MAN IS LIKENED TO THE SILENCED ANIMALS

http://www.chabad.org/dailystudy/tehillim.asp?tDate=5/1/2012 Chapter 49 This psalm is a strong message and inspiration for all, rich and poor alike, rebuking man for transgressions which, owing to habit, he no longer considers sinful; yet, these sins incriminate man on the Day of Judgement. The psalm speaks specifically to the wealthy, who rely not on God but on their wealth. 1. For the Conductor, by the sons of Korach, a psalm. 2. Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all you inhabitants of the world; 3. sons of common folk and sons of nobility, rich and poor alike. 4. My mouth speaks wisdom, and the thoughts of my heart are understanding. 5. I incline my ear to the parable; I will unravel my riddle upon the harp. 6. Why am I afraid in times of trouble? [Because] the sins I trod upon surround me. 7. There are those who rely on their wealth, who boast of their great riches. 8. Yet a man cannot redeem his brother, nor pay his ransom to God. 9. The redemption of their soul is too costly, and forever unattainable. 10. Can one live forever, never to see the grave? 11. Though he sees that wise men die, that the fool and the senseless both perish, leaving their wealth to others- 12. [nevertheless,] in their inner thoughts their houses will last forever, their dwellings for generation after generation; they have proclaimed their names throughout the lands. 13. But man will not repose in glory; he is likened to the silenced animals. 14. This is their way-their folly remains with them, and their descendants approve of their talk, Selah. 15. Like sheep, they are destined for the grave; death shall be their shepherd, and the upright will dominate them at morning; their form will rot in the grave, away from its abode. 16. But God will redeem my soul from the hands of the grave, for He will take me, Selah. 17. Do not fear when a man grows rich, when the glory of his house is increased; 18. for when he dies he will take nothing, his glory will not descend after him. 19. For he [alone] praises himself in his lifetime; but [all] will praise you if you better yourself. 20. He will come to the generation of his forefathers; they shall not see light for all eternity. 21. Man [can live] in glory but does not understand; he is likened to the silenced animals. Chapter 50 This psalm speaks of many ethics and morals. The psalmist rebukes those who fail to repent humbly and modestly. He also admonishes those who do not practice that which they study, and merely appear to be righteous; they sin and cause others to sin. 1. A psalm by Asaph. Almighty God, the Lord, spoke and called to the earth, from the rising of the sun to its setting. 2. Out of Zion, the place of perfect beauty, God appeared. 3. Our God will come and not be silent; a fire will consume before Him, His surroundings are furiously turbulent. 4. He will call to the heavens above, and to the earth, to avenge His people: 5. "Gather to Me My pious ones, those who made a covenant with me over a sacrifice.” 6. Then the heavens declared His righteousness, for God is Judge forever. 7. Listen, my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against you-I am God your God. 8. Not for [the lack of] your sacrifices will I rebuke you, nor for [the lack of] your burnt offerings which ought to be continually before Me. 9. I do not take oxen from your house, nor goats from your pens; 10. for every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle of a thousand mountains. 11. I know every bird of the mountains, and the crawling creatures of the field are in My possession. 12. Were I hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and everything in it is mine. 13. Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? 14. Offer confession as a sacrifice to God, and fulfill your vows to the Most High, 15. and call to Me on the day of distress; I will free you, and you will honor Me. 16. But to the wicked, God said, "What does it help you to discuss My laws, and bear My covenant upon your lips? 17. For you hate discipline, and throw My words behind you. 18. When you see a thief you run with him, and your lot is with adulterers. 19. You sent forth your mouth for evil, and attach your tongue to deceit. 20. You sit down to talk against your brother; your mother's son you defame. 21. You have done these things and I kept silent, so you imagine that I am like you-[but] I will rebuke you and lay it clearly before your eyes. 22. Understand this now, you who forget God, lest I tear you apart and there be none to save you. 23. He who offers a sacrifice of confession honors Me; and to him who sets right his way, I will show the deliverance of God." Chapter 51 This psalm speaks of when Nathan the prophet went to David's palace, and rebuked him for his sin with Bathsheba. David then secluded himself with God, offering awe-inspiring prayers and begging forgiveness. Every person should recite this psalm for his sins and transgressions. 1. For the Conductor, a psalm by David, 2. when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had gone to Bathsheba. 3. Be gracious to me, O God, in keeping with Your kindness; in accordance with Your abounding compassion, erase my transgressions. 4. Cleanse me thoroughly of my wrongdoing, and purify me of my sin. 5. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 6. Against You alone have I sinned, and done that which is evil in Your eyes; [forgive me] so that You will be justified in Your verdict, vindicated in Your judgment. 7. Indeed, I was begotten in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 8. Indeed, You desire truth in the innermost parts; teach me the wisdom of concealed things. 9. Purge me with hyssop and I shall be pure; cleanse me and I shall be whiter than snow. 10. Let me hear [tidings of] joy and gladness; then the bones which You have shattered will rejoice. 11. Hide Your face from my sins, and erase all my trespasses. 12. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew within me an upright spirit. 13. Do not cast me out of Your presence, and do not take Your Spirit of Holiness away from me. 14. Restore to me the joy of Your deliverance, and uphold me with a spirit of magnanimity. 15. I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will return to You. 16. Save me from bloodguilt, O God, God of my deliverance; my tongue will sing Your righteousness. 17. My Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Your praise. 18. For You do not desire that I bring sacrifices, nor do You wish burnt offerings. 19. The offering [desirable] to God is a contrite spirit; a contrite and broken heart, God, You do not disdain. 20. In Your goodwill, bestow goodness upon Zion; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. 21. Then will You desire sacrifices [offered in] righteousness, olah and other burnt offerings; then they will offer bullocks upon Your altar. Chapter 52 David laments his suffering at the hands of Doeg, and speaks of Doeg's boasts about the evil he committed. David asks, "What does he think? Does he consider the doing of evil a mark of strength?" David also curses Doeg and those like him. 1. For the Conductor, a maskil by David, 2. when Doeg the Edomite came and informed Saul, saying to him, "David has come to the house of Achimelech.” 3. Why do you boast with evil, O mighty one? God's kindness is all day long. 4. Your tongue devises treachery; like a sharpened razor it works deceit. 5. You love evil more than good, falsehood more than speaking righteousness, Selah. 6. You love all devouring words, a deceitful tongue. 7. God will likewise shatter you forever; He will excise and pluck you from the tent, and uproot you from the land of the living forever. 8. The righteous will see it and be awed, and they will laugh at him: 9. "Here is the man who did not make God his stronghold, but trusted in his great wealth, and drew strength from his treachery.” 10. But I am like a fresh olive tree in the house of God; I trust in God's kindness forever and ever. 11. I will thank you forever for what You have done; I will hope in Your Name, for You are good to Your pious ones. Chapter 53 This psalm speaks of when Titus pierced the curtain of the Holy of Holies with his sword, and thought he had killed "himself" (a euphemism for God). 1. For the Conductor, on the machalat,1 a mas-kil2 by David. 2. The fool says in his heart, "There is no God!" They have acted corruptly and committed abominable deeds; not one does good. 3. God looked down from heaven upon mankind, to see if there was any man of intelligence who searches for God. 4. But they all regressed together; they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. 5. Indeed, the evildoers who devour My people as they devour bread, who do not call upon God, will come to realize. 6. There they will be seized with fright, a fright such as never was; for God scatters the bones of those encamped against you. You shamed them, for God rejected them. 7. O that out of Zion would come Israel's deliverance! When God returns the captivity of His people, Jacob will exult, Israel will rejoice.

PSALM 118: TEXT AND INTRODUCTION ; TZELEM ELOKIM

(The concept "tzelem Elokim" is too often translated as "In the image of G-d." I believe this is not an accurate translation of the words, and is not a Jewish translation on a conceptual level. The root of the word "tzelem" is "tzeil," which means shadow. A shadow reveals the contours of an object in an indirect way, without one actually seeing the object itself. An idol is called a "tzelem" because it purports to reflect a certain reality, without actually being that reality. Man, as a "tzelem Elokim" embodies within him the potential to enable the contours of the Divine to be seen, if you will, without actually seeing G-d. Therefore, I have translated it as a reflection of the Divine. The idea of man being an "image of G-d" probably has its roots in another religion.)

O Praise Hashem, all you nations; extol Him, all you peoples.

For His loving kindness has overwhelmed us; and the truth of Hashem endures for ever. Halleluyah!

These two simple verses, containing no words which are ambiguous or demand intensive investigation, make up a quatrain which is anything but simple.

Before assaying the difficulties in this text, we should note that the familiar pair Hessed and Emet, which we explained as a hendiadys at the beginning of ps. 115, should probably be read the same way here: For His true kindness has overwhelmed us…(again, what would be the meaning of "His truth overwhelming us"?).

There are at least three identifiable problems here, one contextual, one interpretive and the other logical.
THE HALLEL THESE 6 PSALMS COMPRISE ONE UNIT
The contextual problem is only a challenge if we accept the premise that all six of these psalms were composed as a unit (as is evidenced by the common denominator among the various rabbinic opinions regarding the time, circumstance and author behind these psalms). If that is the case, how does the psalmist turn from a very exclusive audience in the Temple (end of previous psalm) to addressing the nations? Indeed, how is any address to the nations of the world to be understood? Where is he speaking - and who is really his direct audience?
The interpretive problem revolves around the equivoke at the beginning of v. 2 - Aleinu. Who has been overwhelmed by His kindness? Am Yisra'el or the entire world?

The logical problem flows from the interpretive. If we accept the common translation of ki(first word in v. 2) as "because" then we have an argument, reformatted as follows:

Premise: G-d has overwhelmed us with His kindness;

Conclusion: All of the nations ought to praise Him.

The fallacy of this argument needs no clarification.
Some of the Rishonim (e.g. Rashi ad loc.) solve this last dilemma by interpreting ki as "in spite of" or "indeed" - which only lessens the sense of dissonance but doesn't entire relieve it - why should the nations praise G-d?

If we interpret Aleinu as referring to the entire world, there is clearly no fallacy in the argument. Where, however, is there any mention of G-d's kindness to the entire world in the foregoing texts?
would like to suggest a solution by first reorienting our understanding of the setting, thus explaining the first issue. Although the psalmist stands in the Mikdash before the assemblage (we will find out when and under what circumstance by the end of the next chapter), he rhetorically addresses himself to the rest of the world. Taking note of how kind the Ribbono Shel Olam has been to His people - those who praise Him - he adjures the rest of the world (so to speak) to join in the praise for their own benefit. To wit: You all see how blessed we are; this is the result of our close relationship with the Almighty. You, too, should act likewise. This is not honestly directed at the nations, but at Am Yisrael (such oratorical devices are common in T'nakh - see, inter alia, the first chapter of Amos). The effect is that we should feel particularly blessed and, if the rest of the nations ought to praise Him, how much more so should we do likewise (compare BT Pesahim 118b).
Nonetheless, the context is odd. The psalmist has just completed the most individual expression of praise in this series of psalms; the sharp 180° turn to facing the entire world, even if only rhetorical, is jarring (to say the least).

MORAL CLARITY TO EVOKE UNIVERSAL PRAISE FOR HAKADOSH BARUKH HU; external power is a function of internal strength.

Following the reasoning we proposed at the end of the previous shiur, we may explain as follows: Only when the individual has identified, completely and intensely, with the experience of redemption, can he turn to the world with the necessary energy and moral clarity to evoke universal praise for HaKadosh Barukh Hu. It is exactly - perhaps exclusively - the personalization of the Exodus which catapults the individual to the international stage and allows him to speak to the global community. Counterintuitive though it may be, external power is a function of internal strength.

THE LEVIIM ELICIT PRAISE FROM THE THREE GROUPS BELOW DESCRIBED
The Levi'im then turn to the same three groups who were adjured to trust in G-d, then promised His blessing of fertility in ps. 115 (vv. 9-13). Now, they exhort each group, in the same order (Yisra'el, the Kohanim, the Yir'ei Hashem) to respond to the call of praise.