Today we will study tehilim chapter 125, pasuk א
שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת הַבֹּטְחִים בַּה׳ כְּהַר־צִיּוֹן לֹא־יִמּוֹט לְעוֹלָם יֵשֵׁב
Those that rely on Hashem are like Har Tzion/Mount Zion, they will not waiver. They will stand forever.
What is the significance of Har Tzion?
Firstly, a mountain is the epitome of something that lasts. There are four levels of existence in the world-
Domem- a non-living thing, like a rock
Someah- something that grows, like a plant
Chai- something alive/an animal
Medaber- human beings (that speak)
Animals, humans and even plants don’t last forever. Of course, there are very large trees that have been around for many, many years but even those don’t last forever.
Mountains have been here from the beginning of creation- we can’t necessarily say that about trees.
Mountains last forever; through all the elements, wind, snow, through earthquakes and volcanoes. Mountains survive. They last more than dirt or sand, which move around; Mountains are rock solid.
So a mountain is the strongest example of something laying.
But David HaMelech doesn’t just use any mountain in the pasuk. He uses Har Tzion/ Mount Zion.
Har Tzion refers to Eretz Yisrael. It says that the beginning of all creation came from Eretz Yisrael. Thus, Har Tzion is the most solid, lasting, long term item; and that is how solid and unwaverable the one who relies on Hashem is.
Furthermore, Har Tzion is where Hashem’s Shechina dwells, even in a time of destruction. It’s the Kotel HaMa’aravi.
Even though everything is destroyed Hashem’s Shechina still dwells there.
The pasuk in Eicha says that God forever remains on the desolate Har Sion, even in a time of destruction.
So too, the baal Bitachon. Even in difficult times, in times where it is seemingly a churban/destruction, God is still dwelling there and watching over him.
Even in the most trying of times, when God is Hester/hiding.
There is a mosque on our Temple Mount, yet at the same time, the Kotel HaMa’aravi
is there with the Shechina.
Another nuance to this pasuk is that “The one who relies on Hashem is like Har Tzion,” means that just like Har Tzion is destroyed and yet still has Hashem’s Shechina there, so too, even if a person sinned and is spiritually destroyed, if he turns to Hashem and relies on Him, God will dwell on him too.
So the man that has bitachon is like Har Tzion in three ways:
1- He is immovable like a mountain, he doesn’t move or change.
2- God’s Shechina dwells on him, even when it looks like he’s forsaken
3-Even though he is spiritually destroyed, God dwells on him.
This is what David HaMelech is telling us. As we have mentioned before, he uses visual examples. We are supposed to look at a mountain such as Mount Everest, the Rockies, or the Grand Canyon, and think about how solid they are. It would take dynamite to blow them up, and even then it would only be a small nick in their armor.
That is what the Baal Bitachon is- rock solid.
Have a wonderful day.