Midrash sa Mga Awit 74:5: Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Midrash Tanchuma, Shemot Rabbah & Midrash Tehillim

(Exod. 38:21:) THESE ARE THE RECORDS OF THE TABERNACLE. When Hadrian entered the Holy of Holies of the Temple, he became arrogant there and blasphemed the Holy One.¹³Exod. R. 51:5; Tanh., Exod. 11:4. R. Hiyya bar Abba said: David said to the Holy One: Sovereign of the World, may you consider <the matter > for yourself in this way: If they had been able to make ladders and ascend on high (lema'la), they would have ascended < against you>. Thus it is stated (in Ps. 74:5): LET HIM APPEAR AS ONE WHO WIELDS AXES UPWARD (lema'la) IN A THICKET OF WOOD. However, because they were unable, they left you and came back against us, as stated (in Ps. 79:1): O GOD, THE GENTILES HAVE COME AGAINST YOUR INHERITANCE (i.e., against Israel); THEY HAVE DEFILED YOUR HOLY TEMPLE.

A new vessel filled with old wine. Another explanation of The Tabernacle of the testimony (Exod. 38:21). R. Simeon the son of Yohai said: There is no testimony other than the Torah, as it is said: These are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances (Deut. 4:45). This may be compared to a king who has a daughter for whom he builds a palace. He sets it in the midst of seven other palaces and then decrees: “Anyone who approaches my daughter will be considered as though he were approaching me.” The Tabernacle was called by two names: The Tabernacle of the testimony, which is the Torah, and elsewhere: A Tabernacle of the Lord (Lev. 17:4). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Anyone who despises My daughter is considered as though he were despising Me. That is, if a man enters the synagogue and disparages My Torah, it is as though he arose and were disparaging My honor. You know this to be so from the fact that R. Simeon the son of Yohai said: When Hadrian entered the Temple he reviled and blasphemed against God. David said: Master of the world, it should be counted against them as though they had hewn cedars and built ladders in order to ascend into the firmament to wage war against You, as it is said: It seemed as when men wield upwards axes in a thicket of trees (Ps. 74:5). Since they are unable to accomplish this, they turned on You and attacked us, as it said: O God, the heathen are come into Thine inheritance; they have defiled Thy holy temple (Ps. 79:1). All of this transpired because the Temple was seized on account of our sins.

Another matter: “The Tabernacle of Testimony” – Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai said: When Hadrian entered the chamber of the Holy of Holies, he was acting with arrogance there and blaspheming God. Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: David said: ‘Master of the universe, may it be considered before You in this way: Had they been able to chop down cedars and fashion ladders, they would have ascended on High.’⁹David asked God to consider the actions of Hadrian and his men as though they had actually waged war directly against God. From where is it derived? As it is written: “Let it be known as bringing axes upward in a thicket of trees” (Psalms 74:5). ‘However, they are unable to do so, and they leave You and come upon us,’ as it is written: “They devised a plot, but they are unable” (Psalms 21:12). ‘They come upon us,’ as it is stated: “God, nations have entered Your inheritance, [they have defiled Your holy Temple.… They have given the corpses of Your servants as food to birds of the heavens, the flesh of Your devoted ones to beasts of the field]” (Psalms 79:1–2). ‘Why did all this transpire? It is because it was taken as collateral on our account,’ as it is stated: “These are the reckonings of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle of the Testimony.”
Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: To what are idolaters comparable? To a person who was an enemy of the king and sought to overcome him but was unable to do so. What did he do? He went to a statue [of the king] and sought to topple it, but he feared that the king would kill him. What did he do? He took a bronze chisel and began undermining the wall that was beneath it. He said: By toppling the foundation, the statue will fall. So too, idolaters come to attack the Holy One blessed be He but are unable to do so, so they come and attack Israel. Likewise, David said: “The kings of the earth have assembled, and rulers are gathered together against the Lord and against His anointed one” (Psalms 2:2), but they are unable to do so. What do they do? They attack Israel. What is written thereafter? “Let us snap off their chains [and throw off their bonds]” (Psalms 2:3) – let us uproot [Israel] from the world. When? When they have nothing to give as collateral [lemashken].¹⁰If Israel had nothing to give as collateral, they would be uprooted from the world. But the Tabernacle served as collateral for them. That is, “These are the reckonings of the Tabernacle [hamishkan].” Do not read it in that way, but rather, the collateral [hamashkon].