting among us will not avail in circumstances where we are not spiritually prepared for it. We must fulfill the mitzvos of Hashem, and then, "I will seek good for you" - through my seeking good via the observance of mitzvos, the House of Hashem our God will bestow its blessing upon us.
The Malbim adds a wonderful insight: The national and political benefit gained from Jerusalem is something open and evident, and one does not need to seek out what is obvious. "To seek" (levakesh) means to search, and something evident requires no searching. Therefore, regarding the material gathering it says, "For the sake of my brothers and companions, I will speak peace in you" - a clear matter that one can speak of immediately. But the spiritual abundance, "For the sake of the House of Hashem our God," is hidden and concealed, something that must be searched for, as spiritual matters always demand great effort. Therefore, specifically there it says, "I will seek good for you" - this must be sought out. "If you seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of Hashem" - the fear of Hashem is not attained in the ordinary way that one attains physical money and treasures; here, one must search extensively. For Divine matters, the Malbim concludes, are not attained except after seeking and searching.
In summary:
In this part of the chapter, we learned that Jerusalem is the heart of Klal Yisrael: within it the tribes united, and within it testimony was given to the pure lineage of Israel, "the tribes of Yah." We saw the miracles that testified to the resting of the Shechinah - standing crowded together yet prostrating with ample space, the place of the Ark not being of the physical dimensions, offering up and remaining overnight upon the Altar - a place that is above space and above time. Jerusalem is also the articulate soul of the nation, from which Torah, justice, and kingship emerge. And we learned the great principle: the peace of Jerusalem depends on "may those who love you enjoy serenity," on inner serenity, for death is separation and life is connection. Finally, two requests stand before us: the national good, for which it suffices to say, "I will speak peace in you," and the spiritual good, which is hidden and concealed, requiring search and yearning - "I will seek good for you." With this, we conclude Psalm 122.