Psalms · Psalm 141

'A psalm' — this psalm, too, is on the same theme as the one before it. 'Make haste to me' — hurry to help me.

"I have called You" — When I call to You, hasten to listen.

"Make haste" [חושה] — an expression of speed, like "hasten to my aid" [לעזרתי חושה] (above, Psalm 22).

"A Psalm of David" — this was composed at the time Saul fell into David's hand, when he prayed that his own impulse not incite him to kill him. "Hashem, I have called You" — and he adds, "give ear to my voice" — immediately, "when I call to You," meaning: do not wait for the end of the call, but rather from the very beginning of my calling, give ear to my voice — this is what he adds.

"the lifting of my hands" — What I lift up my hands to You.

"Let it be set forth [tikkon]": "incense [ketoret]" — the word "like" (the letter kaf) is elided, meaning "like incense, before You," as in 'u-neshalmah farim sefateinu' ("so we will render as bulls the offering of our lips," Hosea 14:3), where the comparative particle is likewise elided. And likewise, "the evening offering [minchat erev]" — for the incense offering is otherwise offered in the morning.

'Let my prayer be set forth as incense' — [i.e.,] like incense. 'The lifting up of my hands' — and what I lift up and spread out my hands to You shall be reckoned like the evening offering. And he says 'the evening offering' — the same would be true of the morning offering, but it is possible that it was evening when he composed this psalm, and therefore he says 'the evening offering.' For if the morning offering is proper, it is accepted; and if the evening offering is pure, behold, being the second [offering of the day], it is all the more accepted.

"Let my prayer be set forth" — Let it be established before You like the offering of incense. "The lifting up of my hands" — The raising of my hands before You in prayer shall be counted like the evening meal-offering, which is the continual burnt-offering of the afternoon.

"The evening offering" [מנחת ערב] — from the language of "gift/present" (תשורה).

"Let my prayer be set forth" — even at the time I make preparation for prayer, this shall be reckoned "as incense before You." He adds further, "the lifting up of my hands" — even what I lift up my hands toward prayer shall appear in Your eyes like "the evening sacrifice," which comes last, after the completion of all the prayers and services.

"O Lord, place a guard for my mouth" — when I pray before You, that I should speak poetically, that it should be acceptable. "the portal of my lips" — That is the upper lip (like portals of my lips).

'Set' — Rabbi Moshe said: that 'shomrah' is a noun, like 'shemirah' (a guarding), on the pattern of 'otzmah yirbeh' (an intensified form). But in my opinion, the verb is elliptical, as if it said: 'Set, Hashem, a muzzle' — or something resembling a muzzle. And the word 'shomrah' is used as in: 'guard my soul, and deliver me.' And the word 'notzrah' is in the imperative form, with an additional dagesh in the tzadi, to make the language more euphonious — as in: 'if iniquity should befall you'; and so too the tzadi of 'notzrah' [is doubled], in: 'guard her, for she is your life.' And the word 'dal' is like 'delet' (a door), for the tav is a mark of the feminine; 'the door turns on its hinge' — and behold, the sense is like 'open your mouth.' And the meaning is that He will help him not to speak with his tongue that which is improper.

'Set, O Hashem, a guard' — [shomrah] is a noun on the pattern of chokhmah itself. And the meaning of 'set, O Hashem, a guard' is: so that I not stumble in my prayer; rather, just as my heart is steadfast toward You, so shall my prayer be steadfast — as it is written, 'The preparations of the heart are man's, but the answer of the tongue is from Hashem' (Proverbs 16:1). And this verse repeats the same idea in different words. And the meaning of 'the door of my lips' — [dal is] like delet, 'door'; and the lips are called a door because they open and close. And it is fitting for one who is steadfast to make his lips like a door, which opens and closes only as needed — so his lips too should not open except when needed.

"Set" — Place a guard upon my mouth, so that I not speak anything improper. "Keep watch" — Give a guard over the parting of my lips, so that they part only to speak [what is fitting]; and the matter is repeated in what was said, on account of how great the need for such vigilance is.

"[Guard the] door" [דל] — an expression of lifting, like "my eyes are lifted on high" [דלו עיני למרום] (Isaiah 38).

"Set" — he adds further that You should set "a guard... to my mouth," so that at the time my mouth wishes to ask for something, the guard shall stand ready to fulfill the matter at once. He adds further, "(set) keep watch at the door of my lips" — that You should set a keeper and a guard over the raising of my lips, so that if I raise my lips, even though I have not yet spoken with my mouth, the matter shall be fulfilled. Therefore he said "keep watch" (notzrah), for "the one who keeps" (notzer) is a higher [level] than "the one who guards" (shomer).

"Do not incline my heart" — May my heart not be inclined toward evil. "and may I not partake of their feasts" — And I shall not sit at their feasts.

'Al' (do not) — and so likewise, He will help him arrange the circumstances so that he not turn aside to speak evil. 'To be occupied in deeds' — that there be among them some wickedness, together with men who work iniquity. 'And let me not eat' — like 'do not feast on the bread of one who is stingy (lit. evil of eye)'; and its meaning here is: 'I will eat.'

'Incline not' — Behold, he had prayed concerning the utterance of his lips, and now he prays concerning his heart: just as it is now steadfast, so may it be forever, and may the workers of iniquity not be able to incline it. And he says 'incline not,' for if He does not help him keep his heart steadfast, it is as though He inclines his heart [away]. 'To be occupied in deeds of wickedness' — to do the deed of a wicked man. 'And let me not eat of their dainties' — and that I not desire to eat of the delicacies of food; that is, that my heart not be drawn after the desires of the world, as their heart is drawn after them.

"To any evil thing" — To do an evil thing. "To be occupied" — To perform deeds in wickedness with men who work iniquity and are like them. "And let me not eat" — Let me not desire to eat of the delicacies of their food; that is, let my heart not be drawn after worldly desires as their heart is drawn.

"To commit deeds" [להתעולל עלילות] — an expression of "acting" (פועל) and "deeds" (מעללים), like "which He has done to me" [אשר עולל לי] (Lamentations 1). "Men" [אישים] — "men" (אנשים). "Let me eat" [אלחם] — from the language of "bread" (לחם), its meaning being "food," for every kind of food is called by the name "bread" (לחם). "Their dainties" [במנעמיהם] — from the language of "pleasantness" (נעימות), its meaning being "sweet and pleasant" (מתוק וערב).

"Incline not" — he explains the request he is making, and how necessary it is for the request to be fulfilled at once: he asks "that his heart incline not to any evil thing" — that his own impulse not incite him toward any evil thing. And he explains what this evil thing is: "to be occupied" — that his impulse should not incite him "to be occupied in deeds of wickedness with the wicked" — to repay him according to his wickedness. "To be occupied in deeds... with men who work iniquity" — to repay them according to their evil — namely, that he not kill Saul and his men. And likewise, "let me not eat of their dainties" — that I not eat their delicacies, meaning that I not go in their way and their counsel.

"May a righteous man strike me with kindness and reprove me" — It is better that a true and righteous prophet reprove me and chastise me, for all his blows and his reproof are kindness. "may the oil of the anointment of my head not turn my head away" — The royal oil that was poured onto my head, as it is said (above 23:5): “You anointed my head with oil,” should not turn my head away from the reproof of the righteous man, to go and eat bread with the workers of iniquity. "for as long as" — For as long as my prayer is in my mouth, it is about the evils of the workers of iniquity, that I should not stumble on them.

'Let him strike me' — the sense is: I do not desire to feast with the wicked; rather, if he strikes me — were it that he struck me to discipline me, which is a righteous act, he would be doing me a kindness, and rebuking me — this I would regard as like oil upon the head. This is the opinion of Rabbi Moshe HaKohen. But in my opinion, 'oil of the head' is like 'their dainties.' And the sense: 'oil of the head' is like 'they anoint themselves with the finest oils, with spices.' 'Head' — 'the oil of the wicked' does not mean 'they will break my head'; rather, it is like [the word] 'why do you turn away.' And the proof is: 'for still is my prayer concerning their wickedness' — for the practice of oil is to relieve a broken head, so this [other reading] would be the reverse. And it says 'yani' (let it refuse), corresponding to 'yehelmeni' (let him strike me). And the sense of 'because of their wickedness' is that evil will come upon them.

'Let the righteous smite me' — their dainties shall not be pleasant to me; but if the righteous man strikes me and rebukes me, it shall be pleasant to me, and I shall reckon it to him as kindness and as oil upon my head. 'Let not my head refuse' — that blow shall not break my head, but it shall be reckoned as oil upon the head. The meaning is: good oil, with which the wound is anointed; and 'oil of the head' is like 'the choicest spices' (Exodus 30:23). 'For still is my prayer because of their wickedness' — for while I yet remain, my prayer shall concern the evils of the wicked, that God may save me from their evil deeds; so how could their dainties be pleasant to me?

"Let the righteous smite me" — Their delicacies will not be pleasant to me; but if the righteous man strikes me in order to straighten my path, it will be pleasant to me and will be counted to me as a kindness. "And correct me" — And even if the light of my face is dimmed by his rebuke, is it not so that, through his rebuking me, the oil anointed upon my head for success in the kingship will not depart from my head? That is, will I not remain in the kingship through this? If so, the rebuke of the righteous is better for me than the delicacies of the food of the wicked. "For still" — For as long as I am in the world, my prayer will concern the evils of the wicked, that God save me from their evil deeds; how then could their delicacies be pleasant to me?

"Let him smite me" [יהלמני] — an expression of a shattering blow, like "and she struck Sisera" [והלמה סיסרא] (Judges 5). "Let it refuse" [יני] — an expression of "removal" and "withholding," like "for her father disallowed her" [כי הניא אביה] (Numbers 30:6).

"Let the righteous smite me in kindness, and correct me" — there it is written that David's men incited him to kill him, and David arose and cut off the corner of Saul's robe, and afterward David's heart smote him for having cut off the corner that belonged to Saul, and he said to his men, "Far be it from me that I should do this thing to my lord, to Hashem's anointed, to put forth my hand against him, for he is Hashem's anointed." And I explained there that they incited him and said that it was a cause from Hashem that had brought him into his hand and given him permission to kill him, for he [Saul] was a pursuer, and his kingship had already ended and David's kingship had arrived. David himself was in doubt about this — whether Saul's kingship had indeed already ended, and whether it was Hashem's will that he be put to death by his hand — and he tested this by cutting off the corner of his robe, which was somewhat of an act of rebellion against him and a debasement of his royal garments. And he felt that his heart smote him over this, for a perfect heart is stirred and smites its owner if he does some evil deed; and from this he understood that Saul's kingship had not yet ended, and that he was still Hashem's anointed — that is, that the oil upon his head had not lost its sanctity. And this is what is meant by "let the righteous smite me in kindness" — the kindness and the disgrace that I did to Saul by debasing his garments shall smite me, who am righteous, for inasmuch as I am righteous, my heart will smite me over this (in the language of, "and David's heart smote him"). "And correct me" — and by this he shall correct me and make clear to me "that the choice oil — let not my head refuse it" — meaning, by this I shall know that he is still Hashem's anointed, and the oil has not been removed from his head; and the oil upon my head, with which Samuel anointed me, will not overturn and nullify the oil upon Saul's head, for the time of my kingship has not yet arrived. "For still is my prayer because of their wickedness" — meaning, even though he pursues me to kill me, have I not already seen, through Hashem's providence over me, a way to remove his harm from me? This was at the Rock of Divisions, where Saul and his men went along one side of the mountain while surrounding David and his men, who were on the other side, and the rock separated between them. A messenger came to Saul that the Philistines had raided Israel, and this was by providence — especially according to what is said in the midrash, that it was an angel from heaven. And this is what is meant: have I not seen that at the time I was praying because of their wickedness — that I was praying to be saved from their wickedness — then, still was my prayer, [meaning] that I was still praying about their wickedness and had not yet finished the prayer, when Hashem sent His help.

"Their judges were led astray by [their hearts of] stone" — For the judges and leaders of these [people] have been led astray from the good way by the evil inclination and the heart of stone, and it is as hard as a rock. "although they heard my words" — [my] pleasant [words], which I speak of the commandments, and they do not repent of their evil way. Our Rabbis in the Baraitha of Sifrei (Deut. 3: 23) interpreted it concerning Moses and Aaron, but I cannot reconcile the end of the verse with its beginning. I can perhaps reconcile it and say that in stubbornness, these people equal the stubbornness of those through whom Moses and Aaron died through the rock, for these too heard the pleasant words but do not repent.

'Nishmetu' (they are cast down) — at the rocky places they were cast down, in pursuit of their nobles and their judges. 'And they shall hear' — this is [as in the saying]: 'Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness.'

'They are thrown down' — they shall be thrown by the sides of the rock, casting them down from the rock. And he speaks this curse concerning their judges, who lead them and do not restrain them from evil ways, but rather uphold them by their hand. 'And then they shall hear my words, that they are sweet' — my words and my rebuke.

"Are thrown down" — That is, although their judges slipped away from me at the place of the rock — that is, the Rock of Divisions, where David was close to being caught by the hand of Saul and his officers, and a messenger came to Saul and turned him back because the Philistines had raided the land, as is stated in [I] Samuel — David says: did they not see then that Hashem was with me? "And they shall hear" — When I cut off the corner of Saul's garment in the cave, and when I took the spear from beside his head, I then spoke with them pleasant and recognizable words, that I was not seeking evil against Saul, as is stated in I Samuel; and did they not hear my words, that they were pleasant?

"They are thrown down" [נשמטו] — an expression of being removed from its place, like "the oxen stumbled" [שמטו הבקר] (II Samuel 6). "Their judges" [שופטיהם] — these are the officers of Saul, who judged him [David] deserving death, for they considered him a rebel against the kingdom.

"Their judges are thrown down by the sides of the rock" — through the Rock of Divisions their judges were dislodged from me, and they were unable to do me harm, as it is written, "and Saul returned from pursuing David." For the rock separated and divided between them, so that they could not draw near to him. "And they shall hear my words, that they are sweet" — at that time, when Saul and his men had surrounded David and his men, they heard David say these words.

"As one who chops" — wood. "and splits on the ground" — So were our bones scattered to reach the entrance of death because of the evils of the transgressors. "Chops" — Heb. פלח, an expression of splitting, as (Job 16:13): “He splits my kidneys.”

'Kemo' (as) — Rabbi Moshe said: this refers to 'and they shall hear my words,' for we all shall die. But in my opinion, the sense is that they fled from David's men, in the manner of 'and all my bones are out of joint.'

'As one who cleaves and splits open the earth' — 'poleach' [cleaves] and 'voke'a' [splits] are one idea expressed in different words. 'Poleach' — as in '[he] shredded (va-yiflach) [it] into the pot of stew' (II Kings 4:39), '[he] cleaves (yiflach) my kidneys' (Job 16:13). And the meaning of the verse is: like one who splits wood, whose chips scatter here and there, so are our bones scattered at the mouth of Sheol — that is, until they draw near to death; and the scattering of the bones is a hyperbolic expression, for out of great fear the body trembles and shakes until it seems as though the bones are coming apart from one another; and so he says, 'and all my bones are out of joint' (Psalm 22:15). And he says 'our bones' — [meaning] himself and the men who were with him, for we have already written that David composed this psalm while fleeing from Saul.

"As when one cleaves" — Nevertheless, they continued to pursue me; and behold, I and my men are like one who splits wood upon the ground, where the splinters then scatter here and there over the breadth of the ground — so our bones were scattered by their hands as if going down to the mouth of Sheol. This is a matter of hyperbole, meant to say that we were very close to death.

"Cleaves and breaks up" [פולח ובוקע] — these are one [in meaning], expressed with synonymous terms, like "he pierces my kidneys" [יפלח כליותי] (Job 16:13); and it is the way of Scripture to double [an idea] with synonymous terms, like "dust of the earth" [אדמת עפר] (Daniel 12).

(7-8) "As when one cleaves" — for David and his men were on the side of the mountain, at its height, and their thinking was that if Saul and his men should reach them, they would leap from the mountain down the slope, and from there flee to the wilderness. And although there was danger in this leap, that their bones might be scattered, they trusted in Hashem that He would save them from this danger as well. Therefore they said: even if "our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol, as when one cleaves and breaks up the earth" — meaning, even though we should fall from the rock into the depth of Sheol, and our bones be scattered by this fall, as though the ground beneath us had been cloven and split open — nevertheless, after "in You, Hashem, have I taken refuge; pour not out my soul" — nevertheless our soul shall not be poured out and emptied from the body. Since we have taken refuge in Hashem, we are confident that even though our bones be scattered, our soul will remain alive. All this they said at the time they were dislodged by the rock, showing the greatness of their trust in Hashem, that He would keep their soul alive in every way.

"For to You, etc., are my eyes" — This goes back to the above verses (3f.): Place a guard for my mouth...Do not incline...for to You...are my eyes, etc. "do not cast out my soul" — Heb. אל תער. Do not cast me from before You, like (Gen. 24:20): “and emptied (ותער) her pitcher into the watering trough.”

'For... pour not out' — like: 'and she emptied her jar'; for the breath fills the body.

'Pour not out' — as in 'and she emptied her jar' (Genesis 24:20) — an expression of pouring and spilling; and when the soul departs from the body, it is as though it is poured out from it, in the manner of 'and I poured out my soul' (I Samuel 1:15). 'Which they have laid for me' — the snare that they set for me as a trap. 'And from the snares' — guard me also from the hand of the snares of other workers of iniquity who are not of my people; or, the verse is repetitive in meaning.

"Pour not out my soul" — Do not pour out my soul; this is a figure of speech, for when the soul departs from the body, it is as if it were poured out from it.

"Pour out" [תער] — an expression of "spilling" (שפיכה) and "emptying" (הרקה), like "and she emptied her pitcher" [ותער כדה] (Genesis 24).

'Keep me... which they have laid for me' — these, and the other snares, belong to the workers of iniquity.

"Which they have laid for me" — which they prepared for me as a trap. "And the gins" — the other kinds of traps besides the snare; that is, from the many kinds of evil schemes which they devised against me.

"Keep me" — he asks that Hashem keep him "from the snare" that they prepared for him, and likewise keep him "from the gins of the workers of iniquity," which is the trigger-mechanism within the snare, by which the animal is killed when it is caught in the snare.

"May the wicked fall...into his nets" — May the wicked man himself fall into his nets that he spreads at my feet.

'Let them fall' — all of them into one net of theirs, for it is all their thoughts and their counsel. 'Together, I' — perhaps [the sense is]: I might, in passing over the snare, be caught and trapped, in the manner of 'and I [know] their deeds and their thoughts'; therefore the word 'yachad' (together) is joined to 'anochi' (I). And Rabbi Moshe HaKohen said: the sense is 'let them fall together,' until I pass by, so that they do not catch me.

'Let them fall into their own nets' — into the nets that they spread for me, in these the wicked shall fall. 'While I withal escape' — its meaning is as if inverted: 'until I myself pass by' — that is, that I shall pass through and not be caught in their net. And he says 'his net' in the singular, referring to Saul; and he says 'let the wicked fall' in the plural, concerning him and those who follow with him in pursuing David.

"Let [the wicked] fall into their own nets" — Let them all fall, each one into his own net which he hid for me. "Together" — All of them together, one like another; not a single man missing. "While I withal [escape]" — Invert the verse to read "until I pass by"; that is, they will fall into the trap before I pass through the place of the trap, and when I pass by, the trap will no longer be spread, for they will already be caught in it. And it speaks by way of a parable drawn from the trapping of a bird.

"In their nets" [במכמוריו] — its meaning is "trap" (פח) and "net" (רשת), like "and gathers it in his net" [ויאספהו במכמרתו] (Habakkuk 1).

"Let the wicked fall into their own nets" — that is, they themselves shall fall into the net that they prepared for me. Meaning, I do not ask that they be caught in the trigger-mechanism, that is, that they die, but only that they fall into the net alone, where they shall all be held back "together, until I pass by" — and then they shall come out of the net unharmed. For I do not seek their harm, only that they be unable to touch me for evil. And so it was, that they were delayed by the war with the Philistines, until David and his men escaped.