Psalm 7 - A Purim Psalm YIHP - 5785

On Ḥanukkah [the psalm is] I will extol Thee, O Lord. Ps. 30. On Purim it is Shiggaion of David, Ps. 7.

Siddur Avodas Yisrael and Siddur Beis Yaakov (R. Yaakov Emden) hold like this. The Maaseh Rav holds Psalm 22

(1)Shiggaion of David which he sang to the LORD, concerning Cush, a Benjaminite.

(2) O LORD, my God, in You I have taken refuge;
deliver me from all my pursuers and save me,

(3) lest he, like a lion, tear me apart,
rending in pieces, with no one save me.

(4) O LORD, my God, if I have done this:
if my hands bear the guilt of wrongdoing,

(5) if I have dealt evil to my ally—
I who rescued my foe without reward

(or, plundered my foe without cause)

(6) then let the enemy pursue and overtake my soul;
let him trample my life to the ground,
and lay my body in the dust. Selah.

(7) Rise, O LORD, in Your anger;
pay attention to me against the fury of my foes;-
bestir Yourself on my behalf; the judgement You have ordained.

(8) Let the assembly of peoples gather about You,
with You enthroned above, on high.

(9) The LORD judges the peoples;
vindicate me, O LORD,
for the righteousness and blamelessness that are mine.

(10) Let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
but establish the righteous;
He who probes the mind and conscience is God the righteous.

(11) Hod is my shield;
the deliverer of the upright.

(12) God vindicates the righteous;
God (Ail) each day He waxes indignant (against then wicked)

(13)If one does not turn back, but whets his sword,
bends his bow and aims it,

(14) then against himself he readies deadly weapons,
and makes his arrows sharp.

(15) See, he hatches evil, conceives mischief,
and gives birth to lies.

(16) He has dug a pit and deepened it,
and will fall into the trap he made.

(17) His mischief will recoil upon his own head;
his lawlessness will come down upon his skull.

(18) I will praise the LORD for His righteousness,
and sing a hymn to the name of the LORD Most High.

(18) All the books of the Prophets and all the Holy Writings will be nullified in the Messianic era, with the exception of the Book of Esther. It will continue to exist, as will the five books of the Torah and the halachot of the Oral Law, which will never be nullified.
Although all memories of the difficulties endured by our people will be nullified, as Isaiah 65:16 states: "For the former difficulties will be forgotten and for they will be hidden from My eye," the celebration of the days of Purim will not be nullified, as Esther 9:28 states: "And these days of Purim will not pass from among the Jews, nor will their remembrance cease from their seed."

(13) "A pit is dug and is excavated. All those who dig it for themselves, the wicked dig it. And in the end, it will fall into the pit they dug. Their toil will return upon their own heads. This refers to Haman, for everything he planned against Mordecai was turned against him."

(1) A prayer that the prophet Habbakuk sang about Shiggyonot...

(3) For there will be another vision, in due time; it will be witness to the end and not deceive. Though it lingers, wait for its for when the time is right, it will come; it will not delay. For behold - the arrogant man, his life will not be upright - but the righteous man lives on his faith, And just was wine betrays its drinker, so too the haughty man is betrayed by his pride and knows no peace.

(11) “All the king’s courtiers and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any person, man or woman, enters the king’s presence in the inner court without having been summoned, there is but one law for him—that he be put to death. Only if the king extends the golden scepter to him may he live. Now I have not been summoned to visit the king for the last thirty days.” (12) When Mordecai was told what Esther had said, (13) Mordecai had this message delivered to Esther: “Do not imagine that you, of all the Jews, will escape with your life by being in the king’s palace. (14) On the contrary, if you keep silent in this crisis, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another quarter, while you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows, perhaps you have attained to royal position for just such a crisis.” (15) Then Esther sent back this answer to Mordecai: (16) “Go, assemble all the Jews who live in Shushan, and fast in my behalf; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens will observe the same fast. Then I shall go to the king, though it is contrary to the law; and if I am to perish, I shall perish!”

Perhaps she could have saved her Benjaminite family and feel comforted that she did the best she could.

(8) Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy in my care, and let us be on our way, that we may live and not die—you and we and our children. (9) I myself will be surety for him; you may hold me responsible: if I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, I shall stand guilty before you forever. (10) For we could have been there and back twice if we had not dawdled.” (11) Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, do this: take some of the choice products of the land in your baggage, and carry them down as a gift for the man—some balm and some honey, gum, ladanum, pistachio nuts, and almonds. (12) And take with you double the money, carrying back with you the money that was replaced in the mouths of your bags; perhaps it was a mistake. (13) Take your brother too; and go back at once to the man. (14) And may El Shaddai dispose the man to mercy toward you, that he may release to you your other brother, as well as Benjamin. As for me, if I am to be bereaved, I shall be bereaved.”

Judah could never have imagined what he would have to do to honor his promise. He could have left Benjamin having done his best. But he _ a son of Leah - will offer to sacrifice himself for a son of Rachel.

(34) For how can I go back to my father unless the boy is with me? Let me not be witness to the woe that would overtake my father!”

The End of the Story

(3) For Mordecai the Jew ranked next to King Ahasuerus and was highly regarded by the Jews and popular with most of his brethren; he sought the good of his people and spoke peacefully to all his kindred.

(4) And when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of his brothers, they hated him so that they could not speak a friendly word to him.

Concepts for Discussion