(א) לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃
(ב) הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם מְֽסַפְּרִ֥ים כְּבֽוֹד־אֵ֑ל וּֽמַעֲשֵׂ֥ה יָ֝דָ֗יו מַגִּ֥יד הָרָקִֽיעַ׃
(ג) י֣וֹם לְ֭יוֹם יַבִּ֣יעַֽ אֹ֑מֶר וְלַ֥יְלָה לְּ֝לַ֗יְלָה יְחַוֶּה־דָּֽעַת׃
(ד) אֵֽין־אֹ֭מֶר וְאֵ֣ין דְּבָרִ֑ים בְּ֝לִ֗י נִשְׁמָ֥ע קוֹלָֽם׃ (ה) בְּכָל־הָאָ֨רֶץ ׀ יָ֘צָ֤א קַוָּ֗ם וּבִקְצֵ֣ה תֵ֭בֵל מִלֵּיהֶ֑ם לַ֝שֶּׁ֗מֶשׁ שָֽׂם־אֹ֥הֶל בָּהֶֽם׃
(ו) וְה֗וּא כְּ֭חָתָן יֹצֵ֣א מֵחֻפָּת֑וֹ יָשִׂ֥ישׂ כְּ֝גִבּ֗וֹר לָר֥וּץ אֹֽרַח׃
(ז) מִקְצֵ֤ה הַשָּׁמַ֨יִם ׀ מֽוֹצָא֗וֹ וּתְקוּפָת֥וֹ עַל־קְצוֹתָ֑ם וְאֵ֥ין נִ֝סְתָּ֗ר מֵֽחַמָּתוֹ׃
(ח) תּ֘וֹרַ֤ת ה' תְּ֭מִימָה מְשִׁ֣יבַת נָ֑פֶשׁ עֵד֥וּת ה' נֶ֝אֱמָנָ֗ה מַחְכִּ֥ימַת פֶּֽתִי׃
(ט) פִּקּ֘וּדֵ֤י ה' יְ֭שָׁרִים מְשַׂמְּחֵי־לֵ֑ב מִצְוַ֥ת ה' בָּ֝רָ֗ה מְאִירַ֥ת עֵינָֽיִם׃
(י) יִרְאַ֤ת ה' ׀ טְהוֹרָה֮ עוֹמֶ֪דֶת לָ֫עַ֥ד מִֽשְׁפְּטֵי־ה' אֱמֶ֑ת צָֽדְק֥וּ יַחְדָּֽו׃
(יא) הַֽנֶּחֱמָדִ֗ים מִ֭זָּהָב וּמִפַּ֣ז רָ֑ב וּמְתוּקִ֥ים מִ֝דְּבַ֗שׁ וְנֹ֣פֶת צוּפִֽים׃
(יב) גַּֽם־עַ֭בְדְּךָ נִזְהָ֣ר בָּהֶ֑ם בְּ֝שָׁמְרָ֗ם עֵ֣קֶב רָֽב׃ (יג) שְׁגִיא֥וֹת מִֽי־יָבִ֑ין מִֽנִּסְתָּר֥וֹת נַקֵּֽנִי׃
(יד) גַּ֤ם מִזֵּדִ֨ים ׀ חֲשֹׂ֬ךְ עַבְדֶּ֗ךָ אַֽל־יִמְשְׁלוּ־בִ֣י אָ֣ז אֵיתָ֑ם וְ֝נִקֵּ֗יתִי מִפֶּ֥שַֽׁע רָֽב׃
(טו) יִֽהְי֥וּ לְרָצ֨וֹן ׀ אִמְרֵי־פִ֡י וְהֶגְי֣וֹן לִבִּ֣י לְפָנֶ֑יךָ ה' צוּרִ֥י וְגֹאֲלִֽי׃
(1) For the leader. A psalm of David. (2) The heavens declare the glory of God, the sky proclaims His handiwork. (3) Day to day makes utterance, night to night speaks out. (4) There is no utterance, there are no words, whose sound goes unheard. (5) Their voice carries throughout the earth, their words to the end of the world. He placed in them a tent for the sun, (6) who is like a groom coming forth from the chamber, like a hero, eager to run his course. (7) His rising-place is at one end of heaven, and his circuit reaches the other; nothing escapes his heat. (8) The teaching of the LORD is perfect, renewing life; the decrees of the LORD are enduring, making the simple wise; (9) The precepts of the LORD are just, rejoicing the heart; the instruction of the LORD is lucid, making the eyes light up. (10) The fear of the LORD is pure, abiding forever; the judgments of the LORD are true, righteous altogether, (11) more desirable than gold, than much fine gold; sweeter than honey, than drippings of the comb. (12) Your servant pays them heed; in obeying them there is much reward. (13) Who can be aware of errors? Clear me of unperceived guilt, (14) and from willful sins keep Your servant; let them not dominate me; then shall I be blameless and clear of grave offense. (15) May the words of my mouth and the prayer of my heart be acceptable to You, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
Divide the Psalm into three sections with a title for each:
Verses 1-__. ______________
__-___. ______________
__-15 ______________
1. Nature Praising God
[7] Zaprawdę, zapytaj u zwierząt a nauczą cię, a ptactwo nieba ci opowie. [8] Albo przemów do ziemi a wskaże ci, a objaśnią ci to ryby morza. [9] Któżby nie poznał w tem wszystkiem, że ręka Wiekuistego to stworzyła. [10] W czyjej mocy dusza wszelkiego żywota i duch wszelkiego ciała ludzkiego. [11] Alboż nie ma próbować ucho słów, tak jako kosztuje podniebienie pokarmu?
(א) השמים מספרים כבוד אל. רבי ברכיה בשם רבי שמעון בן לקיש מי שאין לו ראש בפני הבריות יש לו ראש בפני הקב"ה שנאמר וראש עפרות תבל. הים אין לו עינים בפני הבריות ויש לו עינים בפני הקב"ה הים ראה וינוס.שמים אין להם לב ובפני הקב"ה יש להם לב שנא' עד לב השמים,השמים יש להם פה השמים מספרים כבוד אל...
The heavens declare the glory of God--Rav Berachia said in the name of Rabbi Shimon Ben Lakish, 'someone who doesn't have a head in the eyes of man, has a head in the eyes of God as it says 'the head of the earth'; the sea has no eyes in the eyes of man, but it does have eyes to God as it says 'the sea saw and fled';...the heavens have no heart but before God they have a heart as it says 'until the heart of the heavens'; the heavens have a mouth before God as it says 'the heavens declare the glory of God'...
What does it mean that the heavens/nature praises God?
A. God manifest in nature
Martin Buber, Dialogue Between Heaven and Earth, in Wrestling With God, page 372
B. Nature Sings a melody
Rav Nachman of Bratzlav in Mysticism and Madness, Tzvi Mark page 175
(ט) כָּל הַכּוֹכָבִים וְהַגַּלְגַּלִּים כֻּלָּן בַּעֲלֵי נֶפֶשׁ וְדֵעָה וְהַשְׂכֵּל הֵם. וְהֵם חַיִּים וְעוֹמְדִים וּמַכִּירִין אֶת מִי שֶׁאָמַר וְהָיָה הָעוֹלָם. כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד לְפִי גָּדְלוֹ וּלְפִי מַעֲלָתוֹ מְשַׁבְּחִים וּמְפָאֲרִים לְיוֹצְרָם כְּמוֹ הַמַּלְאָכִים.
(9) All of the stars and spheres are beings, endowed with a soul, intelligence and understanding; they continue a purposeful life and are conscious of the existence of Him Who spoke and the universe sprang forth. Each and every one, according to his greatness and degree, extol and glorify the Creator as do the angels;
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Our sages of blessed memory said that when King David completed the Book of Psalms, he had a feeling of self-satisfaction. He said before The Holy Blessed One, "Is there any creation in Your world that says songs and praises more than I do?" That same hour, a frog appeared to him, and said to him: "David! Don't be complacent, for I say songs and praises more than you do... Not only that, but I involve myself in a great mitzvah, and this is the mitzvah that I involve myself with: There's a species on the beach whose sustenance comes exclusively from (creatures that live) in the water, and when it's hungry, it takes me and eats me. I therefore fulfill the mitzvah of that what is said (Proverbs 25:21-22), "If your adversary is hungry, feed them; if they're thirsty, give them water to drink..."
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Chapter 1:
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The Desert says: "The desert and the wasteland shall rejoice, and the arid region shall rejoice and blossom like a rose." (Isaiah 35:1)
The Fields say: "Hashem founded the land with wisdom; God established the heavens with understanding." (Proverbs 3:19)
The Wellsprings say: "And as singers that are flutists, are all my wellsprings within you." (Psalms 87:7)
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Chapter 2:
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The Sun says: "The sun (covered by) the moon stands in its abode; they proceed by the light of Your arrows and by the flash of Your glittering spear." (Habakuk 3:11)
The Moon says: "God made the moon for the festivals; the sun knows its destination." (Psalms 104:19)
Theme#1 Nature praises God
Heavens, day, night, sun--main focus on sun and stars...
Picture of the far recesses of the universe--each speck is a galaxy! approx 2 trillion galaxies!! each galaxy contains up to 100 billion stars!!!
2. Torah
What is the connection between verse 2-7 and 8-11? Between Nature and Torah
Ibn Ezra quotes Saadiah Gaon--השמש 'יאמר' תורת ה' תמימה... וכו
Metzuda suggests: (C.S. Lewis echos this in his 'Reflections on the Psalms' page 64)
תורת ה׳ תמימה – אבל תורת ה׳ היא יותר תמימה ר״ל שלימה בפעולותיה ומועלת יותר מן השמש.
משיבת נפש – רצה לומר כי השמש עם כל תועלתו לפעמים יזיק בחומו הרב עד כי יחלה האיש חולי המות אבל התורה משיבת עוד נפש האדם כי היא מגינה ומצלת מן המות.
Rashi connects them through expressions employed in relation to Torah.
Ibn Ezra himself offers:
ולפי דעתי: שהזכיר עד כה איך יוכל המשכיל למצוא עדות על האלהות ולהכיר מעשיו, ואמר דוד גם יש עד אחר נכבד ממנו ויותר נאמן, והיא תורת השם ועדותיו ופיקודיו ומצותיו ויראתו ומשפטיו
Radak echos:
מה שסמך ענין התורה לענין השמש? רצה לומר: כמו שהשמים והשמש והגלגלים מעידים ומספרים על כבוד האל ועל חכמתו, כן התורה והמצות אשר צוה לעמו ישראל מעידות על חכמתו ועל ישרו
Sarna suggests the Torah is a response to idolatrous deification of Nature, an anti-pagan polemic
3. Man. 'גם'
Two ways to read Man into the psalm:
A. I, too, praise God but I am encumbered by sin and desire
B. I look upon these two motifs--Nature and Torah--and pray to see God in each of these realms (but I struggle do to enemies and personal weakness)
Heschel
The two blessings before the Shema reinforce this association of Torah and creation. The first praises God as "creator of light and darkness," while the second thanks Him for teaching us the Torah's commandments and laws. These blessings parallel the two halves of Psalm 19, which first recount God's glory and then extoI the Torah. The same duality is found in the Sabbath prayers: the evening prayer celebrates the Sabbath of creation; the morning prayer refers to the Sabbath of the Torah.giving. The blessing after Shema, Psalm 19, and the afternoon Sabbath prayer culminate with the world's redemption. The purpose of the creation and the subject of the entire Torah is nothing less than God's redemption of hisrory.