Psalm 20 - a Tehillim of Healing

ByTara Mizrachi

A Taste of Tehillim

תהילים א׳

(א) אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי־הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר ׀ לֹ֥א הָלַךְ֮ בַּעֲצַ֪ת רְשָׁ֫עִ֥ים וּבְדֶ֣רֶךְ חַ֭טָּאִים לֹ֥א עָמָ֑ד וּבְמוֹשַׁ֥ב לֵ֝צִ֗ים לֹ֣א יָשָֽׁב׃ (ב) כִּ֤י אִ֥ם בְּתוֹרַ֥ת יְהוָ֗ה חֶ֫פְצ֥וֹ וּֽבְתוֹרָת֥וֹ יֶהְגֶּ֗ה יוֹמָ֥ם וָלָֽיְלָה׃ (ג) וְֽהָיָ֗ה כְּעֵץ֮ שָׁת֪וּל עַֽל־פַּלְגֵ֫י מָ֥יִם אֲשֶׁ֤ר פִּרְי֨וֹ ׀ יִתֵּ֬ן בְּעִתּ֗וֹ וְעָלֵ֥הוּ לֹֽא־יִבּ֑וֹל וְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה יַצְלִֽיחַ׃ (ד) לֹא־כֵ֥ן הָרְשָׁעִ֑ים כִּ֥י אִם־כַּ֝מֹּ֗ץ אֲ‍ֽשֶׁר־תִּדְּפֶ֥נּוּ רֽוּחַ׃ (ה) עַל־כֵּ֤ן ׀ לֹא־יָקֻ֣מוּ רְ֭שָׁעִים בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֑ט וְ֝חַטָּאִ֗ים בַּעֲדַ֥ת צַדִּיקִֽים׃ (ו) כִּֽי־יוֹדֵ֣עַ יְ֭הוָה דֶּ֣רֶךְ צַדִּיקִ֑ים וְדֶ֖רֶךְ רְשָׁעִ֣ים תֹּאבֵֽד׃

Psalms 1

(1) Happy is the man who has not followed the counsel of the wicked, or taken the path of sinners, or joined the company of the insolent; (2) rather, the teaching of the LORD is his delight, and he studies that teaching day and night. (3) He is like a tree planted beside streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, whose foliage never fades, and whatever it produces thrives. (4) Not so the wicked; rather, they are like chaff that wind blows away. (5) Therefore the wicked will not survive judgment, nor will sinners, in the assembly of the righteous. (6) For the LORD cherishes the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked is doomed.

Psalm 20, a psalm of healing

"May the Lord answer you

on the day of distress.

May the name of the God of Jacob

fortify you.

May He send your help

from the Sanctuary,

and support you from Zion."

In Hebrew the phrase ‘May God answer you’ can be translated as: ‘a'anancha,’ ‘You answer, God’ - this reveals that it can be read as a statement of something that presently is. For it is as if we have called, He has answered. He is just waiting for us to hear it. There is no waiting. He has already answered our prayers.”

The Psalm states that the Sanctuary will be where the help will be dispatched from and Zion as the place from where the support will come.

The Sanctuary refers to the Holy of Holies inside the Temple in Jerusalem, according to classic sources. This is the special place where God's divine presence rests. Our help will be dispatched from the holiest place in the world.

If each of us can be likened to the Temple in Jerusalem, there too is a special place within us that God's divine presence dwells, a spark of holiness. We can know that God's answers to our prayers of help are not some far away abstract concept. They are close at hand and already here.

(excerpt from "Software for the Soul: Psalms for Everyone - discovering the inner meanings" - click Here for the link)