The last few weeks in Zevachim have been very technical but in 54B was a bit of a reprieve with the discussion of the building of the Altar  and the location of the Temple.   The Talmud on 54B quotes Samuel 19 and says “David and Samuel dwelled in Nabaith Rama.” The Talmud tells us that together they were planning where to put the Temple.

Whats going on here? The back story is that David has just been informed that King Saul wants to kill him. He flees. He is on the run. He is running for his life and stops to get refuge with Samuel.  What is he thinking about? “The adornment of the world.”- the Temple.

The Shikkerdovid would like to weigh in.  Here it is: David is on the run. He is wanted man. Rather than being obsessed with survival, rather than just trying to stay alive, rather than being depressed or upset, he is is thinking about “the adornment of the World”-the temple.  Even the language used in the Talmud “the adornment of the world” show his grand thinking.   David is not depressed or scared. His circumstances don’t bother him. He is focused on the big picture. The placement of the Temple or it is put “the adornment.”

What is the lesson here?  We are always in bad spots, we are always weighted down by life issues, problems, and challenges.  David and the daf provide the answer: Think big. Think about the ‘adornment”.