We often picture opulent feasts, lavish parties, maybe strategizing with advisors late into the night. But what about King David, the sweet singer of Israel? What filled his nights?
The Pesikta DeRav Kahana, a collection of rabbinic teachings, paints a beautiful picture of David's devotion. It tells us that David, even as a king, made a point of waking up at midnight to give thanks to God. "At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto Thee because of Thy righteous ordinances" (Psalm 119:62). But how exactly did he manage this?
Rabbi Pinchas, quoting Rabbi Elazar bar Menachem, gives us one image: David would keep a harp and lyre by his bedside. At midnight, he would rise and play them. Imagine the scene! And the impact! The scholars of Israel, hearing the music, would think, "If King David is engaged in Torah study at this hour, then we should be all the more so!" Soon, the entire nation would be immersed in Torah study.
Rabbi Levi offers a different, equally enchanting, perspective. He says David had a window above his bed, open to the south. He'd hang his harp across from it, and when the southern wind blew at midnight, it would play the instrument on its own. The verse in 2 Kings 3:15 says, "when the instrument played." Notice it doesn’t say "the instrument was played," but "the instrument played itself." Talk about divine inspiration! Again, all of Israel, hearing the music, would be moved to study Torah.
It's a powerful image, isn't it? The music not just played, but playing itself, a sign that David's devotion was so strong, even the wind itself was moved to praise God.
David himself proclaims, "Awake, my glory; awake, harp and lyre; I will awake [at] dawn" (Psalm 57:9). But the Pesikta interprets this in a surprising way. It's not just about waking up at dawn, but about waking the dawn itself. David is saying, "I will awaken my honor before the honor of the One who created me. The importance of my honor is nothing compared to the honor of the One who created me."
The text then delves into a fascinating internal struggle. David's yetzer hara, his evil impulse, would try to dissuade him: "David, it is the custom of kings to awaken no sooner than dawn! It is the custom of kings to sleep until the third hour of the day!" But David wouldn't be swayed. He understood that true devotion meant rising above earthly comforts.
The passage then explores what David meant by "because of Thy righteous ordinances." It offers several interpretations. One is that David was giving thanks for God's judgment against the wicked Pharaoh, and for the righteousness He showed to Sarah, as we see in Genesis 12:17, "And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife."
Another interpretation is that David was thankful for God's ordinances against the nations of the world, and for the righteousness shown to his ancestors, Boaz and Ruth. The text asks, rhetorically, if Boaz had cursed Ruth when she came to him, where would David have come from? Instead, God put a blessing in his heart, and he said, "Blessed be thou of the LORD" (Ruth 3:10).
Finally, David is thankful for God's actions in Egypt, and for the righteousness shown to the Israelites, even though they only had two mitzvot (commandments) to save them: the blood of Passover and the blood of circumcision. As Ezekiel 16:6 says, "And when I passed by thee, and saw thee wallowing in thy bloods, I said unto thee: In thy bloods, live; [yea, I said unto thee: In thy bloods, live.]." The "bloods" here refer to the blood of Passover and the blood of circumcision.
So, what can we take away from this glimpse into King David's nights? It's not just about waking up early to pray. It's about the intention, the devotion, the willingness to prioritize our connection with the Divine above all else. It’s about striving to wake up the dawn, rather than letting the dawn wake us. It's about recognizing the blessings in our lives, and giving thanks for the righteous acts of God throughout history. Can we, like David, find ways to bring that same level of dedication and gratitude into our own lives, even amidst the demands and distractions of the modern world?