Musar sobre II Crónicas 6:45

Through humility you will also come to fear God. It will cause you to always think about (Pirkei Avot 3:1) "where you came from and where you are going," and that while alive you are only like a maggot and a worm as after death, and before Whom you will eventually stand for judgment, the Glorious King, as it is written (I Kings 8:27) (Chronicles II 6:18) "Even the heaven and the heavens of heaven cannot contain You" -- "How much less the hearts of people!"(Mishlei 15:11), It is also written (Jeremiah 23:24), "Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord."

Because David wished to establish a permanent residence for G–d's Presence and said: קומה ה' למנוחתך אתה וארון עוזך, "Advance, O Lord, to Your resting-place, You and Your mighty Ark!" (Psalms 132,8), his thoughts found favour in the eyes of G–d and He sent him a message through the prophet Nathan. In Samuel II 7,5, Nathan is instructed to go to David and tell him: "Thus says the Lord: 'Are you the one to build a house for Me to dwell in? From the day I brought the people of Israel out of Egypt to this day I have not dwelt in a house, but have moved about in Tent and Tabernacle. As I moved about wherever the Israelites went, did I ever reproach one of the tribal leaders whom I appointed to care for My people Israel: Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"' In Chronicles II 6,9 Solomon quotes G–d as having said to David his father: "However, you shall not build the House; your son, the issue of your loins, he shall build the House for My Name." What did King David do? He assembled and prepared the silver, gold, and all other building materials required to execute construction of the Temple. Details of all this are recorded in Chronicles I ch. 29. All of David's preparations were divinely inspired. David knew all the correct sizes, measurements and weights required for every detail of the construction of the Temple that was to be built by his son Solomon. The Holy Spirit had informed him of all these details. He planned the entire blueprint of the building, including all the offices for the priests, etc., described in the book of Kings. All that Solomon had to do was to execute the plans his father David had drawn up. When the construction was completed, the שכינה descended to take up permanent residence on earth.

This is what Solomon referred to in his prayer in Kings 18,12: "Then Solomon declared: 'The Lord has chosen to abide in a thick cloud. I have now built for You a stately House, a place where You may dwell forever'" It is further written as part of Solomon's prayer in Kings I 8,26: "Now, therefore, O G–d of Israel, let the promise that You made to Your servant my father David be fulfilled. But will G–d really dwell on earth? Even the heavens to their uttermost reaches cannot contain You, how much less this House that I have built!" At this point David's prayer in Psalms 132,8-11 is invoked by Solomon in Chronicles II 6,40-41. When Solomon completed his prayer, fire descended from heaven and consumed the total offering and the meal offerings; the glory of G–d filled the House (Chronicles II 7,1). It was then that the relationship between G–d and earth (Man) was restored to the level prior to Adam's sin. The conduits from heaven poured their blessing on mankind via the Holy Temple. This is the true meaning of Psalms 133,3: "Like the dew of Hermon that falls upon the mountains of Zion. There the Lord ordained blessing, everlasting life." It is also written in Psalms 50,2: "From Zion, perfect in beauty, G–d appeared."

This is what Solomon referred to in his prayer in Kings 18,12: "Then Solomon declared: 'The Lord has chosen to abide in a thick cloud. I have now built for You a stately House, a place where You may dwell forever'" It is further written as part of Solomon's prayer in Kings I 8,26: "Now, therefore, O G–d of Israel, let the promise that You made to Your servant my father David be fulfilled. But will G–d really dwell on earth? Even the heavens to their uttermost reaches cannot contain You, how much less this House that I have built!" At this point David's prayer in Psalms 132,8-11 is invoked by Solomon in Chronicles II 6,40-41. When Solomon completed his prayer, fire descended from heaven and consumed the total offering and the meal offerings; the glory of G–d filled the House (Chronicles II 7,1). It was then that the relationship between G–d and earth (Man) was restored to the level prior to Adam's sin. The conduits from heaven poured their blessing on mankind via the Holy Temple. This is the true meaning of Psalms 133,3: "Like the dew of Hermon that falls upon the mountains of Zion. There the Lord ordained blessing, everlasting life." It is also written in Psalms 50,2: "From Zion, perfect in beauty, G–d appeared."

Abraham bound his son, and the Holy One, Blessed is He, swore to remember this merit to the credit of his children for generations and generations. When Israel sinned with the golden calf, Moses, upon him is peace, stood in prayer and said: "Remember the deeds of Abraham, Isaac and Israel thy servants" (Exod. 32:31), and so Solomon prayed : "Remember the good deeds of David Thy Servant" (II Chron. 6:42), and their prayers were answered. And thus we mention every day the merits of the fathers (in our daily prayers).

Let us now return to the way the Tabernacle corresponded to the act of creation. We know from Avot 5,1 that G–d created the universe with 10 directives. The deeper meaning of the ten directives is well known. When the Tabernacle was constructed we also find the number 10 prominent both when describing part of the walls as well as when describing the coverings forming the ceiling of the Tabernacle. Exodus 26,1 commences with the instruction to make the Tabernacle of ten strips of cloth. Similarly each of the boards used for the walls was to be ten cubits high. The Holy Ark was ten handbreadths high, including one cubit for the thickness of its lid. This may be the reason that in the reference to the Holy Ark in Psalms 132,8: אתה וארון עוזיך the word עוזך is spelled with the extra letter י. [Our texts do not have the extra letter י, neither here nor in Chronicles II 6,41. Ed.] The Talmud Yuma 21 states that the site on which the Holy Ark stood was not included in the measurements of the Temple or Tabernacle. This too is an allusion to the concealed nature of the Ineffable Name of G–d which was present within the Holy of Holies between the wings of the cherubs on the lid of the altar. We allude to this in the קדושה prayer when we recite: ברוך ה' ממקומו, "Blessed the glory of the Lord from its abode." [its invisible site Ed.] The table was also 9 handbreadths high, above which was a golden frame 1 handbreadth high. So here too the number ten was prominent. The candlestick with its seven arms and a knob, cup, and flower on each arm again featured the number ten. Here too we find that the Torah refers to: תיעשה המנורה "the candlestick shall be constructed" (Exodus 26,31) the word תיעשה being unaccountably spelled with an extra letter י. The golden altar was twelve handbreadths high, corresponding to the twelve permutations in which the Ineffable Name can be spelled. The copper altar was square, five cubits long and five cubits deep. This corresponded to the number five mentioned in the ספר היצירה. Its height, however, was ten cubits.