Ibn Ezra claims that when you have faith in G-d, in turn he will strengthen your faith.
Does this idea make sense?
What are other examples of G-d reciprocating when we do something?
Our Sages teach regarding Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, G-d is my light on Rosh Hashanah and my salvation on Yom Kippur...
The words אורי and ישעי are attributed to be referring about Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur respectively. What are the different aspects of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur? How are we supposed to be relating to G-d during this time period. Do we relate to G-d differently on the different festivals?
"The LORD is my light." Yirah is from something that is known, and pahad is from something unknown. When a person is fearful from revealed enemies who battle with him, that is called yirah.
Malbim explains that אורי is when G-d saves us from enemies that we cannot see, whilst ישעי are enemies that we can see. What are examples in our lives of "enemies" (spiritual or physical) that we can or cannot see?
When evil men assail me to devour my flesh— it is they, my foes and my enemies, who stumble and fall.
On Zombies & Psalm 27
Obviously.... the biblical authors [were not] thinking about zombies when they crafted Psalm 27. Yet they use לֶאֱכֹל אֶת־בְּשָׂרִי (l’ekhol et b’sari - to devour flesh) as an example of מִמִּי אִירָא (mimi ira’)and מִמִּי אֶפְחָד (mimi ephḥad), those whom we should fear and dread. It is a dramatic, nightmarish foil to the redemptive focus of the Psalm, God as אוֹרִי וְיִשְׁעִי (Ohri v’yish’i), our light and help, our מָעוֹז־חַיַּי (Maoz Ḥaiyai), our stronghold. Still, every morning, I recite this Psalm and for a few desperate and distracted moments envision every fear, every flaw, and every failure of the past year coming to life as animated corpses, zombies hungry for my flesh.
And why shouldn’t I? As I engage in ḥeshbon ha’nefesh, the “accounting of the soul” before the High Holy Days, these fears, flaws, and failures eat away at me. It is a common enough expression in English — how often we describe our guilt, our jealousy, and our anger and say: It’s eating me up inside!....
So too I believe that the language here, in our Psalm, should be understood as equally morbid and just as intentional. Even before Night of the Living Dead painted the metaphor in broad strokes, being called a zombie was the cultural equivalent of being called brainwashed or propagandized, a way of describing those who cannot or will not think for themselves. What could be more true? My enemy daily draws near to consume my flesh! My enemies are conformity, consumerism, and the quickness with which I cast aspersions on the character of my fellows simply so I can feel better about myself.
Rabbi Jessica Minnen
What are your thoughts on Rabbi Jessica Minnen's interpretation?
What is something that "devours" you? How could you overcome it?
Why does דוד only ask one thing?
At first glance, there is something slightly disingenuous about this request, which we will be making every day for the next month a half in our daily recitation is לדוד ה׳אורי. Is it really possible to ask to be perpetually בבית ה? We subsequently ask for permission to “visit” the hechal regularly. If Dovid asked to be constantly present in בית ה, then why the need to visit? Perhaps this "inconsistency" actually renders the request realistic. If we are successful in creating a routine of regular "visits" then the net impact will be to create a sense that everything we do is בבית ה.
What are ways that we can create those "visits" of G-d in our lives so that ultimately we might feel like we are perpetually in G-d's home?
Malbim explains that a שאלה is an expressed request, while a בקשה is an internal desire. If G-d is able to know our thoughts why is it important to verbally express our desires and wants?
What is the change of tone in the second half of the Perek (pasuk 9-13)?
How would you describe the speaker of the perek in the first half vs the second half?
Which half do you identify with more?
How does this conclusion connect the themes of the two halves of the perek?