Tehilim 10B

Welcome to NachDaily, covering the entire TANACH one perek at a time. I’m Rabbi Shaya Sussman, and today we’ll be discussing the second half of perek yud in Tehilim.

In the last shiur we discussed pessukim aleph through yud aleph, and now we will continue from passuk yud beis until the end of the perek.

A quick recap: The Alshich Hakadosh explains that this perek is a metaphor for Am Yisrael in Galus, whom the arrogant nations of the world plot to destroy. What the gentile nations don’t realize is that their very planning to deny the Divinity of God, the Jewish nation, and the Torah, is what leads to their downfall. Hashem is going to do to them what they wanted to do to us.

Also recall, for clarity sake, that the reshaim mentioned here are in reference to the nations of the world, and the poor person refers to Am Yisrael.

Dovid uses the rest of the perek to call for Hashem’s protection over His nation, because it’s the role of the true Tzaddikim to always try to protect Klal Yisrael and daven for them.

Rise, O LORD! Strike at him, O God! Do not forget the lowly.

Alshich explains that normally a poor person asks a rich one for money. but Dovid prays that Hashem should give the poor person, which is Yisrael, an extra dose of emunah, faith, to endure and thrive despite the repeated attempts to snuff it out.

Dovid, with Ruach Hakodesh, was able to see beyond his generation to the end of time. He davened for Hashem to strengthen us with deep emunah, with firm resolve, to rise above every circumstance in life.

Why should the wicked man scorn God, thinking You do not call to account?

Radak explains this passuk as asking why the rasha attempts to deny God, and answers that he feels that God doesn’t pay attention to him anyway, nor care about what he says and does.

We need to know deep within ourselves that God cares about every single one of us. He cares more than words can depict about our personal lives and every one of our actions. This is not meant to frighten us, but rather that we grow to feel and experience the love God has for mankind and the world.

Ain Hakodosh Baruch-hu Ba Lebatrona Al Haroyos – God isn’t petty to his creations.

Many people, when they face challenges, think that God is cruel and out to get them, but nothing can be further from the truth! God loves us, and wants us to succeed! Hashem is slow to anger and easy to appease. He only wants our good!

You do look! You take note of mischief and outrage! To dispense punishment is in Your power. The meek can rely on You. You have always helped the orphan.

Look, Hashem,” says Dovid, “at what’s going on in the world. Punish the reshaim, the gentile nations, and help the meek Am Yisrael to have faith in you.

I want to bring this all the way down to us, today.

It can be so difficult to have emunah in Hashem, Dovid says, when you look around the world and see reshaim seemingly successful in their tactics.

Terrorist are seemingly succeeding, and the world looks as if it’s falling apart. This passuk and perek of Tehilim is telling us that despite what it looks like on the outside, we need to see the world through eyes of the Tzaddikim, with eyes of emunah.

Don’t be afraid! We need to see beyond the daily events to discern the form of the Yad Hashem behind the scenes.

Dovid struggled with this in his day, but yet at the same time was unshakable in his belief in the goodness of God. So too we don’t need to be thrown off course, or stressed out with fear.

In the end, Hakol LeTovah. It’s all good!

Now the rest of the perek opens up for us as Dovid continues His tefilah for the rise of Am Yisrael.

O break the power of the wicked and evil man, so that when You look for his wickedness You will find it no more.

God is king forever and ever; the nations will perish from His land. You will listen to the prayer of the lowly, O LORD, You will make their hearts firm; You will incline Your ear to champion the orphan and the downtrodden, that men who are of the earth tyrannize no more.

Dovid again proclaims that Hashem is the King of the universe. The nations of the world will ultimately fall. and Hashem listens to the prayers of Am Yisrael.

In the words of Yeshaya Hanavi, “Al Tirah, do not fear, for Hashem is with you.”

Have a good day, everybody.