How to Ensure Hashem Saves Only Us

.קיח

בו יסופר גודל הבטחון שהיה לדוד והרבה תהלות להש”י שקיים לנו מה שהבטיח אותנו:

This psalm relates the great bitachon King Dovid had in Hashem,
and many praises to Hashem for fulfilling what He promised to us

13. You pushed me to fall, but the L-rd helped me.		יג. דָּחֹ֣ה דְחִיתַ֣נִי לִנְפֹּ֑ל וַ֖ה’ עֲזָרָֽנִי:
You pushed me to fall: You, my enemy.		דָּחָה דְּחִתנִי לִנְפֹּל. אַתָּה אוֹיְבִי:
14. The might and the cutting power of G-d was my salvation.		יד. עָזִּ֣י וְזִמְרָ֣ת יָ-הּ֑ וַֽיְהִי־לִ֝֗י לִֽישׁוּעָֽה:
The might and the cutting power of God was my salvation: Heb. עזי וזמרת, the might of the Holy One, blessed be He, was my salvation. עזי has a superfluous “yud” because we do not [usually] find עזי vowelized with a short “kamatz” instead of a “shuruk,” except in three places, where it is next to וזמרת, and perforce is attached to the word denoting the name of G-d. You cannot explain it as “my praise.” Do not wonder about ויהי לי, that he did not say היה לי לישועה, for there are many like these in Scripture, [e.g.] (Exod. 9:21): “And whoever did not pay attention… left (ויעזב) his slaves, etc.” He should have written òÈæÇá.		עָזִּי וְזִמְרָת יָ-הּ וַיְהִי לִי לִישׁוּעָה. עָזִּי וְזִמְרָת גְּבוּרַת הַקָּדוֹשׁ-בָּרוּךְ-הוּא הָיָה לִי לִישׁוּעָה, “עָזִּי” – יוֹ”ד יְתֵרָה כִּי לֹא מָצִינוּ בַּמִּקְרָא “עָזִּי” נָקוּד חֲטָף-קָמַץ אֶלָּא שׁוּרֻק חוּץ מִשְּׁלֹשָׁה מְקוֹמוֹת שֶׁהוּא סָמוּךְ אֵצֶל וְזִמְרָת, וְעַל-כָּרְחֲךָ וְזִמְרָת דָּבוּק לְתֵבַת הַשֵּׁם וְאֵינְךָ יָכֹל לְפָרְשׁוֹ וְזִמְרָתִי. וְאַל תִּתְמַהּ עַל “וַיְהִי לִי” שֶׁלֹּא אָמַר “הָיָה” לִי לִישׁוּעָה’ שֶׁהַרְבֵּה כָּאֵלֶּה בַּמִּקְרָא, “וַאֲשֶׁר לֹא שָׂם לִבּוֹ וגו’ וְיַעֲזֹב אֶת עֲבָדָיו וגו’” (שמות ט’, כ”א) הָיָה לוֹ לִכְתֹּב “עָזַב”:

Passuk 13: Couldn’t have done it alone… 

The Malbim points out that by saying “Hashem has helped me,” Dovid Hamelech is insinuating that it speaks of a situation when naturally I would not have managed to not fall on my own, only through Hashem was I saved.

Passuk 14: The Saving Song

This passuk originated in the Shiras Hayam – “the song of at the sea” the Jews sang to G-d after the great miracles He performed for them culminating at the splitting of the sea.

The Arizal explains that this verse describes what Chazal tell us, that as the Jews descended into the sea their souls expired and by sounding to the Jews the songs of the angels, their souls reentered them. He interprets the verse thus: “My power” was returned to me, by “the songs to G-d, and it became for me a salvation” to revive me from death.

Why Does Hashem Save?

The Metzudas Dovid explains the passuk thus: “Hashem saved me in order to show His might and for me to sing His praise for it.”

How to Ensure Hashem Will Save Only Us

The Mitteler Rebbe explains:

In several places, we see that the terms Tzedaka and Mishpat are cited together which requires explanation, as it would seem that Mishpat (judgment) is the opposite of Tzedaka which is to share with another even if he is undeserving by standards of justice.

The explanation:

We find that the nations of the world are provided by Hashem with abundant kindness, while His beloved Jewish people suffer from poverty. How could that be?

The cause of this is the fact that this material kindness is mosaros – “residue” from Hashem’s great light. Hashem, being an exalted king is so high that the evil and the good are equal to Him and He doesn’t care if that “residue” ends up in the hands of the wicked, it is like Tzedaka going even to the undeserving.

This can be prevented by Hashem applying “Mishpat” to His “Tzedaka” – by measuring even the kindness he bestows on the lowly world, but this is only accomplished by the people of Israel applying the same judgment to their Tezdaka:

The truth is that even when we give a fifth of our money to Tzedaka, that isn’t sufficient. The commonly used calculation of first deducting our needs, plus all our mosaros – “extras” (luxurious clothes, delicacies, etc.) and separating from the remaining funds a fifth to Tzedaka is wrong.

The rule of “Chayecha Kodmin – your own life comes first” is only concerning “your life,” as in the case of a single jug of water sufficient to preserve the life of only one person, but the other’s life certainly comes before one’s own “luxuries.”

When Jews “measure” their money and don’t keep for themselves anything but their needs, they elicit Hashem to apply judgment to His Tzedaka and to give the “extras” to those deserving – Am Yisrael.

Another way to accomplish this is to perform mitzvos with Simcha Shel Mitzvah – joy.

Now we understand this passuk:

Before the Jews entered the sea, they cried out to Hashem because they didn’t know if they will indeed be saved, [as they weren’t more worthy than the Egyptians.] Once they were saved, they sang Shira to Hashem: “Hashem is powerful,” and therefore all are equal to Him; yet through “zimras Kah” which means; (a) cutting or hewing by applying the “cutting” decisive nature of “mishpat” to our Tzedaka, or (b) zimras as in singing to Hashem out of joy of a mitzvah, we ensure that “to me” – to the Jewish people exclusively “the salvation of Hashem” is given.

Based on a Ma’amar of the Mitteler Rebbe – Hanachos 5677 p. 58 ■ 

Presented as an aid in fulfilling the ancient minhag “to study every Rosh Chodesh, a verse (or verses) of the chapter of Tehillim of one’s age with Rashi, and optionally with other commentaries.”  (Letter of the Previous Rebbe, 18 Teves 5703)

Translation of Tehillim and Rashi from the Judaica Press Tanach, all rights reserved