'To Which Tribes Would Make Pilgrimage' / 'ששם עלו שבטים': עניינו של תהלים קכב

Professor Meir Weiss submitted this article to the editorial board of Tarbiẓ shortly before his death on 7.5.1998, and it is presented here substantially as it was submitted. The article is a study of Psalm 122, which is one of the 'Pilgrim Psalms', as its title שיר המעלות indicates. The article is an attempt to reveal the uniqueness of the Psalm and enters into a detailed discussion of some of the rare terminology it contains. The author sees the Psalm as having three stages: the background — the announcement that a pilgrimage to Jerusalem is to be undertaken; the experience of the stay in the Holy City; and the reaction — blessing Jerusalem.