"Unless Hashem builds the house"

Synopsis

Rabbi Elazar opens a discussion of, "A song of ascents for Solomon. Unless the Creator builds the house, they who build it labor in vain; unless the Creator keeps the city, the watchman stays awake in vain." He then comments that King David said this for his son, Solomon, when Nathan the prophet foretold that Solomon would build the Holy Temple. Another explanation of the verse, we learn, is that unless the King, who is Binah, builds the house with the seven pillars of Chesed, Gvurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod and Malchut of Zeir Anpin, they who build it shall labor in vain. The tabernacle can only be guarded by a youth, who was first Joshua (in the youthful aspect of Metatron), then the child Samuel. God alone guards the Holy Temple, and He guards the righteous as they travel, as it is written, "The Creator shall preserve your going out and your coming in."

Relevance

In effect, Rabbi Elazar's discourse concerns how to draw the Light of the Creator to our own homes. King David, we are told, composed verses that spoke of the necessity of having the Creator's Light imbued at the seed level of the building of the Temple. Otherwise, all the construction and safeguards would be for naught. For us, this means that our own temples, our homes and communities, must be imbued with this Light. Otherwise, there is no chance for protection and blessing, regardless of what we might do on a physical level.

Without our constant awareness of this need for Light, we are left vulnerable to the forces of chaos. Here we travel back to the seed level of our homes, our communities, and the entire world, and we inject them with the awesome Light of the Creator. The radiance banishes all the darkness and forces of chaos that have wreaked havoc upon our lives since the dawn of humanity.

David Form (Holy) Temple Praise Prophets Singing Temple, The Watchman

686. He opened the discussion saying, "A song of ascents for Solomon. Unless Hashem builds the house, they who build it labor in vain, unless Hashem keeps the city, the watchman stays awake in vain" (Tehilim 127:1). HE QUESTIONS, Did Solomon then say this praise when he built the Temple? HE ANSWERS, It was not so, but rather King David said it for his son, King Solomon, when Natan the prophet came to him and told him about Solomon that he would build the Temple. Afterwards King David showed his son, Solomon, the form of the Temple. When David saw the form of the Temple and all its trappings, he recited praise for Solomon his son, and said, "Unless Hashem builds the house... "

686. פָּתַח וְאָמַר שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת לִשְׁלֹמֹה אִם יְיָ' לֹא יִבְנֶה בַיִת שָׁוְא עָמְלוּ בוֹנָיו בּוֹ אִם יְיָ' לֹא יִשְׁמָר עִיר שָׁוְא שָׁקַד שׁוֹמֵר. וְכִי שְׁלֹמֹה אָמַר תּוּשַׁבַּחְתָּא דָּא כַּד בָּנָה בֵּי מַקְדְּשָׁא. לָאו הָכִי, דְּהָא דָּוִד מַלְכָּא א"ל בְּגִין שְׁלֹמֹה מַלְכָּא בְּרֵיהּ, כַּד אָתָא נָתָן לְגַבֵּיהּ, וְא"ל עַל שְׁלֹמֹה דְּאִיהוּ יִבְנֵי בֵּי מַקְדְּשָׁא. וּלְבָתַר דָּוִד מַלְכָּא אַחְזֵי לִשְׁלֹמֹה בְּרֵיהּ דִּיּוּקְנָא דְּבֵי מַקְדְּשָׁא. כֵּיוָן דְּחָמָא דָּוִד דִּיּוּקְנָא דְּבֵי מַקְדְּשָׁא, וְכָל תִּקּוּנוֹי, אָמַר שִׁירָתָא עַל שְׁלֹמֹה בְּרֵיהּ, וְאָמַר אִם יְיָ' לֹא יִבְנֶה בַיִת וְגוֹ.'

David Peace Pillar Praise Seven Singing Strength Zeir Anpin

687. Another explanation for, "A song of ascents for Solomon." It MEANS to the King that the peace is His, THAT IS ZEIR ANPIN. This song is a song and praise above all the other songs, and this song rises above all of them. "Unless Hashem builds the house," MEANING King David saw all these seven pillars, WHICH ARE CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT OF ZEIR ANPIN, upon which this house, MALCHUT, stands, for they stand row by row in order to build this house. Above them all stands the Master of the house, THAT IS BINAH, who goes over them and gives strength and courage to each and every one accordingly.

687. ד"א שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת לִשְׁלֹמֹה, לְמַלְכָּא דִּשְׁלָמָא דִּילֵיהּ. וְהַאי שִׁירָתָא אִיהוּ שִׁירָתָא וְתוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא עַל כָּל שְׁאַר שִׁירָתָא, וְשִׁירָתָא הֲדָא סַלְּקָא עַל כֻּלְּהוּ. אִם יְיָ' לֹא יִבְנֶה בַיִת, דְּחָמָא דָּוִד מַלְכָּא, כָּל אִינּוּן עַמּוּדִין שִׁבְעָה, דְּהַאי בַּיִת קָאֵים עָלַיְיהוּ, דְּאִינּוּן קַיְימֵי שׁוּרִין שׁוּרִין, לְמִבְנֵי הַאי בַּיִת. לְעֵילָּא מְכֻּלְּהוּ קַיְּימָא מָארֵיהּ דְּבֵיתָא דְּאָזִיל עַל גַּבַּיְיהוּ, וְיָהִיב לוֹן חֵילָא וְתּוּקְפָּא, לְכָל חַד וְחַד כַּדְקָא יֵאוֹת.

David Peace Pillar Zeir Anpin

688. In reference to this, David said, Unless the King, that the whole peace is His, WHO IS BINAH, who is the landlord, build the house, "they who build it labor in vain." These are the pillars CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT OF ZEIR ANPIN who will build this house. "Unless Hashem keeps the city," that is, the King that the whole peace is His, WHO IS BINAH, "the watchman stays awake in vain," who is a pillar, upon which the world, MALCHUT, is built. What is it? It is the Righteous, NAMELY YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN, who watches over the city, MALCHUT.

688. וְע"ד אָמַר דָּוִד, אִי הַאי מַלְכָּא דִּשְׁלָמָא כֹּלָּא דִּילֵיהּ, דְּאִיהוּ מָארֵיהּ דְּבֵיתָא, לָא בָּנֵי לְהַאי בֵּיתָא, שָׁוְא עָמְלוּ בוֹנָיו בּוֹ, אִינּוּן קַיָּימִין דְּקַיְימִין לְמִבְנֵי עַל הַאי בֵּיתָא. אִם יְיָ' לֹא יִשְׁמָר עִיר, דָּא מַלְכָּא דִּשְׁלָמָא כֹּלָּא דִּילֵיהּ. שָׁוְא שָׁקַד שׁוֹמֵר, דָּא אִיהוּ חַד קַיָּימָא דְּעָלְמָא אִתְתָּקַּן עָלֵיהּ, וּמַנּוּ. צַדִּיק, דְּהָא אִיהוּ נָטִיר לָהּ לְהַאי עִיר.

Children Joshua Metatron Mochin Moses Samuel Tabernacle Tents

689. Joshua stood constantly and guarded the Tabernacle that Moses made, WHICH IS MALCHUT OF THE ASPECT OF MOCHIN OF THE SIX ENDS. It could be guarded only by him, for he is called 'a youth,' WHICH IS THE ASPECT OF METATRON, as it is written, "But his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart out of the tent" (Shemot 33:11). Afterwards, this Tabernacle was guarded only by another youth, as it is written, "And the child Samuel ministered" (I Shmuel 3:1), because the Tabernacle can be guarded only by a youth. Who is this guard? He is the one who guards the SUPERNAL Tabernacle, WHICH IS MALCHUT OF THE ASPECT OF MOCHIN OF THE SIX EXTREMITIES, who is called so BY THE NAME 'youth,' who is Metatron.

689. מַשְׁכְּנָא דְּעָבֵד מֹשֶׁה, יְהוֹשֻׁעַ הֲוָה קָאֵים תָּדִיר וְנָטִיר לֵיהּ, דְּהָא לֵית נְטִירוּ דִּילֵיהּ בַּר בֵּיהּ דְּאִקְרֵי נַעַר, דִּכְתִּיב וּמְשָׁרֲתוֹ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן נַעַר לֹא יָמִישׁ מִתּוֹךְ הָאֹהֶל. לְבָתַר הַאי מַשְׁכְּנָא לָא הֲוָה נָטִיר, אֶלָּא בְּגִין נַעַר אַחֲרָא, דִּכְתִּיב וְהַנַּעַר שְׁמוּאֵל מְשָׁרֵת, בְּגִין דְּלֵית נְטִירוּ דְּמַשְׁכְּנָא, אֶלָּא בְּנַעַר. וּמַאן אִיהוּ שׁוֹמֵר דָּא. הַהוּא דְּנָטִיר מַשְׁכְּנָא דְּאִקְרֵי הָכִי נַעַר מְטַטְרוֹ"ן.

(Holy) Temple Mochin Righteous Tabernacle Watchman Zeir Anpin

690. אֲבָל אַתוּן קַדִּישֵׁי עֶלְיוֹנִין, לָאו נְטִירוּ דִּלְכוֹן כִּנְטִירוּ דְּמַשְׁכְּנָא, אֶלָּא נְטִירוּ דִּלְכוֹן כִּנְטִירוּ דְּבֵי מַקְדְּשָׁא, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בִּלְחוֹדוֹי, דִּכְתִּיב אִם יְיָ' לֹֹא יִשְׁמָר עִיר שָׁוְא שָׁקַד שׁוֹמֵר, דְּהָא בְּכָל זִמְנָא דְּצַדִּיקַיָּא אַזְלֵי בְּאָרְחָא, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא נָטִיר לוֹן תָּדִיר, דִּכְתִּיב יְיָ' יִשְׁמָר צֵאתְךָ וּבוֹאֶךָ.

Angels Hands