Hallelukah 2 – Summary 2

This week, we are continuing to present the flow of each pasuk in this mizmor, starting with pasuk 6, as it fits into the overall theme of the mizmor.

Following this new segment, which covers p’sukim 6-13, you will find the summary review of p’sukim 1-5, as a refresher.

Pasuk 6:

מְעוֹדֵד עֲנָוִים ה', מַשְׁפִּיל רְשָׁעִים עֲדֵי-אָרֶץ

Hashem encourages the humble; He lowers the wicked down to the ground.

Hashem encourages the humble, who have emunah and understand that since everything comes from Hashem, there is no reason for arrogance. Whatever we may feel proud about is only a gift from Hashem, and we may not be using that gift to our fullest potential. The rasha does not have emunah and therefore becomes arrogant.

Pasuk 7:

עֱנוּ לַה' בְּתוֹדָה, זַמְּרוּ לֵא-לֹ קֵינוּ בְכִנּוֹר

Call out to Hashem with thanks; with the harp, sing to our G-d.

Call out to Hashem (This Name of Hashem represents His midah of compassion) in thanks for the multitude and many layers upon layers of different types of chesed that He bestows upon us. Sing to Elokeinu (representing Hashem’s midah of judgment) even when experiencing judgment. Song without words is a higher level than calling out with words, indicating the higher level of praising and thanking Hashem even for His judgment (when we experience pain).

Pasuk 8:

הַמְכַסֶּה שָׁמַיִם בְּעָבִים, הַמֵּכִין לָאָרֶץ מָטָר, הַמַּצְמִיחַ הָרִים חָצִיר

Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who prepares rain for the earth, Who makes mountains sprout with grass.

Although clouds cover the sunshine and bring darkness, Hashem is preparing the rain, which benefits us, causing grass to grow even on mountains. So, too, Hashem’s judgment (experienced by us as pain) is truly compassion, as all He does is for the purpose of bringing us to our ultimate shleimus (perfection).

P’sukim 9-11:

נוֹתֵן לִבְהֵמָה לַחְמָהּ; לִבְנֵי עֹרֵב אֲשֶׁר יִקְרָאוּ. לֹא בִגְבוּרַת הַסּוּס יֶחְפָּץ; לֹא-בְשׁוֹקֵי הָאִישׁ יִרְצֶה. רוֹצֶה ה' אֶת-יְרֵאָיו, אֶת-הַמְיַחֲלִים לְחַסְדּוֹ

He gives to an animal its food, to young ravens that cry out. Not in the strength of the horse does He desire, and not in the legs of man does He favor. Hashem favors those who fear Him, those who hope for His kindness.

The ravens who receive their sustenance, without any effort, proclaim that it is not believing in our might and strength (horses represent might in war while our legs represent strength) that Hashem desires, but rather Hashem favors those who fear (only) Him (meaning: Those who recognize that all sustenance, as well as everything else in our lives is controlled by Hashem), and who await and hope for His kindness, not relying upon anything or anyone other than Hashem.

P’sukim 12-13:

שַׁבְּחִי יְרוּשָׁלִַם אֶת-ה', הַלְלִי אֱלֹקַיִךְ צִיּוֹן. כִּי-חִזַּק בְּרִיחֵי שְׁעָרָיִךְ, בֵּרַךְ בָּנַיִךְ בְּקִרְבֵּךְ

Praise Hashem, O Jerusalem; laud your G-d, O Zion. For He has strengthened the bars of your gates, and blessed your children in your midst.

“שַׁבְּחִי–Shabchi” is a lower form of praise than “הַלְלִי–Halleli.” “Hashem, Master of all” is more general than “Elokayich – my G-d Who watches over me with Divine Providence.” The general population of Yerushalayim will praise the Master of All, while the more elevated people (“Zion”) will offer the higher praise of Elokayich, for it is Hashem and only He Who strengthened the bars of our gates, protecting us, and it is only He Who blesses our children in our midst. We won’t need to travel to earn our livelihood. Hashem will take care of us in Yerushalayim.

Hallelukah 2 – Review of Summary 1 (p’sukim 1-5)

The broad theme of this mizmor is to encourage and strengthen B’nei Yisrael, who have endured such a long and bitter exile since the destruction of the Second Beis HaMikdash. One can become despondent and lose hope that if we haven’t been redeemed in over 2,000 years, what chance do we have of redemption in our generation now?

Pasuk 1:

כִּי-טוֹב זַמְּרָה אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ, כִּי-נָעִים נָאוָה תְהִלָּה הַלְלוּ-יָהּ,

Hallelukah! For it is good to make music to our G-d, for praise is pleasant and befitting.

Praise and even sing to Hashem, our G-d, with emotion, for all He does is pure good. Sing even for that which feels like judgment, and certainly for that which feels sweet.

Pasuk 2:

בּוֹנֵה יְרוּשָׁלִַם ה', נִדְחֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל יְכַנֵּס

The Builder of Jerusalem is Hashem, the outcast of Israel He will gather in.

Hashem is currently rebuilding Yerushalayim with every mitzvah, prayer, and good deed, and will gather in all dispersed Jews.

Pasuk 3:

הָרֹפֵא לִשְׁבוּרֵי לֵב, וּמְחַבֵּשׁ לְעַצְּבוֹתָם

He is the Healer of the broken-hearted, and the One Who binds up their wounds (or sorrows).

He will heal the broken-hearted (we who have endured such a long galus) and bandage our trauma when He shows us how everything we experienced as painful was truly for our benefit, and how the pain actually brought about our redemption.

Pasuk 4:

מוֹנֶה מִסְפָּר לַכּוֹכָבִים, לְכֻלָּם שֵׁמוֹת יִקְרָא

He counts the number of the stars, to all of them He assigns names.

By making us aware that Hashem knows the count and “names” (meaning purposes) of each of the trillions-plus stars, regardless of how many trillions of miles away they are, we (who are compared to the stars) are strengthened in our emunah that Hashem can and is indeed building Yerushalayim, will indeed gather all the outcasts – regardless of how far away (spiritually and physically) they are – and will bandage our trauma when we see how the pain brought about our redemption. This is an uplifting and encouraging message to us all.

Pasuk 5:

גָּדוֹל אֲדוֹנֵינוּ וְרַב-כֹּחַ, לִתְבוּנָתוֹ אֵין מִסְפָּר

Great is our Lord and abundant in strength, His understanding is beyond calculation.

As a further statement of Hashem’s limitless power and His direct involvement in our lives, this pasuk speaks about our Master, His abundant power and kindness (gadol often means kindness), and that His hashgachah (Divine Providence) is beyond our understanding. He weaves together unlimited pieces of the puzzle of our national survival and of our individual lives to form a fabric that is most beneficial to us.

[This summary is based mostly on the commentary known as “Siach Yitzchak,” appearing in the Siddur HaGra.]