Today’s class is sponsored l'iluy nishmat Mrs. Susan Jacobson, Sarah Malka Bat Aharon z"l by her family.
Today’s pasuk is from chapter 31 in tehilim, pasuk ז,
שָׂנֵ֗אתִי הַשֹּׁמְרִ֥ים הַבְלֵי־שָׁ֑וְא וַ֝אֲנִ֗י אֶל־ה׳ בָּטָֽחְתִּי
I despise those who await worthless vanities And as for me, on Hashem I rely
What exactly is David HaMelech telling us?
The Ibn Ezra comments on the words “I hate those who await”
He asks, What are they waiting for?
He says that in those days there was a concept called Nichoosh, in which people thought that there was a right and wrong time of day to go out, and if a black cat walked in front of them, they didn’t think it was a good sign…. These are the things that the pasuk tells us to stay away from. Rather, we are told to be Tamim Tihyeh, perfect in our faith.
As Rashi says, this means that we are not to search into the future, look for signs or pay attention to soothsayers.
The Radak says the same thing.
When David HaMelech ran away from Shaul, he didn’t ask anybody anything. He relied on Hashem alone.
Sometimes, however, when people feel that they are in a tough situation, they feel desperate and they search for some type of sign or indicator. Even the great Shaul HaMelech brought up his teacher Shemuel from the dead, to ask him what to do. He was in a difficult position, he said, and he had a need to reach out and ask what would be. But David HaMelech says, “Even in my most difficult times, I didn’t search for what the future would bring, I only relied on Hashem. And what’s more, to look forward such things was totally despicable to me.”
As the pasuk says, “Those that love Hashem hate evil.”
David HaMelech couldn’t handle the fact that people, in their times of need, were searching for these types of indicators.
Rabbi Yaakov Hillel wrote an entire Sefer about this, called Tamim Tihyeh, which was translated into English and entitled Faith and Folly. He wrote about how when people feel desperate, they seek out false Kabbalists and charlatans, people who take advantage of those who are in a time of need, and want to hear what will be. All of the stems from the same root problem, which is that people cannot deal with the unknown. People cannot deal with uncertainty.
But David HaMelech says,
ואני אל ה׳ בטחתי
my antidote to this is bitachon.
I don’t have to know what the future will be. I don’t have to know what the market will bring, or how things will turn around. If we look back to about a year and a half ago, we were living in uncertainty. People thought that no one would ever have a wedding again, that no one would ever buy or sell a house again, that there would never be traffic again etc…. but we see that with time, things clear up, and Hashem helps.
All of the uncertainty and worry that we had just dissipated.
David HaMelech’s greatness is that in the moment, when everything seemed to be crashing down around him, and somebody might just want a little peek into the future to see would will be, he says, I don’t need to peek into the future. I am just focusing on my Bitachon, and on Hashem.
Other commentaries on this pasuk explain the term הַבְלֵי־שָׁ֑וְא using the definition of הבל as hot air, emptiness or vanity.
So, when David HaMelech says,
I despise those who await worthless vanities,
this is referring to people who are solely focused on enjoying this world, and focus mainly on pleasure.
But David HaMelech says, My focus is on connecting to Hashem, and on relying on Hashem. That’s where he places his focus and his goals.
So whether it’s the silliness and emptiness of those who look to the future, or the silliness and emptiness of those who are just chasing pleasures, David HaMelech says,
I find my comfort in one thing, and one thing only,
וַ֝אֲנִ֗י אֶל־ה׳ בָּטָֽחְתִּי
As for me, in Hashem my rely. That is David HaMelech’s cure and answer for everything.
Have a wonderful day.