A middle-aged woman was walking on the sidewalk on Monday morning when she was hit by an electric bicycle rider on Ben Tzvi Sreet in Netanya. Worried relatives called United Hatzalah’s Dispatch and Command Center who immediately alerted nearby EMTs and other medical personnel.
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
that Gemara
Remember that Gemara about fish on land dying is like Jews who don't study Torah? Turns out it's really about Torah AND Mitzvos.
Rav Yehuda says that Shmuel says: What is the meaning of that which is written: “And makes people as the fish of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them” (Habakkuk 1:14)? Why are people compared to the fish of the sea? This serves to say to you: Just as with regard to the fish of the sea, once they arise onto dry land they die immediately; so too, with regard to people, once they separate themselves from studying words of Torah and performing the mitzvot, they die immediately.
AZ 3b.
The study of halacha has a special virtue.
The Tanya says many good things here. The study of halacha has a special virtue. The study of esoteric material is its own value. See depends how you look at it. Then you must fulfill all the mitzvos. All of this is a rebuke to the yeshiva world which values none of it and never talks hashkafa in such an intelligent way.
אבל דוקא סודות המצוה
This, however, refers only to [the study of] the Kabbalistic mysteries of the mitzvah itself,
דלא גרע מלימוד הלכותיה, ואדרבה כו׳
for this is not inferior to the study of its laws; indeed, quite the contrary...,
אף שאינו משיג המהות
even though he does not apprehend the essence of the spiritual intent of the mitzvah as it applies to the visages of Atzilut.
Moreover, his understanding of the essence of the etrog, the object with which the mitzvah is observed, grants him some comprehension of the essence of the mystical reaches of the subject at large.
מה שאין כן בסדר ההשתלשלות
It does not apply to [the study of] the order of Hishtalshelut, the chainlike stages of progressive self-screening whereby the Divine light descends from level to level until ultimately this corporeal world is created:
אף אם משיג המציאות
Even if one does comprehend the external aspect of the existence of the Sefirot and spiritual levels involved,
לא עדיף מצד עצמו כלימוד המצות, שמשיג ותופס המהות
this is not intrinsically as worthy as the study of the laws of the mitzvot, where one comprehends and grasps their essence.
Knowledge of the various spiritual levels may indeed be superior for an unrelated reason, namely, that it leads to a “complete heart” (lev shalem), a wholehearted awe of G‑d — and this, as the Alter Rebbe will later say, is the purpose of all the mitzvot. Intrinsically, however, gaining this knowledge is not superior to studying the laws governing the performance of the mitzvot, whose essence he can understand.
ומעלה עליו כאילו קיים בפועל ממש
Moreover, this [study] is considered [in certain cases] the equivalent of actual performance,
כמו שכתוב: זאת התורה כו׳
as it is written,1 “This is the law [of the burnt offering and the meal offering...].”
The Gemara comments on this,2 “He who occupies himself with these laws is considered as if he had actually offered a burnt offering and a meal offering.”
Mastering the revealed laws of the commandments is thus in one sense superior to delving into the innermost dimension (the pnimiyut) of the Torah, on esoteric subjects such as the order of Hishtalshelut. For the study of the laws relates to the essence of the subject at hand, such as the physical objects with which the commandments are performed.
G‑d’s wisdom, moreover, which is inherent in these laws, descends and permeates the physical objects around which the laws revolve. It is thus the essence of G‑d’s wisdom that the student comprehends, and thereby he becomes involved in the “wondrous union” described in ch. 5 of Tanya, whereby his mortal intellect simultaneously “encompasses and is encompassed by” the Divine wisdom embodied in the Torah which he is studying. This intellectual union in turn unites his soul (which transcends his intellect) with the infinite light that is vested in the wisdom of the Torah.
The above is true only when he understands the essence of his subject. This is the case when he studies (for example) the laws regulating the observance of the commandments. If, by contrast, his subject is the hierarchies of angels in the Worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, or, yet higher, the configurations of Sefirot within the World of Atzilut, then his grasp is no more than external: he may indeed be aware of his subject’s existence, but he will be unable to know its essence.
* * *
And now, all the above notwithstanding, the Alter Rebbe is about to point out the superior aspect of the study of Hishtalshelut.
אלא שידיעת המציאות מההשתלשלות היא גם כן מצוה רמה ונשאה, ואדרבה, עולה על כולנה
However, the knowledge of the existence of the Hishtalshelut is also a lofty and exalted mitzvah.3 Indeed, it outweighs them all, all of the mitzvot and the study of the laws of the Torah.
כמו שכתוב: וידעת היום כו׳
Thus it is written,4 “Know this day [...that the L‑rd is G‑d],”
דע את אלקי אביך כו׳
and5 “Know the G‑d of your father...”; i.e., there is an obligation to attain a knowledge or apprehension of Divinity.
ומביאה ללב שלם כו׳
Moreover, this leads to a “whole heart,” for the latter verse concludes, “and serve Him with a whole heart”; i.e., a knowledge of G‑d leads one to serve Him with one’s entire being.
As explained in Likkutei Torah, in the discourse beginning VeLo Tashbit, this refers to serving G‑d with awe — and this is the ultimate intent of all the mitzvot, as the Torah states,6 “G‑d has commanded us to perform all these statutes so that we may fear the L‑rd our G‑d.” And it is the study of the innermost dimensions of the Torah and a knowledge of the various spiritual levels which comprise the order of Hishtalshelut that enable one to fulfill the mitzvah of “knowing G‑d,” which leads in turn to the “whole heart” of “fearing Him.” Thus the Alter Rebbe concludes:
שהוא העיקר
And this is the essential thing: the wholehearted awe of G‑d is the ultimate purpose of all the commandments.
As mentioned above, one can attain this state only through a knowledge of the order of Hishtalshelut, even though this knowledge is merely an awareness of its existence and not a grasp of its essence.
והשגת המציאות הוא להפשיט מגשמיות כו׳
The comprehension of existence entails divesting [this subject] of any physicality....
In other words, one should endeavor to picture its spirituality. Hence, as the Rebbe has often stressed, one should study the innermost and mystical dimension of the Torah in such a way that one7 “derives sustenance from it” (יתפרנסון מיניה) — viz., the “sustenance” derived from comprehension. And soundly-based comprehension can be secured only when this dimension of the Torah is studied with the intellectual elucidation afforded by the teachings of Chabad.
רק שזו היא מצוה אחת מתרי״ג
However, this mitzvah (of knowing G‑d and apprehending Divinity) is but one mitzvah of the 613,
והאדם צריך לקיים כל תרי״ג
and a man must fulfill all 613,
לפי שהן השתלשלות המהות דחיצוניות דכלים דאצילות
for they descend from the essence of the external aspect of the vessels of Atzilut, a source whose standing was explained above.
לכך צריך להרבות בלימוד כל התרי״ג, וקיומן בפועל ממש, במחשבה דבור ומעשה, שהן בריאה, יצירה, עשיה
Hence, one must extensively study all 613 mitzvot, and [hence] fulfill them in actual practice in thought, speech and deed — which parallel Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah respectively —
לברר בירורין אשר שם
in order to purify whatever needs purification (beirur) there.
As previously explained, the extraction and elevation of the sparks exiled in the various worlds is the ultimate purpose of creation.
Lesson #1 From These Holy Parshiyos:
Bitachon Weekly
Stories of Novardok
Lesson #1 From These Holy Parshiyos:
Love People!
Look at Yaakov Avinu’s warmth, and how he calls himself a
brother [not a nephew] to Lavan! This is similar to Avraham
Avinu, who said to his nephew, Lot: כִּי אֲנָשִׁים אַחִים אֲנָחְנוּ לך יג
ח We are brothers. Look at the striking similarity between
Yaakov and Avraham, and how they were both full of love for
humans. As soon as Yaakov saw Anshei Charan, he said: אַחַי
מֵאַיִן אַתֶּם כט ד My brother’s, where are you from? And at
the end of the Parsha, he called his own sons: אֶחָיו brothers.
**
Look how every human being was like a brother to the
Avos! How we need to learn LESSON #1 from these holy
Parshiyos: Love people! They are all Tzelem Elokim! They are
all holy and precious! We need to review this throughout our
lives, and to learn how to love and be in awe and respect all
those humans we see in the street, instead of viewing them
like just another “number”, or Chas V'shalom being
apathetic, or even hating or being critical of them!
***
But how can we love people if we are busy being afraid of
them?? I recommend plenty of hard work in doing Novardoker
Pratim when you keep downplaying all those scary humans in
your life, and Davka going against your nature by public
speaking [and even private speaking, like saying hello to a
person who scares you].
Then it will be much easier for us to automatically love them!
For questions, comments or to subscribe, email thenewbitachonweekly@gmail.com Bitachon Hotline: 732-719-3898
To hear Vadim from Rabbi Mandel; Kol Haloshon 718-906-6400 1,4,93 also on TorahAnytime.com
Friday, November 25, 2022
more on those physical mitzvos
In the
beginning, as the Midrash teaches,1 G‑d “created worlds and destroyed
them.” The Kabbalah explains that this refers to spiritual worlds, Supernal Sefirot
(“emanations”), that first existed in one state of being and then in another.
The Sefirot in the former state of being — called the World of Tohu
(lit., “Chaos”) — underwent a “breaking of the vessels.” The World of Tikkun
(lit., “Order”) was then built.
The Sefirot
comprise orot (“lights”) and kelim (“vessels”) that contain
these lights. The crisis in the World of Tohu occurred because the orot
were so intense that the kelim were incapable of containing them. As a
result of this breakage, sparks of holiness descended within the kelipot.
These sparks are to be found in the Worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah
and Asiyah in general, but particularly within the physicality of our
world. It is the task of the Jew to sift this materiality by using it properly,
in order to extract and refine these sparks, thereby elevating them to their
original source in the World of Tohu. This elevation in turn elicits a
mighty downflow of Divine energy from Tohu, and from even higher than
that level.
(Certain
Divine Names, whose respective Kabbalistic meanings are signified by Hebrew
letter-combinations, are related to this process of beirurim, the
extraction and refinement of the sparks of holiness. Thus the Name known as Ba’n
(ב״ן) is the source of the fallen holy sparks;
the Name Ma’h (מ״ה) is the power that
extracts and elevates them; while the Name Sa’g (ס״ג) is the original source of the World of Tohu. When the
extraction and elevation of the sparks deriving from the Name Ba’n is
accomplished through the Name Ma’h, a lofty degree of Divine
illumination is drawn down from the Name Sa’g, and is vested within
the “capacious vessels” of the World of Tikkun.)
This
extraction is for the most part accomplished through the performance of
action-oriented mitzvot involving physical objects which derive their
life-force from kelipat nogah, and which house the sparks of Tohu.
Performing a mitzvah with such objects disencumbers the hidden sparks
of their corporeal husk and elevates them.
The seeking
out of sparks, however, can also be accomplished through the study of Torah, as
well as through prayer.
Thursday, November 24, 2022
once again we hear it
Someone once told zzzz about a certain talmid chochom who was completely immersed in Torah, but the person relating this did not know whether he was a tzaddik. zzzz responded: “For me the greatest form of righteousness is hasmodo”.
I think this is wacky attitude. Tzidkus has so many parts. There are so many mitzvos and types of souls. We see it again and again, these people have reduced Judaism to one thing. I think it's a problem. And I like the rav mentioned here. But even he had his prejudices.
it's a fiction
This is a nice vort from rav frand about keeping one’s word. I really like Rav Frand. He's very interesting and he doesn't just talk about Torah study. But I do wonder about this part where he says “Rav Yaakov was a quintessential Litvak (Lithuanian Jew). He was born in Lita, he was raised in Lita, and he studied in the Slabodka Yeshiva. He was a full-bred Litvak and Misnagid. Misdagdim and Litvaks do not put on Rabbeinu Tam Tefillin (a practice more prevalent among Chassidic Jewry). So why at the end of his days was he putting on Rabbeinu Tam Tefillin?”
Actually he is from White Russia not Lita, which is not exactly the same, certainly not by the 1880s. I believe this is not accurate. Rav Yaakov was from Belarus, not Lita. He was born in a folwark called Kalyskovka in Russia and raised in Dolhinov which is a village in the Vileyka District, Minsk Region of Belarus. It is located 50 mi north of Minsk and 25 mi east-northeast of Vilejka. It’s North-Central Belarus, 100 miles from Vilna. Between the 1790s – 1915 it was part of the Russian Empire (Jewish population in 1900: 1,230) Between the two World Wars it was part of Poland. It’s not far from Lita, but at that point in history, it wasn’t Lita. Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman, Rav Yaakov’s cousin, was born in Dolhinov, and he grew up a Chabad chosid. But more importantly, his mother had been raised in a Chabad house. That’s got to have an influence. Rav Soloveitchik was influenced by his Chabad melamed. He talked about that many times.
from https://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/dolginovo/dolginovo.html
Brief Timeline of Dolginovo
- Today: Dolginovo, Belarus
- 1390s - 1790s: Part of Polish/Lithuanian Kingdom
- 1790s - 1915: Part of Russian Empire (Jewish population in 1900: 1,230)
- 1921 - 1939: Part of Poland
- 1939 - 1941: Annexed by the Soviet Union
- 1941 - 1944: Under Nazi control
I’m seeing that both sides invent a fiction of the pure Chosid or the pure Litvack. I hear these terms often – pure bred Litvack, Chassidishe stock. Yet, I’m seeing that many people are products of both worlds. Take R’ Moshe Feinstein, who the yeshivah world claims as its own. His grandfather was a Koidinover Chosid as was his father in his youth. He dropped it only in order to get a shiduch. Perhaps the famous warmth of both men comes from a Chasidic influence.
Subject: Rav Frand - A Person's Word Is His Word
By Rabbi Yissocher Frand
Parshas Toldos
A Person's Word Is His Word!
In this week’s parsha, Hashem promises Yitzchak, “I will increase your offspring like the stars of the heavens and will give to your offspring all these lands; and all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your offspring. Because Avraham obeyed My voice and observed My safeguards, My commandments, My decrees, and My Torahs.” (Bereshis 26:4-5). Rishonim marshal this last pasuk as a proof that Avraham kept the entire Torah even before it was given, and in fact claim that this was the practice of the other forefathers as well. The Ramban raises apparent counter-examples to this principle that the Avos kept the entire Torah prior to its being given. One of the points he mentions is that Yaakov Avinu simultaneously married two sisters, which is one of the Torah’s arayos (forbidden marital relationships).
In a famous answer, the Ramban says that the Avos only fully kept the future laws of the Torah in Eretz Yisrael, “for the Torah is the rule of the G-d of the Land” and Yaakov’s simultaneous marriage to two sisters ended before Yaakov returned from Charan to Eretz Yisrael. This is how everyone reads this famous Ramban: He is trying to answer the question ‘How can it be that the Avos kept the entire Torah before it was given, and yet Yaakov married two sisters?’ The Ramban answers: His marriage to them was only in chutz l’Aretz!
Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky takes issue with this understanding and argues that this is not the correct interpretation of this Ramban. Rav Yaakov says the question ‘How could Yaakov marry two sisters?’ never begins! The reason Yaakov married two sisters is because he made a commitment! He promised Rochel “I am going to marry you.” Once he gave his word to Rochel, he had to marry her. A person is not allowed to go back on his word. The fact that he and the other Avos kept the laws of the Torah that would be given in the future was only a ‘chumrah‘ (an act of optional piety on their part). However, if a personal chumrah contradicts my word to someone else, my word must take precedence!
“There is no justification for allowing Rochel to suffer because of my chumrahs!” This must be seen as a general rule with broad applications: When a person’s personal stringencies impinge upon someone else, he needs to forego his stringency. Once Yaakov gave his word to Rochel, it was a ‘no brainer’ that he would need to marry her. Lavan pulled a fast one on him and he wound up marrying Leah, but that would in no way stop him from keeping his word to Rochel.
So, according to Rav Yaakov’s explanation, what does the Ramban mean when he says that the Avos did not keep the entire Torah in chutz l’Aretz? Rav Yaakov explains that the Ramban is coming to answer a different question with that statement. We know that there is a rule: The Holy One Blessed Be He will not bring a takalah (‘misfortune’) through the actions of the righteous. For instance, if a Tzadik went into a restaurant and he had a steak and then it came out that this restaurant was selling neveilah (non-kosher meat) the piece of meat that the Tzadik ate could in no way be treife (non-kosher). Heaven would have seen to it that some other customer was given the non-kosher meat. It could not have entered the mouth of the Tzadik, because of the hard and fast rule that the Almighty would not allow a Tzadik to stumble.
Therefore, the Ramban is asking, according to Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky, how did the Almighty let this happen to Yaakov? How did he let Lavan pull this fast one on Yaakov, if the Almighty will never allow a Tzadik to spiritually stumble? How could it be that Yaakov was put in a situation where he ‘had to sin’ by keeping his word to marry Rochel (who was now his sister-in-law). The Ramban answers by saying that it was in fact not an aveira (sin) at all, because they were living in chutz l’Aretz and only in Eretz Yisrael would it be considered an aveira for the Avos to marry two sisters.
The takeaway lesson from this interpretation of the Ramban’s question and answer is that this is Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky l’shitaso (consistent with his life’s major ethical behavior). Rav Yaakov’s practice in life was that a person’s word is sacred. If someone has given his word—that’s it! There are very few things that trump a person’s word, and certainly personal chumras do not trump a person’s word.
I will cite two incidents from Rav Yaakov (the name of whose sefer is Emes L’Yaakov) to demonstrate how he personified and exemplified this attribute of truth and personal integrity throughout his life.
Rav Yaakov lived into his nineties. Towards the end of his life, he started putting on Rabbeinu Tam’s Tefillin (which have the parshiyos placed in a different order within the Tefillin compartments) in addition to the standard Rashi Tefillin. Rav Yaakov was a quintessential Litvak (Lithuanian Jew). He was born in Lita, he was raised in Lita, and he studied in the Slabodka Yeshiva. He was a full-bred Litvak and Misnagid. Misdagdim and Litvaks do not put on Rabbeinu Tam Tefillin (a practice more prevalent among Chassidic Jewry). So why at the end of his days was he putting on Rabbeinu Tam Tefillin?
Many years earlier—fifty or sixty years earlier—someone asked him, “Why don’t you wear Rabbeinu Tam Tefillin?” He answered, “I don’t wear Rabbeinu Tam Tefillin because I am a Litvak. I am a Misnagid. We don’t wear Rabbeinu Tam’s Tefillin.” The fellow said to him, “But, the Chofetz Chaim, toward the end of his life, also started wearing Rabbeinu Tam’s Tefillin (even though he too was a Litvak and Misnagid). Rav Yaakov said something to the effect of: “When I get to be the Chofetz Chaim’s age, I too will wear Rabbeinu Tam’s Tefillin.”
When someone is 25 or 30 years old, he can easily say “Yes, when I’m 85 I will put on Rabbeinu Tam’s Tefillin.” In those days, people’s life expectancies were certainly not into their eighties or nineties. But because a young Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky said, “When I get to be the Chofetz Chaim’s age, I will put on Rabbeinu Tam’s Tefillin,” he kept his word. That is why he wore Rabbeinu Tam’s Tefillin. A person’s word is his word.
The second incident is similar. Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky did not eat ‘Gebrokts’ on Pesach. Now, this too is atypical of Litvaks and Misnagdim, who are not particular about eating matzah products that have come into contact with liquid on Pesach. It is a Chassidishe minhag. Litvaks generally eat kneidlach, matza-brei, matzah with butter and jelly, and all such good things.
Rav Yaakov did not eat ‘Gebrockts’. He let his family eat Gebrokts, but he did not eat it on Pesach. How did that happen? Rav Yaakov learned in Slabodka. In those days, there was no such thing as a Yeshiva dining room. So how did Yeshiva bochrim eat? There was an institution known as ‘teg.’ Every day or every two days, various Yeshiva bochrim would be assigned to a different host in the community, and they would be guests by that household.
In those days, it was not like today when everyone goes home for Pesach. Those were the good old days where men were men, and if you were in Yeshiva, you were in Yeshiva for years at a time without a break. Who had the money to travel back and forth from Yeshiva to home for Yomim Tovim (the holidays) and Bein HaZmanim (Yeshiva breaks)? So the Yeshiva assigned different bochrim to eat in different houses during Pesach as well.
Rav Yaakov was assigned to eat in a certain person’s house. Rav Yaakov, for whatever reason, was not satisfied with the level of kashrus in that house. But what was he going to tell them? It would be insulting to say “I don’t trust your Kashrus.” What did he say? He said, “I would love to come but I don’t eat Gebrokts!” After all, this was Slabodka, where virtually everyone ate Gebrokts. The hosts bought his excuse. They were not insulted and he did not need to eat by them over Pesach.
But once Rav Yaakov said, “I don’t eat ‘Gebrokts’ on Pesach” he did not eat Gebrokts on Pesach for the rest of his life. He kept his word. When you say something, you need to keep it.
That is Rav Yaakov’s perspective in this vort on the Parsha. It is easy to ‘talk the talk’ but Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky also ‘walked the walk.’ He was a yafeh doresh (someone who expounded nicely) v’yafeh m’kayem (and who also put his nice words into practice).
Rav Frand © 2022 by Torah.org.
Monday, November 21, 2022
Psalm 119
The longest Psalm in the Bible is Psalm 119. It is 176 verses in length because of its poetic structure as an acrostic of every letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The length is appropriate for this Psalm’s theme of devotion to God and His Word. It is also the longest chapter in the Bible.
Psalm 119 is in an alphabet acrostic. There are 22 stanzas or paragraphs in this Psalm, one for each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet in order. Each of the stanzas has 8 verses which also begin with the same letter. That makes 22×8 = exactly 176 verses. (Source)
And what is the subject matter of this longest chapter of the entire Bible? Mitzvos!
The word "commandments" appears 22 times.
The word "statutes" appears 22 times.
The word "precepts" appears 21 times.
The word "testimonies" appears 22 times.
At least 87 times it mentions the commandments.
The word "Torah" appears 25 times but it is clearly in the broader context of teaching us to keep the mitzvos. They go together.
I have heard that some people view this chapter as a song about Torah study. You have to be crazy to think that's the central theme of this chapter. The theme is doing mitzvos.
The first ten lines are about keeping the commandments:
| 1Praiseworthy are those whose way is perfect, who walk with the law of the Lord. | |||||||||||
| 2Praiseworthy are those who keep His testimonies; who seek Him wholeheartedly. | |||||||||||
| 3Not only have they committed no injustice, they walked in His ways. | |||||||||||
| 4You commanded Your precepts, to keep diligently. | |||||||||||
| 5My prayers are that my ways should be established, to keep Your statutes. | |||||||||||
| 6Then I shall not be ashamed when I look at all Your commandments. | |||||||||||
| 7I shall thank You with an upright heart when I learn the judgments of Your righteousness. | |||||||||||
| 8I shall keep Your statutes; do not forsake me utterly. | |||||||||||
| 9In what manner should a youth purify his way? To observe according to Your word. | |||||||||||
| 10With all my heart I searched for You; do not cause me to stray from Your commandments. The last line is about keeping the commandments. 176I went astray like a lost lamb; seek Your servant, for I did not forget Your commandments. Actually, the last 11 are about keeping the commandments which includes studying Torah as it teaches us about the commandments.
|
| 1Praiseworthy are those whose way is perfect, who walk with the law of the Lord. |
| 2Praiseworthy are those who keep His testimonies; who seek Him wholeheartedly. |
| 3Not only have they committed no injustice, they walked in His ways. |
| 4You commanded Your precepts, to keep diligently. |
| 5My prayers are that my ways should be established, to keep Your statutes. |
| 6Then I shall not be ashamed when I look at all Your commandments. |
| 7I shall thank You with an upright heart when I learn the judgments of Your righteousness. |
| 8I shall keep Your statutes; do not forsake me utterly. |
| 9In what manner should a youth purify his way? To observe according to Your word. |
| 10With all my heart I searched for You; do not cause me to stray from Your commandments. |
| 11In my heart I hid Your word, in order that I should not sin against You. |
| 12Blessed are You, O Lord; teach me Your statutes. |
| 13With my lips I recited all the judgments of Your mouth. |
| 14With the way of Your testimonies I rejoiced as over all riches. |
| 15Concerning Your precepts I shall converse, and I shall look at Your ways. |
| 16With Your statutes I shall occupy myself; I shall not forget Your speech. |
| 17Bestow kindness upon Your servant; I shall live and I shall keep Your word. |
| 18Uncover my eyes and I shall look at hidden things from Your Torah. |
| 19I am a stranger in the land; do not hide Your commandments from me. |
| 20My soul is crushed from longing for Your judgments at all times. |
| 21You shall rebuke cursed willful sinners who stray from Your commandments. |
| 22Remove from me disgrace and contempt, for I kept Your testimonies. |
| 23Although princes sat and talked about me, Your servant conversed about Your statutes. |
| 24Also, Your testimonies are my affairs, men of my counsel. |
| 25My soul clung to the dust; revive me according to Your word. |
| 26I told of my ways, and You answered me; teach me Your statutes. |
| 27Make me understand Your precepts, and I shall speak of Your wonders. |
| 28My soul drips from grief; sustain me according to Your word. |
| 29Remove from me the way of falsehood, and favor me with Your Torah. |
| 30I chose the way of faith; Your judgments I have set [before me]. |
| 31I clung to Your testimonies; O Lord; put me not to shame. |
| 32[In] the way of Your commandments I shall run, for You will broaden my understanding. |
| 33Instruct me, O Lord, [in] the way of Your statutes, and I shall keep it at every step. |
| 34Enable me to understand and I shall keep Your Torah, and I shall keep it wholeheartedly. |
| 35Lead me in the path of Your commandments for I desired it. |
| 36Extend my heart to Your testimonies and not to monetary gain. |
| 37Turn away my eyes from seeing vanity; with Your ways sustain me. |
| 38Fulfill for Your servant Your word that is for Your fear. |
| 39Remove my disgrace, which I feared, for Your judgments are good. |
| 40Behold, I longed for Your precepts; with Your righteousness sustain me. |
| 41And may Your acts of kindness befall me, O Lord, Your salvation according to Your word. |
| 42And I shall answer a word to those who disgrace me, for I trusted in Your word. |
| 43And do not take out utterly from my mouth a word of truth, because I hoped for Your words. |
| 44And I shall keep Your Torah constantly, forever and ever. |
| 45And I shall walk in widely accepted ways, for I sought Your precepts. |
| 46And I shall speak of Your testimonies in the presence of kings, and I shall not be ashamed. |
| 47And I shall engage in Your commandments, which I love. |
| 48And I shall lift up my palms to Your commandments, which I love, and I shall converse about Your statutes. |
| 49Remember a word to Your servant, through which You gave me hope. |
| 50This is my consolation in my affliction, for Your word has sustained me. |
| 51Willful sinners derided me greatly; I did not turn away from Your Torah. |
| 52I remembered Your judgments of old, O Lord, and I was consoled. |
| 53Quaking gripped me because of the wicked men who abandoned Your Torah. |
| 54Your statutes were to me as songs in the house of my sojournings. |
| 55At night I remembered Your name, O Lord, and I kept Your Torah. |
| 56This came to me because I kept Your precepts. |
| 57"The Lord is my portion," I said, to keep Your words. |
| 58I entreated You with all my heart; favor me according to Your word. |
| 59I considered my ways, and I returned my feet to Your testimonies. |
| 60I hastened and did not delay to keep Your commandments. |
| 61Bands of wicked men robbed me; I did not forget Your Torah. |
| 62At midnight, I rise to give thanks to You for Your just judgments. |
| 63I am a companion to all who fear You and to those who keep your precepts. |
| 64O Lord, the earth is full of Your kindness; teach me Your statutes. |
| 65You have done good with Your servant, O Lord, according to Your word. |
| 66The best of reason and knowledge, teach me for I believe in Your commandments. |
| 67Before I recited, I erred, but now I keep Your word. |
| 68You are good and You do good; teach me Your statutes. |
| 69Willful sinners have heaped false accusations upon me, but I keep your precepts wholeheartedly. |
| 70Thick like fat is their heart, but I engage in Your Torah. |
| 71It is good for me that I was afflicted, in order that I learn Your statutes. |
| 72The instruction of Your mouth is better for me than thousands of gold and silver. |
| 73Your hands made me and fashioned me; enable me to understand, and I shall learn Your commandments. |
| 74Those who fear You will see me and rejoice for I hoped for Your word. |
| 75I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are just, and in faith You afflicted me. |
| 76May Your kindness be [upon me] now to comfort me, as Your word to Your servant. |
| 77May Your mercy come upon me so that I shall live, for Your Torah is my occupation. |
| 78May the willful sinners be shamed for they condemned me falsely; I shall converse about Your precepts. |
| 79May those who fear You and those who know Your testimonies return to me. |
| 80May my heart be perfect in Your statutes in order that I not be shamed. |
| 81My soul pines for Your salvation; for Your word I hope. |
| 82My eyes pine for Your word, saying, "When will You console me?" |
| 83For I have become like a wineskin in smoke; I have not forgotten Your statutes. |
| 84How many are Your servant's days? When will You execute judgments upon my pursuers? |
| 85Willful sinners have dug pits for me, which is not according to Your Torah. |
| 86All Your commandments are faithful; they pursued me in vain; help me. |
| 87They almost destroyed me on earth, but I did not forsake Your precepts. |
| 88According to Your kindness, sustain me, and I shall keep the testimony of Your mouth. |
| 89Forever, O Lord, Your word stands in the heavens. |
| 90Your faith is to every generation; You established the earth and it endures. |
| 91For Your judgments they stand today, for all are Your servants. |
| 92Were not Your Torah my occupation, then I would have perished in my affliction. |
| 93I shall never forget Your precepts for through them You have sustained me. |
| 94I am Yours; save me for I sought Your precepts. |
| 95Concerning me: the wicked hoped to destroy me; I shall ponder Your testimonies. |
| 96Of every finite thing I have seen the end; Your commandments are very broad. |
| 97How I love Your Torah! All day it is my conversation. |
| 98Each of Your commandments makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is always mine. |
| 99From all my teachers I gained understanding, for Your testimonies are my conversation. |
| 100From the wise elders I gain understanding, for I kept Your precepts. |
| 101From every evil way I restrained my feet in order that I keep Your word. |
| 102From Your judgments I did not turn away, for You guided me. |
| 103How sweet are Your words to my palate, more than honey to my mouth! |
| 104From Your precepts I shall gain understanding; therefore, I hate all ways of falsehood. |
| 105Your words are a lamp for my foot, and light for my path. |
| 106I swore and I fulfilled, to keep the judgments of Your righteousness. |
| 107I have been exceedingly humbled; O Lord, sustain me according to Your word. |
| 108The freewill offerings of my mouth accept now, O Lord, and teach me Your judgments. |
| 109My soul is constantly in my hand, and I have not forgotten Your Torah. |
| 110The wicked laid a snare for me, but I did not stray from Your precepts. |
| 111I inherited Your testimonies forever, for they are the joy of my heart. |
| 112I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever on their paths. |
| 113I hate those who harbor iniquitous thoughts, but Your Torah I love. |
| 114You are my protection and my shield; I hoped for Your word. |
| 115Go away from me, you evildoers, and I shall keep the commandments of my God. |
| 116Support me as Your word, and I shall live, and do not put me to shame because of my hope. |
| 117Sustain me and I shall be saved, and I shall constantly engage in Your statutes. |
| 118You trampled all who stray from Your statutes, for their deceit is false. |
| 119As dross, You cut off all the wicked of the earth; therefore I love Your testimonies. |
| 120My flesh bristles from fear of You, and I dread Your judgments. |
| 121I performed justice and righteousness; do not leave me to my oppressors. |
| 122Be surety for Your servant for good; let the willful sinners not oppress me. |
| 123My eyes pined for Your salvation and for the word of Your righteousness. |
| 124Deal with Your servant according to Your kindness, and teach me Your statutes. |
| 125I am Your servant; enable me to understand, and I shall know Your testimonies. |
| 126A time to do for the Lord; they have made void Your Torah. |
| 127Because I loved Your commandments more than gold, even more than fine gold. |
| 128Because I considered all precepts of all things upright; [and] every false way I hated. |
| 129Your testimonies are hidden; therefore, my soul kept them. |
| 130The commencement of Your words enlightens; You make the simple understand. |
| 131I opened my mouth and panted because I yearned for Your commandments. |
| 132Turn to me and favor me as is Your custom with those who love Your name. |
| 133Prepare my steps with Your word, and do not allow any iniquity to rule over me. |
| 134Redeem me from the oppression of man, and I shall keep Your precepts. |
| 135Cause Your countenance to shine upon Your servant and teach me Your statutes. |
| 136Rivulets of water ran down from my eyes because they did not keep Your Torah. |
| 137You are righteous, O Lord, and Your judgments are upright. |
| 138You commanded Your testimonies, [which are] righteousness, and they are exceedingly faithful. |
| 139My zeal incenses me, for my adversaries have forgotten Your words. |
| 140Your word is very pure, and Your servant loves it. |
| 141I am young and despised; I have not forgotten Your precepts. |
| 142Your righteousness is perpetual righteousness, and Your Torah is true. |
| 143Distress and anguish have overtaken me; Your commandments are my occupation. |
| 144The righteousness of Your testimonies is eternal; enable me to understand and I shall live. |
| 145I called with all my heart; answer me, O Lord; I shall keep Your statutes. |
| 146I called to You; save me and I shall keep Your testimonies. |
| 147I arose early, when it was still night, and I cried out; I hoped for Your word. |
| 148My eyes preceded the watches to speak of Your word. |
| 149Hearken to my voice according to Your kindness; O Lord, according to Your custom sustain me. |
| 150Pursuers of lewdness have drawn near; from Your Torah they have distanced themselves. |
| 151You are near, O Lord, and all Your commandments are true. |
| 152From before, I knew from Your testimonies, for You established them to [the end of] the world. |
| 153See my affliction and release me, for I have not forgotten Your Torah. |
| 154Plead my cause and redeem me; for Your word sustains me. |
| 155Salvation is far from the wicked, for they did not seek Your statutes. |
| 156Your mercies, O Lord, are abundant; according to Your custom, sustain me. |
| 157Many are my pursuers and my adversaries; from Your testimonies I did not turn away. |
| 158I saw traitors and I quarreled [with them] because they did not keep your word. |
| 159See that I love Your precepts, O Lord; according to Your kindness, sustain me. |
| 160The beginning of Your word is true, and each of Your righteous judgments is eternal. |
| 161Princes pursued me for nothing, but my heart feared Your word. |
| 162I rejoice over Your word as one who finds great spoil. |
| 163I hate falsehood, and I abominate [it], I love Your Torah. |
| 164Seven times a day I praise You for Your righteous judgments. |
| 165There is abundant peace to those who love Your Torah, and they have no obstacle. |
| 166I hoped for Your salvation, O Lord, and I performed Your commandments. |
| 167My soul kept Your testimonies, and I love them exceedingly. |
| 168I kept Your precepts and Your testimonies, for all my ways are before You. |
| 169May my song of prayer draw near before You, O Lord; according to Your word, enable me to understand. |
| 170May my supplication come before You; according to Your word, save me. |
| 171My lips will utter praise when You teach me Your statutes. |
| 172My tongue will proclaim Your word, for all Your commandments are righteous. |
| 173May Your hand be [ready] to help me, for I have chosen Your precepts. |
| 174I yearned for Your salvation, O Lord, and Your Torah is my occupation. |
| 175May my soul live and praise You, and may Your judgments help me. |
| 176I went astray like a lost lamb; seek Your servant, for I did not forget Your commandments. |
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