Ashrei part 8
The Power of Ashrei
חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם ה’, אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וּגְדָל חָסֶד
(And they will say:) “Hashem is gracious (giving people their needs) and merciful (guarding them from danger and harm), (and He is) slow to anger towards the wicked (not punishing them immediately) and does kindness in great measure.”
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This pasuk reminds us of what we have been working on these past several weeks. Namely, Hashem created the world to bestow His lovingkindness with love and compassion, as is stated: “Olam chesed yibaneh” (T’hilim 89).
David HaMelech tells us that Hashem made known to Moshe Rabbeinu His ways:
יוֹדִיעַ דְּרָכָיו לְמֹשֶׁה, לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲלִילוֹתָיו
He made known His ways to Moshe, His actions to B’nei Yisrael. (T’hilim 103:7)
What are those “ways”? The next pasuk is:
רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן ה', אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב חָסֶד
Merciful and gracious is Hashem, slow to anger and abundant of kindness.
(See Rabbeinu Bachya, Sh’mos 33:13-17). HaRav Avigdor Miller zt”l writes that Hashem’s reply to Moshe’s request to know His ways “denotes that His entire purpose is to be gracious (chanun) and merciful (rachum) always, and for this purpose He created the Universe.” (Praise, My Soul! by HaRav Avigdor Miller)
חַנּוּן–Chanun: Hashem bestows on His creatures a “chein” (grace or favor), that they should be beloved in His Eyes, so that He can then bestow gifts to them “chinam” (for free), even though they are undeserving.
וְרַחוּם–V’Rachum: The word rachamim (mercy) resembles the Aramaic word “rachim,” to love. Both derive from the word “rechem” (womb), which signifies the powerful natural love of a mother. A mother has a powerful urge to protect her child from any harm, which is the meaning of “rachamim.” Hashem is merciful, guarding His creations from danger and harm.
ה’–Hashem: Timeless Master of all
אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם–Erech Apayim: Hashem delays punishment to allow His creations to return to Him and become worthy of a full pardon. The word “apayim” is plural, also conveying that Hashem delays reward for the tzadikim so that they will receive the true reward in Olam HaBa.
וּגְדָל חָסֶד–U’G’dal Chesed: Hashem shows His greatness in His loving-kindness. It is through His loving-kindness that Hashem demonstrates His true greatness. (based on The Hirsch Psalms by HaRav Samson Raphael Hirsch)
(Mostly based on HaRav Avigdor Miller in “Praise, My Soul!)
With each pasuk, we have the opportunity to continue to internalize and inculcate deeper and deeper within our hearts that Hashem created the world and all of us individually to bestow His goodness and chesed upon us. His unlimited power and wisdom are devoted to bestowing that goodness and chesed.
Each of us begins his or her day by thanking Hashem when we arise, reciting “Modeh ani l’fanecha,” and contemplating briefly our gratitude for waking up to another day. If we were to itemize our gratitude for every limb, organ, breath, food we eat and the ingredients contained in that food, mental capacity, all the ailments we do not have, roofs over our heads, heating and air conditioning, running water, bathrooms – we could go on for hours and longer. Hashem created us and continues to sustain us every second of our lives.
His ultimate kindness, which He bestows upon us, is the opportunity to earn an eternal blissful future world that will continue forever and ever as we bask in the radiance of His Sh’chinah. May we merit to recognize and appreciate Hashem’s grace, mercy, and compassion, and great kindness, which we enjoy every second of every day.
Ashrei 8
ארך אפים וגדל חסד,חנון ורחום ה'
– Gracious and merciful is Hashem, slow to anger, and great in [bestowing] kindness.
The Maharal1 writes that רחום refers to Hashem’s compassion towards us in not punishing us through strict judgment and saving us from tzaros. Rabbeinu Yonah2 writes that when one humbly asks Hashem for compassion, although he may not deserve it, he should hope that Hashem, in His chesed, will in fact save him from his troubles, despite his not really deserving to be saved. While it is appropriate for one to feel trepidation for having sinned against the One Who provides all his needs, and for that trepidation to lead to תשובה (return to Hashem), at the same time, Rabbeinu Yonah teaches us that our hope and trust in the kindness of Hashem must be stronger than our trepidation. Thus, although we may be just at the start of our תשובה process, we hope for and trust in the loving-kindness of Hashem.
חנון goes one step further. The word חן can mean favor or free undeserved gift (from חנם). The word רחמים means compassion. Not only does Hashem save us from our trouble, but He also provides for us, though we are completely undeserving. The Sheim MiShmuel3 writes that when we plead to Hashem, recognizing that we are completely undeserving, that brings us closer to Him and will itself be a cause for us to receive great reward.
Hashem, in His mercy, delays His anger (ארך אפים), which means that Hashem does not punish us immediately but rather allows even the wicked time to return to Him and be saved from punishment.4 Reishis Chochmah quotes the Chovos HaL’vavos5 who writes that one of the things that should inspire us to love Hashem is to contemplate His loving-kindness to us in delaying His reaction to our transgressions, allowing us the time to return to Him, and subsequently forgiving us.
The word אפים is plural. The Gemara in Eiruvin 22a tells us that this means that Hashem delays His reaction both for צדיקים and רשעים. Rashi and Tosafos there explain that one “face” is a happy face, which symbolizes the delaying of the reward for the צדיק until the next world (where the rewards are infinite), as the last mishnah of the second perek of Avos states: “ודע שמתן שכרן של צדיקים לעתיד לבוא” (“But be aware that the reward of the righteous will be given in the World to Come”). The other “face” is an angry face, which symbolizes delaying the punishment for the רשע, to allow him the time to return to Hashem and repent.
וגדל חסד refers to Hashem’s constant chesed,6 which goes beyond that which we deserve.7 Rabbeinu Yonah8 writes on the previously quoted mishnah in Avos (“ודע שמתן שכרן של צדיקים לעתיד לבוא”): “When you think about this, you will strengthen your resolve to be involved in Torah and mitzvos. As a result, you will realize the great chesed of Hashem, thereby increasing your abundant love for Him. May Hashem place in our hearts to love and fear Him, which will enable us to perform His will with passion and a complete and pure heart. So should be His will, and let us respond Amein.
מהר"ל בחידושי אגדות על מסכת ראש השנה דף י"ז עמוד ב'1
רבינו יונה על משלי, פרק ג' פסוק כ"ו2
שם משמואל פרשת ואתחנן תר"ע ד"ה במדבר3
רש"י פרשת כי תשא פרק ל"ד פסוק ה'4
חובות הלבבות, שער אהבת ה' פרק ב'5
פירוש הרוקח ח"א עמוד קמ"ה, אבן עזרא תהלים מזמור ק"ג פסוק ח'6
רד"ק תהלים קמ"ה פסוק ח', מאירי על תהלים מזמור קמ"ו פסוק ח'7
רבינו יונה אבות פרק ב' משנה י"ח וכו'8