Psalm 77

Ixxvii. A psalm of mixed type; vss. 2—13 are a lamentation in which the psalmist bewails a miserable situation. He does not specify the nature of the misfortune, but it would seem that he laments not his own reverses but rather the abandonment of his nation by God.

Verses 14-—20 are a hymn of praise recounting God's glorious deeds of the past as motivation for his intervention in the present; see the first NOTE on Ps Ixxiv 13.

Verses 17—20, however, seem to be an ancient poem inserted into the psalm; these are composed of tricola whereas most of the other verses are bicola.

As may be gathered from the philological notes, the language is very archaic throughout; in addition, vss. 17—20 exhibit a marked resemblance to Ps xviii 8—16, while vss. 14—16 recall Exod xv 11—13. Thus a tenth century date for this composite psalm does not seem unlikely; see the first NOTE on vs. 17. -The Anchor Bible

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The Difficulty of the Exile. In this psalm, the Psalmist laments and prays over the difficulties of the exile, with the hope for salvation from it, even in an undeserving generation (Sforno). -Book of Psalms with English Translation and Commentary: With Commentary from the Talmud, Midrash, Kabbalah, Classic Commentators, and the Chasidic Masters.

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This psalm explains the purpose of Israel's long and arduous sojourn in exile.

While settled peacefully on its native soil, the contented nation lapsed into a spiritual slumber and neglected its Divine mission. The latent moral and spiritual energy of the Chosen People remained dormant deep within the Jewish heart.

The awesome challenges of exile activated these powerful resources. The searing pain of incessant persecution aroused the Jewish soul. The heart of Israel soared heavenward and the voice of the anguished people cried out fervently to the Almighty (see Hirsch).

The psalmist searches through the chronicles of ancient Jewish history to demonstrate that God saved Israel even in their bleakest moments. Since the Almighty wrought miracles of salvation in the past, why does He not perform miracles in the present exile? Certainly, He remains omnipotent.

However, it is God's wish to wring every last tear from our eyes, to squeeze every last cry of repentance from our hearts, so that we might be thoroughly worthy of the final, total redemption. May it come speedily in our times! -Artscroll

Psalm 77 is recited along with Parashat HaChodesh and is recited on the third through sixth days of Sukkot.

Psalm 77 is one of the ten Psalms of the Tikkun Ha Klali of Rebbe Nachman of Bratslav.

2. For the singer Yedutun. This is the name of a Levite singer (Radak) or a type of instrument. According to the Midrash, yedutun denotes "laws" (dat), alluding to the edicts and harsh decrees imposed upon the Jewish people in their exile (Metzudot; Rashi). -Book of Psalms with English Translation and Commentary: With Commentary from the Talmud, Midrash, Kabbalah, Classic Commentators, and the Chasidic Masters.

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2. let me cry out / . . . hearken to me. The psalm begins with the formulaic language of an individual supplication, though in the second half of the poem, beginning in verse 12, when the speaker recalls God’s “wonders of old,” he reverts to national memory.

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On the day of my distress...during the night. "Day" of distress refers to a period of persecution (Meiri). Night is a metaphor for the exile (Rashi; Meiri). According to Radak, the pain of exile is felt particularly at night, when there are no distractions. -Book of Psalms with English Translation and Commentary: With Commentary from the Talmud, Midrash, Kabbalah, Classic Commentators, and the Chasidic Masters.

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3. My eye flows at night, it will not stop. The Masoretic Text reads, incomprehensibly, “my hand [yadi] flows.” The emendation adopted here from “hand” to “eye” (ʿeyni) is based not only on the verb used but also on a similar formulation in Lamentations 3:49: “My eye streams and is not still, without respite.” -Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary (p. 2916).

4. I call God to mind. This verb (root z-k-r) is used four times in the poem: first the speaker recalls his recent nocturnal experiences, then the great story of the national past evidence of God’s beneficence.

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5. I remember God and I moan; I speak and my spirit is subdued, Selah. I remember the kindnesses that God used to do for me in the days when He showed His affection toward me, and I speak of them (Rashi). He would fight my battles against my enemies (Sforno).²⁴ -Book of Psalms with English Translation and Commentary: With Commentary from the Talmud, Midrash, Kabbalah, Classic Commentators, and the Chasidic Masters.

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The End of Days (Midrash)

The verse alludes to Jacob, to whom God had shown all that He would do in the future, including: the rise of the prophets, how the Temple would be built and then destroyed, how Gog and Magog would rise up against God and His Mashiach, and how God would go out and wage war with them in the end of days. Jacob sought to reveal all of this to his children, as it is written: Gather, and I will tell you what will happen with you in the end of days (Genesis 49:1).

But just as he was about to tell the future, God was revealed to him, and his heart was closed. As it is written: You grasped my eyelids; I am broken, I cannot speak (Aggadat Bereishit [Buber], ch. 82).

-Book of Psalms with English Translation and Commentary: With Commentary from the Talmud, Midrash, Kabbalah, Classic Commentators, and the Chasidic Masters.

5. You held open my eyelids. This arresting image for insomnia sets the stage for the evocation of long nights of agitation in the next few lines.

6. I ponder the days of yore. This nocturnal reflection on the past prepares us for the poetry of national memory that will be introduced from verse 12 onward. -Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary

7-11. Radak interprets these verses as follows: During my exile, I (the Jewish nation) think about the previous exiles—Egypt and Babylonia—from which we ultimately emerged and returned to our land. I remember that after those exiles, I would play music and rejoice. I think about this at night and wonder: Why is this exile different from the others? Will God forsake us forever? Will He not be appeased, as He was in the past? Has He forgotten His former mercifulness?

When I think that this lengthy exile may be the death of me, that I will never leave it, I recall years past, when God roused His right hand and delivered us from the Egyptian and Babylonian exiles. So will He redeem us from this exile as well (see Shemot Rabbah 45:2). -Book of Psalms with English Translation and Commentary: With Commentary from the Talmud, Midrash, Kabbalah, Classic Commentators, and the Chasidic Masters.

7. I call to mind my song in the night. Though the speaker may be remembering some earlier point in his life when, in contrast to his present condition, he sang joyously in the night, it is also possible that “song” (neginah, unlike its synonym rinah, which is almost always joyous) refers to a heartfelt chanted prayer and so is linked with his present fate of restless nights of anguish. -Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary (p. 2916).

I am comforted when I remember the deeds of God, as I remember Your wonders on my behalf of long ago—in Egypt. These were deeds and wonders that no heart could have hoped for or imagined. Just as God performed such unimaginable wonders then after we had despaired and lost hope, so will He do for us in this exile (Radak). -Book of Psalms with English Translation and Commentary: With Commentary from the Talmud, Midrash, Kabbalah, Classic Commentators, and the Chasidic Masters.

12. I am comforted when I remember the deeds of God, as I remember Your wonders on my behalf of long ago—in Egypt. These were deeds and wonders that no heart could have hoped for or imagined. Just as God performed such unimaginable wonders then after we had despaired and lost hope, so will He do for us in this exile (Radak). -Book of Psalms with English Translation and Commentary: With Commentary from the Talmud, Midrash, Kabbalah, Classic Commentators, and the Chasidic Masters.

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O God, Your way is in sanctity; what celestial being is as great as God? Your way is to sanctify Your Name by judging the wicked. I also know that that there is no power as great as Yours that might protest Your actions (Metzudot). One who meditates upon the celestial beings recognizes that theirs is not an independent power but one that derives from God. He is the Giver, and they the recipients.

Alternatively, the verse refers to when God's glory descended upon Mount Sinai. At that time, all of Israel declared: What celestial being is as great as God! (Radak). -Book of Psalms with English Translation and Commentary: With Commentary from the Talmud, Midrash, Kabbalah, Classic Commentators, and the Chasidic Masters.

• Does relation to the wonder of the world, "celestial beings," help us confront and bring comfort as we face evil in the world?

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14. Who is a great god like God? In the first instance, “god” is ʾel, the common noun for a deity. In the second instance, “God” is ʾelohim, generally used as a proper name for God. In the next verse, ʾel is again the term employed in “the god working wonders.” -Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary

Joseph and the Sea (Midrash)

Who brought the children of Jacob down to Egypt? It was Joseph. Who supported them there? Joseph. Additionally, the splitting of the sea occurred only in the merit of Joseph. Thus, after referring to the Israelites as the children of Joseph, the Psalmist continues: The waters saw You, O God, the waters saw You and trembled. Rabbi Yudan son of Rabbi Shimon said: Likewise, the splitting of the Jordan occurred only in the merit of Joseph (Bereishit Rabbah 84:4)

Why is the fact that Joseph caused them to descend to Egypt considered a merit? Yefeh Toar suggests that it was the adversity that they faced in Egypt that a) caused them to multiply in great numbers and b) refined them to the point where they could receive the Torah. -Book of Psalms with English Translation and Commentary: With Commentary from the Talmud, Midrash, Kabbalah, Classic Commentators, and the Chasidic Masters.

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16. You redeemed with Your arm. The translation adds “Your” for clarity. As the subsequent verses make clear, the reference is to the redemption from Egyptian slavery and the victory at the Sea of Reeds.

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Psalms in Practice: The Children of Jacob and Joseph (77:16)

Raising an orphan, Whoever raises an orphan is regarded by the Torah as a parent, The Talmud cites several sources for this principle, including the present verse, which refers to the Israelites as Joseph's children. Although it was Jacob who bore them, it was Joseph who provided for them. They are therefore called by Joseph's name (Sanhedrin 19b).³¹ if one who raises an orphan refers to him as 'my child" in a contract, or if the orphan refers to the one who raised him as "my father" or "my mother," the contract is valid (Rema, Choshen Mishpat). -Book of Psalms with English Translation and Commentary: With Commentary from the Talmud, Midrash, Kabbalah, Classic Commentators, and the Chasidic Masters.

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17. The waters saw You, O God. Because this sequence of lines concludes with Moses and Aaron leading the people, the waters in question would be the waters of the Sea of Reeds, first pushed back miraculously to allow the Israelites to cross over, then surging forward to drown the Egyptian army. But the imagery has such a strong cosmic character that the mythological image of God triumphing over the primordial powers of the sea is superimposed on the image of the Exodus story. -Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary

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Joint Leadership

Moses and Aaron are models for the two types of Chasidut spiritual leadership that we need as Jews. Moses is the giver of the Torah and mitzvot. He provides us with the Godly tools we use to refine ourselves. He grants us access to lofty, spiritual means, which by nature transcend us. These Heavenly gifts, however, remain Heavenly. They may bring God to us, but we still need to develop a personal, human approach to God as well.

Aaron is responsible for this task. Aaron's kindling of the seven-branched Menorah is symbolic of his "kindling" the varied and unique souls of the Jewish people. Aaron touches the unique potential of each Jew and allows every one of us to develop our personal, unique relationship with God (The Rebbe). -Book of Psalms with English Translation and Commentary: With Commentary from the Talmud, Midrash, Kabbalah, Classic Commentators, and the Chasidic Masters.

• Leaders in Action. The commentary describes two types of leaders/mentors. The first is the great thinker with inspiring ideas. The second take the ideas and uses them to touch people. Who are leaders that you have known that represent each model? What have you learned from different types of leaders?

Psalm 77 15th Day of the Month 6/10

An overcoming song by Asaph,

to be accompanied by

sweet sounding instrument.

I raise my voice to cry out to You, God;

I raised my voice and You gave ear to me.

When I was attacked, YaH, I sought You;

I strained toward You, was inconsolable.

Then I remembered to sing to You at night;

my searching spirit talks with You in my heart.

[I asked myself:]

Does YaH abandon one forever?

Will She not relent—ever?

Has all Her kindness been all used up?

Has He stopped communicating with our generation?

I remember God and I sigh;

I speak out and my spirit gets faint.

Selah!

You kept me from falling asleep

while my heart beat wildly.

I could not speak;

I gave thought to earlier days,

years of worlds long gone.

Did God ever forget to be gracious?

Did His anger squash His mercy?!

Selah!

So I mused: My prayer does reach;

the Most High will help again.

Let me recall the works of YaH,

because I do remember

Your wonders of the past;

so I reflect on all Your actions

and I talk about the unfolding

of Your involved scenarios.

God, Your way is in holiness—

Is there a God as great as You, God?

You are the God who performs miracles;

even the nations know of Your power.

With a strong arm You redeemed

your people, descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

Selah!

The glaciers have seen You;

they saw You and trembled.

So, too, did the deeps rumble and quake.

The clouds rained in torrents.

The skies replied with thunder.

The tempest broke through with a crash.

The whirlwinds You made thundered forth.

Lightning bolts flashed in space.

Earth rumbled and quaked.

You make a way even in the sea.

You set paths in mighty waters.

Where You set foot

is a mystery to us.

Through all these upheavals

You lead Your flock,

Your people, at the hands

of Moses and Aaron.

-Schachter-Shalomi, Zalman.

Psalms in a Translation for Praying .

ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal.

PSALM 77

Your Way is just, balanced, and blending;

suffering is Your Way, and Love.

It cannot be other than It Is

other than You Are

other than I Am.

Suffering and Joy—twins!

Terror and Tears—twins!

Pain and Mercy—twins!

You and I—

Your Way is Wonder beyond words.

Your Presence fills all and is known by none.

The oceans behold You and tremble.

The clouds see You and spill forth their rain.

Your thunder deafens. Your lightning blinds.

Nothing can point and say: There is God!

For where are You not?

Your Way is no way.

Your Path is no path.

Your Way, all ways.

Your Path, all paths.

Your Place, all place,

my place, this place.

-Shapiro, Rami M.. Accidental Grace: Poetry, Prayers, and Psalms

Spiritual Applications

In this psalm the poet anguishes that God has abandoned the covenant. When might we feel that way? Perhaps when, despite our earnest observance of mitzvot and an attempt to live a righteous life, we feel weighed down by illness or tragedy; perhaps when we question whether Jews in Israel and the Diaspora are supporting a society just enough to deserve the eternal claim on the Land of Israel that God promised Abraham; perhaps when, despite the promise that the seed of the Jewish people would be numerous as the stars in heaven, a couple whom we know cannot conceive a child.

At such times it is important to remember that there is always something that can be done to restore justice and peace to the Land, and ultimately God keeps restoring the people to our inheritance there; ultimately God may well help a couple find a way to bring a child into their lives. Patience is essential to a covenantal relationship with God— patience, and perseverance. And prayer, that God will show us the way. This is what it means to have faith.

This psalm reminds us that however much the poet may be calling out to God from the depths of her own personal experiences (cf. v. 3), she is almost always aware that she is a member of the people Israel. In this capacity, she relates to God through the covenant with the people, and God relates to her that way as well. Today, our prayers are much more likely to be solely personal, unrelated to our membership in the people, and this psalm is a reminder that part of the power of our prayer comes from standing amidst the people, conscious— as God is— of the people’s past experiences with God.

The prayers that we offer from the prayer book are generally set in this covenantal framework— whether it be a praise of God who created the world so that the Holy One had a context to create us, or a praise of the one who gave us Torah as a way to fulfill our part of the covenant. Even the individual petitions in the weekday Amidah are cloaked in biblical language that enlarges the context of our own private requests. The Book of Psalms gives us 150 examples of how we can create our own approaches to God— but however much they are rooted in our own personal biographies, they become “Jewish” prayers when they ascend to the Holy One from the ladder of Jewish experience.

This does not mean that we need to be scholars of Bible or Talmud or Midrash to pray to God. Experiencing the Passover seder reminds us to be aware of the “wonder” that was the Exodus and the crossing of the Reed Sea; all of us are aware of the existence of “Torah,” however vague we may be about its contents.

Another example of how this psalm roots personal experience in the people’s experience is the description of the experience in the people’s experience is the description of the raging waters of the Reed Sea as the people made their way across. If we live near a body of water, we too can have thunderous encounters with the sea. Nonetheless, the author of this psalm encourages us to view such encounters not only in the context of our own life, but also to hear the pounding waves as an invitation to step into the sea our ancestors knew, to believe that the sound of the ocean or the lake or the great river a few miles away is the same sound— and hence the same experience— as that of the redeeming waters a few thousand years ago. When scholars debate whether the sea really split for us, whether the Exodus really took place for us, such personal experiences can lead us to smile and say—“ of course they did— just last week.” -Levy, Rabbi Richard N.. Songs Ascending: The Book of Psalms (Vol. 2)

• Do you believe that we can always bring justice to the world?
• How does prayer help restore justice?
• Who are people you have known who, "...step into the sea?"