Psalm 73

The third book of Tehillim begins with this psalm. Whereas the first two books of Psalms are dedicated primarily to specific, personal events in the lives of individuals, the last two books concern general, universal themes which demonstrate God's goodness. The introductory verse of this psalm is a resounding declaration of faith which eloquently sets the tone for the ensuing compositions: Truly God is [naught but] good to Israel!

The psalmist surveyed Jewish history — past, present, and future — and beheld only misery and travail for the Jews, while evil men flourished. Countless other observers have had their faith weakened by the same gnawing question: Why does they way of the wicked prosper (Jeremiah 12:1).

Assaf addresses those plagued by indecision and doubt. 'Do not be troubled by seeming inconsistencies,' he counsels, 'for everything God does to Israel is good. He causes you to suffer now, so that the fruits of your good deeds may be preserved for the future world of reward' (Radak; Rashi). Remember this and no complaints will ever escape your lips; instead, your heart will overflow with endless hymns of gratitude. -Artscroll

This psalm addresses the perplexing question: why in this world do the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer? The psalm's composer, Asaph, speaks either for himself or on behalf of every perplexed soul. The book of Job likewise addresses this issue at length, as do many of the prophets. Jeremiah (12:1),for, example, says: "You are right, O God, when I contend with You, but I will argue with You. Why has the way of the wicked prospered, all who deal with treachery have peace?" (Radak). -Tehillim -Book of Psalms with English Translation and Commentary: With Commentary from the Talmud, Midrash, Kabbalah, Classic Commentators, and the Chasidic Masters.

A Wisdom psalm in which the psalmist, before the religious assembly, reflects on the justice of God. Like the author of the Book of Job, the psalmist poses this problem: How can one reconcile the justice of God with the inequities in his government of the world? The poet finds the solution of the problem in the final punishment of the wicked (vss. 18—19) and the eternal union of the just with God in heaven (vss. 23—26). PSS xxxvii and xlix consider the same problem, and their authors reach the same solution as the present poet. -The Anchor Bible

Asaph. The founder of one of the three chief guilds of Levite temple musicians, the "sons of Asaph" (I Chron xxv 1—2, 6—9). PSS 1, Ixxiii—lnxiii contain ascriptions to Asaph in their titles, but whether these ascriptions indicate a tradition of his authorship of them, or a style peculiar to them and originated by Asaph, remains to be determined. See W. F. Albright, Archaeology and the Religion of Israel, pp. 126 f. -The Anchor Bible

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1. An Asaph psalm. This psalm is one out of eleven among the seventeen that make up the third book of Psalms that is ascribed to the Levite Asaph. One may infer that Asaph psalms were the core of this particular collection and the others were added. -Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary (p. 2904).

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Assaf was more than a composer, he was also endowed with the spirit of prophecy [I Chronicles 25:2]. Many centuries later we find that when King Chizkiyahu rededicated the Temple he commanded the Levites to praise Hashem With the words of David and Assaf the Seer [Il Chronicles 29:30, see Tanna d'Bei Eliyahu Chap. 30].

The Sages differ as to the precise identity of Assaf. Rabbi Yochanan says that Assaf is one of the three sons of Korach who jointly composed many of the psalms. However, since he was a devoted Torah scholar, he merited the privilege of composing songs himself as well as in collaboration with his brothers. Based on a series of verses (I Chronicles 6:22-28 citing the lineages of of Assaf and Aviassaf) Rav maintains that Assaf could not have been one of Korach's sons (Shir HaShirim Rabbah 4:4). -Artscroll

1. to Israel. An emendation proposed by several scholars, reading layashar ʾel instead of the Masoretic leyisraʾel, yields the following for the whole line: “But good is El to the upright, / God to the pure of heart.” Although the received text is perfectly intelligible as it stands, the emendation has two points to recommend it: the unbalanced line (four beats, then two) becomes balanced (three beats in each verset); and the mention of “Israel,” which appears to violate the individual perspective of the poem, is eliminated. -Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary (p. 2904)

3. For I envied the revelers. The speaker’s near straying, mentioned in the previous verse, is not through an act he committed but in his being tempted by envying the wicked, who seem to him to prosper even as they complacently disregard any prospect of retribution. The problem laid out here is essentially one that is addressed by Wisdom literature (as in Psalm 1): How is it that the wicked prosper? The answer, in keeping with the assumptions of mainline Wisdom writing, is that the worldly success of the wicked is temporary and illusory. -Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary (pp. 2904-2905).

• What is your response to the question, "How is it that the wicked prosper?"

3. For I envied the revelers when I saw the tranquility of the wicked. Holelim ("revelers") suggests folly. It is therefore an apt term for the wicked, since a person does not sin unless overcome with a spirit of folly (see Sotah 3a). I envied these wicked revelers when I saw their success and tranquility (Metzudot). -Book of Psalms with English Translation and Commentary: With Commentary from the Talmud, Midrash, Kabbalah, Classic Commentators, and the Chasidic Masters.

• This commentary offers a different view, that we sin because of folly. What do you think about this idea??

4. For there are no bonds at the time of their death. When pain accompanies death, it appears as if the spirit of life is tightly bound to the body, refusing to let go. The death of these wicked ones, however, is serene, free of the pain of separation between body and soul (Radak; Meiri). -Book of Psalms with English Translation and Commentary: With Commentary from the Talmud, Midrash, Kabbalah, Classic Commentators, and the Chasidic Masters.

5. Of the torment of man they have no part. The entire verse, like the preceding one, expresses the illusion under which the speaker labored when he envied the wicked. -Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary (p. 2905).

• The psalmist looks at the external experience of people who do wicked things. He suggests they may feel inner torment? Do you agree?

7. Fat bulges round their eyes. This is one of several satiric images deployed in Psalms that represents the prospering wicked as physically swollen from the delicacies with which they have been stuffing themselves—here, the eye is imagined peeking out from its envelope of fat. (The Hebrew is somewhat crabbed, but the literal sense is: their eye protrudes from fat.) -Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary (p. 2905).

9. They have the gall to set their mouths against Heaven, even while their tongues walk upon the earth. Alternatively: They set their mouths against God in Heaven, and their tongues walk upon the earth to speak against the Godfearing (Radak).

The verse alludes to the reach of slander: their Talmud mouths, which speak slander, can reach heaven— having far-reaching effects. Unlike an arrow, whose reach is limited, slander can travel across the world. Yet, like an already launched arrow, it cannot be retrieved (Arachin 15b and Rabbenu Gershom there). -Book of Psalms with English Translation and Commentary: With Commentary from the Talmud, Midrash, Kabbalah, Classic Commentators, and the Chasidic Masters.

9. They put their mouth up to the heavens. Although the Hebrew preposition can also mean “against,” as many interpreters claim, the parallelism with the second verset might rather indicate that the wicked distribute their arrogant speech high and low, up to the heavens and all over the earth. -Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary (p. 2905).

Psalms in Practice: They set their mouths against Heaven, while their tongues walk upon the earth (73:9).

Winding Conversations. This is the path followed by the gathering of wicked fools: At first, they speak excessively about empty matters, as in the verse: The talk of a fool is characterized by a multitude of words (Ecclesiastes 5:2), As a result, they then come to speak disparagingly of the righteous, as in the verse: May the lying lips be silenced; those which speak falsehood about a righteous man (Psalms 31:19). This will condition them to then speak against the prophets and cast aspersions on their words, as in the verse: They would abuse the messengers of God, scorn His words, and mock His prophets (Il Chronicles 36:16). And this leads them to deny God's existence entirely, as in the verse: And the children of Israel spoke in secret things that were not true against God, their God (Il Kings 17:9).

In this vein, the present verse states: They set their mouths against Heaven, while their tongues walk upon the earth. What caused them to set their mouths against Heaven? It was their tongues, which previously walked upon the earth.

In contrast, the speech of proper Jewish people only concerns words of Torah and wisdom (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Tumat Tzaraat 16:10)! -Book of Psalms with English Translation and Commentary: With Commentary from the Talmud, Midrash, Kabbalah, Classic Commentators, and the Chasidic Masters.

• How do you respond to this view about speech?
  

10. Therefore, His people return here and suck the full cup of bitter waters. When His people in exile see the wicked prospering, they turn to the path of the wicked to walk in their ways, and they imbibe the attitudes of the wicked (Metzudot). -Book of Psalms with English Translation and Commentary: With Commentary from the Talmud, Midrash, Kabbalah, Classic Commentators, and the Chasidic Masters.

11. And they say, "How can it be that God knows man's deeds? Is there knowledge in the Most High?" If He does know, how could He cause misfortune for His people who walk in His ways while providing good fortune to the heretics and criminals of the world? (Radak). -Book of Psalms with English Translation and Commentary: With Commentary from the Talmud, Midrash, Kabbalah, Classic Commentators, and the Chasidic Masters.

13. But in vain have I kept my heart pure. This is the culmination of the speaker’s despair. He contemplates the triumphal complacency and success of the wicked, while he, though pure of heart, suffers untold afflictions day after day (verse 14). -Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary (p. 2905).

18. You set them on slippery ground. At this point the speaker’s vindication finally unfolds, for he sees God reversing the good fortune of the wicked. -Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary (p. 2905).

18. Only on slippery places do You set them; You cast them into darkness. The good fortune that You provide the wicked serves as reward for the few good deeds they have done. Once rewarded, they no longer have the merit of those good deeds, which might have protected them. Providing them good fortune is therefore equivalent to placing them on a slippery place, since in the end they will fall quickly into the darkness without any merit to protect them (Metzudot). -Book of Psalms with English Translation and Commentary: With Commentary from the Talmud, Midrash, Kabbalah, Classic Commentators, and the Chasidic Masters.

22. I was a dolt and knew nothing. These words refer to the speaker’s imagining that the wicked might have the right idea, not realizing that God was about to overturn their fate. -Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary (pp. 2905-2906).

FOOL'S PROFIT

The ultimate union with God cannot be attained via the intellect. God's Essence defies definition and thus comprehension as well. To truly connect with God, we must transcend the limits of our minds and access our intrinsic faith. Only when we discover the core of our soul and its oneness with God do we achieve complete unity with Him. A homiletic interpretation of the present verse expresses this idea: Because I was a boor and did not understand, like an animal, because I abandoned the constraints of my intellect, I was with You—I was able to be one with You (Rabbi Schneur Zalman ofLiadi).²

Nowhere to Fall

Alternatively, I was like an animal that obediently serves its master and does not concern itself with thoughts of sustenance, assured that its master will provide. Similarly, I did not desire great and lofty things but was content to simply heed my Creator. One should not seek spiritual adornment and accomplishment but should cast oneself to the earth, for the lowly and humble have nowhere to fall (Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi).³

Obviously, Rabbi Schneur Zalman does not mean to discourage one from spiritual growth. His intent is to teach one how to approach spiritual goals. Growth does not come through obsessively pursuing spiritual heights. This can lead one to self-delusion and subsequent disappointment at falling short of one's perceived stature. Rather, an honest humility is what opens one to the richest spiritual experience. When we recognize our inadequacy, we welcome spiritual direction. Humility, not eager anticipation of spiritual greatness, allows us to grow (Ille Rebbe).⁴ -Book of Psalms with English Translation and Commentary: With Commentary from the Talmud, Midrash, Kabbalah, Classic Commentators, and the Chasidic Masters.

23. Yet I was always with You. This is not a contradiction but the persuasive record of inner oscillation. The speaker was on the verge of being seduced by the evident success of the wicked, but he resisted, clinging to God despite all the inducements of his observation to follow the way of the wicked. -Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary (p. 2906).

27. those far from You perish. This line summarizes the view of the fate of evildoers that is put forth in the whole psalm. However they prosper, if they are far from God, in the end they will be destroyed.

who go whoring from You. This metaphor of sexual betrayal is not part of the vocabulary of Wisdom literature but appears

-Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary (p. 2906).

28. God’s closeness is good to me. This contrast to “those far from You” points to the emotional core of the psalm. The speaker may have suffered, but the feeling of being close to God sustains him, gives him a sense of being protected. -Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary (p. 2906).

Spiritual Applications To see wicked people “getting away” with their misdeeds can be one of the most traumatic challenges to a person’s faith in God. Particularly if we have tried to live an honest life and have not been rewarded with either others’ good will or with material benefits, to see a dishonest, conniving person basking in others’ esteem may embitter us, and may make us feel the yeast of resentment rising inside us. To believe that miscreants will meet their fate in the world to come (which is a rabbinic teaching) may not be sufficient comfort, particularly if we are not sure what that world will look like. The response of this psalm’s author is a disarming one: don’t focus on the seeming good life of the “bad” person; rather seek God’s presence yourself— bring your doubts and your heartache to God.

As the poet has found God in holy places, we might frequent such places as well— not only the synagogue, but also beautiful places in nature, in soaring buildings, places where we can be surrounded by music that speaks to us, by art or people who raise our spirits, places where we can let God’s presence in, settings where we feel the omnipresent God may dwell more palpably than other places.

We may not like the invidious comparisons suggested by this psalm— we can come close to God while the wicked cannot. We may feel that the right thing to do is not to envy wicked people but to try to help them change their ways. Still, at the moment when we feel that the world is unfair, that God does not hear our just cries, it may be the most effective course to seek out God’s presence, as the poet suggests.

In the end, the goal is to change our tale— to be able to tell a story of how we have discovered fairness in the world, how we have become more convinced of the presence of a just and caring God, a God who is “good for us.” Such a tale is not easy to construct— but like the construction of any work of art, the process of searching for it, of finding the pieces for it, and of trying to put them together is a worthy goal for our life. Theodicy (dealing with God’s justice) is not a theology; it’s a lifelong project. -Levy, Rabbi Richard N.. Songs Ascending: The Book of Psalms (Vol. 2)

Psalm 73 Asaph’s Song

God is glad that you grapple with Him

when you are pure of heart.

And I, my feet nearly faltered, my steps nearly slipped—

I was so angry at the wanton, at the sight of the wicked at ease.

They seem to die without anguish;

they look so healthy.

Not caring that they abused the powerless;

they don’t feel the pain of common folks.

They adorn themselves with conceit,

wrap themselves in larceny.

Their eyes pop out from fat;

their heart is filled with their self-importance.

They scorn Heaven with their words;

they slander everyone.

This influences the masses,

who swallow their party line.

They say, “How can God know?

How can one so exalted care

about what we do here below?”

How did these pampered villains

gain such great success?

So, it seemed to me that though

I scoured my heart and scrubbed my hands,

it was all for nothing.

I was so plagued all day;

every morning came to scorn me.

If I were to tell it as it really is,

I would betray the young of my generation.

I set myself to think this through,

though it seemed to upset me.

Then, as I came into God’s sacred Home,

I got to understand

how they will have their comeuppance.

You made it slippery for them,

so they fall into their own traps.

In a moment they become wasted,

finished, consumed in terror;

like a nightmare in broad daylight,

they are shocked by Your scorn.

At times my heart turns acrid

and my kidneys feel sore—

[then it seems to me that]

I hate myself for being like a dumb beast,

like a brute I was with You.

Still, I am always with You;

You take hold of my right hand.

You guide me with Your Counsel;

You bring me to self-esteem.

Whom have I in Heaven, but You?

Beside You, I don’t want anything on Earth;

my flesh and my heart long for You.

You are God, my very own Self,

the shelter of my heart;

You are forever.

-Schachter-Shalomi, Zalman. Psalms in a Translation for Praying . ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal.