God's Tabernacle

"And His tabernacle was in Salem, and His dwelling place in Zion" (Psalms 76:3). Rabbi Berekhiah said: From the beginning of the creation of the world the Holy One, blessed be He, made a tabernacle in Jerusalem, as it were, in which He would pray and say: May it be My will that My children do My will, so that I will not destroy My house and My Temple, as it is said, "And His tabernacle was in Salem, and His dwelling place." Once sin brought about its effect, what is written? "And He has stripped His tabernacle like a garden, He has destroyed His place of meeting" (Lamentations 2:6) - the place where He would meet in prayer. And once it was destroyed, He prays: May it be My will to cut off the evil inclination that causes My children to sin, that they may do repentance, and that I may draw near the building of My house and My Temple. This is the meaning of "And His tabernacle was in Salem." You find that the Temple is called "Salem," as it is said (Genesis 14:18): "And Melchizedek, king of Salem." And he was Shem son of Noah, as it is said (there): "And he was a priest of God Most High." And it is written (Genesis 9:27): "May God enlarge Japheth, and may He dwell in the tents of Shem" - that He caused His Presence to dwell in his tent, so that he would serve Him; this is Shem. And Abraham called the Temple "He will see" (Yireh), as it is said (Genesis 22:14): "And he called the name of that place, the LORD will see." What is "the LORD will see"? Abraham said: Master of the world, may this day be remembered before You, that I have a reply to give You. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: If I call it as Shem said, "Shem," I nullify the words of Abraham My beloved, who called it "He will see"; and if I call it "He will see," I nullify the words of Shem the righteous. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He combined what both of them called it, and called it Jerusalem (Yerushalayim). This is the meaning of "And His tabernacle was in Salem."