Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Mga Awit 132:17

Send Your light and Your truth The King Messiah, who is compared to light, as it is stated (below 132:17): “I have set up a lamp for my anointed,” and Elijah the prophet, who is true, a faithful prophet.

וזהב וכסף ונחושת, “as well as gold, silver, and copper.” These three elements correspond to the gifts (tzedakah) a person dispenses; when he does so while in perfect health, it is compared to gold, i.e. as if he had handed out gold. If he dispenses charitable gifts while sick, this is accounted for him as if he had given away silver. If he bequeaths money to charity to be dispensed after he has died, it is considered as if he had handed out copper coins. An alternate interpretation: the word “gold,” is a reference to the Kingdom of Babylon concerning which we read in Daniel 2,38: אנתה הוא ראשה די דהב, “you are the head of gold.” [Daniel speaking to Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. Ed.] The word: “silver,” is an allusion to the Kingdom of Persia, and the ten thousand talents of silver Haman offered the King in order to be allowed to destroy the Jews [and compensate him for lost tax revenue. Ed.] (Esther 3,) Copper, which is the cheapest of all the metals, is an allusion to the Kingdom of the Greeks, which was the weakest of the three empires mentioned. This is followed, by the skins of the various animals forming the upper layers of the Tabernacle’s roof, which are an allusion to the empire of the Romans, considered inferior by our author. Finally, שמן, ”oil,” is an allusion to the Messiah, of whom we read in Psalms 132,17: ערכתי נר למשיחי, “I have prepared a lamp for My anointed one.” (Compare Sh’mot Rabbah 35,5 as well as Tanchuma, section 7 on our portion).

And in the Midrash Tanchuma it concludes, gold corresponds to the Babylonian kingdom, as it says You are the head of gold (Daniel 2:38). And silver corresponds to Media [Persia], as it says about it, and 10,000 talents of silver, etc. And copper corresponds to the Greek kingdom, which is inferior to them all. Red-dyed ram skins corresponds to the kingdom of Edom [Rome], etc. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: “Even though you see the four kingdoms acting haughtily and coming upon you, by your lives, I will cause salvation to sprout for you from within the subjugation.” What is written after this? Oil for lighting — this is the King Messiah, as it says There I will cause a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for My anointed one (Psalms 132:17), and it is written Arise, shine, for your light has come (Isaiah 60:1). And regarding this midrash and others like it, many have wondered why they removed the verse from its plain meaning and interpreted it as referring to the four kingdoms.