Tehilim Perek 72

Welcome to NachDaily, covering the entire TANACH one perek at a time. I’m Rabbi Shaya Sussman, and today we’ll be discussing Tehilim, Chapter 72.

This also marks the end of the second book of Tehilim. As we mentioned in the introduction to NachDaily Tehilim, Dovid wrote five books which correspond to the five books of the Torah. Dovid davened for the ability to fulfill the advice and words of the Torah.

Dovid asks Hashem to give his son Shlomo, the next king of Yisrael, an understanding heart to be able to discern between honesty and corruption. He asks for him to be granted extra wisdom and insight to fairly judge the poor and downtrodden. These people are normally subject to abuse and corruption, while the upper class maintains its privileges.

Dovid also prays for Shlomo to achieve world fame and dominance over the surrounding nations. He wants this to come about through being kind to the needy and poor, not through ambition and cruelty.

Dovid asks for physical and spiritual prosperity during Shlomo’s reign.

The prayer ends with Dovid giving blessing and thanks to God.

This marks the end of the second book of Tehilim.

Verse 20, the last in the chapter, states:

כָּלּ֥וּ תְפִלּ֑וֹת דָּ֝וִ֗ד בֶּן־יִשָֽׁי׃

This is the end of the prayers of David son of Jesse.

There’s a classic question in regard to this statement. Is this really the end of Dovid’s Tehilim? The Gemara says that the words, “kalu tefilos -this ends the tefilos” and reads it as “kol alu tefilos Dovid ben Yishai – all these are the prayers of Dovid ben Yishai. This means that Dovid would regularly say all the Tehilim even if they weren’t written by him.

Alternatively, it’s brought in Sefer Toras Menachem that some people have the custom to recite the psalm of their age every day because according to his opinion, the first and second psalms are really one. This chapter would really be the seventy first which would correspond to the last year of Dovid’s life, as we know that he only lived for 70 years.

Last but not least, the Medresh Tehilim explains that the word kalu, end, also comes from the words kalsa nafshi – my soul years. Therefore, this chapter would mark the end of Dovid prayers regarding the yearning of the soul.

It’s also important to mention Rav Shteinzalt’s perush of Tehilim. He says that the first two books of Tehilim were by and large written and organized by Dovid, and that is why his name is included in almost every one. From the third book onwards, however, although Dovid said them, most of them do not mention his name.

I’m looking forward to starting the 3^rd book of Tehilim with everyone.

Thank you for listening and have a wonderful day.