A prayer for peace written in Ukraine in the early 19th century
[עַל־פִּי תּוֹרָה ס' - כְּשֶׁיֵּשׁ מִלְחָמוֹת בָּעוֹלָם, הַשֵּׂכֶל מְחַיֵּב שֶׁיִּהְיֶה יַקְרוּת]
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ ה' אֱלֹקֵינוּ וֵאלֹקֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, שֶׁתְּבַטֵּל מִלְחָמוֹת וּשְׁפִיכוּת דָּמִים מִן הָעוֹלָם, וְתַמְשִׁיךְ שָׁלוֹם גָּדוֹל וְנִפְלָא בָּעוֹלָם, וְלֹא יִשְׂאוּ עוֹד גּוֹי אֶל גּוֹי חֶרֶב וְלֹא יִלְמְדוּ עוֹד מִלְחָמָה, רַק יַכִּירוּ וְיֵדְעוּ כָּל יוֹשְׁבֵי תֵבֵל הָאֱמֶת לַאֲמִתּוֹ, אֲשֶׁר לֹא בָּאנוּ לְזֶה הָעוֹלָם בִּשְׁבִיל רִיב וּמַחֲלֹקֶת חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, וְלֹא בִּשְׁבִיל שִׂנְאָה וְקִנְאָה וְקִנְטוּר וּשְׁפִיכוּת דָּמִים חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, רַק בָּאנוּ לָעוֹלָם כְּדֵי לְהַכִּיר וְלָדַעַת אוֹתְךָ תִּתְבָּרַךְ לָנֶצַח, וּבְכֵן תְּרַחֵם עָלֵינוּ, וְתִתֵּן הַגֶּשֶׁם וְהַמָּטָר בְּעִתּוֹ וּבִזְמַנּוֹ, וְלֹא תַעֲצוֹר הַשָּׁמַיִם מִן הַמָּטָר בְּכָל עֵת שֶׁהָעוֹלָם צְרִיכִין לוֹ, וִיקֻיַּם מִקְרָא שֶׁכָּתוּב: וְנָתַתִּי גִשְׁמֵיכֶם בְּעִתָּם, וְנָתְנָה הָאָרֶץ יְבוּלָהּ, וְעֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה יִתֵּן פִּרְיוֹ. וְנָתַתִּי שָׁלוֹם בָּאָרֶץ וּשְׁכַבְתֶּם וְאֵין מַחֲרִיד, וְהִשְׁבַּתִּי חַיָּה רָעָה מִן הָאָרֶץ וְחֶרֶב לֹא תַעֲבוֹר בְּאַרְצְכֶם. ...
...
May we see the day when war and bloodshed cease,
When a great peace will embrace the whole world.
Then nation will not threaten nation,
And [humanity] will not again know war.
For all who live on earth shall realize
We have not come into being to hate or to destroy.
We have come into being
To praise, to labor, and to love.
Compassionate God, bless the leaders of all nations
With the power of compassion.
Fulfill the promise conveyed in Scripture:
I will bring peace to the Land,
And you shall lie down, and no one shall terrify you.
I will rid the Land of vicious beasts
And it shall not be ravaged by war.
Let love and justice flow like a mighty stream.
Let peace fill the earth as the waters fill the sea.
And let us say: Amen.
Adapted and translated from the Hebrew of Rabbi Nathan Sternhartz (1780-1845) Ukraine, from Likutei Tefillot, part two, 53.
0. Welcome
"...angels to guard you wherever you go..."
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809 - 1847) “For He will order His angels to guard you,” from the oratorio “Elijah” (text: Psalm 91:11-12, in German)
Performed by The Munich University Choir, 2014
Found at https://www.929.org.il/lang/en/page/658/post/86869 (post by Ron Weidberg is a composer, musicologist, lecturer on music at the Open University and the Academic Kiryah of Kiryat Ono)
Three angels hosted by Abraham, Ludovico Carracci (c. 1610–1612), Bologna, Pinacoteca Nazionale
By Ludovico Carracci - [1], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9050960
1. Psalm 91
let the work of our hands prosper,
O prosper the work of our hands!
Introduction: Psalm 91 in liturgy
Psalm 91 is recited in a number of liturgical contexts:
- The additional Psalms for Shabbat and Festival mornings
- The liturgy for the end of Shabbat
- The "Bedtime Shema" liturgy
- At a funeral
In context 1, it follows Psalm 90
In contexts 2 and 3, it is introduced by the final verse of Psalm 90. In Hebrew, Psalm 90:17 begins Vi'hi no'am / "may the favor". When 90:17 is used as an introduction, Psalm 91 is often referred to simply as Vi'hi no'am.
Our Text: Chavruta learning
(א) יֹ֭שֵׁב בְּסֵ֣תֶר עֶלְי֑וֹן בְּצֵ֥ל שַׁ֝דַּ֗י יִתְלוֹנָֽן׃ (ב) אֹמַ֗ר לַ֭ה' מַחְסִ֣י וּמְצוּדָתִ֑י אֱ֝לֹקַ֗י אֶבְטַח־בּֽוֹ׃ (ג) כִּ֤י ה֣וּא יַ֭צִּילְךָ מִפַּ֥ח יָק֗וּשׁ מִדֶּ֥בֶר הַוּֽוֹת׃ (ד) בְּאֶבְרָת֨וֹ ׀ יָ֣סֶךְ לָ֭ךְ וְתַחַת־כְּנָפָ֣יו תֶּחְסֶ֑ה צִנָּ֖ה וְסֹחֵרָ֣ה אֲמִתּֽוֹ׃ (ה) לֹֽא־תִ֭ירָא מִפַּ֣חַד לָ֑יְלָה מֵ֝חֵ֗ץ יָע֥וּף יוֹמָֽם׃ (ו) מִ֭דֶּבֶר בָּאֹ֣פֶל יַהֲלֹ֑ךְ מִ֝קֶּ֗טֶב יָשׁ֥וּד צׇהֳרָֽיִם׃ (ז) יִפֹּ֤ל מִצִּדְּךָ֨ ׀ אֶ֗לֶף וּרְבָבָ֥ה מִימִינֶ֑ךָ אֵ֝לֶ֗יךָ לֹ֣א יִגָּֽשׁ׃ (ח) רַ֭ק בְּעֵינֶ֣יךָ תַבִּ֑יט וְשִׁלֻּמַ֖ת רְשָׁעִ֣ים תִּרְאֶֽה׃
(ט) כִּֽי־אַתָּ֣ה ה' מַחְסִ֑י עֶ֝לְי֗וֹן שַׂ֣מְתָּ מְעוֹנֶֽךָ׃ (י) לֹא־תְאֻנֶּ֣ה אֵלֶ֣יךָ רָעָ֑ה וְ֝נֶ֗גַע לֹא־יִקְרַ֥ב בְּאׇהֳלֶֽךָ׃ (יא) כִּ֣י מַ֭לְאָכָיו יְצַוֶּה־לָּ֑ךְ לִ֝שְׁמׇרְךָ֗ בְּכׇל־דְּרָכֶֽיךָ׃ (יב) עַל־כַּפַּ֥יִם יִשָּׂא֑וּנְךָ פֶּן־תִּגֹּ֖ף בָּאֶ֣בֶן רַגְלֶֽךָ׃ (יג) עַל־שַׁ֣חַל וָפֶ֣תֶן תִּדְרֹ֑ךְ תִּרְמֹ֖ס כְּפִ֣יר וְתַנִּֽין׃
(יד) כִּ֤י בִ֣י חָ֭שַׁק וַאֲפַלְּטֵ֑הוּ אֲ֝שַׂגְּבֵ֗הוּ כִּֽי־יָדַ֥ע שְׁמִֽי׃ (טו) יִקְרָאֵ֨נִי ׀ וְֽאֶעֱנֵ֗הוּ עִמּֽוֹ־אָנֹכִ֥י בְצָרָ֑ה אֲ֝חַלְּצֵ֗הוּ וַאֲכַבְּדֵֽהוּ׃ (טז) אֹ֣רֶךְ יָ֭מִים אַשְׂבִּיעֵ֑הוּ וְ֝אַרְאֵ֗הוּ בִּישׁוּעָתִֽי׃ {פ}
(1) O you who dwell in the shelter of the Most High
and abide in the protection of Shaddai— (2) I say of the LORD, my refuge and stronghold,
my God in whom I trust, (3) that He will save you from the fowler’s trap,
from the destructive plague. (4) He will cover you with His pinions;
you will find refuge under His wings;
His fidelity is an encircling shield. (5) You need not fear the terror by night,
or the arrow that flies by day, (6) the plague that stalks in the darkness,
or the scourge that ravages at noon. (7) A thousand may fall at your left side,
ten thousand at your right,
but it shall not reach you. (8) You will see it with your eyes,
you will witness the punishment of the wicked.
(9) Because you took the LORD—my refuge,
the Most High—as your haven, (10) no harm will befall you,
no disease touch your tent. (11) For He will order His angels
to guard you wherever you go. (12) They will carry you in their hands
lest you hurt your foot on a stone. (13) You will tread on cubs and vipers;
you will trample lions and asps.
(14) “Because he is devoted to Me I will deliver him;
I will keep him safe, for he knows My name. (15) When he calls on Me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in distress;
I will rescue him and make him honored; (16) I will let him live to a ripe old age,
and show him My salvation.”
In liturgical contexts, the final verse is repeated:
I will let him live to a ripe old age,
and show him My salvation.”
2. Commentaries
Epidemics (v. 7)
Robert Alter, The Writings, Comment to Ps. 91:7
7. Though a thousand fall at your side. In all likelihood, the setting evoked is a raging epidemic in which vast numbers of people all around are fatally stricken.
Matthias Henze, Professor of Hebrew Bible and Early Judaism at Rice University
https://www.thetorah.com/article/god-shelters-the-faithful-the-prayer-of-psalm-91
Psalm 91 expresses confidence that God will protect the righteous from plagues, demons, and wild animals, while allowing the wicked to perish. How are we to understand this psalm when pandemics and other disasters often hit the weakest and most vulnerable the hardest? ...
I am writing these lines in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that has already killed far more than “ten thousand” (Ps 91:7) people in the U.S. alone, and more than ten times as many globally. Some groups (not the wicked!) in society are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus and die at a higher rate: the elderly in long term care facilities; the disabled who cannot practice social distancing; the poor; the prison populations; communities of color; those with compromised immune systems and other preexisting health conditions.
Taken literally, the psalm’s language feels highly insensitive to victims of the plague. But the psalm’s language is not intended to express God’s lack of care for the tens of thousands who have died. Rather, the purpose of such confessional language is to express the worshiper’s feeling of hope and trust in God’s protective care at a time when the news about death can seem overwhelming.
Demons? (vv. 5-6)
St. Anthony the Great plagued by demons, engraving by Martin Schongauer in the 1480s.
By Martin Schongauer - http://www.abcgallery.com/S/schongauer/schongauer12.htmlimage, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1008230
Matthias Henze
Many interpreters, from ancient times to the present, have understood the two perils in verse 6 not to be epidemics but rather malevolent spirits, or demons. The idea is already attested in the LXX, which translates the final phrase as “the misfortune and evil spirit (daimon) of midday” (ἀπὸ συμπτώματος καὶ δαιμονίου μεσημβρινοῦ).
It would appear that the LXX’s Vorlage [DR: that is, the underlying Hebrew text for the translation of the Septuagint] read וקטב ושֵׁד צהרים [ve'ketev ve'sheid tzohorayim], as Hebrew šēd means “demon.”
Midrash Tehillim on Psalm 91 (re v. 6) (Quoted from Matthias Henze, citing William G. Braude, trans., The Midrash on Psalms (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1976), 102.)
מדבר באפל יהלוך.
...רבנן אמרי שד הוא
אמר ר' הונא בשם ר' יוסי קטב מרירי עשוי קליפין קליפין שערות שערות, (ושל) [ועל] עין אחד הוא רואה, ועינו תוך לבו,
"the plague that stalks in the darkness" (v. 6)
The rabbis say “It is a demon.”
...
R. Huna said in the name of R. Yossi: “The demon ‘Bitter Destruction’ [qetev meriri (Deut 32:24)] is covered with scale upon scale and with shaggy hair and he glares with his one eye, and that eye is in the middle of his heart.”
For further investigation: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/demons-and-demonology
God's promises (vv. 14-16)
Richard J. Clifford, New Oxford Annotated Bible, Psalms
Comment to vv. 14-16. The last assurance is the most intense, for God speaks in the first person; there are seven verbs depicting God's protection. There is no demand for righteousness in order to be saved, only love and trust of God.
Perspectives on the Psalm as a Whole
ובשיר: ת"ר שיר של תודה בכנורות ובנבלים ובצלצלים על כל פינה ופינה ועל כל אבן גדולה שבירושלים ואומר (תהלים ל, ב) ארוממך ה' כי דליתני וגו' ושיר של פגעים ויש אומרין שיר של נגעים
מאן דאמר דנגעים דכתיב (תהלים צא, י) ונגע לא יקרב באהלך ומאן דאמר פגעים דכתיב (תהלים צא, ז) יפול מצדך אלף
§ The mishna teaches concerning the consecration of an addition to the city of Jerusalem or the Temple courtyard: And with a song. The Sages taught in a baraita: They sang the song of thanksgiving, i.e., Psalms, chapter 100, which begins: “A psalm of thanksgiving,” accompanied by harps, lyres, and cymbals, at every corner and upon every large stone in Jerusalem. And they also recited Psalms, chapter 30, which begins: “I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up,” and the song of evil spirits, i.e., Psalms, chapter 91, which begins: “He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High.” And some say that this psalm is called the song of plagues.
The reason of the one who says that it is called the song of plagues is that it is written: “Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling” (Psalms 91:10).
And the reason of the one who says that it is called the song of evil spirits is that it is written: “A thousand shall fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you” (Psalms 91:7).
Radak (R. David Kimchi) (1160-1235), Commentary to Psalm 91:6
וחכמי המחקר אינם מודים בדבר השדים ומבטלים אותו במופת כי אינם
But scholarly researchers do not agree about [the existence of] the demons and deny them outright, for they do not exist.
Amos Hakham (Israel, d. 2012), Commentary to Psalms, 'Da'at Mikra' series, Mossad HaRav Kook, Jerusalem 1984, vol. II, p. 177, note 20.
חכמי המחקר מכחישים את מציאות השדים, ואין לנו צורך להיכנס לבעיות אלה. כי עיקר כוונת המזמור לומר, שהבוטח בה׳ ניצל מכל מיני פחד ואימה ופגעים רעים, שבלשון בני אדם מכנים אותם בשם ׳שדים׳.
Scholarly researchers reject the existence of demons[referencing Radak]. We do not need to deal directly with these problems, for the basic intent of this psalm is to say that one who trusts in the Lord is saved from all kinds or worry, terror, and dangers which people call 'demons.'
Robert Alter, comment on v. 1
The Israeli scholar Yair Hoffman, noting its eloquent expression of God's unflagging providential protection, has interestingly characterized the poem as an "amulet psalm," with the idea that its recitation might help a person attain or perhaps simply feel God's guarding power.
Adele Berlin and Marc Tzvi Brettler, The Jewish Study Bible, comment to Psalms 91.1
The many terms for protection, shelter, refuge, and the like emphasize the theme [of God's protection]. A speaker in the first person addresses an audience, encouraging them to trust God so no harm will befall them (vv. 1-13); God responds (vv. 14-16), reinforcing the speaker's words. According to some commentators, the shelter of the most High (v. 1) is the Temple... It is not clear how metaphorical the language is or whether it reflects various magical ideas from popular religion and superstition; whether the dangers are from demons or from the ordinary dangers of plague, war, and wild animals.
The Traveler's Prayer - Tefillat haDerech (prayer for the road)
May it be Your will, Eternal One, our God and the God of our ancestors, that You lead us toward peace, support our footsteps towards peace, guide us toward peace, and make us reach our desired destination, for life, joy, and peace.
May You rescue us from the hand of every foe, ambush, bandits and wild animals along the way, and from all manner of punishments that assemble to come to Earth.
May You send blessing in our every handiwork, and grant us peace, kindness, and mercy in your eyes and in the eyes of all who see us.
May You hear the sound of our supplication, because You are the God who hears prayer and supplications. Blessed are You, Eternal One, who hears prayer.