Chapter 132 is one of the Songs of Ascents (Shirei HaMa'alot), and it deals with King David's toil to find a place for the Ark of Hashem, as well as the Holy One, Blessed be He's eternal choice of Zion. In this section, we will address the chapter from the verse "Behold, we heard of it in Ephrath" until the end: how the location was revealed, what was recited at the dedication of the Temple, and how the Holy One, Blessed be He, responded to all of David's requests.
הִנֵּה שְׁמַעֲנוּהָ בְאֶפְרָתָה מְצָאנוּהָ בִּשְׂדֵי יָעַר׃ - "Behold, we heard of it in Ephrath; we found it in the fields of the forest."
This is an obscure verse, and as often noted, whenever a verse is obscure, interpretations abound. Who is "we heard of it"? What did we hear? What does Ephrath, which is Beit Lechem, have to do with the Beit HaMikdash? And what is the meaning of "we found it in the fields of the forest"?
Rashi brings a first interpretation: "Ephrath" signifies an important and exalted place, as in "the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite [Ephrati]" (I Shmuel 1:1), which Chazal interpreted as an expression of prominence. A second interpretation in Rashi: "We heard of it in Ephrath" refers to the Book of Yehoshua, which is called by this name after its author, who came from Ephraim. And what did we hear there? That in all the borders where Yehoshua divides the land, it says "and the border went up" and also "and the border circled," whereas regarding the site of the Mikdash it states, "And the border went up to the side of the Jebusite... Jerusalem" (Yehoshua 15:8) - an ascent alone, without "and circled." From here we learn that Jerusalem is higher than all lands, and that this is the place suitable for the Beit HaMikdash. Likewise, "Then you shall arise and go up to the place" (Devarim 17:8) uses the language of ascent, teaching that the Beit HaMikdash is higher than the entire Land of Israel.
As has already been explained, the concept of elevation is meant in two senses. In the spiritual sense, this is the highest place of all lands. And in the physical sense, if one were to ask, "Are there not places physically higher than Jerusalem?" - the answer is that the conventional measurement today is relative to sea level, but who says that is the true standard? When measuring what is truly higher, one looks at what is closest to the ceiling. And what is the ceiling? The realm above: the Heavenly Jerusalem. The place closest to the Heavenly Jerusalem is the earthly Jerusalem. No matter how you rotate the globe, the highest point is always aligned opposite Jerusalem. Eretz Yisrael is higher than all lands, and Jerusalem is higher than all of Eretz Yisrael, for it is closest to the Supernal Realm, to the gateway of Heaven.
Radak cites an interpretation in the name of Rabbi Moshe ben Gikatilla: "We heard of it" - through David, who came from Ephrath. He also cites in the name of his father: We heard that the one destined to build the Mikdash would be born in Ephrath. Ibn Ezra explains: We heard from the prophets that the chosen place would be near Beit Lechem Ephrath, but we did not know in which direction - east, west, north, or south. Ibn Ezra adds: And it is well known that between Jerusalem and Beit Lechem there are only three parsiyot (parasangs).
Radak further cites the words of Chazal: "Behold, we heard of it in Ephrath" - this refers to the Book of Yehoshua, who descended from Ephraim. There it says regarding the territory of Yehudah, "And the border went up by the Valley of Ben Hinnom," and regarding the territory of Binyamin, "And it went down to the Valley of Hinnom," and the Mikdash lay between them - for the Beit HaMikdash stood in the area shared by Yehudah and Binyamin. And "we found it in the fields of the forest" - this refers to Binyamin, about whom it is said, "Binyamin is a ravenous wolf" (Bereishit 49:27), and the habitat of a predatory wolf is in the field.
Radak also offers an explanation of his own: David said, we did not know this place until now; rather, in our home city of Ephrath, we heard that there was destined to be a chosen place. Even in our childhood, when growing up in Ephrath, we heard from our elders that the Holy One, Blessed be He, would eventually reveal a site that would be sanctified for all generations. When we were in Shiloh, Nov, and Givon, it was already clear to us that these places were not sanctified for all time. And now, "we found it in the fields of the forest" - this refers to the threshing floor of Aravnah the Jebusite, the field containing the very place spoken of since our youth. It is called "forest" on account of the forest trees that were there, and it is referred to as "Ephrath" because David was born there and heard about it there in his youth. And why the feminine form - "shemanuha" (we heard of it) and "metzanuha" (we found it)? Because the Holy One, Blessed be He, rests the Shechinah in the Mikdash, and the Shechinah is of feminine aspect, grammatically feminine.
The Malbim explains: Initially, "we heard of it in Ephrath" - this refers to the Mishkan of Shiloh, which was in the territory of Ephraim, and that was not the permanent location, but rather a temporary one. Afterwards, "we found it in the fields of the forest" - at the threshing floor of Aravnah the Jebusite, around which stood the forest of Lebanon, as it is written, "Open your doors, O Lebanon" (Zechariah 11:1).
נָבוֹאָה לְמִשְׁכְּנוֹתָיו נִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה לַהֲדֹם רַגְלָיו׃ - Let us enter His abodes; let us prostrate ourselves at His footstool.
David HaMelech saw the angel there during the plague, built an altar to Hashem there, and atoned for the Jewish people. The Holy One, blessed be He, answered him with fire descending from Heaven, and from this he knew that this was the site designated for the Temple. The Radak explains: "Let us enter His abodes" - we have found the chosen site, and from now on we shall come only to it. And what is "His footstool"? It is literally His footstool, which corresponds directly to the Throne of Glory. By way of allegory: one who sits upon a throne has a footstool for his feet, a low stool upon which he rests his feet. Likewise, "I saw the Lord sitting... and His hem filled the Sanctuary" is an allegorical expression, signifying that as He sits, the "feet" reach down below, and the site of the Temple is aligned directly opposite the Throne of Glory.
The Malbim explains: After finding the site, "let us enter His abodes" - to the place that will be built by Shlomo, and there "let us prostrate ourselves at His footstool," as it is written, "and the earth is My footstool." The ultimate destination of the spiritual influence descending from above to below is in the Beis HaMikdash; "and His hem filled the Sanctuary" - a thin ray of light descends from Above, reaching between the Cherubim. Therefore, when we pray, we pray toward the space between the Cherubim, for that is the resting place of His Shechinah. And as we learned regarding the secret of Tzimtzum (the divine contraction), that the Holy One, blessed be He, contracted His light in order to create the world and channeled down a thin ray of light through which all the Sefiros were clothed - the Kabbalists teach that this very ray of light reaches between the Cherubim, and facing it, a person stands to pray the Shemoneh Esreh.
קוּמָה יְהֹוָה לִמְנוּחָתֶךָ אַתָּה וַאֲרוֹן עֻזֶּךָ׃ - Arise, Hashem, to Your resting place, You and the Ark of Your strength.
Apropos of this verse, one is reminded of the pirate religious radio stations of years past, which would bring on people who did not always understand what was being discussed, so long as there was someone willing to read from a book and risk the police coming to catch them. At times, they said things that revealed their lack of comprehension. Once, someone handed a broadcaster a note indicating which song to play next, and he announced: "The next song we will hear is the song *Komah Hashem*" - and immediately the speakers blasted: "*Kumah, kumah, kumah Hashem!*"
The Radak notes that these three verses - "Arise, Hashem, to Your resting place," "May Your priests be clothed in righteousness," and "For the sake of David Your servant" - were also recited by Shlomo HaMelech at the dedication of the Beis HaMikdash, and we have already studied them in Divrei HaYamim, with only slight variations, such as "to Your rest" (*lenuchecha*) instead of "to Your resting place" (*limnuchatecha*). These words are spoken by way of allegory: until now, the Holy One, blessed be He, was, as it were, wandering from place to place - Shiloh, Nov, Giv'on - and had no permanent rest. Now, "arise, Hashem," from those places, and come to Your eternal resting place, the site from which the Shechinah will never depart.
"You and the Ark of Your strength" - "You" refers to the Cloud of Glory that appeared during the dedication of the Temple after they brought the Ark into the Holy of Holies, as it is written, "and the cloud filled the House of Hashem"; for the Holy One, blessed be He, always revealed Himself in a cloud. "And the Ark of Your strength" refers to the Ark itself that was brought inside, bringing with it the Divine revelation. The Malbim explains: The bearers of the Ark reached the site of the Temple, and then he said, "Arise to Your resting place" - where Divine Providence will be permanent, and this is the rest; "You and the Ark of Your strength" - as they brought the Ark into the Holy of Holies, as it is written, "And now arise, Hashem God, to Your rest, You and the Ark of Your strength."
כֹּהֲנֶיךָ יִלְבְּשׁוּ צֶדֶק וַחֲסִידֶיךָ יְרַנֵּנוּ׃ - May Your priests be clothed in righteousness, and Your devout ones sing for joy.
The Ibn Ezra explains: "Your priests" refers to the descendants of Aharon; "and Your devout ones sing for joy" refers to the singing Levites, who sing in the Beis HaMikdash. The Radak explains "clothed in righteousness" in two ways: first, because the Kohanim teach the Torah and serve as the judges of Israel, and they must judge fairly and righteously; second, that the priestly garments themselves are garments of righteousness. The Metzudas David explains that the Kohanim bring atonement and vindicate the sinners, and "righteousness" (*tzedek*) here does not mean judicial righteousness, but rather vindication - rendering the sinner justified; therefore, they "wear righteousness," the vestments in which they perform the service in the Temple and atone for sinners. "And Your devout ones sing for joy" - the Levites will sing and chant praise before You.
The Malbim explains: until now the kohanim did not wear the priestly garments, but now let them "be clothed in righteousness," for garments signify righteousness and the noble character traits with which the soul is attired. This is like what we always say regarding the merits of the soul after one hundred and twenty years, referred to as the "robe of the Rabbis" (chaluka d'rabbanan): physical clothing is what clothes the body, serving as a metaphor for what clothes the soul - mitzvos and good deeds. "And let Your pious ones" - the Levi'im - "sing with joy," through the regular song that they chant over the offerings.
בַּעֲבוּר דָּוִד עַבְדֶּךָ אַל תָּשֵׁב פְּנֵי מְשִׁיחֶךָ׃ - For the sake of David Your servant, do not turn away the face of Your anointed.
Rashi explains that "do not turn away the face of Your anointed" refers to Shlomo: when he comes to bring the Ark inside and the doors do not open, do not turn him away. Radak explains: "For the sake of David Your servant," to whom You revealed Yourself with the fire of Your glory in this place after he built an altar following the plague and You disclosed the site to him - for his sake, make it an eternal sanctuary, so that the service of the kohanim and the singing of the Levi'im will never cease. "Do not turn away the face of Your anointed" - in whatever I pray concerning this place, do not turn me away, but fulfill my request; and not only mine, but also that of Your anointed, my son Shlomo. For when he built the Temple, he knelt on his knees and offered a long prayer asking that whenever anyone comes to pray - even a foreigner coming from a distant land - You will hear from heaven. Master of the Universe, do not turn away the face of Your anointed, but let our prayers be accepted.
The Malbim explains that the choice of the Temple as His eternal dwelling place came in the merit of David from two perspectives: first, from the aspect of David's service to the Holy One, blessed be He - "for the sake of David Your servant," for David was a servant of Hashem, and in his merit the Temple stands; and second, from the aspect of David being chosen and anointed by Hashem, as it says, "I have found David My servant, with My holy oil I have anointed him" - he is Hashem's anointed king. "Do not turn away the face of Your anointed" corresponds to his being anointed, while "remember the pious deeds of David Your servant" corresponds to the good deeds in whose merit he was granted the Temple.
נִשְׁבַּע יְהֹוָה לְדָוִד אֱמֶת לֹא יָשׁוּב מִמֶּנָּה מִפְּרִי בִטְנְךָ אָשִׁית לְכִסֵּא לָךְ׃ - Hashem swore to David in truth, He will not turn back from it: Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne.
Where do we find an oath? Radak explains: although we do not find an explicit oath, the word of the Holy One, blessed be He, is itself considered an oath. And where is this statement? In what He said through Natan the prophet: "I will raise up your seed after you, who shall proceed from your body" - and this is the meaning of "Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne," namely that one who issues from your body will sit upon the throne and build the Temple. "In truth, He will not turn back from it" - just as it is written, "And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever"; "truth" signifies something enduring and steadfast that lasts perpetually, which is why it is called an enduring house.
אִם יִשְׁמְרוּ בָנֶיךָ בְּרִיתִי וְעֵדֹתִי זוֹ אֲלַמְּדֵם גַּם בְּנֵיהֶם עֲדֵי עַד יֵשְׁבוּ לְכִסֵּא לָךְ׃ - If your children keep My covenant and My testimony that I will teach them, their children also will sit forever upon your throne.
כִּי בָחַר יְהֹוָה בְּצִיּוֹן אִוָּהּ לְמוֹשָׁב לוֹ׃ - For Hashem has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation.
The Malbim explains that because Hashem chose Zion, He swore to David that kingship would never depart from his descendants. The Malbim cites this principle in several places using the parable of a king's beloved friend: out of great affection, the king came to lodge at his friend's house. Seeing that the king was coming to stay with him, that man built an extraordinary palace so that the king would be comfortable. The place pleased the king so deeply that he declared: "I love this place so much that I will continue to lodge here even if it is not you, but your son." Thus, it turns out that he remained there out of love for the place itself.
And the analogue: the beloved friend is King David. David's love for Hashem was the reason the place was chosen in the first place - "For the sake of Your servant David," for your sake there will be a Beis HaMikdash here. And afterwards the Holy One, blessed be He, says: I choose this place forever, and therefore Hashem swore to David following all that he labored for the place. And this is what is meant by "For Hashem has chosen Zion" - why was David's lineage chosen? Because Hashem loved the place, the city, and the Beis HaMikdash, and as a consequence He also chooses his descendants after him: I will dwell in this place even when your sons manage it, not only you. That is, not only from the love of the beloved friend, but now also by virtue of the place itself. And this is the reason for the promise, "their children also shall sit upon your throne forevermore."
The Malbim analyzes the precise duplication in the verse. "Hashem has chosen Zion" - this is selection through comparison: there were many places, and Hashem chose this one over the others. "He has desired it for His habitation" - this is no longer a comparison, but a desire for the place itself. Once I become acquainted with the thing itself, I desire it for its own sake, and even if you were to tell me that there is something else better - no, I long specifically for this one.
The sefer Yalkut Peninim cites a beautiful allusion from the sefer Butzina D'Nehora. Chazal teach: The Name is not complete and the Throne is not complete until the seed of Amalek is eradicated, as it says, "For a hand is upon the throne [kes] of the Lord [Kah]" - two things are missing here: the throne is spelled kes (כס) without an aleph, and the Divine Name is written Kah (יה) without the letters vav and hei, and "Hashem will have war with Amalek from generation to generation." And that is what is stated here: when Hashem chooses Zion, and through this we come to the Land and fulfill the mitzvah of eradicating Amalek - then "He has desired [ivah - אִוָּהּ] it for His habitation": aleph, vav, hei (א-ו-ה) - the missing aleph will return to the Throne (kisei), and the vav and hei will return to the Shem Havayah. The Throne will be complete, it will be a "habitation for Him," and the Name will be complete.
זֹאת מְנוּחָתִי עֲדֵי עַד פֹּה אֵשֵׁב כִּי אִוִּתִיהָ׃ - "This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it."
Here, as it were, the Holy One, blessed be He, speaks: This is the place that will be My resting place forever, and I will no longer go from place to place as occurred until now - once in Shiloh, once in Nov, once in Gibeon. In response to what David said, "Arise, Hashem, to Your resting place," the Holy One, blessed be He, answers: "This is My resting place forever." And the Malbim adds: This is not the resting of someone who rests in a place merely because of the fatigue of wandering and later moves on to a more comfortable place; rather, "here I will dwell, for I have desired it" - since I desire this place for its own sake, it is a resting place I will never leave.
צֵידָהּ בָּרֵךְ אֲבָרֵךְ אֶבְיוֹנֶיהָ אַשְׂבִּיעַ לָחֶם׃ - "I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her needy with bread."
"Tzeidah" - with a mappiq hei, her provision, and "tzeid" here means food. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: I will bless Zion's sustenance; I will send blessing into the produce of the people of Israel in this place more than anywhere else in Eretz Yisrael, because His Shechinah rests in this place. And perhaps this is why it is called the Land of Moriah, because it is a land of saturation (revaiah) after the Holy One, blessed be He, dwelt in it - a place of saturation and abundance. "I will satisfy her needy with bread" - even the destitute, who are always hungry, will be satisfied here, for there will be physical abundance alongside the spiritual abundance and by virtue of the spiritual abundance.
The Malbim explains: "I will abundantly bless her provision" - from here the blessing and abundance will flow to the entire Land. "I will satisfy her needy with bread" - just as Solomon prayed: "When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain," "If there be in the land famine" - they will come and pray in this place, and You will hear in Heaven and grant rain and grant blessing. Thus, it is from this place that the needy will be satisfied with bread, for here people pray for satisfaction.
The Yalkut Peninim cites from the novellae of the Griz (Rav Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik) on the Torah, explaining based on the Gemara that there was a blessing in the Two Loaves (Shtei HaLechem) and the Showbread (Lechem HaPanim). What was this blessing? Two things: first, that every kohen received an olive's bulk (kezayit); and second, that some ate and were satisfied, while others ate and left some over - meaning that no one was left hungry. Even though each received only an olive's bulk, there were those who ate and were sated, and there were those who could not even finish the kezayit - eating and leaving over.
These are two distinct blessings, the Griz explains: first, from the small amount of the Two Loaves, an olive's bulk reached each of the multitudes of kohanim - which occurred miraculously. And second, an additional miracle beyond that: this small amount also fully sated them. This is what is alluded to in our verse: "I will bless its provisions abundantly" - the food itself will be blessed, so that there will be abundance and everyone receives an olive's bulk; "I will satisfy its needy with bread" - one who seems poor and destitute with only his tiny kezayit, him too I will satisfy, for this meager portion will sate him. Both blessings are alluded to here in connection with the Mikdash.
וְכֹהֲנֶיהָ אַלְבִּישׁ יֶשַׁע וַחֲסִידֶיהָ רַנֵּן יְרַנֵּנוּ׃ - Her priests I will clothe with salvation, and her devout ones will sing aloud for joy.
Corresponding to "May Your priests be clothed with righteousness" - meaning that the priestly garments are garments of righteousness, as Ibn Ezra explains - the Holy One, blessed be He, responds here that He Himself will clothe them with garments of salvation. And what are garments of salvation? A great and renowned deliverance, as in the phrase, "He has clothed me with the garments of salvation." This means that salvation is as if visible upon him, and he is clothed in it; "clothing" is a metaphor for something external that is evident to all - salvation will be manifest upon them and recognizable to everyone. "And her devout ones will sing aloud for joy" - the Levi'im will sing and play music before You.
שָׁם אַצְמִיחַ קֶרֶן לְדָוִד עָרַכְתִּי נֵר לִמְשִׁיחִי׃ - There I will cause a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for My anointed one.
Radak explains: "Horn" (keren) is always an expression of strength, power, and royalty, as in "I will cause a horn to sprout for the House of Israel" and "And He shall exalt the horn of His anointed." A horn is strong, and when the Torah speaks of goring the nations, it is done with a horn - a metaphor for our might and power against the nations. "There I will cause a horn to sprout for David" - a horn will sprout for him with which he will gore his enemies. This refers to the future Mashiach, which is why the future tense "I will cause to sprout" is used, rather than the present.
And the insight here, says Radak, is that even though the sprout of David appears withered and dried up, and we have lacked the kingdom of the House of David for some two thousand years, nevertheless one must pray to see this kingdom return and sprout anew: "And I will raise up for David a righteous sprout," "In those days and at that time, I will cause a sprout of righteousness to spring forth for David" - there are several expressions of sprouting regarding the kingdom of the House of David. And this will take place in Zion, as it is written: "And saviors shall ascend Mount Zion," "In those days Judah shall be saved and Jerusalem shall dwell securely," and "This is the name by which he shall be called: The Lord is our righteousness."
"I have prepared a lamp for My anointed one" - Radak explains that "lamp" is used as in the verse, "that David My servant might have a lamp always before Me," meaning that the king is like a lamp that goes before the people, illuminating their path. The Malbim explains that this entire verse is an answer to the earlier requests: corresponding to "For the sake of David Your servant," He says, "I will cause a horn to sprout for David" - might, strength, and power will belong to David; and corresponding to "Do not turn away the face of Your anointed," the Holy One, blessed be He, responds, "I have prepared a lamp for My anointed one" - behold, I will not turn his face away, for I have prepared a lamp for him so that he will have sovereignty and continuity, like a lamp that illuminates the way for the nation.
אוֹיְבָיו אַלְבִּישׁ בֹּשֶׁת וְעָלָיו יָצִיץ נִזְרוֹ׃ - His enemies I will clothe with shame, but upon him his crown will flourish.
The Malbim continues along this same line: corresponding to "There I will cause a horn to sprout for David," it is said, "His enemies I will clothe with shame" - with this horn he will gore the nations; and corresponding to "I have prepared a lamp for My anointed," it is said, "and upon him his crown shall blossom." For kings were anointed in the form of a crown, as a crown was the oil placed upon them, and therefore "the crown of his God's anointing oil shall blossom upon him" - this is the "lamp" prepared for the one who is anointed, since the anointing is like a crown.
The Radak adds: "His enemies I will clothe with shame" is the opposite of "Her priests I will clothe with salvation" - the Kohanim who serve before Hashem will be clothed in salvation, and the king's enemies will be clothed in shame. When they see Israel praying on behalf of the king, they will be covered in shame. "Upon him his crown shall blossom" - upon the king his crown will flourish and blossom, meaning that his greatness and splendor will increase every day. Some explain *yatzitz* from the expression, "And you shall make a headplate (*tzitz*) of pure gold." In any case, this is an expression of the king's greatness and might, that he will subdue all his enemies, and that this place will be the worthy dwelling for the Shechinah forever.
We have learned how the site of the Beit HaMikdash was revealed: "We heard of it in Ephrath" through the tradition known from childhood days and in the book of the Ephrathite, and "we found it in the fields of the forest" at the threshing floor of Aravnah, in the place that is higher than all lands and aligned directly opposite the Throne of Glory. David asked, "Arise, Hashem, to Your resting place," that the Kohanim be clothed in righteousness and the Levites sing with joy, and that the face of His anointed not be turned away - and the Holy One, blessed be He, answered each and every request: "This is My resting place forever," "Her priests I will clothe with salvation," "There I will cause a horn to sprout for David," "I have prepared a lamp for My anointed." And in the deeper meaning of matters, like the parable of the beloved host with whom the king lodged: initially the place was chosen for David's sake, but in the end "He desired it for His habitation" - the Holy One, blessed be He, desired it for its own sake. From this stems the eternity of the place, the eternity of the monarchy, and the eternity of the divine abundance emanating from Zion. May Hashem grant that we merit this speedily in our days.