We have already mentioned that many of the prayers we recite in Shacharit originate in the Book of Divrei HaYamim, something most of the public is entirely unaware of. For instance, "Hodu la-Shem kir'u vi-shmo, hodi'u va'amim alilotav" - many assume it comes from Tehillim, and while Tehillim contains a similar psalm, the one we recite is actually from Divrei HaYamim. Now we encounter another passage that everyone recites daily which comes from Divrei HaYamim: "Vayevarech David." From now on, not only will we read it, but we will also understand it - and thus be able to pray it with proper intent.
וַיְבָרֶךְ דָּוִיד אֶת יְהֹוָה לְעֵינֵי כׇּל הַקָּהָל, וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִיד: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אָבִינוּ מֵעוֹלָם וְעַד עוֹלָם. - "And David blessed the Lord before the eyes of the entire assembly, and David said: 'Blessed are You, Lord, God of Israel our father, from everlasting to everlasting.'"
At first glance, the verse can be read in two ways: "Blessed are You, Hashem, our Father, God of Israel," or "Blessed are You, Hashem, God of Israel - where Israel is our father." This is similar to the phrase "in the days of Matityahu ben Yochanan Kohen Gadol" - where there are three opinions: some say Matityahu was the Kohen Gadol, some say Yochanan was the Kohen Gadol, and some say both were Kohanim Gedolim. In other words, a title sometimes refers back to the first name and sometimes to the second.
Radak determines that "our father" refers back to Israel - Yaakov Avinu. Although we indeed find that we address the Holy One, blessed be He, as "our Father" - as in "our Father, our Shepherd, nourish us, sustain us," and "Avinu Malkeinu" ("Our Father, our King") - here it does not say "Blessed are You, Hashem, our Father, God of Israel," but rather "God of Israel our father." Moreover, a blessing requires the divine Name and sovereignty (shem u-malchut) to be adjacent; had it said "Blessed are You, Hashem, our Father, God of Israel," it would have created an interruption between the Name and sovereignty. Therefore, the word "our father" does not refer to the Holy One, blessed be He, even though the title certainly applies to Him, but rather to Israel - that is, Yaakov.
Why does David mention Yaakov here? Because Yaakov was the first who sought to build a House for Hashem. When he awoke at this very site, on the Temple Mount, he said: "And this stone, which I have set up as a monument, shall be God's house," and he said: "I did not know" - for had he known, he would not have slept there. Therefore now, as King David stands and prepares everything for the construction of the Temple, he invokes Yaakov, who first initiated the concept of the House.
Radak further cites from Bereishit Rabbah that they mentioned their father Israel because of the freewill offering they had contributed, for Yaakov was also the first of those who made vows, as it is written: "And Yaakov vowed a vow, saying." And "saying" (leimor) means to say to others, to future generations, that they should make vows in times of distress. Yaakov was the first to initiate a vow; therefore, anyone who makes a vow links his vow to him. Rabbi Abbahu said: "'Who swore to Hashem and vowed to the Mighty One of Yaakov' - it does not say 'to the Mighty One of Avraham' or 'to the Mighty One of Yitzchak,' but 'to the Mighty One of Yaakov,' linking the one who vows to the one who initiated it first." And this is why King David says: "If I go up onto the couch of my bed... until I find a place for Hashem, dwellings for the Mighty One of Yaakov" - because Yaakov was the first to make a vow. And Rav Huna said in the name of Rabbi Idi: It is written, "And the people rejoiced over their freewill offering," and immediately afterward, "And David blessed Hashem... God of Israel our father" - it does not say "God of Avraham" or "God of Yitzchak," but "God of Israel," linking the vow to the one who initiated it first. For here there were vows and freewill offerings, and vows and offerings are linked to the one who vowed and donated first.
The Malbim explains similarly: Why does he mention here "God of Israel our father"? Because Yaakov saw the vision of the ladder on Mount Moriah, and said: "This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." Therefore, David blesses Hashem as the God of Israel Sava - that is, Yaakov - to whom the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself at this very place and showed him the gate of heaven; and now we merit to establish at this place a House for Hashem, may He be blessed.
And what is the meaning of "from everlasting to everlasting"? David said: There was one convert, Yitro, who stood opposite six hundred thousand, and he was the one who said, "Blessed is Hashem, Who delivered you" - which was a great disgrace to all of Israel, that until Yitro, no one had said, "Blessed is Hashem." David said: I will rectify this disgrace; I am adding to bless the Holy One, blessed be He, even more than Yitro did - "Blessed are You, Hashem, God of Israel our father, from everlasting to everlasting." In other words, in contrast to how Yitro seemingly rebuked Israel for not offering praise, David said: I will offer even greater praise.
לְךָ יְהֹוָה הַגְּדֻלָּה וְהַגְּבוּרָה וְהַתִּפְאֶרֶת וְהַנֵּצַח וְהַהוֹד, כִּי כֹל בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ, לְךָ יְהֹוָה הַמַּמְלָכָה וְהַמִּתְנַשֵּׂא לְכֹל לְרֹאשׁ. - "Yours, Hashem, is the greatness, the might, the glory, the victory, and the majesty, for all that is in heaven and on earth; Yours, Hashem, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head above all."
This is the only verse in Tanach where all seven lower Sefirot appear - ChaGaT NeHYM: Chessed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, and Malchut - although some are mentioned only by allusion. "The greatness" (hagedulah) corresponds to Chessed, as the Ramban also notes, because greatness denotes boundless bestowal, which is the quality of Chessed. Thus we have Gedulah (Chessed), Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, and Hod - five. Where is Yesod? In "for all" (ki chol): Yesod is called "Kol" (all), because it receives from the five extremities - the four extremities and Tiferet, which is the torso - and includes them all. And Malchut corresponds to "in heaven and on earth" (bashamayim uva'aretz), for earth represents Malchut; and as is well known, woman is called karka olam ("the ground of the world") and corresponds to Malchut. Some say that "Yours, Hashem, is the kingdom" (hamamlachah) also alludes to the sefirah of Malchut.
Thus far the mystical approach of Sod, but it is proper to study the plain meaning (peshat) as well. People say that the difference between Ashkenazim and Sephardim is that Ashkenazim study peshat, whereas the proper order is Pardes - Peshat, Remez, Derash, Sod - while "Sepharad" begins in reverse: first Sod and only then Peshat, Remez, Derash. We have acted according to the custom of Sepharad by opening with Sod, and now let us turn to Peshat.
The Radak explains: All the greatness and might that I possessed, and the triumph (netzach) I had over all the nations I conquered, and the glory, splendor, and honor I gained over them - it is all from You, and all belongs to You. "Tiferet" denotes glory and renown; "Hod" denotes beauty and majesty; "Netzach" denotes triumph through conquering enemies - and everything is from You, and from Your hand we have given to You, as he will state explicitly further on. "For all that is in heaven and on earth; Yours, Hashem, is the kingdom" - everything in heaven and on earth belongs to Your sovereignty; You reign and rule over all. "And You are exalted as head above all" - on earth there are kings and leaders, yet You are exalted above them all, head over all heads and kings. And the meaning of "above all as head" (lechol lerosh) is: over anyone appointed to be a head, You are exalted and elevated above him.
Our Sages explain: Anyone who rises to become a head, and anyone who is the head over anything whatsoever, is elevated solely by You. That is, not only great leaders and kings - there is no appointment in the world that does not come from Hashem. In our terms, even the head of a building committee. The Sages said: "Even the supervisor of the irrigation ditch (reish garguta) is appointed from Heaven" - the overseer of the well, the lowliest appointment, like a classroom monitor, is also determined from Heaven. Therefore, a person should never walk away with a feeling of missed opportunity and frustration, asking why someone else was chosen instead of him.
There is a story about the Chafetz Chaim, whose son applied for a rabbinical post and was not chosen; another candidate was selected instead. Seeing that his son was deeply distressed, his father told him: Do not be distressed. And he related to him: Years ago, they wanted to appoint me as rabbi of Radin. I did not want it and had no interest in it, fearing it would only be a distraction for me, but they insisted and insisted until I finally agreed to accept. At a certain point, it became clear that the town's shochet had acted contrary to halachah. When I heard about this, I removed him from his post. His family members came and pleaded that their livelihood had been shattered, so I required him to pay twenty-five litras of candles to the synagogue as a fine - for so it is taught, that when reinstating someone, a fine is imposed so he realizes it is not worth profiting illicitly - and I reinstated him to his post.
The Chafetz Chaim continued: Some time later, I was sitting and learning in the women's section, when suddenly a deep sleep fell upon me. I saw a Beit Din - and they told me it was the Heavenly Court - and there I saw that same shochet. They asked me: "Yisrael Meir, the fine of twenty-five litras you imposed upon him - was it part of his teshuvah, or was it merely a fine?" I replied: "I remember that it was merely a fine." They said: "Thank you very much." I awoke deeply shaken by the vision. Sometime later, a deep sleep fell upon me again, and I saw that shochet tearing his hair out, saying to me: "Reb Yisrael Meir, why did you say it was only a fine? Why didn't you say it was teshuvah? Where can I turn now?" He began weeping and pulling out his hair, and then vanished. Said the Chafetz Chaim: That very day I returned the keys and resigned, telling them: "That a Jew up Above should suffer on my account - that I do not want, and I am not willing to bear such responsibility."
The Chafetz Chaim concluded to his son: If so, you have not lost much by not being appointed as a rabbi. See how heavy a responsibility it entails, and see that appointments are ordained from Heaven - and if they did not appoint you here, it is evidently better for you that it turned out this way. This is what the verse means: You, the Holy One, Blessed be He, are "exalted as head above all" - whoever becomes a head attained that post and that stature solely from You.
The Malbim explains the distinction between these descriptions. "Great" (Gadol) is an attribute applied to Hashem, blessed be He, from the perspective that He is the primary Cause of all causes and the ultimate end of all effects, and He directs all the orders of nature. The meaning of this description is that from beginning to end, everything is from Him - He does not initiate an action and hand over its continuation to another, nor does He conclude an action that began in the hands of another; rather, everything is from Him, from beginning to end (me-reisha ad gemira).
"Mighty" (Gibor) is the description of Hashem, blessed be He, in that He overrides the causes of nature, acting with might against the natural order. And "Awesome" (Nora) refers to individual Divine Providence (hashgachah pratit), because Divine Providence inspires awe, as it involves reward and punishment; therefore, it is termed "awesome" - that which causes awe of Him, blessed be He. The synthesis of all these modes of conduct together is the Divine leadership through which Hashem is glorified in His world, and this is called "Splendor" (Tiferet), as in "to make for Yourself a glorious name." Thus, the conduct of nature, the conduct of overriding nature, and the conduct in which He glories - all are Yours: "Yours, Hashem, are the greatness, the might, and the splendor." And all of this relates to the governance of the lower world, the physical and tangible realm down here.
Now the verse transitions to the higher, spiritual governance: "and the victory (Netzach) and the majesty (Hod)" - this is the governance of the spiritual realm, which transcends time and space. The Malbim has already explained multiple times that netzach (eternity) is distinct from olam (perpetuity). When one says that something will last le-netzach, it is not the same as saying it will last le-olam. Netzach denotes the eternal time of spiritual matters, a reality beyond time that we cannot grasp through our human concepts, since we are still subject to the dominion of time; whereas spiritual entities, which are beyond the dominion of time, are properly described by the term netzach. Olam still belongs to the physical reality here, while netzach belongs to the spiritual reality where time does not exist.
Similarly, hod (majesty) is distinct from hadar (splendor): hadar refers to the external dimension, like "the fruit of a beautiful tree" (peri eitz hadar) - that which appears magnificent externally. Hod, on the other hand, indicates the internal, spiritual essence of a thing. This is the meaning of "for all that is in heaven and on earth" - all the greatness, might, and splendor on earth, in the physical realm, and all the eternity and majesty in heaven, in the spiritual dimensions, all are Yours and all emanate from You; You are the root of them all.
The Malbim explains: mamlachah (kingdom) differs from meluchah (kingship) - for mamlachah also includes the people. Meluchah is the kingship of the king, whereas mamlachah encompasses both the king and the people over whom he rules. "Yours, Hashem, is the kingdom" - the totality of the sovereignty and the realm over which You reign, all of spiritual and physical reality, all the worlds, everything is Yours, because You reign within them and direct them like a soul directing the body. Therefore, we define Hashem as "the Life of the worlds" (Chei HaOlamim), "King of the universe" (Melech HaOlam) - as it were, like the soul within the body that directs it. The world is physical, and the Holy One, blessed be He, is like the soul within it, His emanation and light filling all the worlds and sustaining them all.
On the one hand, we describe Him as filling all worlds and giving life to them all, and on the other hand, we define Him as supreme above all, transcendent over them. Seemingly, these descriptions are contradictory. However, these are the two aspects explained at length in Nefesh HaChaim: memaleh kol almin (filling all worlds) and sovev kol almin (encompassing all worlds). On the one hand, one defines the Holy One, blessed be He, as a King Who reigns from outside the world over the entire universe, and on the other hand, as present within every single detail of creation. And as we have said: Hashem is not in the world, rather the world is in Him, for He is the place of the world; and in every single detail, Godliness is present - this is the dimension of memaleh kol almin.
Yet in Nefesh HaChaim, we learned that contemplating the aspect of memaleh kol almin must be only in a manner of "running and returning" (ratzo va-shov), because through it a person might easily fall into heresy; the more steady and permanent perspective must be sovev kol almin. For if we follow the line of memaleh kol almin to its absolute extreme, it would follow that there is no less holiness and Godliness in a swine than in the Beit HaMikdash, since there are no changes in His light and the light is equal in everything - and consequently, one could even study Torah in a latrine, as there would be no less holiness there than in the Holy of Holies. That is the perspective from His side, blessed be He.
But the Holy One, blessed be He, also created a perspective from our side, according to which there are levels of holiness, and He is sovev kol almin - not, as it were, immanent within, but encompassing the worlds, such that there are places where His holiness is channeled more, and places where it is channeled less. If a person delves too deeply into the contemplation of memaleh kol almin, he is liable to fall into heresy and sin, thinking: after all, the Holy One, blessed be He, is equally present even in sin and wickedness. Therefore, this contemplation must only be in a state of running and returning. The Malbim himself does not delve into this matter; it was mentioned only parenthetically to elucidate the concepts, and whoever wishes may study this at length in Nefesh HaChaim.
Thus, regarding the aspect in which the Holy One, blessed be He, fills all existence, it is said: "Yours, Hashem, is the kingdom" - You reign internally and fill the entire world; and regarding the aspect in which He encompasses everything and stands at the head of the ladder, it is said: "and You are exalted as head above all" - exalted, elevated, and supreme over everything.
וְהָעֹשֶׁר וְהַכָּבוֹד מִלְּפָנֶיךָ, וְאַתָּה מוֹשֵׁל בַּכֹּל, וּבְיָדְךָ כֹּחַ וּגְבוּרָה, וּבְיָדְךָ לְגַדֵּל וּלְחַזֵּק לַכֹּל. - Riches and honor come from before You, and You rule over all; in Your hand is power and might, and it is in Your hand to make great and to give strength to all.
Metzudat David explains that "from before You" means from Your hand. When a person distributes something, that item lies before him and he distributes it; likewise, riches and honor are "from before You" - they are placed before You and You distribute them. Metzudat David adds that "honor" (*kavod*) is also an expression denoting wealth, as in "Plunder the silver, plunder the gold, for there is no end to the treasure, a wealth (*kavod*) of every desirable vessel" (Nahum 2:10), and as in "and from what belonged to our father he made all this wealth (*kavod*)" (Bereishit 31:1) - for what "honor" was there? Rather, the meaning is wealth. And *kavod* is likely related to the root *kaved* (heavy), as in "And Avram was very heavy (*kaved*) with livestock, silver, and gold" (Bereishit 13:2). Thus, all the wealth I have accumulated is from You, everything is from You, and You rule over all.
The Malbim adds: all the riches and honor in the world come from before You, and You bestow them upon whomever finds favor in Your eyes. However, this is not like a mortal king: once a human being gives something away, that is it - the item is no longer in his possession; and once he appoints an official, the authority is no longer directly in his hand. A prime minister can appoint a police commissioner and an attorney general, and afterwards both take on a personal project to bury him politically - you appointed them, and that is that, they are no longer in your hands. With the Holy One, blessed be He, this is not so: riches and honor are "from before You" - they still remain before You. You grant them to whomever finds favor in Your eyes, and yet "You rule over all" - sovereignty remains Yours, and everything is still firmly in Your hand.
Similarly, "in Your hand is power and might" - the power and might You grant to a person always remain in Your hand. It is unlike an ordinary giver of money or strength, where once given, the matter departs from his domain; with You, it remains held in Your hand. Consequently, "and it is in Your hand to make great and to give strength to all" - at all times, it is in Your hand to magnify and strengthen everyone. As Chazal taught in Shekalim (end of chapter 3), the Holy One, blessed be He, sets up ladders in the heavens, lowering this one and raising that one, impoverishing this one and enriching that one - because dominion is permanently in His hand. According to the Malbim, these are two distinct matters: wealth and honor on the one hand, and power and might on the other; "to make great" - to increase and multiply, "to give strength" - to fortify and strengthen that which already exists.
וְעַתָּה אֱלֹהֵינוּ מוֹדִים אֲנַחְנוּ לָךְ וּמְהַלְלִים לְשֵׁם תִּפְאַרְתֶּךָ. - And now, our God, we give thanks to You and praise Your glorious Name.
We give thanks to You for sharing Your goodness with us, for all the abundant wealth You have granted us - this is how Metzudat David and Metzudat Tzion explain it, continuing what we saw earlier. The Malbim explains that David is referring here to the wealth donated toward the building of the Beit HaMikdash: since everything is Yours and everything is in Your hand, we thank You for the kindness You showed us by placing it in our hands. After all, it comes from Your hand and belongs to You, and at any moment You could take it away; for this, gratitude is due to the Creator, that He leaves it with us rather than taking it from us, and that we are able to fulfill Hashem's commandments with it. "And praise Your glorious Name" - since this wealth is not our own but Yours, and at every moment we receive its existence from You, one must praise and give thanks to Hashem, may He be blessed, for this.
וְכִי מִי אֲנִי וּמִי עַמִּי כִּי נַעְצֹר כֹּחַ לְהִתְנַדֵּב כָּזֹאת, כִּי מִמְּךָ הַכֹּל וּמִיָּדְךָ נָתַנּוּ לָךְ. - For who am I and who is my people, that we should have the strength to donate in such a manner? For everything is from You, and from Your hand we have given to You.
Until this point was "and David blessed," and from here onward is David's prayer. "For who am I and who is my people, that we should have the strength to donate in such a manner" - Metzudat David explains: we pushed ourselves to the limit with this donation, but from where do we have the natural capacity to do such a thing? Rather, none of this is ours at all; everything is Yours. You gave us a little of what is Yours, and from Your hand we have given to You - from what You granted us from Your hand, from that small portion, we have given back to You.
Notice the grammatical nuance: ostensibly it should have been written *natan-nu* (נתננו, with two nuns), but because there is a dagesh in the nun, the additional nun becomes redundant and drops out. This is a verse that many people mistakenly read as *natnu lach* ("they gave to You"), because they read it without vowel points - but that is incorrect; it is *natannu lach* ("we gave to You"), with a patach under the tav and a dagesh in the nun.
The Malbim explains: it is impossible that by our own power we would possess such extraordinary wealth as to be able to donate colossal sums for the construction of the Beit HaMikdash as King David did - such a feat is simply impossible through human effort alone. Rather, everything is from You: we received all this wealth from You because we have a vital mission here, and therefore You assisted us and placed these funds into our care. Even now it is not considered ours, which is why we say, "and from Your hand we have given to You" - what we give comes, as it were, from Your own hand, not from our own possessions, but as something entrusted to us specifically so that we might give it.
This is comparable to a father who gives his son a coin and tells him: Take this, put it into charity. When the son takes it and gives it, it is not his own giving, but rather an agency - he received the coin into his hand in order to place it in charity. So too, as it were, did we receive this wealth in order to place it into the Beit HaMikdash. "From Your hand we have given to You" - even now it is not ours, but was given to us so that we may build the Temple with it; it is still, as it were, in Your hand and under Your domain and is Yours, until we gave You what was already Yours - not something we received and, after receiving it, gave away, but of Your very own.