Ashrei 24

Weekly Tefilah Focus

Summary - Part 1

אשרי יושבי ביתך, עוד יהללוך סלה 

Fortunate/praiseworthy are those who can sit in Hashem’s house by directing their minds to Hashem/Torah/chesed/mitzvos wherever they are (except bathrooms and the like).  Those who consistently thank Hashem for the goodness in their lives will be fortunate to feel that they are continuously dwelling in the House of Hashem.

אשרי העם שככה לו, אשרי העם שה' אלוקיו

We are truly fortunate that Hashem chose us as His treasured nation and gave us His Torah, which is our guide for living a fulfilling, meaningful, and happy life.  Even when we feel we are lacking, we are comforted that Hashem, Who is all-powerful and all-capable, can fill our needs instantly.

תהלה לדוד: ארוממך אלוקי המלך, ואברכה שמך לעולם ועד

I will exalt and lift Hashem up (ארוממך) by realizing that He is above my understanding.  This applies equally to klal and world events (המלך) and to events in our personal lives (אלוקי).

I will recognize that He is the source of all brachah every day of my life.

בכל יום אברכך, ואהללה שמך לעולם ועד

I will praise Hashem and thank Him anew for each new day, bitter or sweet, every day of my life.

It should be the will of Hashem that I merit to increase every day those who submit and humble themselves to Your service.  Each of us, through our own personal Torah, mitzvos, and midos, has the ability to influence others and bring them closer to Hashem.  Our Torah u’mitzvos also bring a flow of brachah and k’dushah to all of klal Yisrael, even when we are not inspiring others.

גדול ה' ומהולל מאד, ולגדולתו אין חקר

דור לדור ישבח מעשיך, וגבורותיך יגידו

Any amount of investigation of Hashem’s greatness and His chesed to us will definitely fall short.  That notwithstanding, we must transmit to the next generation (דור לדור), as eachדור  did before us, His “מעשים” (actions, creations, nature) and His “גבורות” (power, which transcends nature) that we have seen in our own lifetimes, in addition to that which has been transmitted to us from previous generations.

הדר כבוד הודך, ודברי נפלאותיך אשיחה

הדר and כבוד  refer to that small part of Hashem’s actions that are revealed to us through nature.  הוד  refers to that which is hidden from us.  גבורות and נפלאות  refer to miracles that are beyond nature and readily reveal Hashem’s presence.  It is important for us to share both the open miracles and what we find behind the veil of nature with others in casual conversation (אשיחה).