We continue with Bitachon related thoughts from Rav Chaim Kanievsky’s commentary on Tehilim. In chapter 148, which we say every single day, David Hamelech is looking into the creations of the heavens and the earth to praise Hashem. He starts off with
הַ֥לְלוּ־יָ֨הּ ׀ הַֽלְל֣וּ אֶת־יְ֭הֹוָה מִן־הַשָּׁמַ֑יִם הַֽ֝לְל֗וּהוּ בַּמְּרוֹמִֽים׃
Praise Hashem from the heavens, from high above all the angels, all the hosts, the sun, the moon, all the celestial beings,
The heavens high above, the water above the heavens…
And what is their praise?
יְֽ֭הַלְלוּ אֶת־שֵׁ֣ם ה׳ כִּ֤י ה֖וּא צִוָּ֣ה וְנִבְרָֽאוּ׃
וַיַּעֲמִידֵ֣ם לָעַ֣ד לְעוֹלָ֑ם חׇק־נָ֝תַ֗ן וְלֹ֣א יַעֲבֽוֹר׃
That God commanded and created them, and He put them up there forever.
He made a set rule, that shall never change.
That's what we comment once a month on the moon, that there's the cycle of the sun, the cycle of the moon. Everything that's in the heavens is basically static. Then he goes on to praise Hashem on the earth. Let's praise Hashem from the deaths, the fire, the hail, the snow, the smoke, the winds, the mountains and the valleys, the trees, the animals, the crawling creatures, the birds, the kings, the ministers, young boys and young girls, old men and lads.
And then it says,
יְהַלְל֤וּ ׀ אֶת־שֵׁ֬ם ה׳ כִּֽי־נִשְׂגָּ֣ב שְׁמ֣וֹ לְבַדּ֑וֹ ה֝וֹד֗וֹ עַל־אֶ֥רֶץ וְשָׁמָֽיִם
His name is above alone, His glory is on the heavens and the earth.
Rav Chaim points out that there’s a difference in how we talk about the heavens and earth. Regarding the heavens, it says, God commanded and created them, but regarding the earth, it says His name is exalted forever… Why the difference?
He says it’s because the creation of the heavens was a one time creation.
The sun is created once, the moon is created once. Of course, it says that God continues to pump energy into creation, and that He makes (not made) the great luminaries, but in our eyes, they're static. They don't change. On the other hand, what is down on the earth is constantly renewed and refreshed. There are new horses, new bears, new bees…things are constantly changing. Each of the items in the heaven was created with a certain purpose and a finite amount, but on the earth things are constantly being recreated and rejuvenated, because this is where everything happens. As amazed as we may be at the sun and the moon and the celestial beings, they're just as is. Of course, as we said, they're being rejuvenated, but there's no change.
The constant change in God's will is expressed down here, on earth.
The perek ends off with,
וַיָּ֤רֶם קֶ֨רֶן ׀ לְעַמּ֡וֹ תְּהִלָּ֤ה לְֽכׇל־חֲסִידָ֗יו לִבְנֵ֣י יִ֭שְׂרָאֵל עַ֥ם קְרֹב֗וֹ הַֽלְלוּ־יָֽהּ׃
God lifts up the horn of His nation, the Jewish people. This praise to His pious ones, the Jewish people, this nation that's close to Him.
And on that we say a special Hallelu-yah.
This means there are levels of action, so to say, levels of moving and happenings.
We start with the sun and the moon- They're constant.
The world is also constantly changing, and God's name is revealed, but where is it really happening? It's happening with Am Kerovo/ His nation that's close to Him.
We are the place where everything's really happening.
As it says, everything happens through the Jewish people. All the changes and all the upheavals- it’s all happening ultimately, to get the Jewish people and the world at large, to its final goal.
We’re referred to as Am Kerovo/The nation that is close to Him, which has more than one explanation. One simple explanation is that we're close, as in distance, that He’s not far away from us, He's right near us. But the deeper explanation is that Am Kerovo means we're related to Him. We’re the nation that God views as His relatives. We’re His children, we’re His family. Ultimately, a person's work is for his family.
His emphasis, and his focus in everything he does is for his wife and children.
In the whole world, with everything that's happening around us, who is the family of God, who is He focusing on? He's focusing on us, and we have to appreciate that with part of that big Jewish family of God.
Yes, the father goes for meetings, and flies to California and China and takes people out for dinner and all kind of things - but what’s it really all happening for? In order for him to come home and have a meal together with his family, and that's the world at large. There are the things that are always there, and there are things that are changing. And then there's the real focus, which is the Jewish people. And we have to realize we're part of that special group of people. He's watching us, He’s close to us, and when we call out, He helps us.
Have a wonderful day.