Psalm 90: Eternal G-d, Mortal Humanity

1. There is a tradition to recite a p'suk sharing the first and last letters of one's name at the end of the Amidah, and many siddurim contain lists of p'sukim for this purpose. In college, in my Hebrew classes, the Israeli Hebrew professor required us to use our Hebrew names, and since I didn't have one, he gave me the name Tomer - I suspect most likely because of the similarity to the name Tim. I have embraced the name. I've also recently discovered the wonderful kabbalistic/mussar work Tomer Devorah, which further endears the name to me. While the lists of p'sukim in most Artscroll siddurim don't have a p'suk for these letters, the Breslov Siddur does and it is the first verse of this perek of Tehillim:

2. This is the only Psalm attributed to Moses. However, Rashi comments that Moses recited the following ten Psalms, through Psalm 100, for a total of eleven, because of the eleven blessings for eleven tribes in D'varim 33, Parshat V'Zot Ha-B'rachah. (Shimon is omitted on account of the avodah zarah and intermarriage of Zimri, a leader of the tribe of Shimon, in Bamidbar 25.) Also, Psalm 101 is the next attributed Psalm after this one, attributed to David. The Radak believes Ps. 90 was composed by descendants of Moses. Ibn Ezra distinguishes between the Torah, which was composed by Moses as direct prophecy, and this Psalm, composed by Moses under divine inspiration but not as prophecy. Modern biblical scholars believe the Psalm is much later.

3. The Psalm contrasts the difficulty and brevity of human life with the eternity of G-d, asking for G-d's favor, wisdom to accomplish the things we need to accomplish, and G-d's blessing on our handiwork. The span of human life is given as 70 years, 80 if one is particularly strong.

This is intriguing because Moses lived to be 120 years old.

In the end of Parshat Bereishit, it is stated that HaShem allots 120 years to humans. Some interpret this as "120 years until the Flood" - but many see it as the allotment of human life, shortening from the days of those who lived into their 900's, but set forth as the new ideal lifespan. Moses lived 120 years because he was, in some sense, the ideal human being. Was Moses prophesying about shorter lifespans? If he is not the author, why attribute this Psalm to one who lived the full 120 years? And who lived 70 years?

David.

Since Moses was extraordinary and we can't expect to emulate him, perhaps this inclusion of his Psalm in the book of Tehillim, primarily considered David's book, with the lifespan being 70, is a subtle statement that David is in many ways the one we should emulate. The Torah is G-d's book, associated with Moses, giving us the mitzvot to follow - Tehillim is our book, where we pour out our hearts to HaShem, our joys, our sorrows, our anger, everything - and it is in following David's path even as we strive to follow the mitzvot given in the Torah that is the path of serving G-d we are to follow. (I am assuming that there is a special relationship between the Torah and Tehillim because of the five books of each - I think this correlation of Torah as G-d's book and Tehillim as ours works on a number of levels.)

4. G-d's eternity and power are presented in several of the verses, in contrast to the brevity of human existence. Some look at the traditional numbering of years in the Hebrew calendar and see six days of a thousand years each followed by a thousand years of the messianic age, corresponding to Shabbat, with predictions of Moshiach to come 219 years from now based on verse 4.

5. In contrast, human beings are weak and our lives fleeting. Our sins provoke G-d's wrath. Verse 3 can be read both as G-d telling us to return to the dust and as a call to repentance (Repent you mortals).

6. The psalmist then prays for G-d to be merciful to humanity and let people be joyful. The call of G-d to humans to "return" - return to earth? repent? is echoed in verse 13 when G-d is asked to return/repent.

7. This psalm is the first psalm of the fourth book of Psalms. If the five books of Tehillim are inidvidually correlated to the five books of Torah (which I don't think for the most part works, unlike correlating the Torah and Tehillim as a whole - but does in the case of this Psalm) - this interplay of human frailty and sin followed by pleas for mercy fits well with some of the themes of Bamidbar/Numbers.

8. Finally, having contemplated the brevity of human life, the psalmist asks for G-d to establish the work of our hands - which is repeated in the verse. This verse is recited as part of the Bedtime Shema in Nusach Ashkenaz and in the Spanish-Portuguese nusach, committing the work of the day into G-d's hands and asking that it be established. This is, I think, a result of the recognition of the temporal limits of human existence - we realize that life is short, we ask G-d for wisdom, and then we ask for G-d to prosper and establish our work and make it have lasting effect for good.

Questions for discussion:

1. I mentioned David as a model - which person in biblical or later Jewish or secular history do you take as a model and why?

2. We hear the call to repent/return - and Moses/the psalmist makes the call to G-d to also repent/return - are there specific ways in which you feel yourself or humanity at large called to repent - and specific ways you want to call G-d to repent?

3. What work have you done that you want G-d to establish as a lasting legacy? What work would you like to do for G-d to establish?

4. On this Martin Luther King holiday, how can we be partners with him and with G-d in establishing and building upon his handiwork to achieve justice for all?