We are now in tehilim chapter 16, the first pasuk.
מִכְתָּ֥ם לְדָוִ֑ד שָֽׁמְרֵ֥נִי אֵ֝֗ל כִּֽי־חָסִ֥יתִי בָֽךְ
Guard me, My Guard, because I found refuge in You.
This is a common theme. David HaMalach is invoking the concept of seeking refuge in G-d.
The first word, Michtam, needs some explanation. Rashi tells us that on a simple level, Michtam means “crown.” David HaMelech is saying, “This is a crown on my head- my pride, which is that I always say, Hashem protect me, because I seek refuge in You.
Malbim explains that “I found refuge in You,” means, “I find refuge in You and only You. I am not relying on, or seeking refuge, in anything else, Therefore, I deserve protection.”
That is the simple explanation of this verse.
The Midrash says that the word Michtam is a combination of two words- Mach, which means Low, and Tam which means Perfect. David HaMelech lowered himself and that is what brought him to perfection.
If we look at the first three words of the pasuk, Michtam starts with a Mem, L’David starts with a Lamed, and Shomreni starts with a Shin.
מִכְתָּ֥ם לְדָוִ֑ד שָֽׁמְרֵ֥נִי
The rabbis say this is for שלם Shalem- complete. When a person humbles himself to God, that brings him to perfection. Mach, Tam- when one is Mach/low, he is tam/perfected.
David HaMelech also explains that he was perfect in his humility. He humbled himself when he was young, when he was old, when he was a layman, and when he was a king. David HaMelech was consistent in his humility. That’s what brought him protection and refuge.
Additionally, in the Sefer Emek HaMelech, the Mekubalim write that when a person is Mach, and humbles himself, even a death decree which might have come about because of his arrogance can be turned around.
The word מת Met/ Death, turned around spells תם, Tam, which is complete and perfect. So by humbling oneself, repenting, and realizing that Hashem is in charge, One can become a Mach, and turn (has v’shalom) מת met into תם tam.
What a powerful concept! Humility is a secret for health protection.
Furthermore, another Mekubal says that the numerical value for the word חסיתי which means “I seek refuge” is 488, the same as the word פתח
Rav Chaim Vital, student of the Arizal says that this is the secret of פותח את ידך
If we want Hashem to open up His hands in bounty for us, then we should have the concept of חסיתי in mind-
“I seek refuge, I am humble, I am low, I am not the bear at anything, Hashem is what brings me my success.”
Every pasuk has a pshat, remez, drush, and Sod.
Pshat is a simple explanation, which was what Rashi said- that there was a crown on David’s head, a crown of his reliance on God, and only God.
Then we went on to a Midrash on the word Michtam, which means low and perfect,
We then discussed Kabbalah, which is the sod.
Another Midrash Tehilim on this pasuk compares David saying he’s humble to a man traveling on the road with only his two small coins ( like pennies) in his pocket. He saw a motel where people were eating fish and meat, but he knew that if he asked for food, they would bring him something out of his budget. So he gave them his two pennies and asked for something worth that much. They asked him, “What can we give you for two pennies?” And he answered that there is a saying. “According to your money, dance.” Which means, “give me the little thing that I can get with the little money I have.”
So too, David HaMelech said, “I am looking into Olam Haba. I won’t be able to sit with the Gedolim. Avraham, Yitzhak and Yaakov are in a special chamber. Moshe and Aharon are also in a special chamber. If I’m lucky, I can sit on the doorstep. And if I can’t sit on the doorstep, I will wait outside in the courtyard. And if I can’t even wait in the courtyard, at least I’ll be in the lobby of the motel.”
That is what the bare minimum means- “I will sit in the lobby and continued to praise You.”
David HaMelech is humble. He thinks he might not get into Olam Haba for great deeds like Avraham, Yitzhak and Yaakov, but he will stay in, with the bare minimum, which is בתכך ירושלים הללי-ה
I am capable of praising Hashem. That much I have.
And that much, everybody has.
Rav Shteinman says that this is the bare minimum to get into Olam Haba- constantly praising Hashem. If you are constantly praising Hashem, God will protect you, and you can seek refuge in God, even though you don’t have any great deeds. But you need the bare minimum. You don’t have to be great in Torah or in good deeds, But you need the bare minimum, that you praise Hashem, you are aware of Him, and you are aware of His involvement in your life.
Even the poorest of people have those two pennies. And when you have that, it’s all you need, in order to feel confident that you can rely on Hashem and that and He will protect you.
B’ezrat Hashem, we have yet another important pasuk with many lessons: Michtam L’David
He is humble. This protects from death decrees, it brings parnasa, it’s consistent throughout your life, and it is what will get you into Olam Haba. You might not think you have anything else going for you, but at least you have the bare minimum, which is the capability to praise Hashem.