Psalm 27: Desire & Love

I have asked the Lord for one thing –
this is what I desire!
I want to live in the Lord’s house all the days of my life,
so I can gaze at the splendor of the Lord
and contemplate in his temple. (Verse 4)

People do not actually love money for money does not love us. It quickly moves from one person to another. A person desires money, and because of that he will never have enough. (Rabbi Meir M’Apta)

King David is not describing a desire that can never be satisfied. He is not speaking of something that will not give him a sense of being loved. He can say with confidence that “this is what I desire” and always will, because when we have the opportunity to “gaze at the splendor of the Lord and contemplate in his temple” we will experience God’s love for us.

The deep commitment and love that God has for us is expressed in the judgment of Rosh Hashana, when He declares that we, and all we do, is important to Him. We experience God’s love on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, and we can know that the desires we share with David, will definitely give us a sense of satisfaction and pleasure.