Today we will study Tehilim perek מ pasuk ב
קַוֺּ֣ה קִוִּ֣יתִי ה׳ וַיֵּ֥ט אֵ֝לַ֗י וַיִּשְׁמַ֥ע שַׁוְעָתִֽי
Hope I hope ( the word hope is repeated, which indicates consistency) to Hashem, And He turned to me and listened my prayers
The Hida’s great-grandfather, Rav Avraham Azoulay, has an unbelievable description of this pasuk.
He says that a person should rely Hashem in all his trials and tribulations. We learn this from David HaMelech, who, through his Bitachon, was helped by Hashem, in all of his difficulties. One might argue that David HaMelech was a Sadik who had great deeds, and that’s why God saved him. They might ask, “What about me? I’m not such a big Sadik.”
To which David HaMelech answers, “קוה קויתי You should know that God did not help me because of my righteousness, but only because of my hope and reliance.”
That’s why the pasuk repeats, קוה קויתי Hope, I hope
Furthermore, David HaMelech says, וַיֵּ֥ט אֵ֝לַ֗י
God turned to me
I was far, based on my deeds, but I came close to Him through a Bitachon.
What does Hope mean?
In the words of the Hida’s great grandfather,
“When a person is sitting and looking forward to Hashem’s mercy, and he knows, very well, that there is no force that can save him other than God. He also believes that Hashem is supervising, and that He is full of mercy and that He should have mercy in him and not look at his sins.
This person hopes, and sits in fear and trepidation, waiting with his eyes looking up to heaven, and doesn’t think about anything else but Hashem.”
He says that if you go through that process, that in itself will give a person the merit to be saved.
That is why it says קוה קויתי Hope I hope- Because it’s a long haul.
And this is regarding a person that is not deserving!
He says that it takes a long time because when a person is waiting for Hashem’s Yeshua/ salvation, he may have a doubt about whether Hashem really is supervising; whether He is really here .
Therefore, Hashem makes us wait
Once you’ve sat though it and didn’t question, that makes you fit to be saved.
These are very, very powerful words.
It brings to mind the story of the two beggars, one Jew, one gentile, who went looking for a meal on the night of Pesach.
The Jew advised the gentile, “Tonight is our night! You can go to any Jewish home, and they will welcome you in and serve you a wonderful meal!” They each went on their way, and met up later that night. It was 1 am, and the Jewish beggar came back full and satiated, and fell asleep. When the gentile beggar saw him, he started yelling and cursing at him. The Jew asked him what happened. The gentile said that he went to a Jewish house and was given a glass of wine on an empty stomach, which bothered him. Then, after waiting and waiting for something to eat, they finally washed their hands, and what did they give him? A little bit of celery and no more.
He waited and waited, and they were talking and talking, and then finally they gave him Maror. He started choking on the bitter horse radish, got fed up and left!
The Jew said, “You got up and left? If only you would have waited a few more minutes, you would’ve been served a whole, delicious meal.”
That is what happens to many of us. We wait and wait and then finally, we decide it’s not working. This is what David HaMelech is telling us in this pasuk. קוה קויתי It’s a process. You have to wait. But that waiting causes Hashem to turn to you, as now you are fit.
The Alshech says that this is different from hoping to a human being, When you hope to a human being, if he doesn’t come through after one or two times, he’s not coming through. But Hashem doesn’t work that way. A person can hope, once, twice or three times. But if he hopes, he will be answered.
And if you say, “What do you mean? It didn’t happen,” That means that you left too early.
Mesilat Yesharim has a special essay about Hope, where it says that root of the word for hope kivoy, is kav- a direct line
When a person hopes, and waits, he is creating a direct line to Hashem. And even if he is not deserving, Hashem comes close to him. Hashem comes down, and even though normally there might be interferences, he creates this connection that happens through hope. קוה קויתי
This is a very powerful concepts, that we need to reiterate.
In the merit of our listeners, I stumbled on this beautiful commentary from the Hida’s great- grandfather, which was quoted in the Sefer Mikdash Me’at.