Thank you to all the well wishers that noticed it was class 1000 on Friday and sent me some nice notes. It was appreciated, but as Rav Wolbe used to say, it's all Siyata Dishmaya B’zechut Harabim. Anytime someone gives classes, it's with God's help, because there are people out there listening.
So I'm just the conduit. We thank the listeners for bringing it down.
Today is the final day of Hanukah, and it has been suggested, to check out chapter 91 of Tehilim on the last day of Hanukah, and read it.
With that in mind, I would like to share a thought that we can actually take with us through the entire year. The Magen Avraham on Shulchan Aruch (siman 295) brings down from one of the Rishonim the source for the custom to say Vihi Noam (the last pasuk of perek 90) and Yoshev B’Seter (Tehilim perek 91) on the holiday of Hanukah, right after lighting the menorah. He says the numerical value of HaKohanim is 130, which is the amount of words in these Pesukim. And when the Kohanim went to war against the Greeks, they said these pesukim, and they won. That's why we say these pesukim.
We also say it at night before we go to sleep, on Shabbat, on Motzei Shabbat, and it's customary to say it at a funeral. Some people say it in Tefilat Haderech as well. So we have to know what exactly the significance of Yoshev B’Seter is, in these times, and specifically at Hanukah.
In a Mishna in the second chapter of Shavuot, it discusses how to extend the holiness of the city of Jerusalem or the holiness of any of the chambers of the Bet Hamikdash. There are certain requirements, and one of the requirements is song- you need to sing. What songs are we referring to? The Gemara says that beside singing Mizmor Shir Hanukat HaBayit L’David, which we also say on Hanukah (that makes sense because that's the psalm that is said when you inaugurate) there's another song, called Shir shel Pega’im, the song that prevents tragedies, which refers to the Mizmor of Yoshev B’Seter (tehilim 91) and Vihi Noam, where we say,
וְ֝נֶ֗גַע לֹא־יִקרַ֥ב בְּאׇהֳלֶֽךָ׃
A tragedy will not enter your tent..
יִפֹּ֤ל מִצִּדְּךָ֨ ׀ אֶ֗לֶף וּרְבָבָ֥ה מִימִינֶ֑ךָ
A thousand will fall from one side and 10,000 from the other…
So this is a protective chapter in Tehilim.
How does it work? How does this chapter bring protection? The Sefer Hinuch, in Mitzvah 512, tells us that these pesukim arouse our souls to rely Hashem, to establish in our hearts fear of God and to rely on His kindness and goodness. And when you realize these thoughts and you arouse yourself to them, you'll be protected, without a doubt, from any tragedy.
So these are pesukim of Bitachon.
Furthermore, in Moreh Nevuchim
(section 3, chapter 51) the Rambam says, “I want to share with you a wondrous, deep thought that's going clear up a lot of questions, which is: The more connected you are to God, the more God's supervision is upon you.” And he says that, “It seems to me that any great prophet or pious man that something bad happened to him, it was only because he was disconnected at that moment from God.”
The classic example is David Hamelech. He learned every Shabbat, because he didn't want to die, and he knew that as long as he was learning, which is a way of connecting to God, he would be protected.
And God had to stop the connection, by having a tree break. That stopped him in his learning. So, of course, you can't beat the system. But as long as a person is connected to God, nothing can can can affect him. And he says, Hitbonen/ Go and delve into the Shir Shel Pega’im, delve into that song and you'll see how it describes God's supervision and God's refuge and protection from all evils.
It’s unbelievable.. There are plagues, there are fears, there are wars, but they’re all nothing to worry about. Why?
What's the reason?
כִּ֤י בִ֣י חָ֭שַׁק וַאֲפַלְּטֵ֑הוּ
“he desired Me and I'm going to save him. And what does that mean?
It says
אֲ֝שַׂגְּבֵ֗הוּ כִּֽי־יָדַ֥ע שְׁמִֽי׃
I'm going to lift him up because he knows My name,
which Rambam says means he's contemplating Me.
And that's what protects you. The more you contemplate God, the more you’re protected. That was the secret of the Hashmona’im. They used the secret of Yoshev B’Seter Elyon/one who is sitting in the protection of One Above… and that's what caused them to win the war.
We will see a little bit more about how this works, B’Ezrat Hashem, throughout the week.
Have a wonderful day and a good end of Hanukah.