Tehilim Perek 97

Hello everyone, I hope that you’re all doing well on this wonderful day. Today’s NachDaily is Tehilim Chapter 97. I’m Rabbi Shaya Sussman, covering the entire TANACH one perek at a time. We are continuing in the chapters written by Moshe Rabbenu.

Moshe wrote this to strengthen the hearts of Yisrael so that they would not give up hope for the ultimate redemption. In the future, when Hashem will be recognized as the King of the entire earth, it will be revealed to all its inhabitants that He is One.

The Minchas Shai notes that although the chapter refers to the past tense of malach, ruled, indicating that Hashem was King, it really means the future. We often find prophecy written in the past tense, but referring to the future.

The chapter opens with the proclamation which will announce Mashiach: “Hashem is King!” The entire earth will rejoice.

The author describes Hashem’s omnipotence. He’s surrounded by clouds and mist. Truth and justice make up the fabric of His throne, and He lights up the world with lightning. Earth and mountains tremble and melt before Him.

The truth of God’s righteousness is apparent in the heavens and celestial worlds. The heavenly forces subjugate themselves to His Oneness. This simultaneously demonstrates that all other “gods” are false. By knowing what’s true, we automatically know what is not!

Tzion will be happy upon hearing the good news, and all of Yerushalayim will celebrate.

The perek ends by stating that the lovers of God should hate evil. Hashem protects the people who try to do His will by keeping His Torah, so those who serve Him should rejoice!

Verse 7 says:

הָרִים כַּדּוֹנַג נָמַסּוּ מִלִּפְנֵי יְהוָה מִלִּפְנֵי אֲדוֹן כָּל־הָאָרֶץ׃

Mountains melt like wax before God, before the Master of all the earth.

How will the mountains melt like wax?

The Ba’al Shem Tov, in Keser Shem Tov 139, explains that “Your mountains” are referring to the emotions of love and fear. When these two emotions are disconnected from God, they begin to melt away and be scattered in all different directions with no boundaries. This causes people to either split their emotions into black and white, good and bad, or to only love things that bring pleasure and despise emotions that bring pain.

When you realize that there’s one single Source behind all your emotions, good and bad, you begin to see the deeper underpinning of your life experiences. You stop running from your feelings because you recognize that they are all rooted in God at their source. You begin to see a deeper order of Oneness behind your life.

This brings us to the understanding that feelings are not good or bad, because they’re all rooted in God. You’re free to experience and feel the entire gamut of human emotions and move seamlessly between all of them because you’re rooted in the deep center point from whece all human experience emanates. God is the true paradigm in which the world always was and will be functioning.

May we merit seeing the Oneness behind life, to deeply and insightfully realize that Hashem is the King of all on earth.

Thank you for listening, and have a wonderful day.