Tehilim Perek 82

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 82.

This kapital rebukes judges who aren’t doing their jobs properly, distorting the truth and making life more difficult for the poor and the needy. The Torah is not theirs to distort.

The Ramad Walli explains the connection between this chapter and the previous one. The last perek ended by reminding us that, in the time of the final redemption, God is going to bring retribution upon the nations of the world who harmed Yisrael.

A person shouldn’t think that things occur in the world by chance. God judges the world perfectly. Nothing and no-one on earth experiences anything other than what is decreed in the heavenly courts.

Asaph opens the chapter by declaring that God resides with every group of Jews. Judges need to be careful therefore, when in litigation, because God is judging them!

When judgement gets twisted, the poor and needy suffer. The wealthy become empowered while the needs of the “ordinary” people are ignored.

Asaph relates that clarity in judgment has become so distorted that judges don’t even realize their mistakes. Hashem had appointed them to carry out His word, but when the judges themselves pervert justice, the reason for them to be in a leadership role no longer exists.

The chapter ends with Asaph calling on God to rise up and judge the earth.

Verse 1 says:

מִזְמוֹר לְאָסָף אֱ‍לֹהִים נִצָּב בַּעֲדַת־אֵל בְּקֶרֶב אֱלֹהִים יִשְׁפֹּט׃

A psalm of Asaph. God is present in a Godly congregation. He judges among judges.

Reb Nosson explains that Hashem Himself comes down to help judges who are honestly concerned for the emes, truth. Truth is their guiding light. Searching for the truth is synonymous with searching for God’s light. God Himself is the God of truth, and His signet ring is one of truth. When judges are looking only for emes, Hashem illuminates their minds with His light.

We each need to long and yearn for emes in our lives. The more we work on cultivating our desires to honestly come close to Hashem, the more God reveals Himself to us.

We must be seekers of God and His truth. A little bit of light goes a long way to dispel the darkness of sheker, falsehood. The main thing is to constantly cultivate our innermost desires to want to experience the light and truth of God.

May we merit not only finding our own truth, but finding the emes l’amito, the universal truth.

Thank you for listening, and have a wonderful day.