Today we will study chapter 84 of Tehilim, pasuk 13:
ה׳ צְבָאוֹת אַשְׁרֵי אָדָם בֹּטֵחַ בָּךְ
God of the hosts, fortunate is the one who relies on Him
The Yerushalmi, in Masechet Berachot, quotes this as one of three pesukim that should always be in a person’s mouth.
The other two are:
ה׳ צְבָאוֹת עִמָּנוּ מִשְׂגָּב לָנוּ
אֱלֹקי יַעֲקֹב סֶלָה
God of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our haven. (Tehilim 46,6)
And,
ה׳ הוֹשִׁיעָה
הַמֶּלֶךְ יַעֲנֵנוּ בְיוֹם קָרְאֵנוּ
Hashem, grant victory!
May the King answer us when we call (Tehilim 20,10)
We says these pesukim quite often in our prayers, based on this Yerushalmi, and it’s important to always keep them on our minds.
The rabbis tell us that these three pesukim correspond to Avraham, Yitzhak and Yaakov.
Avraham Avinu is the one that said today’s pasuk, ה׳
צְבָאוֹת אַשְׁרֵי אָדָם בֹּטֵחַ בָּךְ
God of the hosts, fortunate is the one who relies on Him
The Pirkei D’Reb Eliezer
(in chapter 26) quotes this and says that in his first test, when they were out to kill Avraham Avinu, he hid underground for 13 years and did not see the sun nor the moon. When he came out, he was clear in his Emuna. He disgraced the idols, he relied on Hashem, and said this pasuk:
ה׳ צְבָאוֹת אַשְׁרֵי אָדָם בֹּטֵחַ בָּךְ
God of the hosts, fortunate is the one who relies on Him
Why he use this pasuk?
We know that “hosts,” refers to the sun, the moon, the stars etc. These were the forces that the idol worshippers of old worshipped. They believed that we cannot deal directly with God. They thought that they needed to work with intermediaries, with the hosts, with God’s army. They didn’t think that they could deal directly with God. They thought God was above dealing directly with us.
But Avraham Avinu understood that God was the One pumping energy into all of these forces, that there is nothing else but God, and that we fully have the right to deal with God directly. That is why he said, “God is the God of the hosts. Avraham Avinu knew that he did not have to rely on the hosts. Rather,
אַשְׁרֵי אָדָם בֹּטֵחַ בָּךְ
Fortunate is the one that relies on You
The Alshech says that “relies on You,” doesn’t only negate the sun and the moon. His Hiddush is that sometimes people rely on a holy place, or on a holy person. They think those things will help them, but it’s neither the holy place, nor the holy person. In his words, “not to the Mikdash, and not to the righteous, but rather, relying totally on Hashem.”
Nothing else but Hashem. That is what Abraham Avinu taught us.
The Midrash goes further, and explains how the preceding pasuk refers to Avraham Avinu
כִּי שֶׁמֶשׁ ׀ וּמָגֵן ה׳ אֱלֹקים חֵן וְכָבוֹד יִתֵּן ה׳ לֹא יִמְנַע־טוֹב לַהֹלְכִים בְּתָמִים
God is the sun and the shield. He will not hold back good from those that go with Him in simplicity.
It explains that the “shemesh/sun” refers to Avraham, because the pasuk says that Avraham shined like the sun. Magen/shield is also Avraham, as in Magen Avraham.
The word Elokim also refers to Avraham, as we say in this week’s Parasha, “You’re a prince of God,”
Additionally, when it says,
לֹא יִמְנַע־טוֹב לַהֹלְכִים בְּתָמִים
He will not hold back from those who go in Tamim/simplicity, that also refers to Avraham, because Hashem told him, “Go in front of Me and be Tamim/perfect.”
So every step of this pasuk refers to Abraham, and so the pasuk that follows quotes the words of Avraham.
One might think that this refers to exclusively to Avraham, but that is a mistake. The pasuk says that, “Anyone who goes in front of Me in simplicity, I become a shield for him.”
We know this because the pasuk says,
לֹא יִמְנַע־טוֹב לַהֹלְכִים בְּתָמִים
He will not hold back good from those who go in Tamim/simplicity
It’s written in plural- anyone who goes will be saved.
Furthermore, it says,
אשרי אדם בטח בך
Fortunate is the man who relies on Him
It doesn’t say Fortunate is Avraham who relies…
So we see that this promise is not limited only to Avraham, but rather, anyone who relies on Hashem gets that special shield, the Magen Avraham.
Magen Avraham means that in dangerous situations, like when Avraham was thrown into the furnace… whatever you do, God is there to be a shield for you.
It is no coincidence that we start our Amida three times a day with the words Magen Avraham, because that “Magen Avraham,” protect every single Jewish person. And of course, it goes together with Bitachon.
Finally, why is the term אשריAshre/ fortunate used?
Rabbenu Bachye in Parashat Bo says that the term Ashre is always found in plural form. Why?
Because someone who is fortunate doesn’t only have one or two good things going for him. He has complete goodness- everything is good. He has the full package. So Ashre is said on qualities that are “full package qualities.”
He adds that Middat HaBitachon, the character trait of bitachon is many good qualities and great character traits, that all lead one to fortune.
That pasuk is all we need: The realization that all of the hosts, and all of the forces, and all of the powers are being energized by God, and we can deal with him directly. Abraham Avinu was our role model. And just like Hashem was a Magen Avraham, a shield for Avraham, He will be a shield for all of us.