Psalms · Psalm 125

"Those who trust in the Lord" — will not falter, like Mount Zion, which will not falter, for just as Jerusalem is surrounded by mountains, so is the Holy One, blessed be He, around His people.

"A Song of Ascents. 'Those who trust'" — [refers] to the future. "'Shall abide forever'" — in the days of the Messiah.

"cannot be moved" — [Those who trust in Hashem are] like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, for it abides forever. When the exile returns, it will not be moved and will not be destroyed, ever, but will abide forever. And the meaning of "abides [yeshev]" is: it will stand forever and endure. Likewise, "But You are holy, enthroned [yoshev]" — enduring forever; and likewise, "But You, Hashem, abide [teshev] forever."

"Those who trust in Hashem" — Those who trust in Hashem are like Mount Zion, which does not shift from its place, and sits forever firm upon its base.

"A Song of Ascents" — he explains that reason dictates that one who trusts in Hashem will be surrounded by kindness. "Those who trust in Hashem" will necessarily find in Him refuge and strength, and they are comparable to "Mount Zion, which cannot be moved," inasmuch as it is established upon the mountains and hills that surround it, "and abides forever." And he explains that this matter follows by a kal va-chomer [an a fortiori inference], for is it not so that —

"Jerusalem, mountains" — they stand around it, and Hashem stands around His people within it; therefore the enemy cannot come to lay siege to Jerusalem.

"Jerusalem" — even though mountains surround it, it has no strength [of its own], and nations rule over it and conquer it, one after another, and it will have no [true] strength until Hashem is with His people within it; He will surround His people, and His name will be a greater strength for them than the mountains, and no enemy will rule over them from now until forever.

"Jerusalem" — Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so Hashem surrounds His people who trust in Him, to protect them forever.

"Jerusalem" has only "mountains round about her" — all her security is merely natural, resting on the mountains that surround her. How much more, then, will the congregation of Hashem that trusts in Him never be shaken, since "Hashem is round about His people," which is stronger than the support of mountains, and will certainly endure "from this time forth and for ever."

"For the rod of wickedness will not rest on the lot of the righteous" — For the Holy One, blessed be He, will not allow the rule of the wicked to rest on the righteous because the righteous are careful not to stretch out their hand in wrongdoing.

"For" — the meaning of "the lot of the righteous" is Israel, who inherited the land by lot, as in the phrase "when you allot the land by lot." "The rod of wickedness" — refers to the nations of the lands. And the sense of "that" [le-ma'an] is like the sense of "that they teach you not" (Deuteronomy 20:18).

"For" — as it is written, "and he who remains in Jerusalem shall be called holy" (Isaiah 4:3): for the wicked — all of them, whether from Israel or from the other nations — Jerusalem, which is the portion of the righteous, "the rod of wickedness shall not rest" upon it; that is, the strength and power of the wicked, as it is today, when wickedness holds the rod and the staff [of rule]. "so that [lema'an]" — meaning, that the righteous should not learn from their [the wicked's] deeds, were the wicked to remain in the land. For God commanded Israel to drive out the nations and put them to death, and said, "so that they not teach you to do [likewise]" (Deuteronomy 20:18); but they did not do so, and in this they stumbled. But in the time to come there will be no stumbling-block of sin there, for all the wicked will be gone.

"For it shall not rest" — Even if the wicked rule for a time over the righteous, still the dominance of the wicked will not rest for a long time upon the inheritance of the righteous that has been given as their lot. "So that" — so that the righteous too will not put forth their hands to take hold of iniquity when they see the dominance of the wicked lasting a long time.

"The rod" (shevet) — an expression of dominion, because in the ruler's hand is the rod of discipline, to chastise whoever deserves it; likewise "the scepter shall not depart from Judah" (Genesis 49:10). "The lot" (goral) — the inheritance that fell to their lot, to their portion; and since an inheritance is for the most part divided by lot, it is called by the term "goral" (lot).

"For it shall not rest" — Now, the removal of Hashem's providence from those who trust in Him can be pictured in one of two ways. First: if a scourge passes through the land — a plague that goes about — then at times even the righteous are struck, for once permission is given to the destroyer, it does not discriminate. Therefore [Scripture] states that reason dictates: "the rod of wickedness" — that is, the scourge and rod that passes through the land on account of the wicked, to chastise sinners — even though in passing it may also pass over the lot of the righteous, nevertheless "shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous." Even as it passes through, it does not rest there — it does not linger there — until it reaches the lot of the wicked; there it rests, for that is its true destination. "That the righteous not put forth their hands to iniquity" — that they not be brought thereby to iniquity, complaining against [divine] providence upon seeing that the same fate befalls the righteous and the wicked; therefore Hashem watches from the windows so that the rod does not linger among them. Second: it can be pictured that providence departs from them if, although they trust in their hearts, their deeds are not pleasing before Him, and they are unable to bring the goodness of their heart into action because of coercion or weakness or the like. To this [Scripture] responds that Hashem sees into the heart — and so it says [in the next verse].

"Do good" — the poet is praying, or [speaking] by way of prophecy. And the sense of "in their hearts" — for uprightness resides in the heart, which is the foundation, while speech and deed are like the building [erected upon it].

"to the good" — in their deeds. "and to the upright" — in their hearts.

"And to those who are upright in their hearts" — to those who are good through uprightness of heart, and not through deceit.

"Do good, O Hashem, to the good, and to those who are upright in their hearts" — if they are only good in their essence, and uprightness is found in their heart, even though in their actions it may seem to us that they are not good and upright (and this is called akol — a term defined as a thing that is upright in itself but appears not upright to the eye) — this does not remove Hashem's goodness from him. Not only will Hashem continually do good to them, but also with...

"and those who turn their crooked ways" — on the people to find wicked accusationsmay the Lord lead them away with the workers of iniquity.

"And those who turn aside" — like "and turn aside the sojourner, and fear Me not" (Malachi 3:5) — and the letter bet is missing [i.e., elided], as in [the phrase] "who were found [in] the house of Hashem"; and so too here, "and those who turn aside into their crooked ways." He prays that Hashem remove them far off, and that they be numbered with the workers of iniquity, along with the [other] nations; then there will be peace upon Israel.

"but as for such as turn aside to their crooked ways" — among Israel; meaning, those who turn their ways to crookedness, Hashem will lead away together with the workers of iniquity, openly. "peace be upon Israel" — once the wicked are gone from among Israel, there will be peace upon the Israel that remains, and they will lie down with none to make them afraid.

"But as for such as turn aside" — but those who turn themselves after a crooked way, meaning that all their "goodness" is only to deceive people. "Will lead them away" — Hashem will lead them away to destruction together with the workers of iniquity, and those like them who have not yet done the iniquity. Thus there will be peace upon the upright, for the wicked will perish before they carry out the iniquity along with the deceit of their [feigned] goodness.

"Such as turn aside" (ha-mattim) — from the language of "netiyah" (turning aside). "Their crooked ways" (akalkalotam) — an expression of crookedness, as in "crooked paths" (Judges 5:6).

"But as for such as turn aside to their crooked ways" — those whom people wish to judge unfavorably because of the crookedness that appears to the eye, wanting to tip the balance against them, as though the matter deviated from uprightness even in its essence — "Hashem will lead them away with the workers of iniquity": they will be punished for this as though they themselves were workers of iniquity. On the basis of this premise [the psalm] concludes, "Peace be upon Israel" — meaning that peace will continually rest upon Israel, since they trust in Hashem, and it is fitting that the covenant of their peace never be shaken, forever.