Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Understanding Tefilah: Mizmor Shir Channukat HaBayit L’Dovid – 8

Rav Lessin

“Hashem, birtzoncha he’emadta l’har’ri oz, histarta panecha hayiti nivhal.” 

“Hashem, through Your will You supported my mountain with strength.  If You would hide Your face, I would be bewildered.”  

2 points to remember:

  1. This pasuk, beginning with “Hashem,” stands in contrast to the previous one, which begins with “V’ani.”  The previous pasuk stated the common problem man falls into, namely the illusion of self-sufficiency, which occurs when one mistakenly thinks that he can create his own success without any help.  However, when one realizes that his strength (his mountain) only exists due to the constant support he receives from Hashem, he is humbled.  He comes to realize that Hashem gets a large portion of the credit for what is good and stable in his life.
  2. “Hester panim,” a phrase we may be familiar with from the recent Purim season, refers to the state of Hashem “hiding” His face, when it seems to us as if He isn’t there.  In this pasuk, Dovid HaMelech acknowledges that when Hashem turns away, things fall apart, and we are left with bewilderment, confusion, no direction, and no protection.  We beg Hashem to remain “present” with us, because without His constant support propping us up, we would absolutely be lost.


L’Refuat Gavriel Pinchas ben Devorah Zlata

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