Tehilim Perek 74

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 74.

This is a prayer of supplication, when times are difficult for Am Yisrael, when our foes seem to be encroaching upon us. This is also a prayer to once again see God’s wonders as we did long ago.

Asaph bemoans the Jewish nation seemingly being cast aside, and calls upon Hashem to “remember His people He chose long ago.”

The perek relates how we mourn and weep over the destruction of God’s sanctuary which was set on fire, burned down to the ground. The suffering has become unbearable, and no prophet can see its end in sight.

The denigration of Klal Yisrael, coupled with our enemies rejoicing, has caused a great chilul Hashem, desecration of Gods name. Please Hashem, show Yourself to the world.

Verse 2 says:

זְכֹר עֲדָתְךָ קָנִיתָ קֶּדֶם גָּאַלְתָּ שֵׁבֶט נַחֲלָתֶךָ הַר־צִיּוֹן זֶה שָׁכַנְתָּ בּוֹ׃

Remember Your people whom You acquired long ago, the tribe of Your possessions which You redeemed, Mount Zion where You dwell.

The classic question asked on this is, “When did God “acquire” His people?”

Rashi brings a Medrash which explains that He acquired Am Yisrael before the creation of the world!

The opening word of the Torah – Bereishis, in the beginning – is an acronym for b’shvil Yisrael shenikra reishis – the world was created for the sake of the Jewish people, who are called God’s first.

B’ derech Chassidus, the Toras Menachem explains this with a metaphor of a child that is no longer in sight, but whose image is etched into the parent’s mind. Those who were never parents can never have the exact likeness of a future child’s image in their mind.

God, for whom past, present and future are all the same, had the Jewish people etched into His mind before Am Yisrael was even created. Not only did God envision the Jewish nation in a general form, but He had the image of each and every member of Klal Yisrael etched into His mind prior to creation!

In verse 12, the chapter calls upon God to unleash His strength to the world by relating His ultimate strength in splitting and drying up the sea. Day, night, and all of the seasons are controlled by God.

The perek ends with Asaph urging Hashem to take a look upon the moral decadence and corruption taking place in His world, and affirms our emunah in God’s deliverance.

May we merit God once again recalling His intrinsic love for the Jewish nation, to rid us of the impeding negative forces which try to dampen our spirits, and to recall the image of each of us that had been called into His mind prior to the creation of the world.

Thank you for listening and have a wonderful day.