Today we will discuss Tehilim perek טז, pasuk ט
לָכֵ֤ן ׀ שָׂמַ֣ח לִ֭בִּי וַיָּ֣גֶל כְּבוֹדִ֑י אַף־בְּ֝שָׂרִ֗י יִשְׁכֹּ֥ן לָבֶֽטַח
Therefore, my heart is happy, and my honor will rejoice; even my flesh will rest with serenity
Why does it say therefore? Therefore what? What exactly is causing this happiness?
The Radak and Rashi each have a different approach to answering this question. The Radak looks at the prior pasuk, whereas Rashi looks at the pasuk the follows.
The pasuk before this one says,
שִׁוִּ֬יתִיה'לְנֶגְדִּ֣י תָמִ֑יד כִּ֥י מִֽ֝ימִינִ֗י בַּל־אֶמּֽוֹט
I place Hashem in front of me constantly, He does not leave my right side.
So the Radak uses this pasuk to explain...
Hashem is always on my mind, I have Bitachon…
Therefore,
I am always happy
Rashi looks at the pasuk that follows, which says,
כִּ֤י לֹא־תַעֲזֹ֣ב נַפְשִׁ֣י לִשְׁא֑וֹל לֹֽא־תִתֵּ֥ן חֲ֝סִידְךָ֗ לִרְא֥וֹת שָֽׁחַת
You will not allow my soul to go to Gehinom,
So, it’s saying,
because I won’t see Gehinom, therefore, I’m happy
Both of these approaches are true, which we will soon see.
But first, we have to look at the terms David HaMelech uses. He says,
My heart is happy
My honor rejoices
My flesh will rest
The Ibn Ezra says that, “My heart,” refers to intellect, “My honor,” refers to the neshama, and, “My flesh,” refers to the body.
David HaMelech is so connected to God, that his soul and intellect rejoice, and it impacts even his body, so that in this world, even his body will feel protected.
The Chida had a beautiful thought about this, based on a Midrash Tanchuma in Parashat Korach, which tells us that during David HaMelech’s times, 100 people were dying every day. David HaMelech instituted 100 Berachot a day, and the deaths stopped.
It is interesting to note that when Rav Chaim Kanievsky was asked about the Meron tragedy, he said firstly,
that we should strengthen ourselves in Torah,
Secondly, that ladies should strengthen themselves in tzenuit/modesty,
Also, that we should be careful in the laws of Netilat Yadayim
And lastly, that we should strengthen our kavana when we make Berachot, in order to feel the closeness of God
(see attached).
This was based on the Midrash cited above, that reciting 100 blessings per day protects one from death.
What does this have to do with our Pasuk, and our question about the word,
לכן -Lachen/Therefore?
What is it that brings David to his Bitachon, that makes him so happy?
The Chida says a remez/hint about the word לכן Lachen: The numerical value of this word is 100, implying that David HaMelech is saying, “Because I made 100 Berachot, I’m happy-knowing that I averted such a tragedy for the Jewish people. I saved them.”
How does this save one from Gehinom?
The Chida brings down that of these 100 Berachot, two are from the Torah (according to many Rishonim): Bircat Hamazon and Bircat HaTorah.
The remaining 98 Berachot protect us from the 98 curses mentioned in the Torah.
(49 of these are found in Parashat Bechukotai, which we read this past Shabbat; and in Ki Tavo we read them doubled up, because Devarim is double, so 49x2= 98)
There are 98 curses, heaven forbid, and another 2 curses.
What knocks out these curses?
The Sefer Rokeach says that the 98 Berachot, which are rabbinical, knock out the 98 curses. And other the two curses (that aren’t mentioned in the Torah) are knocked out by the two Berachot mentioned in the Torah.
The Sefer Rokeach points out that the word Gehinom- גהנם has the numerical value of 98 - so by saying the 98 Berachot with kavana, one is saved from Gehinom.
So, when we look back at the pasuk, we see that David HaMelech is saying,
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לָכֵן שָׂמַח לִבִּי וַיָּגֶל כְּבוֹדִי אַף בְּשָׂרִי יִשְׁכֹּן לָבֶטַח: |
Therefore, I’m happy because
I instituted the 100 Berachot,
And what do these 100 Berachot do?
שִׁוִּיתִי ה' לְנֶגְדִּי תָמִיד
They put God opposite me all the time
If a person has kavana in his Berachot, and says them slowly, that causes him to live with Hashem, and protects him from sin and gets him out of Gehinom.
And then,
לֹא־תַעֲזֹ֣ב נַפְשִׁ֣י לִשְׁא֑וֹל
You won’t allow my soul to go to Gehinom.
And David HaMelech is thrilled that,
אַף־בְּ֝שָׂרִ֗י יִשְׁכֹּ֥ן לָבֶֽטַח
My flesh will also be saved
(Because many of the 98 curses are full of horrific things for the body).
This way of connecting to Hashem, through the 100 Berachot, is powerful.
That is what David HaMelech is thrilled about- sharing his idea of reciting 100 Berachot.
I once heard from Yehuda Sadka, z’l the proper way to make a beracha, and if you take this on, it will change your Berachot, so maybe do it for a few Berachot a day, as a zechut for those that died in the Meron tragedy:
Baruch Atah Hashem,- pause and think:
Hashem is, was and will be Boss, controller, and is the Source of all blessing
Elokeinu- pause and think:
Hashem is the Source of all energy, and He is watching over me personally,
Melech HaOlam-
He is the King of the world
Borei Peri HaEtz
Think-
This apple, that I’m holding, He created it for me.
If you do that with a beracha, it upgrades your whole Beracha system. And if you do that 100 times a day, that is very powerful.
The Gemara in Midrash tells us that this pasuk ends off with אַף־בְּ֝שָׂרִ֗י יִשְׁכֹּ֥ן לָבֶֽטַח
My flesh will have a happy life in this world, because if I realize that everything comes from Hashem, then I am not jealous of anybody.
But it is more than that. It says that if a person is not jealous in this world, his bones don’t rot even after he is buried. As the pasuk says, “jealousy causes the bones to rot,”so therefore, if a person says 100 Berachot properly, and lives a life of Bitachon, not only is his body protected in this world, but in the grave well, and, he is also protected from Gehinom.
So therefore, David HaMelech is very happy with this great advice called 100 Berachot a day, to place God in front of you at all times, with all of its protective powers.
May this be a zechut/ merit for everybody.
Have a wonderful day.
