1. Trusting the Lord
(א) לְדָוִ֨ד ׀ יְהוָ֤ה ׀ אוֹרִ֣י וְ֭יִשְׁעִי מִמִּ֣י אִירָ֑א יְהוָ֥ה מָֽעוֹז־חַ֝יַּ֗י מִמִּ֥י אֶפְחָֽד׃
(ב) בִּקְרֹ֤ב עָלַ֨י ׀ מְרֵעִים֮ לֶאֱכֹ֪ל אֶת־בְּשָׂ֫רִ֥י צָרַ֣י וְאֹיְבַ֣י לִ֑י הֵ֖מָּה כָשְׁל֣וּ וְנָפָֽלוּ׃
(ג) אִם־תַּחֲנֶ֬ה עָלַ֨י ׀ מַחֲנֶה֮ לֹֽא־יִירָ֪א לִ֫בִּ֥י אִם־תָּק֣וּם עָ֭לַי מִלְחָמָ֑ה בְּ֝זֹ֗את אֲנִ֣י בוֹטֵֽחַ׃
(ד) אַחַ֤ת ׀ שָׁאַ֣לְתִּי מֵֽאֵת־יְהוָה֮ אוֹתָ֪הּ אֲבַ֫קֵּ֥שׁ שִׁבְתִּ֣י בְּבֵית־יְ֭הוָה כָּל־יְמֵ֣י חַיַּ֑י לַחֲז֥וֹת בְּנֹֽעַם־יְ֝הוָ֗ה וּלְבַקֵּ֥ר בְּהֵיכָלֽוֹ׃
(ה) כִּ֤י יִצְפְּנֵ֨נִי ׀ בְּסֻכֹּה֮ בְּי֪וֹם רָ֫עָ֥ה יַ֭סְתִּרֵנִי בְּסֵ֣תֶר אָהֳל֑וֹ בְּ֝צ֗וּר יְרוֹמְמֵֽנִי׃
(ו) וְעַתָּ֨ה יָר֪וּם רֹאשִׁ֡י עַ֤ל אֹֽיְבַ֬י סְֽבִיבוֹתַ֗י וְאֶזְבְּחָ֣ה בְ֭אָהֳלוֹ זִבְחֵ֣י תְרוּעָ֑ה אָשִׁ֥ירָה וַ֝אֲזַמְּרָ֗ה לַיהוָֽה׃
(1) Of David. The LORD is my light and my help; whom should I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life, whom should I dread?
(2) When evil men assail me to devour my flesh— it is they, my foes and my enemies, who stumble and fall.
(3) Should an army besiege me, my heart would have no fear; should war beset me, still would I be confident.
(4) One thing I ask of the LORD, only that do I seek: to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD, to frequent His temple.
(5) He will shelter me in His pavilion on an evil day, grant me the protection of His tent, raise me high upon a rock.
(6) Now is my head high over my enemies roundabout; I sacrifice in His tent with shouts of joy, singing and chanting a hymn to the LORD.
2. Searching for God
(ז) שְׁמַע־יְהוָ֖ה קוֹלִ֥י אֶקְרָ֗א וְחָנֵּ֥נִי וַעֲנֵֽנִי׃
(ח) לְךָ֤ ׀ אָמַ֣ר לִ֭בִּי בַּקְּשׁ֣וּ פָנָ֑י אֶת־פָּנֶ֖יךָ יְהוָ֣ה אֲבַקֵּֽשׁ׃
(ט) אַל־תַּסְתֵּ֬ר פָּנֶ֨יךָ ׀ מִמֶּנִּי֮ אַֽל־תַּט־בְּאַ֗ף עַ֫בְדֶּ֥ךָ עֶזְרָתִ֥י הָיִ֑יתָ אַֽל־תִּטְּשֵׁ֥נִי וְאַל־תַּֽ֝עַזְבֵ֗נִי אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׁעִֽי׃
(י) כִּי־אָבִ֣י וְאִמִּ֣י עֲזָב֑וּנִי וַֽיהוָ֣ה יַֽאַסְפֵֽנִי׃
(יא) ה֤וֹרֵ֥נִי יְהוָ֗ה דַּ֫רְכֶּ֥ךָ וּ֭נְחֵנִי בְּאֹ֣רַח מִישׁ֑וֹר לְ֝מַ֗עַן שׁוֹרְרָֽי׃
(יב) אַֽל־תִּ֭תְּנֵנִי בְּנֶ֣פֶשׁ צָרָ֑י כִּ֥י קָֽמוּ־בִ֥י עֵֽדֵי־שֶׁ֝֗קֶר וִיפֵ֥חַ חָמָֽס׃
(7) Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud; have mercy on me, answer me.
(8) In Your behalf my heart says: “Seek My face!” O LORD, I seek Your face.
(9) Do not hide Your face from me; do not thrust aside Your servant in anger; You have ever been my help. Do not forsake me, do not abandon me, O God, my deliverer.
(10) Though my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will take me in.
(11) Show me Your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path because of my watchful foes.
(12) Do not subject me to the will of my foes, for false witnesses and unjust accusers have appeared against me.
3. Resolution
(יג) לׅׄוּלֵׅׄ֗אׅׄ הֶ֭אֱמַנְתִּי לִרְא֥וֹת בְּֽטוּב־יְהוָ֗ה בְּאֶ֣רֶץ חַיִּֽים׃
(יד) קַוֵּ֗ה אֶל־יְה֫וָ֥ה חֲ֭זַק וְיַאֲמֵ֣ץ לִבֶּ֑ךָ וְ֝קַוֵּ֗ה אֶל־יְהוָֽה׃
Life's Journey
It seems to me that David composed this Psalm towards the end of his life, when his advisors asked him to take an oath saying, “You shall not go out to war with us anymore.” (II Samuel 21:17)
(19) Again there was fighting with the Philistines at Gob; and Elhanan son of Jaareoregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite, whose spear had a shaft like a weaver’s bar.
יהודע עמיכי, אדם בחייו
אדם בחייו אין לו זמן שיהיה לו זמן לכל.
ואין לו עת שתהיה לו עת לכל חפץ.
קהלת לא צדק כשאמר כך.
אדם צריך לשנא ולאהב בבת אחת
באותן עיניים לבכות ובאותן עיניים לצחוק באותן ידים לזרוק אבנים
ובאותן ידים לאסוף אותן,
לעשות אהבה במלחמה ומלחמה באהבה.
ולשנוא ולסלוח ולזכור ולשכוח
ולסדר ולבלבל ולאכל ולעכל את מה שהסטוריה ארכה
עושה בשנים רבות מאד.
אדם בחייו אין לו זמן.
כשהוא מאבד הוא מחפש
כשהוא מוצא הוא שוכח,
כשהוא שוכח הוא אוהב
וכשהוא אוהב הוא מתחיל לשכוח.
Yehuda Amichai, "A Man in His Life"
A man doesn’t have time in his life to have time for everything.
He doesn’t have seasons enough to have a season for every person.
Ecclesiastes was wrong about that.
A man needs to love and hate at the same moment,
To laugh and cry with the same eyes.
With the same hands to throw stones
And gather them,
To make love in war and war in love,
And to hate and forgive, and remember and forget,
To arrange and confuse, to eat and digest,
What history takes years and years to do.
A man doesn’t have time.
When he loses he seeks,
When he finds he forgets,
When he forgets he loves,
When he loves he begins to forget.
Eitzah Tovah
לׅׄוֵַּּׅׄ֗לאׅׄ
(1) If I had not believed in the Holy One, blessed is He, those false witnesses would have already risen against me and destroyed me.
The word "Lulei" has dots on it to expound that which our Rabbis expounded: I know that You give reward to righteous in the world to come, but I don't know if I have a portion with them or not.
Dr. Jeffrey Gurock, Judaism’s Encounter with American Sports
I also encounter the Almighty up close and personally at the starting line of an arduous race when I confidently “entrust my spirit...as long as my soul is with my body. The Lord is with me, I am not afraid.” A staunchly religious Christian colleague has chided me for failing to immediately thank God, with equal prayerful reverence, when the race is over and I am swept up in the euphoria of meeting a personal challenge. It is a weakness of character and of faith that I have to work on.
There are two types of thank yous. There is a perfunctory thank you, one we say when someone, for example, opens the door for us or gives us their seat.
And then there is a deeper thank you. A thank you where the word “todah” interfaces with the word “lehodot,” literally, to make an admission. This is a thank you where one says to the other, in deep gratitude – I could not have done it without you.
The latter thank you is more difficult to offer, as the “thanker” is indicating limitation – a limitation that for some is difficult to admit as it reflects vulnerability.
Notwithstanding, it is important to offer these words to others and to God, not only in the bad times, but in the good times.
(P-T-W) קֵוַּּ֗ה