We are continuing with Pesukei Bitachon and are now back in the list of the Maharal, going in alphabetical order.
Tehilim 91,2:
אֹמַ֗ר לַ֭יהֹוָה מַחְסִ֣י וּמְצוּדָתִ֑י אֱ֝לֹהַ֗י אֶבְטַח־בּֽוֹ
I say to Hashem, You are my Machsi/refuge, Umsudati/and my fortress. God, I will rely on you.
What are these terms of machsi/refuge and mesudat/fortress?
The Shelah HaKadosh in Parashat Shekalim explains that the term machseh/refuge is refers to the events and the challenges of the times, just like someone in a house is protected from snow and rain, hot and cold. That's what Hashem is Machsi means-I'm protected from the flu and all the other things that are going around. I'm in a house.
A mesudah/ a fortress refers to wars and the like.
So Hashem is both Machsi U’msudati.
As we know, or should know, there are chapters in Tehilim that were not originally written by David Hamelech, for example, Tefila L’Moshe perek 90, and perek 91, which were written by Moshe Rabbenu. When did Moshe Rabbenu say this chapter, Yoshev B’Seter Elyon?
The Midrash Tanhuma on Naso, chapter 23 says that when he went up to Har Sinai, Moshe Rabbenu was afraid of the Mazikim/ the different types of demons and negative forces.
Therefore, Moshe Rabbeu said, I'm going to be in the protection of Hashem -using the word צל Tzel/shade- I'm going to be in God's shade. צ is 90 and ל is 30, adding up to the 120 days Moshe Rabbenu spent on the mountain, (three sets of 40), where he was protected by God's shade. And he said, Machsi UmSudati/You'll be my wall, my protection.
And Hashem said, “You’re relying on Me, I'll take care of you.”
So that's what protected Moshe Rabbenu on the mountain- this Bitachon in Yoshev B’Seter Elyon, where he says to Hashem, Machsi Umsudati.
The sefer Minhat Kohen on Parashat Teruma has a nice way to read these Pesukim. It starts off with
Yoshev B’Seter Elyon, the one that's in the hiding of the One above, God is protecting him.
But a deeper explanation is that the term Seter is like a Nes Nistar/a hidden miracle. Like the Ramban says, everything is hidden miracles. Specifically, Hashem’s name Sha-dai, which is found in the mezuzah, refers to hidden miracles. The next line, B’Sel Shaddai Yotlonan means we're talking about somebody that God is dealing with, using hidden miracles. And even though God is dealing with him through hidden miracles, so that he sees success and all kinds of wondrous prosperity and goodness in his life, he might make a mistake and say, I did it with my own strengths.
But No. He says to Hashem, Machsi U’Msudati/I realize that God's the one that brought me the protection and success.
What a nice way of reading this Pasuk- Yoshev B’Seter Elyon/ He’s being protected by God in a hidden way and yet he reveals the cover and says, No, Omar L’Hashem/I tell God —after I was Yoshev B’Seter Elyon- Machsi Umsudati,I realize it was only You.
Another explanation is from the Kedushat HaLevi, Rav Yitzhak HaLevi of Barditchev (Parashat Vayeshev). He asks a question. Grammatically, it says Machsi/You are my refuge, Umsudati/You are my fortress
in the past tense, and then
Elohai Evrach Bo/God that I will rely on- in the future tense.
Shouldn’t it say Elohai Bitachon Bo/ God that I relied in the past?
He says a very important rule. Sometimes God sends a challenge in order to test us, to strengthen our hearts to rely on Him, to realize there's nothing else but Hashem. That's what it means when David Hamelech says, I understand that Hashem is Machsi UMSudati I know that God protects me. So if God protects me, why is this war coming upon me? Why is this challenge coming to me? It's coming Elohai Evtach Bo/God- So that I will rely on You….
Like David Hamelech says in perek 118, pasuk 10,
כׇּל־גּוֹיִ֥ם סְבָב֑וּנִי בְּשֵׁ֥ם יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה כִּ֣י אֲמִילַֽם׃
All the goyim surround me, I will (in the future) cut them down with Hashem's name.
I understand that Hashem brought me this problem in order to give me the opportunity to strengthen my bitachon and to be saved.
So that's another important lesson- Elohai Evtach Bo/ know that things happen so that I will rely on Him.
Have a wonderful day.