| 1. My soul, bless the Lord. My God, You are very great, You are attired with majesty and beauty. |
|
א. |
| 2. [You] enwrap Yourself with light like a garment; [You] extend the heavens like a curtain. |
|
ב. |
| [You] enwrap Yourself with light: in the sky like a garment. |
|
: |
| 3. Who roofs His upper chambers with water; Who makes clouds His chariot, which goes on the wings of the wind. |
|
ג. |
| 4. He makes winds His messengers, burning fire His ministers. |
|
ד. |
| He makes winds His messengers: lit. He makes His messengers winds. He makes the wind His messengers. |
|
: |
| 5. He founded the earth on its foundations that it not falter to eternity. |
|
ה. |
| 6. You covered the deep as [with] a garment; the waters stand on the mountains. |
|
ו. |
| You covered the deep as [with] a garment: This is similar to what is said elsewhere (Job 38:9): “When I made the cloud its raiment, etc.” |
|
: |
| the deep: That is the sea. |
|
: |
| the waters stand on the mountains: The waters of the ocean are higher than the whole world. They stand on the mountains, and so Scripture states (Amos 5:8, 9:6): “He who calls the water of the sea and pours it upon the face of the earth.” Pouring denotes only [pouring] from above downward. |
|
: |
| 7. From Your rebuke they fled; from the sound of Your thunder they hastened away. |
|
ז. |
| From Your rebuke they fled: When You said (Gen. 1:9): “Let the waters gather.” And from that voice they hastened away and gathered in the place that You founded for them. |
|
: |
| 8. They ascended mountains, they descended into valleys to this place, which You had founded for them. |
|
ח. |
| 9. You set a boundary that they should not cross, that they should not return to cover the earth. |
|
ט. |
| You set a boundary: for them, viz. the sand that is around its shore. |
|
: |
| 10. He sends the springs into the streams; they go between the mountains. |
|
י. |
| 11. They water every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. |
|
יא. |
| 12. Beside them the fowl of the heavens dwell; from between the branches they let out their voices. |
|
יב. |
| Beside them the fowl of the heavens dwell: Beside the springs. |
|
: |
| from between the branches: Heb. עפאים, the branches of the trees, and so (Dan. 4:11): “its branches were (עפיה) beautiful.” |
|
: |
| 13. He waters the mountains from His upper chambers; from the fruit of Your works the earth is sated. |
|
יג. |
| 14. He causes grass to sprout for the animals and vegetation for the work of man, to bring forth bread from the earth. |
|
יד. |
| 15. And wine, which cheers man's heart, to make the face shine from oil, and bread, which sustains man's heart. |
|
טו. |
| And wine: which cheers man’s heart, that too He brings forth from the earth, and oil to cause the face to radiate. |
|
: |
| and bread: which sustains man’s heart. |
|
: |
| 16. The Lord's trees are sated, the cedars of Lebanon, which He planted. |
|
טז. |
| The Lord’s trees: in the Garden of Eden. |
|
: |
| 17. Where birds nest; as for the stork-the high junipers are its home. |
|
יז. |
| birds nest: Israel will dwell there. יְקַנֵנוּ is an expression of a bird’s nest (קן צפור). |
|
: |
| 18. The lofty mountains for the ibexes; the rocks a shelter for the hyraxes. |
|
יח. |
| The lofty mountains: He created for the ibexes. |
|
: |
| shelter: Every expression of מַחְסֶה is an expression of a shadow and a hiding place, where a person covers himself from flood and rain. |
|
: |
| 19. He made the moon for the appointed seasons; the sun knows its setting. |
|
יט. |
| He made the moon for the appointed seasons: To count with it the times and the festivals. |
|
: |
| the sun knows its setting: But the moon does not know its setting, because sometimes it comes through a long way and sometimes it comes through a short way. |
|
: |
| 20. You make darkness and it is night, in which every beast of the forest moves about. |
|
כ. |
| You make darkness and it is night: Every day You darken and block out the sun and it becomes night, when all the beasts of the forest move about. |
|
: |
| 21. The young lions roar for prey and to beg their food from God. |
|
כא. |
| 22. When the sun rises they gather in and couch in their dens. |
|
כב. |
| When the sun rises they gather in: into the secret places and hide there from the sons of men; then every man goes forth to his work. |
|
: |
| 23. Man goes out to his work, to his labor until evening. |
|
כג. |
| 24. How great are Your works, O Lord! You have made them all with wisdom; the earth is full of Your possessions! |
|
כד. |
| Your possessions: Heb. קנינך, the acquisition that you have acquired, like (Gen. 14:19): “Owner (קנה) of heaven and earth.” All is acquired by You. |
|
: |
| 25. This sea-great and wide; there are creeping things and innumerable beasts, both small and large. |
|
כה. |
| and wide: Heb. ורחב ידים. Wide of place, large in French, broad. |
|
: |
| 26. There the ships go; You formed this leviathan with which to sport. |
|
כו. |
| with which to sport: three hours during the day. So did our Sages say in tractate Avodah Zarah (3b), and so it is written explicitly in the Book of Job (40:29): “Will you play with him like a bird?” |
|
: |
| 27. They all look to You with hope, to give their food in its time. |
|
כז. |
| 28. You give them that they may gather; You open Your hand that they may be sated with goodness. |
|
כח. |
| 29. You hide Your countenance and they are frightened; You gather in their spirit and they perish and return to their dust. |
|
כט. |
| You gather in their spirit: Heb. תסף, an expression of destruction, as (above 73:19): “They were completely consumed (ספו).” |
|
: |
| 30. You will send forth Your spirit and they will be created, and You will renew the surface of the ground. |
|
ל. |
| You will send forth Your spirit: with the resurrection of the dead. |
|
: |
| 31. The glory of the Lord will be forever; the Lord will rejoice with His works. |
|
לא. |
| 32. He Who looks at the earth and it quakes; He touches the mountains and they emit smoke. |
|
לב. |
| He touches the mountains and they emit smoke: as is depicted of Sinai (Exod. 19:18): “And Mount Sinai was all in smoke.” |
|
: |
| 33. I shall sing to the Lord while I am alive; I shall sing praises to my God as long as I exist. |
|
לג. |
| as long as I exist: Heb. בעדי, like (Deut. 31:27): “When I am still (בעודני) alive.” |
|
: |
| 34. May my speech be pleasing to Him; I shall rejoice with the Lord. |
|
לד. |
| 35. Sinners will be destroyed from the earth and the wicked will be no more; my soul, bless the Lord. Hallelujah. |
|
לה. |
| Sinners will be destroyed: Heb. חטאים, sinners [rather than sins, but see Tal. Ber. 10a]. |
|
: |
LOGIN
ASK THE RABBI
