Musar su Salmi 121:78

The Yalkut on Bereshit (22,9) וישם אותו על המזבח describes both Abraham looking at Isaac, and Isaac looking towards Heaven. Both were crying. The Yalkut presents a most moving picture of the great quantity of tears which covered Abraham from head to toe. All this in order to implore G–d to save Isaac. Abraham told his son that seeing he had wept so many tears, G–d has provided a different offering in his place. At that moment Isaac broke out in bitter cries proclaiming: "I raise my eyes towards the mountains, whence will my salvation come?" (Psalms 121,1). All this proves that both Abraham and Isaac had been willing to go through with the sacrifice, but how could they have been described as having served the Lord with joy, as is required?!

He then cited, “These are the sons of Tziv’on, Ayah and Anah — the same Anah who found the mules (yeimim) in the desert.” “The word yeimim is written missing a yud (ימם).” The concept here is that there is a certain kind of destructive spirit, Heaven spare us, that focuses in particular upon those guilty of immoral acts from which mamzeirim are produced (i.e., adulterous or incestuous relations bearing the penalty of excision). These spirits are called yeimim. It is written without a yud to indicate that they were created on the eve of the first Shabbos just at dusk (relating yeimim to yom — day; it is plural but missing the plural yud to indicate that it is doubtful to which day this creature belongs). The proper place of these destructive spirits is upon the high mountains, where no seed or tree can be planted. That barren region is their proper place and these are the strange creatures that Rabbi Yitzchak saw. Anah, mentioned in the verse above, once visited that mountain where these creatures adhered to him. Therefore, as the Sages tell us in Pesachim (54a), he himself gave birth to mamzeirim and that he also was the first one to graft different species and produce the mule (a hybrid of a horse and a donkey). The Zohar mentions in the continuation of that passage that all desolate mountains are their dwelling place, however, concerning those who engage in study while they travel it is written, “Hashem your shelter is at your right hand” (Tehillim 121:5). Nevertheless, a person should avoid places where there is no human habitation.

And therefore David said (see Lev. Rabbah 4:8), just as the soul fills the body and carries the body and outlives the body and is unique in the body and does not eat things of the body, sees and is not seen, and is pure within the body and does not sleep, so does the Holy One, Blessed be He, fill His world, as it is said, "Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord" (Jer. 23:24). And He bears His world, as it is said, "I have made, and I will bear; Yea, I will carry and will deliver" (Is. 46:4). And He outlasts His world as it is said, "They shall perish, but thou shalt endure" (Ps. 102:27). And He is alone and unique in His world, as it is said, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One" (Deut. 6:5). And eating does not apply to Him, as it is said, "Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?" (Ps. 50:13). And He sees and is not seen, as it is said, "Which are the eyes of the Lord, that run to and fro through the whole earth" (Zech. 4:10). And He is pure in His world, as it is said, "Thou that art of eyes too pure to behold evil" (Hab. 1:13). And He does not sleep as it is said, "Behold, He that keepeth Israel doth neither slumber, nor sleep" (Ps. 121:4). Therefore the soul which has within it all these qualities should come and praise the Holy One, Blessed be He, Who has within Himself all these qualities.

When we consider all this we can understand a Midrash on the words: ועשו לי מקדש, which otherwise is difficult to understand. The Midrash quotes G–d as saying to Israel: "You are My flock, and I am your shepherd." This is based on Psalms 80,2: "Give ear, O shepherd of Israel." Construct a dwelling for the shepherd so that he can come and guard you. This is why the Torah says: "They shall make a Temple for Me and I shall dwell amongst them." G–d said to Israel: You are a vineyard, since we have a verse "For the house of Israel is a vineyard of the Lord of Hosts" (Isaiah 5,7). I am the guard (of the vineyard) says G–d, for we have a verse telling us "the guardian of Israel neither sleeps nor slumbers" (Psalms 121,4). G–d said: "Make a hut for the watchman so that he will watch over you." G–d also said: "You are children and I am your father." We have a verse in Deut. 14,1: "You are children of the Lord your G–d." We also have a verse showing that G–d is our father, in Jeremiah 31,8: "For I have been a father to Israel." It is an honour for the father to be found near his children, and it is an honour for the children to be near their father, as we know from Proverbs 17,6: "Grandchildren are the crown of their elders. G–d said: "Make a Temple for Me!" Thus far the Midrash.