Tehilim Perek 116

Hello everybody, I’m Rabbi Shaya Sussman, covering the entire TANACH one perek at a time. Today’s NachDaily is Tehilim Chapter 116.

In this chapter, the 4^th in Hallel, the author relates that even at a time in his life when he was healthy and things went his way, he enjoyed davening to Hashem because he knew that his tefilos were heard.

The author says that Hashem would save him even when he was in a low place and felt the grip of depression, but he is mainly thankful that God spared his soul. It’s one thing to be saved from physical death, but it’s a totally different thing to be saved from spiritual death.

The author also wonders how he can repay God for all the good he’s received. He feels like the son of a servant, as his life is totally indebted to Hashem in a manner of total bitul, nullification.

The chapter ends with an affirmation of gratitude. He will pay his vows to Hashem at the Beis Hamikdash in Yerushalyim.

Verse 1 says:

אָ֭הַבְתִּי כִּֽי־יִשְׁמַ֥ע ׀ יְהוָ֑ה אֶת־ק֝וֹלִ֗י תַּחֲנוּנָֽי׃

I love God because He hears my voice and supplications;

Davening isn’t only for when you need something! Just the very fact that God, the Master of the world Who created the world from nothing, actually enjoys your tefilos, can be enough to motivate you to start speaking to Him.

Many people don’t enjoy davening and just mumble through it, but davening to Hashem is actually enjoyable.

The Baal Shem Tov explains that Hashem commanded Noach, “Tsohar ta’aseh l’tevah, Make a light for the ark.” The word tevah also means “words.”

We need to daven in such a way that we receive light from the words. Even if we don’t understand every word of tefilah, the mere recitation of them can be an enjoyable experience if we realize that we’re connected to God. There is so much light contained in the letters of tefilah!

The author loves God because he feels that Hashem listens to his tefilos. Obvously, the more we have that emunah, the more motivated we’ll be to daven and put our energy into it.

If you feel, however, that Hashem doesn’t really listen, or you’ve davened seemingly with no success, you’re not going to really get behind your words.

THIS IS A HUGE MISTAKE! HASHEM LISTENS TO THE PRAYER OF EVERY SINGLE PERSON ON EARTH! DON’T BE DISILLUSIONED! STAY STRONG. Have the firm resolve to put yourself into your davening to gain more from tefilah! YOUR TEFILOS ARE A POWERFUL WEAPON!

May we merit the emunah that Hashem actually cares about us enough to listen to our tefilos.

Thank you for listening, and have a wonderful day.