Illustration by Yoseph Savan based on The Zohar
Ariel Ben Avraham – JERUSALEM IN THE BOOK OF PSALMS (VIII)
“God in Your palaces [You are] known for stronghold.” (Psalms 48:4)
We have said that Jerusalem, as the city of God, is also the place of His dwelling. We understand that a “place” is to be or to stand on as the leading and driving force of life and foundation of our consciousness, and in this sense that place is goodness.
The “palaces” are the positive traits, ways, means, trends and qualities which are the strongholds by which we protect ourselves and prosper, for goodness is the purpose of goodness.
“As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of multitudes, in the city of our God. God established it for eternity, forever.” (48:9)
Goodness is destined to prevail in God’s creation, for eternity. We come to this ultimate realization in the awareness that the city of God is such goodness. In this way we understand that “multitudes” are also the unfathomable ways and dimensions where God reigns and rules over His entire creation, as the Psalmist also proclaimed.
“And David blessed the Lord before all the assembly; and David said, ‘Blessed are You, O Lord, God of our father Israel in all the realms, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty! For all in the heavens and in the earth is Yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom and You are exalted as head above all.”
(I Chronicles 10-11)
In this blessing King David invites us to reflect on who we are, what we have and do, for these also come from the Creator and we are destined to fulfill His will.
“We have reflected on Your loving kindness, O God, in the midst of Your temple.” (Psalms 48:10)
Loving kindness is a primordial attribute of goodness, in which we inspire ourselves in our bonding with the Creator that is represented by the Temple of Jerusalem.
Abundant loving kindness is referred in the Torah (Exodus 34:6-7) as one of God’s thirteen attributes of compassion. These are considered also as the references for His judgments.
“Rejoice, mount Zion; be happy, daughters of Judah, because of Your judgments.” (48:12)
This verse invites us to understand God’s judgments as a source of rejoicing, for these come from His goodness that stands in the mount of His sacredness.
The “daughters of Judah” are expressions of our recognition of goodness as our link with the Creator. These also can be understood as expressions of gratitude and recognition for God’s goodness, for in Hebrew Judah literally means “I shall thank/acknowledge God”.
Ariel Ben Avraham
Kochav Yaakov, Safed, northern Galilee, IsraelAriel Ben Avraham (f. Zapata) was born in Cartagena, Colombia in 1958. After studying Cultural Anthropology in Bogotá moved to Chicago in 1984 where he worked as a television writer, reporter and producer for 20 years. In the 1990’s he produced video documentaries related to art, music, history and culture such as “Latin American Trails: Guatemala” distributed by Facets.org. Most of his life he studied ancient spiritual traditions and mysticism of major religions, understanding the mystic experience as the individual means to connect with the Creator of all. Since 2004 he studies and writes about Jewish mysticism and spirituality mainly derived from the Chassidic tradition, and the practical philosophy of the teachings of Jewish mystic sages. The book “God’s Love” is the compilation of many years studying and learning Jewish mysticism. The messages of his book are part of the content, exercises and processes of a series of seminars, lectures and retreats that he facilitates in Israel.
