How did King David spend his nights? In two verses of Psalm 119, he offers what seems, at first glance, a contradiction:
I arose early in the evening and cried out; I hope for Your word. (119:147)
I arise at midnight to praise You for Your just laws. (119:62)
So which was it? Did David rise at the start of the night, or at midnight?
The Sages offered three ways to resolve this discrepancy:
-David rose at some point during the night, but never later than midnight.
-During the first half of the night, David would sleep fitfully, like a horse dozing while standing. But at midnight, he was fully awake, like a vigilant lion.
-During the first half of the night, David would study and reflect on God’s Torah (“Your word"). But at midnight, he would sing songs of praise and thanksgiving (“to praise You for Your just laws").
Private and Public Service
According to Rav Kook, all three explanations share a common thread, as they contrast David’s conduct during the first and second halves of the night.
These are not competing answers, but complementary facets of a single idea. Each reflects the order of David’s nighttime service: a division between the inward and the outward, the personal and the public.
The first part of the night is a time for restoration of the soul. David would utilize those hours for his own personal spiritual growth. During the early hours, he would study Torah and contemplate God’s word: “I arose early in the evening... I hope for Your word."
At midnight, however, David would begin his public service. He dedicated these hours to attending to the needs of the nation. During the second half of the night, his service took on a universal character, and the “sweet singer of Israel" would compose psalms of praise and thanksgiving: “I arise at midnight to praise You."
This transition from private introspection to public service finds expression in three aspects, corresponding to the distinctions noted by the Sages.
Consistency. Unlike his private spiritual service, his public duties could not be neglected. David would rise sometime in the night, but never later than midnight - the hour when he would engage in public service.
Intensity. In his private Torah study before midnight, David’s level of concentration depended upon his strength that evening. During those hours, he was like a weary horse, struggling against sleep. But in his labors for the nation, he gathered all of his powers, alert like a watchful lioness. He refused to allow fatigue and weariness to interfere with his public service.
Content. Before midnight, David dedicated himself to Torah study and personal growth. But after midnight, he would compose lofty songs of praise and thanksgiving, such as the chapters of Tehillim, an extraordinary gift for all peoples and all times.
(Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. I, p. 8 on Berakhot 3b, sent to Arutz Sheva by Rabbi Chanan Morrisson, RavKookTorah.org)
