Tehilim Perek 40B

Welcome to NachDaily, covering the entire TANACH one perek at a time. I’m Rabbi Shaya Sussman, and today we’ll be continuing to discuss Tehilim, chapter 40. This is the second of two classes on the perek.

Just a quick recap:

Dovid said this chapter after he was miraculously saved from sickness. This is a good chapter to say for anyone who was saved by a miracle or needs a refuah.

Dovid thanks Hashem for the past and continues to pray for the future. Parenthetically, it’s brought down that it’s an excellent idea to constantly look back at the good things that happened to you. Receive strength from them, and use it to call out to Hashem for the future.

In verse 7 it says:

זֶ֤בַח וּמִנְחָ֨ה ׀ לֹֽא־חָפַ֗צְתָּ אָ֭זְנַיִם כָּרִ֣יתָ לִּ֑י עוֹלָ֥ה וַ֝חֲטָאָ֗ה לֹ֣א שָׁאָֽלְתָּ׃

You desired neither sacrifice nor meal offering, but furnished me with ears. You requested neither burnt-offering nor sin-offering.

All of the Meforshim address the contradiction: the passuk says that Hashem didn’t want or ask Yisrael to bring any korbanos, sacrifices to Him. This is seemingly not true. There are many places in the Torah where God commands us to bring korbanos!

Rashi explains that at the time that Hashem gave the Torah on Har Sinai, it was permitted for an individual to bring private offerings. Therefore, when our passuk says that God didn’t command us to bring sacrifices, it is referring to this time period.

The Radak answers that this verse is referring to the time before the Torah was given. At that time sacrifices were not obligatory and were brought on a voluntary basis by those who felt they wanted to give back to God. It was only later in time, when the nation would sin on a regular basis, that daily offerings became obligatory.

The Alshich Hakadosh notes that when Shmuel Hanavi commanded King Shaul to wipe out Amelek, Shaul left the sheep alive to be brought as korbanos to Hashem. Shmuel’s rebuke was precisely what our passuk says: Hashem doesn’t need your sacrifices. Hashem wants you to put aside your own ideas and simply follow the Torah.

Lastly, the Ramad Walli explains that it should be obvious that God doesn’t need your korbanos, because they are physical and can’t touch the spiritual world. Hashem wants the desires of the person bringing the sacrifice, not the sacrifice itself. The entire purpose of the sacrifice is for you to express your longing and desires to Hashem.

The Ramad Walli continues that Hashem doesn’t turn down a broken hearted person. Turning to God with a broken heart is the main thing, because this actually brings you closer to Him.

Nowadays, we have tefilah instead of korbanos. We need to take time every day and pour out our hearts to Hashem in personal prayer. We need to give our entire beings up to Him, by speaking as we would to a friend. When we put our energy into tefilah, it’s as if we’re literally giving up our energy and blood force to Hashem.

We often say in English that, “It’s a sacrifice,” or “I feel like I’m self-sacrificing.” We actually do accomplish when we sacrifice our time to God, speaking with Him one on One every day of our lives. We don’t have to wait for things to get difficult. We can speak to God even in the good times, as Hashem wants to fulfil our desires.

Let us merit not getting caught up in the externalities of life. May we see through the veil of this world and come close to Hashem with a sincere, honest and pure heart.

Thank you for listening and have a wonderful day.