פרשת וזאת הברכה תשל"א - הברכה לכלל ישראל

There is none like unto God, O Jeshurun, Who rideth upon the heaven as thy help, And in His excellency on the skies.

אין כאל ישרון THERE IS NONE LIKE GOD, O JESHURUN — Know, O Israel, that there is none like God among all the gods of the peoples, and that their rock is not as your Rock.

רכב שמים — The meaning is: A RIDER UPON THE HEAVEN is the God who is your help, ובגאותו שחקים AND IN HIS MAJESTY he rides UPON THE SKIES.

מענה אלהי קדם A DWELLING PLACE FOR THE ANCIENT GOD (This must be connected with the preceding): — The skies serve as a dwelling place for the ancient God, i.e. the God Who pre-existed (קדם) all gods, for He selected the skies as His residence and dwelling place, ומתחת AND BENEATH His dwelling place, all the mighty men (men of strong arm, זרוע) dwell.

זרעת עולם THE ARMS OF THE WORLD are men such as Sihon and Og and the kings of Canaan who were the strength and might of the world. Therefore, since they are beneath God’s dwelling place, in spite of themselves they must tremble and quake, and their power prove frail in His presence, for always the fear of the one above falls upon him below, so that He, being above, to Whom therefore belong strength and power, is thy help.

ויגרש מפניך אויב AND HE DROVE OUT THE ENEMY FROM BEFORE YOU, ויאמר AND HE SAID to you השמד DESTROY them!

מענה — Every word that requires ל at its beginning, [Scripture] places (may place) a ה at its end instead (Yevamot 13b).

The eternal God is a dwelling-place, And underneath are the everlasting arms; And He thrust out the enemy from before thee, And said: ‘Destroy.’

the ancient God is a shelter The word shelter means “booth” (as evidenced by “in Shalem is His booth, and His shelter in Zion” [Psalms 76: 3], and many similar passages). In other words: Your shelter is the ancient God. Compare, “you have made the Most High your shelter” [Psalms 91: 9] and “You have been a shelter for us” [Psalms 90: 1]. A shelter is always above that which is sheltered by it; the sheltered area is always beneath. with His arms beneath to support you. The sense of eternal is: Since they are forever, they will not weary. Similarly, your shelter will never pass away. because it is the ancient God (meaning, “primal”, with absolutely nothing antecedent to Him, nor anything that will succeed Him — for the concepts of “predecessor” and “successor” apply only to material things). Sa‘adya Gaon understood beneath to mean “below God ”, but this explanation is vacuous.

The eternal God is a dwelling-place, And underneath are the everlasting arms; And He thrust out the enemy from before thee, And said: ‘Destroy.’

The eternal God is a dwelling-place, And underneath are the everlasting arms; And He thrust out the enemy from before thee, And said: ‘Destroy.’