Q:
What is referred to by Tzion and what is the explanation of the word?
A:
Tzion, Tzion strictly speaking was the place where Dovid HaMelech dwelt, where he had his home, but is used subsequently for the Beis Hamikdosh and also for the entire Yerushalayim, and sometimes for all of Eretz Yisroel.
Strictly speaking, Tzion was a special place. Har Tzion, that’s where Dovid HaMelech dwelt, where he used to gather with the tzaddikim, and they used to sit with their harps, and they used to sing to Hakodosh Boruch Hu the shirei kodesh, and at that time the ruach hakodesh rested on them.
That’s why whenever you find Dovid is speaking to the avdei Hashem, הללוק-ה הללו עבדי ה’ העומדים בבית ה’ בלילות, those who stand in the house of Hashem in the nights. In those days, they didn’t have any house of Hashem. The Beis Hamikdosh wasn’t built yet, but that was the house of Hashem – in Dovid’s place. In Dovid’s palace, they stood throughout the night, or sat, and they sang the shirei kodesh.
When Dovid said, “תהילתו בקהל חסידים – His praise is in an assembly of the devoted ones,” the kahal chassidim was in Dovid’s house. And there the choice souls came together and they experienced the great ideals of devotion to Hakodosh Boruch Hu, they studied the briyah, like in ברכי נפשי that goes through all the aspects, the phenomena of the briyah in general.
We have to realize this is only roshei perakim. Actually, they studied the details too, and their son Shlomo was present, and they studied all these things and praised the wisdom of Hashem. All this was done b’Har Tzion. That was Dovid’s place.
(March 1981)
