Rav Berger on Kever David and Geula - Part 2 of 6

From Rav Berger's latest:

Continued from Part 1.

The place of the gravesite is the place where David placed the Ark of the Covenant of Hashem

And there (i.e. the place where today is David's tomb), King David A"H also placed the Holy Ark - the Ark of the Covenant of Hashem for a span of 44 years after it returned from the Philistines until the Beit Hamikdash was built, as is brought down in the Siddur Ya'avetz called "Beit Yaakov" in the Shir Shel Yom Sheni and based on 3 Rishonim: 1) The Radvaz in The Responsa of the Radvaz, vol. 2 #633, 2) Rav Eshtori HaParhi in his book Kaftor Vaferah, and 3) The student of the Ramban ZY"A in his book of travels called "Totza'ot Eretz Yisrael".  And there King David founded and established the watches of the Levites that they will sing Psalms before the ark as a preparation for the building of the Beit Hamikdash, as is brought down (Divrei Hayamim Alef 16:37) וַיַּעֲזָב-שָׁם, לִפְנֵי אֲרוֹן בְּרִית-יְהוָה, לְאָסָף, וּלְאֶחָיו: לְשָׁרֵת לִפְנֵי הָאָרוֹן, תָּמִיד--לִדְבַר-יוֹם בְּיוֹמוֹ [So he left there, before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, Asaph and his brethren, to minister before the ark continually, as every day's work required].  In other words, the ark would not be forsaken, G-d forbid, in the place that David prepared for it.  The verse describes that the singers from the tribe of Levi would sing before it every day, morning and evening, until it was brought up to the Beit Hamikdash of Hashem.  (This is how Rashi comments there in verse 37.)

And the Radak expanded this in his commentary that David, besides establishing the song before the ark, also established that they would bring burnt-offerings on a small Bamah [makeshift alter] close to the ark just like the great Bamah that was in the Mishkan of Hashem in Giv'on, where David sent Tzadok Hakohen.  All this, as we mentioned, took place in the holy place of today's "David's Tomb", just as we explained earlier.

The place where the Shechina Dwells

King David A"H said (Tehillim 76:3) וַיְהִי בְשָׁלֵם סוּכּוֹ; וּמְעוֹנָתוֹ בְצִיּוֹן [In Salem also is set His tabernacle, and His dwelling-place in Zion] and Yonatan translated this to mean: "And His Beit Hamikdash was in Yerushalayim (Salem = Jerusalem) and the house of His holy Shechina in Zion."

All Blessings and Salvations are Drawn from Mt. Zion

It is brought down in many verses and explained in sayings of Haza"l that the entire root of blessings and salvations - general and specific ones - come from this holy place - Mt. Zion - as it is brought down in many verses in Tehillim, [like] מִי יִתֵּן מִצִּיּוֹן, יְשׁוּעַת יִשְׂרָאֵל [Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion!] which refers to all the salvations that come from Mt. Zion. [And like] יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה, מִצִּיּוֹן [The LORD bless thee out of Zion].  [And like] כְּטַל-חֶרְמוֹן-- שֶׁיֹּרֵד, עַל-הַרְרֵי צִיּוֹן:כִּי שָׁם צִוָּה יְהוָה, אֶת-הַבְּרָכָה [Like the dew of Hermon, that cometh down upon the mountains of Zion; for there the LORD commanded the blessing] And as is brought down in the holy Zohar in the Idra that Mt. Zion, the place of the kings of the House of David corresponds to the Sefira of Yesod from where salvations and blessings are drawn to the whole world [YY - although, to me, it appears that the Idra is referring to the Holy of Holies, not Mt. Zion.  צ"ע.]

And it is similarly brought down in the book "Menahem Tzion" by the holy rabbi Rabbi Menahem Mendel of Rimnov ZY"A (Lecture for Rosh Hashana) that Mt. Zion that his close to Mt. Moriah has the aspect of Rosh Hashana in that just as the time of Rosh Hashana is the root of life for all the times of the year, similarly, this holy place of Mt. Zion also is the root of life of all places in the world. [YY - It said that it is the place of trembling and awe and from there, it spreads to the whole world.]

And it similarly is explained in Haza"l (Vayikra Rabba 24) That all blessings only come from Tzion.

[To Be Continued]