Welcome to our Perek Shira class. Today is the song of the Levyatan/Leviathan, which is a large whale-like creature. His song is
הוֹדוּ לַיי כִּי טוֹב כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ: (תהילים קלו א)
Praise Hashem. Thank Hashem because He is good, His kindness is forever.
The sefer Lekutei Amarim quotes the Gemara in Bava Batra that tells us that all creatures were create male and female in order to procreate, including the Leviathan.
But Hashem said, if they procreate and produce such large creatures….this could destroy the world (this is obviously not the present day whale, and it's something a slightly kabalistic concept), so Hashem killed the female and salted her for the sadikim to eat from in the future, as we know, from famous quote that when Mashiach comes we will sit in the Succah of the skin of the Levyatan (again these are kabalistic messages). So this Levyatan has been a widower for the past few thousand years, and he continues to live on, as it says in Tehilim 104, 26
לִ֝וְיָתָ֗ן זֶֽה־יָצַ֥רְתָּ לְשַֽׂחֶק־בּֽוֹ׃
The Levyatan You created to play with, whatever that means. God delights in the Levyatan. So this Levyatan has lasted now in this world for all these years, and as the Gemara in Yevamot tells us, Someone who doesn't have a wife doesn't have goodness. So this poor Levyatan widower has been all alone all these years, and it says, It's not good for man to be alone.
And yet he is alone. And the answer is, he's here alone because it's better for the world's good. That's why he says הוֹדוּ לַיי כִּי טוֹב כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ: (תהילים קלו א)/I praise Hashem, I thank Hashem because He's good. The kindness is good for everybody else.
I might not be understanding what's going on, but it's good for everybody else.
And actually, for the Levyatan it's Tov that he's alone, because otherwise it would destroy the world. That's what means that God's kindness is forever.
God created a world of kindness, not a world to be destroyed by these large Levyatans.
The Levyatan is singing, so to say, for the world good, although he himself seems not to be benefiting from it.
The sefer Birkat HaShir asks about the concept that Hashem plays with Levyatan (this is just for a lesson and not something that can be understood literally) and explains that since this Levyatan is a widower and is all alone, Hashem tries to make him happy. And as we are supposed to be like Hashem, there are many such stories of Gedolim. After the wedding of a certain Chasid who was a widower, at 2am, the Gadol asked his Gabbai to bring him to this man's house. The Gabbai asked, Why do you want to go there now? Why not go in the morning? The Rabbi answered, "After a wedding, a person comes home and wants to discuss the wedding with his wife. This man is going to come home alone, with no one to discuss it with. So I'm going to go there and discuss it with him."
This is the way of Hashem, Who is there causing this Levyatan to be delighted, whatever that means.
He's alone and therefore he sings, Hodu l'Hashem Ki Tov, Ki LeOlam Hasdo
As we mentioned, this concept of Hashem delighting with Levyatan is a kabbalistic concept. The Gemara in Avodah Zara describes what Hashem does every day. The first three hours Hashem learns Torah, whatever that means. The next three hours of the day, He judges the world. The next three hours, He is feeding the world, from the smallest of creatures to the largest.
And finally, לִ֝וְיָתָ֗ן זֶֽה־יָצַ֥רְתָּ לְשַֽׂחֶק־בּֽוֹ׃God is Mesahek im HaLevyatan- God is enjoying, or delighting with Levyatan as the pasuk says. Obviously, this is a very deep concept, what the Levyatan is. Nonetheless, he obviously he realizes that he was destined for greater things. So although he's alone and the rest of the world seems to be procreating, he's still singing the song of Hodu L'Hashem Ki Tov. Ki LeOlam Hasdo