We continue with perek כג, the Mizmor L’David where David compares Hashem to a Shepherd. In pasuk ד, he says,
גַּ֤ם כִּֽי־אֵלֵ֨ךְ בְּגֵ֪יא צַלְמָ֡וֶת
Even when I go in the valley of the shadow of death
לֹא־אִ֘ירָ֤א רָ֗ע
I am not afraid of evil
כִּי־אַתָּ֥ה עִמָּדִ֑י
Because You are with me
שִׁבְטְךָ֥ וּ֝מִשְׁעַנְתֶּ֗ךָ הֵ֣מָּה יְנַֽחֲמֻֽנִי
Your stick and Your staff/cane will give me comfort.
The first important lesson that the commentaries tell us about this pasuk is that up until now, David HaMelech was speaking about Hashem in the third person He restores my soul….
He leads me on the path.... this was all generally speaking.
But now, in a time of suffering, David HaMelech feels an even stronger connection to Hashem,
I do not fear evil because You are with me
Not “He” but “You” are with me.
שִׁבְטְךָ֥ וּ֝מִשְׁעַנְתֶּ֗ךָ
Your staff, Your cane will give me comfort.
David HaMelech realizes that when he is suffering, there is an even stronger connection to God, and Hashem is dealing with him on an individual basis.
But how can it be that God’s stick (which will give him a whack) will give him comfort?
There is a famous mashal that illustrates this point-
It’s like a boy who has been lost in the forest for hours. He was on a hike with his parents, but he got a little curious and made a wrong turn. Then it started to get dark out, and he got scared. Suddenly, he felt a whack. But that whack was his father, giving him a whack for veering off and getting lost. That whack was comforting, because it meant that his father was there with him.
So too, David HaMelech realizes that he is like a lost sheep, that feels the poke of the shepherd’s stick.
The commentaries say, regarding the two terms for God’s staff and cane,
שִׁבְטְךָ֥ וּ֝מִשְׁעַנְתֶּ֗ךָ
That it seems they are two different sticks. One, שִׁבְטְ is a stick to whip with, and the other, a משען, is a cane that the shepherd leans on.
The Radak says that David HaMelech realizes that it’s only one stick. It pokes but it’s also there as a stick of support.
David HaMelech is saying, “There is only one Shepherd. There aren’t two ways that God deals with me. It’s always the same Shepherd. He’s with me even in situations where it feels like I’m forsaken.”
The commentaries also say that David HaMelech says, “I am a seasoned warrior. I have been through a lot in my life. Therefore, I can be in the most difficult of situations and be totally unafraid, because I know You’re with me.”
Furthermore, I have previous experience. In the past I got a whack (with the stick), but then I was lifted up, (with the cane). All the whacks and challenges that You gave me were only there to make me better and stronger. And when I look back and remember my past, that gives me comfort.
This is an important lesson for us. Shlomo HaMelech says in Mishleh that The righteous man falls seven times but he gets up again.
Being a righteous person doesn’t mean that you don’t have challenges. But you have to look back, like the Hovot HaLevavot says, in Shaar Bitachon: Look back at your past experiences and history- they are an indication of the future. Look how God has been dealing with us as a nation, and how God deals with the individual. As a nation, the Jewish people have had bumps and falls, but we come back again.
As Rav Wolbe says, the Holocaust was a tremendous blow. But God gave us a gift afterwards. He gave us Eretz Yisrael, he gave us yeshivot, he gave us an abundance of wealth...Any time there is a fall, or a whack with the stick/ שבט He follows it up with an uplift, a משען, a support system or scaffolding. God is a משענת He is something for us to lean on. We have to look back, both at the general history of the Jewish people, and at our individual histories, and when we find ourselves in difficult times, we have to remember that, yes, we have been in difficult times before, but just like Hashem pulled us out then, He will pull us out of this too.
לֹא־אִ֘ירָ֤א רָ֗ע
כִּי־אַתָּ֥ה עִמָּדִ֑י
I am not scared, because You, Hashem are with me.
I know people that had very big challenges in their business during Covid. One of them told me, “Look, I have been around a long time. I have had a lot of challenges. My business has gone through a lot. I am not afraid anymore.”
David HaMelech is saying, “After all my past experiences, I can now meet a tremendous challenge and have no fear, because I know that You are right there with me. You are holding my hand. Your past support, after the whacks, give me the comfort and strength to keep on going.”
May we all feel Hashem’s משען- His support and His scaffolding.
Have a wonderful day.