Introduction
Psalm 5 is King David's morning prayer, throughout which he draws a sharp contrast between pure faith in the One God and the beliefs of idolaters. In the section before us (from verse 5 onward), the Malbim explains how each verse refutes a different pagan concept, and how from this David arrives at his requests: guidance on the upright path, salvation from his enemies, and eternal joy and singing for those who take refuge in Hashem.
"For You are not a God Who desires wickedness" - There Is No Good God and Evil God
כִּי לֹא אֵל חָפֵץ רֶשַׁע אָתָּה, לֹא יְגֻרְךָ רָע׃ - For You are not a God Who desires wickedness; evil shall not dwell with You.
The Malbim explains: Idolaters used to attribute all evil character traits to their deities, as is well known from the nonsense of their mythologies. They believed in all sorts of quarrels among the gods: one god hated another because he took his wife, a god fought another god, a god killed the son of his fellow - all kinds of vanity, foolishness, and fantasies believed by the Greeks and other idolaters. They believed in many powers battling one another, and when there was thunder, they explained that there must have been some explosion in the wars of the gods. And so too, all other natural phenomena were attributed by them to the battles of the gods.
When one reads these stories, one notices reprehensible and evil traits: hatred, lust, honor-seeking, contentious rivalry, and whatnot. All the mythological tales describe emotionally charged wars among the deities. They attributed a supreme power to everything in creation, and thus, just as there are good powers, there are also evil powers - cruelty, pride, jealousy, and vengeance - which were attributed to the gods in whom these powers resided and who channeled them down below. Thus, they believed in a good god and an evil god: a god that desires good and a god that desires wickedness, a god who gives life and a god who puts to death.
As has been explained at length several times, there are verses that disprove their vanity: "I put to death and I bring to life, I wound and I heal" - the Holy One, blessed be He, does both, for ultimately everything is for man's good, and the two forces that you attribute to two separate entities both stem from Me alone.
The Malbim adds that they also believed that when the good god rules, he fears the evil god: first, because the evil god is cruel, and second, lest he overpower him and defeat him, as is well known from the foolish fables and poems of the Greeks. King David comes to counter this and says: Master of the Universe, "You are not a God Who desires wickedness" - You possess all powers, and You are not a God Who desires evil. And even if one might say that You are the God Who desires good, but according to their view the good god fears the evil god, regarding this he says, "evil shall not dwell with/fear You" (lo yegurecha ra). The Malbim explains yegurecha as stemming from fear and dread (magor): You do not fear an evil god, for a simple reason - there is no evil god at all. There is only one Power in creation, and everything comes from Him. Hashem is the source of good and kindness; bad and wickedness do not pertain to Him at all, and the Holy One, blessed be He, is utterly removed from evil.
Rashi interprets "lo yegurecha ra" according to the straightforward meaning: evil will not reside (yagur) in Your dwelling place. But according to the Malbim, it is related to dread (magor), as in "The destruction of the wicked will terrify them (yegorem)" - the so-called evil god cannot intimidate You, because we have only one God.
Incidentally, the Kabbalists cite this verse in the context of the Sefirot and the Four Worlds: Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah. In Atzilut, the forces of impurity have no access whatsoever; the kelipot (forces of defilement) can only latch onto the lower realms, but in the higher realms there is no room at all for kelipot and impurity. Regarding this, they quote "evil shall not dwell with You" - in Your abode, which is Atzilut, there is no evil, and the forces of impurity have no access there. Any sin or action performed in this world does not affect those sublime realms, but only the lower levels.
"The Boastful Shall Not Stand" - There Is Nowhere to Draw Wickedness From
לֹא יִתְיַצְּבוּ הוֹלְלִים לְנֶגֶד עֵינֶיךָ, שָׂנֵאתָ כָּל פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן׃ - The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all workers of iniquity.
The gentiles believe that the boastful and arrogant resemble their deities: just as they have cruel gods driven by jealousy and lust, so too the wild, arrogant person is cruel because he draws his strength from one god, and jealous because he draws his strength from another. But with You, Master of the Universe, "the boastful shall not stand before Your eyes" - the arrogant draw no power whatsoever from Hashem, may He be blessed, for as we have said, "You are not a God Who desires wickedness; evil cannot abide with You." On the contrary, "You hate all workers of iniquity" - You hate all evildoers, and for that reason the boastful cannot stand before Your eyes, as this is completely antithetical to the attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He.
"Boastful fools" (holelim) - Rashi explains: acting foolishly. The term holel denotes being confused and unsettled, a person whose mind is not composed.
"You destroy speakers of falsehood" - The Divine Nature Abhors Bloodshed and Deceit
תְּאַבֵּד דֹּבְרֵי כָזָב, אִישׁ דָּמִים וּמִרְמָה יְתָעֵב יְהֹוָה׃ - You destroy speakers of falsehood; Hashem abhors a man of bloodshed and deceit.
After the Malbim described how those who believe in vanity and idolatry go to the house of idol worship out of fear - since to them the deity is something demonic, malevolent, and terrifying, where if you do not worship it, it will harm you and cause you grief - David now says: "You destroy speakers of falsehood." There is no one to protect them against You, for "Hashem abhors a man of bloodshed and deceit": it is the very nature of Divinity to abhor people of bloodshed and deceit. The gentiles believe that the idol, the supreme spiritual power, loves bloodshed and deceit, and so they act like it and follow its ways - just like those who indulged in mythological fables mentioned by the Malbim, who believed in quarrels and wars among the gods. The idolater understands that he must walk in the ways of his god and act like him.
But the truth is the exact opposite. I believe with complete faith that Hashem is the perfection of goodness and sheer loving-kindness. Therefore, Master of the Universe, You will destroy such people - the speakers of falsehood; and a man of bloodshed and deceit is not beloved by God, but quite the contrary: "Hashem abhors." Hashem is only loving-kindness and only goodness, and He abhors men of bloodshed and deceit. The notion of loving wickedness, says the Malbim, is contrary to the very nature of Divinity.
"As for me, through the abundance of Your loving-kindness" - Why I Come to the House of Hashem
וַאֲנִי בְּרֹב חַסְדְּךָ אָבוֹא בֵיתֶךָ, אֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶה אֶל הֵיכַל קָדְשְׁךָ בְּיִרְאָתֶךָ׃ - As for me, through the abundance of Your loving-kindness I will enter Your house; I will prostrate myself toward Your holy Sanctuary in awe of You.
David continues, addressing the immense contrast between my faith in the true God and their belief in vain idols. The idolater worships out of fear of harm: he constantly seeks to appease the idol so it will not hurt him. To that end he comes to the temple and the house of idolatry - to pray to the idol not to harm him, since he perceives the idol as something dreadful and evil. But when he arrives there, he suddenly discovers: What is this? It is a mere idol, a molten falsehood, a block of wood, powerless to help and powerless to save - and so he is no longer in awe of it.
A story is told of a Jew who once walked into a church, and people saw him coming out with an extremely valuable gold chain that had been hanging around the neck of the idol. People would bring rings and chains and place them upon it. They began chasing after him: "Thief!" He said to them: "Heaven forbid! Why do you call me a thief? I just came in, bowed before it, and said: 'I was among the Jews, I prayed there and received nothing; please do me a favor, perhaps you will take pity on me and understand me.' And then it said to me: 'In my great mercy toward you, take the chain around my neck, let it help you, support you, and serve as a source of livelihood.' It gave it to me!" The priests realized they were caught in a trap: if they said it cannot speak, they would be denying its power. In the end, they let him go. Jewish ingenuity. Yet in truth, this was not wisdom but foolishness, for one must never enter a church at all. But to return to our point: the gentile arrives at his place of idolatry and realizes that it is, in fact, utter vanity.
By contrast, King David says: with me it is not so. "As for me, through the abundance of Your loving-kindness I will enter Your house" - I do not come to the House of Hashem for the reason a gentile visits his house of idolatry, out of fear of being harmed. I come through the abundance of Your loving-kindness: there is a Divine benevolence spread across all of existence, and I gaze at everything around me and see Hashem's loving-kindness, understanding that the One Who bestows this kindness is You, Master of the Universe. Drawn by this immense loving-kindness evident to all, I enter Your House to pray to You, for You are abundant in loving-kindness.
And when I prostrate myself toward Your holy Sanctuary, I am not like the gentile who, upon bowing down, suddenly discovers an idol devoid of substance. Quite the opposite - "My flesh bristles in awe of You." And here too, not like the gentile who fears that his god will punish him, or that his god is malevolent and must be feared and appeased. Rather, "in awe of You" - the awe of majesty, the greatness of Hashem, awe inspired by the splendor of His glory.
The Malbim notes that there are two distinct levels here: "I will enter Your house" and "I will prostrate myself toward Your holy Sanctuary." When speaking of the Beit HaMikdash, the Heichal (Sanctuary) is further inward than the Bayit (House). Initially, one enters the outer house, drawn by witnessing Hashem's lovingkindness over all of creation - "As for me, through Your abundant kindness I will enter Your house." Afterwards, when he proceeds further inward to prostrate himself toward Your holy Sanctuary, he attains the level of awe before the splendor of His majesty. Step by step.
"Lead Me in Your Righteousness" - Two Requests Along the Way
יְהֹוָה נְחֵנִי בְצִדְקָתֶךָ לְמַעַן שׁוֹרְרָי, הַיְשַׁר לְפָנַי דַּרְכֶּךָ׃ - Hashem, lead me in Your righteousness because of my watchful foes; make Your way straight before me.
Now he asks Hashem to fulfill his plea. First: Hashem, instruct me in the path of the Torah, so that my thoughts and conduct do not turn aside from Hashem's way and I do not deviate from the proper path. For if I deviate, my watchful foes will rejoice over my downfall. "Shorerai" (my watchful foes) is derived from *shur*, which means to look or gaze, as in "I see him, but not now; I behold him [*ashurenu*], but not near," and as in "daughters stepped over the wall [*shur*]" - from atop the wall they could see far into the distance. "Shorerai" are those who watch me, constantly waiting to see when I will fall. We have already noted that David had many enemies. Therefore, he pleads: Master of the Universe, guide me on the right path, so that those who count my steps and watch for my fall will not rejoice over me. As David says in chapter 27: "Teach me Your way, Hashem, and lead me in an even path, because of my watchful foes" - the very same principle.
And the second request: "Make Your way straight before me." The Malbim explains that a person loses his way for several reasons. One reason is that he does not know the way; he does not know the address. In their time, not everyone had Waze, and one naturally strays when he does not know which route is correct. Concerning this, he asks, "Lead me in Your righteousness" - show me the correct path. But at other times, he does know the correct path, yet there are obstacles: ridges, mountains, hills, and stumbling blocks along the way. Concerning this, he asks, "Make Your way straight before me" - even when I know the way, let there be no pitfalls or hindrances; let the path be level and straight so that I may reach You without impediment.
And what are those obstacles? Frequently, the Malbim explains, a person faces dilemmas and uncertainties, not knowing which path to choose; and even when he possesses knowledge, he is beset by distractions. For example: the burden of earning a livelihood. This preoccupation can draw a person away from the proper path - on the one hand, one must earn a living, and on the other hand, one must serve Hashem. Therefore, I pray: Master of the Universe, remove the hindrances along the way. For a person may begin with the genuine necessities of livelihood, but gradually he is drawn after materialism, begins chasing the "good life," and forgets the way of Hashem. Master of the Universe, let not all these obstacles along the way lead me astray.
The deeper application, says the Malbim, is to the path of Torah: at times, a person cannot find the correct understanding, and this occurs for several reasons - the limitation of the perceiver (*kotzer hamasig*), the depth of the concept (*omek hamusag*), and the length of the preliminary premises (*orech hahatza'ot*). "The limitation of the perceiver" - a person's intellect is limited. "The depth of the concept" - even if one possesses great capacity, the Torah is exceedingly deep, dealing with matters that are difficult to comprehend and grasp. "The length of the preliminary premises" - *hatza'ot* refers to foundational introductions; many subjects can only be understood if one is first provided with extensive background. In the wisdom of Kabbalah, for example, there is great emphasis on introductions, since only through the proper foundations can one subsequently comprehend the inner concepts. Concerning all of this he pleads: Master of the Universe, guide me in the paths of life, "Lead me in Your righteousness" - that I may know the correct path; and second, "Make Your way straight before me" - that the impediments and distractions along the way, which are all the mundane concerns and material necessities, should not become an obstacle or cause me to stumble.
"For There Is No Sincerity in His Mouth" - The Path from the Tongue to Sheol
כִּי אֵין בְּפִיהוּ נְכוֹנָה, קִרְבָּם הַוּוֹת, קֶבֶר פָּתוּחַ גְּרֹנָם, לְשׁוֹנָם יַחֲלִיקוּן׃ - For there is no sincerity in his mouth; their inward part is ruin; their throat is an open grave; their tongue flatters smoothly.
I ask this "because of my watchful foes" - those who oppose me, who are constantly attempting to prove that I am wicked and to portray my actions as corrupt. Regarding them he says: Master of the Universe, these people, all their talk about me and their entire conduct, "there is no sincerity in his mouth" - it is deceitful speech and deceitful behavior.
Notice that the verse mentions five components: mouth, inward part, grave, throat, and tongue. What does King David wish to convey? The Malbim has explained several times that the mouth and lips represent external speech, since they are visible outwardly, whereas the tongue is internal and represents inner speech - what a person expresses with counsel and intellect, from the depths of his heart. External speech is merely what one utters outwardly, which does not necessarily reflect what he truly holds and believes. My watchful foes, David says - those waiting to see when I fall, namely my enemies - speak favorably of me with their mouths, but their tongue harbors deceit: "their tongue flatters smoothly." Therefore he says, "there is no sincerity in his mouth": what you hear from the mouth is only superficial, while the inner tongue is full of deceit and slick flattery.
From this, the Malbim paints a vivid picture: their inward part is, as it were, Sheol and ruin - "their inward part is ruin [*havot*]," where *havot* denotes Sheol and destruction. Their throat is like an open grave through which the dead descend into Sheol. And their tongue is the dark, slippery ground from which a person slips and plunges inward. Thus, whoever enters their mouth - seemingly a mouth that speaks pleasant words and praise - finds that the moment he steps inside, "their tongue flatters smoothly," a slick tongue that slides him down into the throat, which is an open grave, and from the throat into "their inward ruin," into Sheol itself. Understand, therefore, that they draw you in merely through superficial speech - "there is no sincerity in his mouth"; it is pure deception. There is a common Hebrew expression: "to fall into someone's mouth" (to get entangled in an argument with them). When dealing with someone who has a vile mouth, or someone with a sharp tongue who always retaliates with biting insults and sarcasm, it is never advisable to get drawn into his mouth. So too here: whoever enters by way of the tongue slips into the throat, which is the grave, and from there into Sheol, which is the inner core.
"Declare them guilty, O God" - Premeditated Sin and Repeated Sin
הַאֲשִׁימֵם אֱלֹהִים, יִפְּלוּ מִמֹּעֲצוֹתֵיהֶם, בְּרֹב פִּשְׁעֵיהֶם הַדִּיחֵמוֹ כִּי מָרוּ בָךְ׃ - Declare them guilty, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions, for they have rebelled against You.
"Declare them guilty, O God" - that they be found guilty in judgment. And this plea, David says, stems from two reasons. First: their sins are not sins of lust or inadvertence. When a person sins out of lust and inadvertence, there is an element of duress and an element of carelessness. But these people sin through the deliberate counsel of the intellect, and this is "let them fall by their own counsels" - their sins are premeditated, a sin of ideology, and not the sin of someone swept along by his lusts. The second reason: they repeat their sin. A person who stumbles might stumble once; but one who turns it into a system and repeats his sin, Rabbeinu Yonah writes, is considered a mumar (an apostate) regarding that matter, even in a single area: if he is careless only regarding lashon hara, he is considered a mumar regarding lashon hara; if he is careless only regarding guarding his eyes, he is considered a mumar regarding that single matter.
If so, Master of the World, see that they are wicked by design - "by their own counsels," meaning it is not inadvertent; and "in the multitude of their transgressions" - that they transgress repeatedly, committing their sins again and again. And this is precisely what was said about the generation of the Flood: "that the wickedness of man was great" - that they repeated their sin; "and every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil" - that it did not stem merely from lust, but from thought, plans, and calculated schemes. It shows that they act to provoke and with utter disdain.
Therefore he asks, "let them fall by their own counsels." The Malbim explains: Master of the World, let their own wicked counsel be the cause of their downfall. "From their counsels" (mimo'atzoteihem) - the letter mem denotes place: from the very place of their counsel, from there let them fall. Their own transgressions are what will bring them down, in the sense of "Your own wickedness shall chastise you" - your evil is what harms you.
It is very interesting, although the Malbim does not mention this, that this is precisely what happened to David's enemies. Doeg - what buried him? The fact that he went and spoke lashon hara against David, speaking about Nov the city of kohanim and about Achimelech the son of Achituv, following which Saul told him to go strike them down, and he went and slaughtered them - and for this Doeg was held accountable. The evil with which he intended to bring down David was what ultimately destroyed him. So too with Achitophel: he lived for many years, and what caused his downfall? The fact that he gave counsel against David. His advice to Avshalom was strategically sound: pursue him at night while he is weary, overpower him, and kill him. When he saw that his counsel was not followed, he understood that the rebellion would fail, so he went and hanged himself. What caused his downfall? His own counsel against David. Thus, David's request was fulfilled in its entirety: "let them fall by their own counsels" - their plots against me are what will bring them down.
"And all who take refuge in You shall rejoice" - Ceaseless Song
וְיִשְׂמְחוּ כָל חוֹסֵי בָךְ לְעוֹלָם יְרַנֵּנוּ, וְתָסֵךְ עָלֵימוֹ, וְיַעְלְצוּ בְךָ אֹהֲבֵי שְׁמֶךָ׃ - But all who take refuge in You shall rejoice; they shall sing forever, and You will shelter them; and those who love Your Name shall exult in You.
"All who take refuge in You shall rejoice" - as it is written: "I will rejoice in Hashem," and "Sinners shall cease from the earth"; one who takes refuge in Hashem will have immense joy. And what is the meaning of "they shall sing forever" (le'olam yerannenu)? Here the Malbim makes a wonderful observation: a person's song of praise comes in the wake of deliverance from trouble. Today, too, we have songs of joy, but it is not a song that lasts "forever," because a person emerges from one trouble only to face another; he escapes that one as well and sings again, but then yet another trouble arrives. We live in a world of hardship, suffering, and trials, and we do not experience continuous song. Therefore, David asks: Master of the World, let it be "they shall sing forever" - that the song be perpetual, not interrupted by a subsequent distress, but rather that the salvation be complete and final.
"And You will shelter them" - that Divine Providence will shield them. "And those who love Your Name shall exult in You" - that the joy should not be merely natural joy, for natural joy frequently ceases, but a joy that is not material but spiritual: "in You," that the exultation be in You. And this is the distinction between simchah (joy) and alitzut (exultation): simchah can also apply to material matters, whereas alitzut denotes spiritual joy - that their joy be in You, that they enjoy Your special providence.
"For You will bless the righteous" - Blessing Accompanied by Protection
כִּי אַתָּה תְּבָרֵךְ צַדִּיק יְהֹוָה, כַּצִּנָּה רָצוֹן תַּעְטְרֶנּוּ׃ - For You, Hashem, will bless the righteous; You will surround him with favor like a shield.
And this will occur when they recognize that You bless the righteous - that Divine Providence stems solely from You, and if the righteous person enjoys blessing, it is only because the blessing of Hashem rests upon him. "You encompass him with favor as with a shield": a tzinah is a large shield that covers a person from three directions - whoever carries it is protected not only from the front but also from both sides, resembling the shape of the letter chet. In this way, Master of the Universe, Your protection will be like a tzinah.
It is the blessing of Hashem that brings true wealth - not a natural blessing, for natural blessing always carries drawbacks and vulnerabilities. The Malbim explains the drawback: when a person possesses natural blessing and material wealth, he must constantly worry about guards to protect him; where there is much money, there are also many thieves. Spiritual blessing, however, is not like that: "May Hashem bless you and safeguard you" - when Hashem blesses, the protection also comes from Him. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: The protection is also upon Me. Do not view it like material blessing, where you acquire assets and possess wealth but the burden of guarding it falls upon you; when the blessing originates from spiritual merits, Hashem Himself both blesses and protects. Consequently, it brings no sorrow, but only complete satisfaction. This is the meaning of "You encompass him with favor": the Divine favor will crown and surround him like a tzinah, like a shield enclosing him from his sides to guard and protect him - so that the wealth and prosperity he possesses will not be something he fears others might take from him, but will exist under the constant protection and watchfulness of the Holy One, blessed be He, never to be lost.
In summary:
The psalm contrasts the faith of Israel with idolatrous belief: there is no god of good and god of evil, but one singular Power in creation Who is the ultimate source of goodness and lovingkindness, and wickedness has no connection to Him whatsoever - "For You are not a God Who desires wickedness, evil cannot dwell with You." Consequently, the boastful and the workers of iniquity have nowhere from which to draw sustenance for their evil, and the bloodthirsty and deceitful person is detestable before Hashem. This is likewise the foundation of how one approaches the House of Hashem: not out of an idolater's dread of impending doom, but rather, "Through Your abundant kindness I will enter Your House," and from there proceed inward toward the Sanctuary with awe of His exalted Majesty. Against this backdrop, David presents two requests: "Guide me in Your righteousness" - that he may know the proper path, and "Make Your way straight before me" - that the obstacles and distractions along the way be cleared away. His adversaries, whose speech is entirely superficial and whose smooth tongue leads down into the throat and the grave, will ultimately fall by their own counsel, as indeed happened to Doeg and Achitophel. In contrast, those who take refuge in Hashem will merit unceasing song and spiritual joy, blessed with divine protection - "You encompass him with favor as with a shield."