We arrive at the final section of Psalm 55, in which David HaMelech describes the pain of betrayal by one who was close to him and deemed trustworthy in his eyes. The verses before us address the way the betrayal was woven: with smooth speech, with words softer than oil, and with a heart entirely bent on battle. From this, David reaches one of the grandest declarations in the Book of Tehillim: "Cast your burden upon Hashem" - and his concluding prayer regarding bloodthirsty and deceitful men.
שָׁלַח יָדָיו בִּשְׁלֹמָיו חִלֵּל בְּרִיתוֹ׃ - He stretched forth his hands against those at peace with him; he desecrated his covenant.
Rashi explains that this refers to the wicked Ahithophel. "He stretched forth his hands against those at peace with him [bishlomav]" - against the one who was tranquil and whole with him. David says: I was tranquil and whole with him, I trusted him, he was faithful in my eyes, yet he laid hands upon those who were at peace with him and raised a rebellion against me.
The Radak explains that a word is implied here, as if it said "against the man of his peace [ish shelomav]," similar to what we find in "And as for me, I am prayer" (Tehillim 109:4), meaning "I am a man of prayer." Another explanation: "Those at peace with him" in the plural refers to David and his faction, the company of his men who were with him, who were at peace with Ahithophel, yet he laid hands upon them.
The Malbim likewise explains that this refers to Ahithophel, but he is precise about the literal phrasing "stretched forth his hands": Ahithophel sought to pursue David personally - "Let me now choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight" (II Shmuel 17:1) - and his plan was to kill David with his own hands. This is the meaning of "he desecrated his covenant": there was a covenant and friendship between us, yet now he seeks to reach out his own hand and go personally to kill me.
חָלְקוּ מַחְמָאֹת פִּיו וּקְרָב לִבּוֹ רַכּוּ דְבָרָיו מִשֶּׁמֶן וְהֵמָּה פְתִחוֹת׃ - The buttery words of his mouth were smooth, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.
The Radak explains that the letter mem of machma'ot is vocalized with a patach and serves as a prepositional prefix, as though it were written mechem'ot - his mouth was smoother than butter. That is to say: now I see that everything he previously spoke to me with flattering speech was mere lip service, while in his heart he hated me and was far from me. "Yet war was in his heart" - it now becomes clear that all his words were intended to bring about war; he sought to reassure me only to wage battle against me, and in his heart was war.
"Yet they were drawn swords [petichot]" - the Radak explains that petichot denotes swords, as Rashi also cites in the name of Menachem, related to "and the land of Nimrod with its drawn swords [biftacheha]" (Michah 5:5), and similar to swords drawn from their scabbards. There are places where the expression petichah refers to an unsheathed sword. That is to say: his lips were indeed smooth, "his words were softer than oil," but within them lay swords piercing me.
Rashi cites an additional explanation: petichot is an Aramaic expression for a curse, as in "Ameimar wrote a peticha against him" (Bava Metzia 16b) - a writ of excommunication. "Yet they were petichot" - in their language and speech were curses. Outwardly their words were softer than oil, smoother than butter, but within them was malice, and in truth they wished a curse.
הַשְׁלֵךְ עַל ה' יְהָבְךָ וְהוּא יְכַלְכְּלֶךָ לֹא יִתֵּן לְעוֹלָם מוֹט לַצַּדִּיק׃ - "Cast your burden upon Hashem, and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous falter."
There is a difficulty here: until now, David spoke about them and about himself, and suddenly he turns with an imperative directed to someone else. To whom is this addressed? Some explain that David is addressing himself, or addressing every righteous person: David strengthens himself and says - David, cast your burden upon Hashem; do not be terrified of them. Or, he is turning to every righteous individual: do not be alarmed, even if they pursue you, cast your burden upon Hashem; look, they pursued me and I trusted in Hashem, so you too should not be alarmed.
Rashi resolves the difficulty in another way: at this point, the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) begins to speak. Until now, David described what he was undergoing, and the Holy One, Blessed is He, answers him: David, do not fear, trust in Me and I will save you - cast your burden upon Hashem.
What is "yehavcha"? Radak explains: your burden. Cast your burden upon the Holy One, Blessed is He; do not fear human beings, trust in Hashem and He will support you. And why? "For He will never let the righteous falter" - the Holy One, Blessed is He, will never allow the righteous person to collapse.
Chazal relate that at one time they did not know the meaning of this word. The Gemara in Megillah (18a) states: The Sages did not know what was meant by "Cast upon Hashem yehavcha," until they heard an Arab merchant say to a man, "Take your yehav and throw it onto my camel" - take your burden and place it upon my camel. From this they understood that "yehavcha" means your burden.
This is wonderful, practical advice for anyone enduring troubles and distress. A person carries a heavy burden upon himself - cast that burden upon Hashem. Do not carry all the troubles and afflictions by yourself.
What brings a person to collapse? Why are observant, believing people healthier, even when they do not necessarily eat healthier foods or engage in exercise, and statistically live longer? Beyond the spiritual merit (segulah) of "so that your days may be prolonged" and all the mitzvos for which longevity is promised, psychologists note that an observant person does not take as many things to heart: he has bitachon (trust), he believes in Hashem and trusts in Him, knowing that all matters are decreed from Heaven - he casts his burden upon Hashem. And the more a person casts upon Hashem, the calmer he is.
When a person carries everything on his heart, his heart eventually gives out. Doctors note that the primary cause of ulcers, heart conditions, blood clots in the brain, and the like is stress and pressure. When a person is calmer, he lives longer. And as the saying goes: Do not tell the Holy One, Blessed is He, how great your troubles are; rather, tell your troubles how great the Holy One, Blessed is He, is. Then you will feel that you truly have Someone to rely on.
"And He will sustain you (ve-hu yechalkelecha)" - cast it upon Him, and the Holy One, Blessed is He, will provide for you, sustain you, and care for all your needs. Another interpretation of "yechalkelecha" is from the language of bearing and carrying, as in "Behold, the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain You (yechalkelucha)" - they cannot bear Him, as it were, since He is infinite. Here too, "yechalkelecha" means He will bear you and carry you.
The Malbim explains that David is describing here how he was deceived. Achitophel used smooth, flattering speech - in contemporary terms, he lulled David to sleep so that when the rebellion erupted, he would be found completely unprepared. How did he do this? "The buttery words of his mouth were smooth" - his mouth constantly spoke smooth and soothing words.
Whenever David began to sense that there was unrest or discontent among the people - and we have noted previously that Avshalom's rebellion succeeded because there was resentment among the people following the plague that came because David counted Israel, creating bitterness against him - whom did he have to consult? The ultimate advisor, peerless in his wisdom, consulting with whom was like "asking the word of God." David said: I consulted with Achitophel; I told him there might be some unrest among the people, what do you think? "The buttery words of his mouth were smooth" - he continually reassured me: you have nothing to worry about.
According to the Malbim, this connects the verses beautifully: "His words were softer than oil" - and what were those soft words? "Cast your burden upon Hashem and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to falter." These were Achitophel's words: Why are you worried, David? The Holy One, blessed be He, is with you; He will not let you collapse. Yet his heart was full of war - "and war was in his heart" - inside his heart, plans were being hatched to bring the rebellion into reality. To me he constantly offered reassurance: nothing happened, everything will be fine, the Holy One, blessed be He, will uphold you.
Through this, David says, I was lulled into complacency: I did not investigate the rebellion, I did not probe into it, and I did not nip it in the bud. And what is the meaning of "yet they were open matters" (vehemah fetichot) according to the Malbim? In its simple sense: now everything is open and revealed to all. Everything now coming to light was done with cunning and advance planning by Achitophel, who lulled me to sleep so that I would not notice.
וְאַתָּה אֱלֹהִים תּוֹרִדֵם לִבְאֵר שַׁחַת אַנְשֵׁי דָמִים וּמִרְמָה לֹא יֶחֱצוּ יְמֵיהֶם וַאֲנִי אֶבְטַח בָּךְ׃ - And You, God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction; men of blood and deceit shall not live out half their days, but I will trust in You.
David asks: these traitors - bring them down to the pit of destruction, to Gehinnom. That is to say, when their bodies perish, their souls will have no further existence either; rather, their souls too will be destroyed. It is not enough that they perish from this world, but from the World to Come as well. And their physical death will also be through karet, so that they will not reach half their days, because they did not fear You. Nor does one punishment preclude the other: "they shall not live out half their days" is one punishment, and afterward, "bring them down to the pit of destruction." "But I will trust in You" - that You will care for me, Master of the Universe.
יִשְׁמַע אֵל וְיַעֲנֵם וְיֹשֵׁב קֶדֶם סֶלָה אֲשֶׁר אֵין חֲלִיפוֹת לָמוֹ וְלֹא יָרְאוּ אֱלֹהִים׃ - God shall hear and humble them, He who sits enthroned from of old, Selah; those who have no successors, and did not fear God.
The Holy Alshich presents one continuous approach from verse 20 to the end of the psalm, which is why we left it for the end in order to appreciate the entire development in his way. When David fled from Avshalom, he faced three enemies: Doeg, Achitophel, and Shimei. Doeg and Achitophel are well known; Shimei is the one who pelted him with dust and cursed him vehemently: "Get out, get out, you man of blood!"
When David sees whom he is dealing with, he asks, "Destroy, my Lord, divide their tongue" - swallow them up. But whom? Here lies the Alshich's wonderful explanation: not all of them, but rather "those who have no chalifot (successors)" - those from whom no righteous person will descend. But those who do have successors, who are destined to father righteous children - do not destroy them.
And of whom is this speaking? Our Sages tell us in the Midrash that David did not kill Shimei because Mordechai and Esther were destined to descend from him - "the son of Shimei, the son of Kish"; although this was not the very same Shimei, but rather from the lineage of Shimei. It was only to Solomon that he later said to take retribution from him - and when? After Shimei had already fathered children, and once the line leading to Mordechai and Esther had already entered the world, then retribution could be taken from him.
Therefore, David asks: Master of the Universe, take those who have no successors (*ein chalifot lamo*); but those who are destined to regenerate and father righteous children - do not take them now, but only after some time, after they bring into the world whoever needs to be born, so that in due time Mordechai and Esther will emerge, and only then take them.
According to this, the Alshich explains the phrasing of the verse: he prays to Hashem, "Who sits enthroned of old, Selah" - the Holy One, blessed be He, Who transcends time: He was, He is, and He will be. "Sits enthroned" - in the present; "of old" - in the past; "Selah" - forever, into the future. Everything is revealed before Him, and before Him it is known who has successors and who has no successors; He knows who is destined to father righteous offspring and who is not. Therefore: Master of the Universe, since this is open and revealed before You, take only those who have no successors - in order ultimately to spare Shimi ben Gera.
And if you ask: Why attribute Shimi's deliverance to "having successors," when Shimi repented anyway? When David returned to his kingship, who was the first to come out to greet him? Shimi ben Gera. He realized that if David resumed his reign, a severe sentence awaited him - David would sever his head from his body, as he was liable to execution: he had rebelled against the king, cursed him, and so forth. What did he do? He hurried to arrive first and tell David that he regretted what had transpired. Moreover, he argued: If you put me to death, everyone who opposed you will claim that David is settling scores, and they will persist in their rebellion; but if you accept me, they will say: Look, King David is patient and forgiving; he is willing to accept even someone who rebelled against him - and then you will succeed in rallying everyone behind you and securing your throne. It was a very shrewd strategy, which proved accurate and successful, and David did not harm him.
And if you say: A king who waives his honor, his honor is not waived (*melech she-machal al kevodo ein kevodo machul*), so what good would repentance do? In any case, repentance was enough to grant him a reprieve and instruct Shlomo to settle the score with him later. Why, then, must we resort to the reason that he was destined to father righteous descendants?
To this, the verse replies: "He stretched out his hands against those at peace with him; he desecrated his covenant" - he raised his hand against David, with whom he had been at peace, and indeed he was the teacher of his son Shlomo, and from that point on he desecrated his covenant. And if you say: Did he not appease David? Scripture tells you: it was mere lip service - insincere words born of panic; he was under intense pressure lest he be executed.
This is the continuation of the verse: "Smoother than butter were the speeches of his mouth, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords." Why did he flatter David so profusely? So that David would ultimately accept him. But did he genuinely repent and change his ways? "War was in his heart" - inside his heart there was battle; he still wished to fight David. It was only that he realized David was currently in power, leaving him no choice but to fall in line with reality - not that he had genuinely repented.
And what were the "speeches of his mouth," the buttery flatteries? What did Shimi say to David? He told him: "Cast your burden upon Hashem." Even if you reached such a dire state in this war - cast your burden upon Hashem; and the very fact that Hashem delivered you is proof that you are righteous, for "He will never allow the righteous to falter." This was the exact opposite of what he had initially said to him: "And behold, you are caught in your evil, for you are a man of blood" - there he told him that he was wicked, which is why his son rebelled against him. Now, suddenly, he sings a different tune: Hashem saved you, you are so righteous! This is the slick butter and smooth oil flowing from his lips - yet within his heart dwell war and malice. Therefore, this cannot be regarded as genuine repentance, and if there was any justification to spare and protect Shimi, we must inevitably turn to the reason of "having successors": because a righteous figure was destined to descend from him - that was the sole reason to keep him alive.
How do the two halves of this verse connect? Seemingly, there is no relation between "they shall not live out half their days" and "but I will trust in You." The Alshich offers a wonderful explanation: At times we see that the Holy One, blessed be He, reallocates the lifespan decreed for a person, taking him before his time - and to whom does He transfer those years of life? To one who is in need of them; for instance, a person who overlooks personal slights (*ma'avir al midotav*), to whom the Holy One, blessed be He, grants the life He took from others.
David says: One might have thought that I am asking that "they not live out half their days" so that I might receive their years - for King David was not originally destined to live at all, having been born stillborn, and by standard reckoning should not have existed. Therefore, he emphasizes: Not at all; "they shall not live out half their days" - while as for me, "I will trust in You" that You will provide for me, Master of the Universe. And indeed, we see that David received years from Adam, from Avraham, and from the holy Patriarchs - but not from them, from his enemies. I do not desire their lifespan, and my prayer that they not live out half their days is not in order that I receive that life.
The Malbim explains: "And You, O God, will bring them down to the pit of destruction" - even though You, Master of the Universe, are not the One who puts them to death, for they killed themselves, You will be the One who brings them down to the pit of destruction, meaning You will withhold eternal life and bliss from them and cast them down to Gehinnom. "Men of bloodshed and deceit shall not live out half their days" - by taking his own life, he sought, as it were, to divide his days: half here in this world, and the rest he would receive in the World to Come. The verse declares: they shall not live out half their days; rather, just as his end was bitter here in this world, so too will it be bitter for him in the World to Come. "And I will trust in You" - that You will grant me only good.
Let us conclude with an observation from Rav Mazuz, and with him, one cannot do without gematriya. "They shall not live out half their days" (lo yechtzu yemeihem) has the numerical equivalent of "politika" (politics) - which fits the continuation of the verse remarkably well: "men of bloodshed and deceit," where damim (blood) can also mean money, as their entire concern is money and deceit.
And another allusion: "They shall not live out half their days, and I will trust in You" (lo yechtzu yemeihem va'ani evtach bach) - the letters form an acronym for Yoav (Joab). This hints at Yoav as well, for even though he was not as central a figure in this betrayal as Ahithophel and Doeg, David asked that Yoav too be included among those who do not live out half their days. As is well known, David faced a difficult struggle with Yoav - "and the sons of Zeruiah are too hard for me" - and therefore, he took this opportunity to include him as well among the men of bloodshed and deceit.
The conclusion of the psalm exposes the true face of betrayal: a mouth smoother than butter while the heart is set on war, words softer than oil behind which lie swords and curses - and in the Malbim's view, words of reassurance meant to lull David into complacency so that he would not suppress the rebellion in its infancy. Yet precisely out of that deceptive smoothness emerges the great declaration: "Cast your burden upon Hashem, and He will sustain you" - cast your load upon the Holy One, Blessed be He; do not bear your troubles alone, and tell your troubles how great the Holy One, Blessed be He, is. The Alshich teaches that David requested judgment only upon those "who have no changes," whereas one who was destined to produce righteous descendants like Mordechai and Esther would be spared for the time being. David then concludes by affirming that he does not seek the years of the wicked, but trusts in Hashem alone: "And I will trust in You."