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Tehillim: Perek 20

 
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Ta'anit Esther Program Tehillim: Perek 20

(א) לַ֭מְנַצֵּחַ עַל־אַיֶּ֥לֶת הַשַּׁ֗חַר מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃

(1) For the leader; on ayyeleth ha-shaḥar. A psalm of David.

(א) אילת השחר. שם כלי שיר ___________________________________

ד"א על כנסת ישראל שהיא אילת אהבים הנשקפה כמו שחר (שיר ז י'),

Another explanation: on the __________________ of Israel that she is a beloved deer that shines like the morning store

ורבותינו דרשוהו באסתר...

_________And our Rabbis extrapolated and said it refers to

(1) ayeleth hashachar The name of a musical instrument. Another explanation: Concerning the nation of Israel, which is a beloved hind (אילת אהבים), who looks forth like the dawn (שחר) (Song 6:10). Our Sages, however, interpreted it as referring to Esther (Mid. Ps. 22:1, Meg. 15b). Menachem (p. 22) interprets אילת as an expression of strength, as (verse 20): “My strength (אילותי), hasten to my assistance.”
"'למנצח על אילת השחר'... למי שהוא קופץ כאייל ומאיר לעולם בשעת חשיכה
to one who jumps like a deer and illuminates the world in a time of __________
ואימתי הוא מאיר? בלילה.
And when does it illuminate? At ________
Even though it is night, there is light. The moon and stars and consellations recede.
And at that time, the Holy One, blessed be He, raises the morning star from the midst of darkness and brings light to the world.
According to this description, what is אילת השחר'?
In what way do you think it describes Esther?

(א) למנצח על אילת השחר מזמור לדוד: .. והם אמרו כי על אסתר נאמר זה ועל ישראל שהיו בגלות באותו זמן...

And they say that it is said about _______ and about the _____who were in _____ at that same time

. והנכון כי אילת השחר נאמר על כנסת ישראל שהיא בגלות הזאת; וסוף המזמור יוכיח זה...

And the correct (interpretation) is that Ayelet Hashachar is said about the ________________ of Israel when it is in ________and the end of the song will prove that

(1) For the Chief Musician. Set to "The Hind of the Morning." A Psalm of David. – The correct view is that the title The Hind of the Morning is used of the congregation of Israel while in this (present) exile, and the end of the Psalm proves this...

Jamboard
https://jamboard.google.com/d/1SMYxRwdNwcc7OuMeKnxFdmNTZqxJDn8Dc9b_LAGnj0A/viewer?f=0
We are going to read this perek in Tehillim.
As we read, think about the phrases or concepts that impact youץ What emotions are you feeling? What metaphors touch you? Why? What periods in Jewish history are you thinking of?

Now, if Esther is saying this perek: What are you feeling? What are you saying?
Post your sticky notes on the Jamboard.

(א) לַ֭מְנַצֵּחַ עַל־אַיֶּ֥לֶת הַשַּׁ֗חַר מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃

(ב) אֵלִ֣י אֵ֭לִי לָמָ֣ה עֲזַבְתָּ֑נִי רָח֥וֹק מִֽ֝ישׁוּעָתִ֗י דִּבְרֵ֥י שַׁאֲגָתִֽי׃

(ג) אֱ‍ֽלֹהַ֗י אֶקְרָ֣א י֭וֹמָם וְלֹ֣א תַעֲנֶ֑ה וְ֝לַ֗יְלָה וְֽלֹא־דֽוּמִיָּ֥ה לִֽי׃

(ד) וְאַתָּ֥ה קָד֑וֹשׁ י֝וֹשֵׁ֗ב תְּהִלּ֥וֹת יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

(ה) בְּ֭ךָ בָּטְח֣וּ אֲבֹתֵ֑ינוּ בָּ֝טְח֗וּ וַֽתְּפַלְּטֵֽמוֹ׃

(ו) אֵלֶ֣יךָ זָעֲק֣וּ וְנִמְלָ֑טוּ בְּךָ֖ בָטְח֣וּ וְלֹא־בֽוֹשׁוּ׃

(ז) וְאָנֹכִ֣י תוֹלַ֣עַת וְלֹא־אִ֑ישׁ חֶרְפַּ֥ת אָ֝דָ֗ם וּבְז֥וּי עָֽם׃

(ח) כָּל־רֹ֭אַי יַלְעִ֣גוּ לִ֑י יַפְטִ֥ירוּ בְ֝שָׂפָ֗ה יָנִ֥יעוּ רֹֽאשׁ׃

(ט) גֹּ֣ל אֶל־ה' יְפַלְּטֵ֑הוּ יַ֝צִּילֵ֗הוּ כִּ֘י חָ֥פֵֽץ בּֽוֹ׃

(י) כִּֽי־אַתָּ֣ה גֹחִ֣י מִבָּ֑טֶן מַ֝בְטִיחִ֗י עַל־שְׁדֵ֥י אִמִּֽי׃

(יא) עָ֭לֶיךָ הָשְׁלַ֣כְתִּי מֵרָ֑חֶם מִבֶּ֥טֶן אִ֝מִּ֗י אֵ֣לִי אָֽתָּה׃

(יב) אַל־תִּרְחַ֣ק מִ֭מֶּנִּי כִּי־צָרָ֣ה קְרוֹבָ֑ה כִּי־אֵ֥ין עוֹזֵֽר׃

(יג) סְ֭בָבוּנִי פָּרִ֣ים רַבִּ֑ים אַבִּירֵ֖י בָשָׁ֣ן כִּתְּרֽוּנִי׃

(יד) פָּצ֣וּ עָלַ֣י פִּיהֶ֑ם אַ֝רְיֵ֗ה טֹרֵ֥ף וְשֹׁאֵֽג׃

(טו) כַּמַּ֥יִם נִשְׁפַּכְתִּי֮ וְהִתְפָּֽרְד֗וּ כָּֽל־עַצְמ֫וֹתָ֥י הָיָ֣ה לִ֭בִּי כַּדּוֹנָ֑ג נָ֝מֵ֗ס בְּת֣וֹךְ מֵעָֽי׃

(טז) יָ֘בֵ֤שׁ כַּחֶ֨רֶשׂ ׀ כֹּחִ֗י וּ֭לְשׁוֹנִי מֻדְבָּ֣ק מַלְקוֹחָ֑י וְֽלַעֲפַר־מָ֥וֶת תִּשְׁפְּתֵֽנִי׃

(יז) כִּ֥י סְבָב֗וּנִי כְּלָ֫בִ֥ים עֲדַ֣ת מְ֭רֵעִים הִקִּיפ֑וּנִי כָּ֝אֲרִ֗י יָדַ֥י וְרַגְלָֽי׃

(יח) אֲסַפֵּ֥ר כָּל־עַצְמוֹתָ֑י הֵ֥מָּה יַ֝בִּ֗יטוּ יִרְאוּ־בִֽי׃

(יט) יְחַלְּק֣וּ בְגָדַ֣י לָהֶ֑ם וְעַל־לְ֝בוּשִׁ֗י יַפִּ֥ילוּ גוֹרָֽל׃

(כ) וְאַתָּ֣ה ה' אַל־תִּרְחָ֑ק אֱ֝יָלוּתִ֗י לְעֶזְרָ֥תִי חֽוּשָׁה׃

(כא) הַצִּ֣ילָה מֵחֶ֣רֶב נַפְשִׁ֑י מִיַּד־כֶּ֝֗לֶב יְחִידָתִֽי׃

(כב) ה֭וֹשִׁיעֵנִי מִפִּ֣י אַרְיֵ֑ה וּמִקַּרְנֵ֖י רֵמִ֣ים עֲנִיתָֽנִי׃

(כג) אֲסַפְּרָ֣ה שִׁמְךָ֣ לְאֶחָ֑י בְּת֖וֹךְ קָהָ֣ל אֲהַלְלֶֽךָּ׃

(כד) יִרְאֵ֤י ה' ׀ הַֽלְל֗וּהוּ כָּל־זֶ֣רַע יַעֲקֹ֣ב כַּבְּד֑וּהוּ וְג֥וּרוּ מִ֝מֶּ֗נּוּ כָּל־זֶ֥רַע יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

(כה) כִּ֤י לֹֽא־בָזָ֨ה וְלֹ֪א שִׁקַּ֡ץ עֱנ֬וּת עָנִ֗י וְלֹא־הִסְתִּ֣יר פָּנָ֣יו מִמֶּ֑נּוּ וּֽבְשַׁוְּע֖וֹ אֵלָ֣יו שָׁמֵֽעַ׃

(כו) מֵ֥אִתְּךָ֗ תְֽהִלָּ֫תִ֥י בְּקָהָ֥ל רָ֑ב נְדָרַ֥י אֲ֝שַׁלֵּ֗ם נֶ֣גֶד יְרֵאָֽיו׃

(כז) יֹאכְל֬וּ עֲנָוִ֨ים ׀ וְיִשְׂבָּ֗עוּ יְהַֽלְל֣וּ ה' דֹּ֣רְשָׁ֑יו יְחִ֖י לְבַבְכֶ֣ם לָעַֽד׃

(כח) יִזְכְּר֤וּ ׀ וְיָשֻׁ֣בוּ אֶל־ה' כָּל־אַפְסֵי־אָ֑רֶץ וְיִֽשְׁתַּחֲו֥וּ לְ֝פָנֶ֗יךָ כָּֽל־מִשְׁפְּח֥וֹת גּוֹיִֽם׃

(כט) כִּ֣י לַ֭ה' הַמְּלוּכָ֑ה וּ֝מֹשֵׁ֗ל בַּגּוֹיִֽם׃

(ל) אָכְל֬וּ וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוּ֨וּ ׀ כָּֽל־דִּשְׁנֵי־אֶ֗רֶץ לְפָנָ֣יו יִ֭כְרְעוּ כָּל־יוֹרְדֵ֣י עָפָ֑ר וְ֝נַפְשׁ֗וֹ לֹ֣א חִיָּֽה׃

(לא) זֶ֥רַע יַֽעַבְדֶ֑נּוּ יְסֻפַּ֖ר לַֽאדושם לַדּֽוֹר׃

(לב) יָ֭בֹאוּ וְיַגִּ֣ידוּ צִדְקָת֑וֹ לְעַ֥ם נ֝וֹלָ֗ד כִּ֣י עָשָֽׂה׃

(1) For the leader; on ayyeleth ha-shaḥar. A psalm of David.

(2) My God, my God, why have You abandoned me; why so far from delivering me and from my anguished roaring?

(3) My God, I cry by day—You answer not; by night, and have no respite.

(4) But You are the Holy One, enthroned, the Praise of Israel.

(5) In You our fathers trusted; they trusted, and You rescued them.

(6) To You they cried out and they escaped; in You they trusted and were not disappointed.

(7) But I am a worm, less than human; scorned by men, despised by people.

(8) All who see me mock me; they curl their lips, they shake their heads.

(9) “Let him commit himself to the LORD; let Him rescue him, let Him save him, for He is pleased with him.”

(10) You drew me from the womb, made me secure at my mother’s breast.

(11) I became Your charge at birth; from my mother’s womb You have been my God.

(12) Do not be far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help.

(13) Many bulls surround me, mighty ones of Bashan encircle me.

(14) They open their mouths at me like tearing, roaring lions.

(15) My life ebbs away: all my bones are disjointed; my heart is like wax, melting within me;

(16) my vigor dries up like a shard; my tongue cleaves to my palate; You commit me to the dust of death.

(17) Dogs surround me; a pack of evil ones closes in on me, like lions [they maul] my hands and feet.

(18) I take the count of all my bones while they look on and gloat.

(19) They divide my clothes among themselves, casting lots for my garments. (20)

(20)But You, O LORD, be not far off; my strength, hasten to my aid.

(21) Save my life from the sword, my precious life from the clutches of a dog.

(22) Deliver me from a lion’s mouth; from the horns of wild oxen rescue me.

(23) Then will I proclaim Your fame to my brethren, praise You in the congregation.

(24) You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All you offspring of Jacob, honor Him! Be in dread of Him, all you offspring of Israel!

(25) For He did not scorn, He did not spurn the plea of the lowly; He did not hide His face from him; when he cried out to Him, He listened.

(26) Because of You I offer praise in the great congregation; I pay my vows in the presence of His worshipers.

(27) Let the lowly eat and be satisfied; let all who seek the LORD praise Him. Always be of good cheer!

(28) Let all the ends of the earth pay heed and turn to the LORD, and the peoples of all nations prostrate themselves before You;

(29) for kingship is the LORD’s and He rules the nations.

(30) All those in full vigor shall eat and prostrate themselves; all those at death’s door, whose spirits flag, shall bend the knee before Him.

(31) Offspring shall serve Him; the Lord’s fame shall be proclaimed to the generation (32) to come; they shall tell of His beneficence to people yet to be born, for He has acted.

How can we relate this medrash that Rashi cites on אילת השחר to Esther's cry:
"קלי קלי למה עזבתני רחוק מישועתי דברי שאגתי.
Which part of the perek is the deep darkness and which is the dawn? Choose one passuk to describe each.

(א) וַיְהִ֣י ׀ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֗י וַתִּלְבַּ֤שׁ אֶסְתֵּר֙ מַלְכ֔וּת וַֽתַּעֲמֹ֞ד בַּחֲצַ֤ר בֵּית־הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ הַפְּנִימִ֔ית נֹ֖כַח בֵּ֣ית הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וְ֠הַמֶּלֶךְ יוֹשֵׁ֞ב עַל־כִּסֵּ֤א מַלְכוּתוֹ֙ בְּבֵ֣ית הַמַּלְכ֔וּת נֹ֖כַח פֶּ֥תַח הַבָּֽיִת׃

(1) On the third day, Esther put on royal apparel and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, facing the king’s palace, while the king was sitting on his royal throne in the throne room facing the entrance of the palace.

אֶסְתֵּר דִּכְתִיב וַיְהִי בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי וַתִּלְבַּשׁ אֶסְתֵּר מַלְכוּת בִּגְדֵי מַלְכוּת מִיבְּעֵי לֵיהּ? אֶלָּא שֶׁלְּבָשַׁתָּה רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ. כְּתִיב הָכָא וַתִּלְבַּשׁ וּכְתִיב הָתָם וְרוּחַ לָבְשָׁה אֶת עֲמָשַׂי וְגוֹ׳

Esther was also a prophetess, as it is written: “And it came to pass on the third day that Esther clothed herself in royalty” (Esther 5:1). It should have said: Esther clothed herself in royal garments. Rather, this alludes to the fact that she clothed herself with a divine spirit of inspiration. It is written here: “And she clothed herself,” and it is written elsewhere: “And the spirit clothed Amasai” (I Chronicles 12:19). Just as there the reference is to being enclothed by a spirit, so too Esther was enclothed by a spirit of divine inspiration.

״וַתַּעֲמֹד בַּחֲצַר בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ הַפְּנִימִית״. אָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי: כֵּיוָן שֶׁהִגִּיעָה לְבֵית הַצְּלָמִים, נִסְתַּלְּקָה הֵימֶנָּה שְׁכִינָה. אָמְרָה: ״אֵלִי אֵלִי לָמָה עֲזַבְתָּנִי״?! שֶׁמָּא אַתָּה דָּן עַל שׁוֹגֵג כְּמֵזִיד וְעַל אוֹנֶס כְּרָצוֹן? אוֹ שֶׁמָּא עַל שֶׁקְּרָאתִיו ״כֶּלֶב״, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״הַצִּילָה מֵחֶרֶב נַפְשִׁי מִיַּד כֶּלֶב יְחִידָתִי״. חָזְרָה וּקְרָאַתּוּ ״אַרְיֵה״, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי מִפִּי אַרְיֵה״.

§ The Gemara returns to its explanation of the verses of the Megilla. The verse states with regard to Esther: “And she stood in the inner court of the king’s house” (Esther 5:1). Rabbi Levi said: Once she reached the chamber of the idols, which was in the inner court, the Divine Presence left her. She immediately said: “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Psalms 22:2). Perhaps it is because You judge an unintentional sin as one performed intentionally, and an action done due to circumstances beyond one’s control as one done willingly. Or perhaps You have left me because in my prayers I called Haman a dog, as it is stated: “Deliver my soul from the sword; my only one from the hand of the dog” (Psalms 22:21). She at once retracted and called him in her prayers a lion, as it is stated in the following verse: “Save me from the lion’s mouth” (Psalms 22:22).

על אונס - [אע"פ] שאני באה אליו מאלי אונס הוא:

sub...Optional: My Analysis - After guiding students through their own analysis...
בית הצלמים - Emotions that were aroused as she was approaching
Perhaps בית הצלמים connotes a sense of false security to which she became prey, once she overcame her resistance to going. To her credit, Esther was honest and intuitive enough to recognize the emotion and its ability to impact her objectivity and wisdom. (She lost Ruach Hakodesh).
She was humble enough to sense her vulnerability and honest/smart enough to analyze it and understand it.
Question: Which emotion, that might impact her ability to manipulate him and achieve success, was she confronting?
שוגג כמזיד ועל אונס כרצון - Questioning her state of mind
Why invoke שוגג and מזיד ? מזיד means that she had דעת to sin
and רצון means she was coming willingly. Her act is דעת ומזיד but she must make sure that her state of mind if שוגג ואונס 100%.
Does the very act of "coming" of her own accord impact on her emotional state in some subtle way? Does it create a subtle tendency to identify with him on some level?
To see herself as queen according to Achashverosh's coarse definition of royalty (Vashti)...?
(Remember that she has thus far hidden her true identity and has refused all royal treatment, has conducted herself based on an inner sense of royalty and finesse that stands in contradistinction to Achashverosh and his society but, nevertheless, makes an impact on him. And that is the definiton of וַיְהִ֣י ׀ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֗י וַתִּלְבַּ֤שׁ אֶסְתֵּר֙ מַלְכ֔וּת

And it came to pass on the third day that 'Esther garbed herself in royalty." See Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik's essay on Purim, "The Days of Ahasuerus".)
Or
Was she questioning her assessment of him as an object to be manipulated:
Kelev means she is underestimating him as an adversary, assuming that he has an inner kindness that she has to figure out how to tap into
Aryeh means he is a beast. The only approach is to render him vulnerable. Find his weakness.
The dispute is whether the false security was a result of a flaw in her as a גברא - her attitude - or in her estimation of Achashverosh as a חפצא.