Let's explore just one example, straight from Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic commentaries on the Book of Psalms. We're diving into Psalm 76, verse 2: "His tabernacle was in Shalem, and His dwelling place in Zion."
But what is this "Shalem"?
R’ Brachia offers a stunning image: From the very beginning of creation, the Holy One, blessed be He, made a sukkah, a tabernacle, in Jerusalem. Imagine God, in a sense, praying within it. Praying, "May it be willed that My children will do My will in order that I not destroy My house and sanctuary." A powerful image, right? A God yearning for connection, for obedience... and grieving when it's lost.
And what happens when that connection frays, when sin enters the picture? Well, as we find in Lamentations (Eicha) 2:6, God "stripped His Tabernacle like a garden, and laid in ruins His meeting place…" The very place where God made Himself known in prayer is destroyed.
But even in destruction, there's hope. The Midrash continues, saying that even after the destruction, God prays, “May it be willed from before Me that my children repent that I bring nearer the building of My house and sanctuary.” This, the Midrash says, is "His tabernacle was in Shalem." So, where is this Shalem? The Midrash equates it with Jerusalem.
And then, the story gets even richer. You see, the Temple is also called Shalem, as we see in Genesis 14:18: "Malchitzedek king of Shalem." And, according to tradition, Malchitzedek is none other than Shem, son of Noah! As it says, "and he was a priest to the Most High God" (Genesis 14:18). The Midrash points to Genesis 9:27, "May God expand Japheth, and may He dwell in the tents of Shem…" The fact that God "dwelled in His tent" implies that Shem served Him. The Aramaic translation of "and he was a priest to the Most High God" is "and he served before the High God," and this, the Midrash emphasizes, was Shem.
But Shem isn't the only one with a claim to Jerusalem. Abraham also plays a pivotal role. Abraham called the Temple yireh, as in Genesis 22:14: "And Abraham called that place, The Lord will see (yireh)…"
So, what’s a Holy One to do? If God calls it Shalem, as Shem did, He would be nullifying the words of Abraham, who loves Him, and called it yireh. But if He calls it yireh, He would be nullifying the words of the righteous Shem, who called it Shalem.
The solution? A divine compromise, a beautiful blend. The Holy One combined what the two of them called it: Abraham called it yireh, Shem called it Shalem, and the Holy One called it Yerushalayim – Jerusalem! This, then, is what "His tabernacle was in Shalem" truly means: Jerusalem, a fusion of yireh and Shalem.
And there's one more layer. The Midrash asks, when will God be known in Judah? (Psalm 76:2). The answer? When that tabernacle is erected, the one we find described in Amos 9:11: "On that day, I will raise up the fallen tabernacle of David…" That, the Midrash concludes, is "His tabernacle was in Shalem."
So, the next time you hear the name Jerusalem, remember the echoes of Shem and Abraham, the prayers for repentance and rebuilding, and the enduring hope for a restored connection between God and humanity. It’s a name that carries the weight of history, the promise of redemption, and the beautiful complexity of our shared spiritual heritage.