For the past few months, we have been working on pesukim from Tehilim that deal with bitachon, as complied by Rabbi Yosef Zundel of Salant, based on the principle that learning, understanding and internalizing these pesukim will strengthen our Bitachon.
Now, for the next few weeks, B’ezrat Hashem, we will discuss a different group of pesukim, compiled by our Chachamim, based on a directive from Hashem Himself.
The Gemarah, in Masechet Rosh Hashanah, tells us that every holiday season, we are judged in a certain area. God, in His mercy, gives us the opportunity to merit, by telling us to do something in that area.. For example, we bring the Omer Korban on Pesach, because on Pesach we are judged on the wheat.
We bring Bikkurim on Shavuot because that is when we are judged on the fruit.
We libate water on Succot because that is when we are judged on the rain.
On Rosh Hashanah, when man himself is judged, Hashem says,
“Say, in front of Me, Malchuyot (pesukim referring to God as King),
Zichronot (pesukim referring to God remembering us, which is the concept of reward and punishment) and Shofarot ( pesukim referring to different Shofar blowings)
Do all of this on Rosh Hashanah, and that way, you will merit.”
The Gemarah continues here, and says that we read pesukim of Malchuyot/Hashem’s Kingdom, because by reading these pesukim, Hashem tells us, “You will make Me king over you.”
We read pesukim of Zichronot/ remembrance, “So that your remembrance will come in front of Me for the good, with the Shofar.”
So these pesukim are commanded by God, and our judgement for the whole year depends on them.
In each of these three units, there are ten pesukim, which add up to the thirty pesukim of our Musaf prayers.
B’ezrat Hashem, we will go through them one by one, and send out a pamphlet which can be printed, (link below) which will highlight each of these pesukim, in order to make it easier when we actually pray.
We will start with the first pasuk of Malchuyot, which begins with the Alenu LeShabeach prayer, and we say
ה׳ ימלך לעולם ועד
Hashem Yimloch LeOlam Va’ed
God will be King forever.
This pasuk was said by the Jewish people after they crossed the Yam Suf, when the water crashed down on the Egyptians (it is also said every day at the end of Az Yashir).
The Jewish people saw Hashem’s Kingship, and His total control over nature. We saw that God drowned our enemies and set up this whole scene of the sea splitting, the Jews going through, then the sea crashing down on them, while we survived.
Imagining this event, either before, or as you say this pasuk, will give added feeling to your words, as if you were standing there at the Sea. The truth is that as we say Az Yashir every day, we are supposed to imagine that we are standing there.
ה׳ ימלך לעולם ועד
Hashem Yimloch L’Olam Va’ed
What exactly does that mean?
Simply, Hashem shall reign for all eternity.
That means that He should, but that he isn’t necessarily reigning right now.
That is a little strange. Shouldn’t it say Hashem Melech Lolam Va’ed -
Hashem reigns as king forever?
Why is this written in the future tense?
The commentaries on the Chumash explain that at that moment, they saw Hashem’s kingdom. Ramban says that they saw “right now, His kingdom and control over everything.”
He saved us. With this statement, Hashem Yimloch LeOlam Va’ed,
we are making a request, not a statement of belief (that would be Hashem Melech Lolam Va’ed- Hashem is king forever)
So, rather, this is a prayer:
It should be God’s will that in all generations, we should see that same control.
Truthfully, that will only happen to the fullest extent, when mashiach comes. And according to many of the Rishonim, that is really what we are doing. We are making a request.
Hashem Yimloch LeOlam Va’ed-
“We are clear now, and we would like to see this clarity, that Hashem should control the whole world in an open way like He did at the Yam Suf, in all generations.”
Rashi had a different approach, and explains that
“Hashem Yimloch LeOlam Va’ed” is what we call a “present constant,”
He is, was, and always will be King- it’s constant, rather than just referring to the future.
So there are two simple explanations for this pasuk:
Rashi says that Hashem Yimloch LeOlam Va’ed means “Hashem shall be king- Olamit/forever,” as a constant.
And Ramban says that we have a certain clarity that we saw at Yam Suf, and we are requesting that Hashem’s kingdom should be forever.
That is what our focus on Rosh Hashanah is. We want Hashem’s kingdom to be clear and recognized by the world. We know He is in control, but we want the whole world to see it, in an open way.
So this is our first pasuk,
Hashem Yimloch LeOlam Vaed
It’s good to think about this on any day of the year, as we say it in Az Yashir. But now, in this month of Elul, we are preparing for the high holidays. And our job in Elul is to get ourselves ready, and in shape. We are running a marathon and we have to prepare, over the next thirty days. We have selichot to prepare for Yom Kippur, and we will use these pesukim as an opportunity to prepare ourselves for Rosh Hashanah.