Psalm 68 in Tehillim is an exalted and profound psalm, and the commentators disagree regarding the historical event to which it refers. In the view of the Radak, the psalm was said about the army of Sennacherib that marched against Jerusalem in the days of Hezekiah (Chizkiyahu). Radak remains consistent with this approach throughout the entire psalm, explaining its complete progression accordingly. Hezekiah was under siege; Sennacherib and his hosts besieged Jerusalem - one hundred and eighty-five thousand army captains - and an angel of Hashem came and struck them all down in a single night. According to Radak, it was regarding this miraculous event that the psalm was composed.
Ibn Ezra writes that this psalm is exceedingly glorious, and most commentators interpreted it as referring to the Giving of the Torah, since it states, "The Lord is among them, at Sinai in holiness" - which clearly refers to the Revelation at Mount Sinai. For this reason, the psalm is also associated with the festival of Shavuot, due to that very theme of "The Lord is among them, at Sinai in holiness." However, Ibn Ezra remains loyal to the peshat (literal meaning) and notes: "Yet they are unable to connect the verses coherently." That is, when one examines the psalm closely, it is difficult to maintain that it is entirely about the Revelation at Mount Sinai, because after describing the entry into the Land of Israel, it doubles back to the splitting of the Sea and the Exodus from Egypt. What logic is there in saying that it speaks of Mount Sinai, only to take us backward in history after they have already entered the Land? That is not a sound approach, and therefore cannot be the true spirit of the psalm.
What, then, is the context? Ibn Ezra suggests a direction that the Malbim follows, though without mentioning him by name: David composed this psalm regarding the wars he fought against the uncircumcised nations, where the majority of his army came from the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and their valor was revealed in battle. Indeed, later in the psalm we will encounter "Benjamin," "the princes of Judah and their counsel," and "the princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali" - because they were the ones who performed mighty deeds in that war.
The Malbim follows a similar line of interpretation. He opens by explaining that after carefully analyzing the poem's details, structure, and arrangement - indicating that he too had to study it with great precision to identify its central theme - it appears to him that the psalm was founded upon the numerous wars David fought against Moab, the Philistines, Aram Zobah, Aram Damascus, and Edom, all of which are enumerated in II Samuel, chapter 8. Proof of this lies in the psalm's mention of a battle across the Jordan near Mount Bashan, where the borders of Moab and Edom lie, and where the enemies gathered. The campaign took place in that desert, on the eastern border near the high mountains; the nations dared to ascend the mountains, and that was where their downfall occurred.
And since the Holy One, blessed be He, had delivered Israel in those very same locations in ancient times through signs and wonders - the Revelation at Mount Sinai, the wars against the Amorite kings, and the miraculous events in the days of Moses - therefore, says the Malbim, "the poet clothed the song in the royal garments of ancient miracles." When David came to thank Hashem for the miracles performed for him in his contemporary wars against Moab and Edom, he borrowed poetic expressions used regarding those ancient battles in those same regions. Such is human nature: when a person wishes to express something, he invokes poetic phrasing originally spoken about that location and subject - his intention is not to describe the earlier era, but the present battle, yet he draws upon the language of old. Thus, as the Malbim writes, the poet's mind roamed between past and present, portraying the ancient miracles as though they still reside in those places; Hashem's mercies have not ceased, and those same wonders are recurring. Through this framework, the Malbim divides the psalm into four sections, following his consistent rule that wherever the word "Selah" appears, one topic concludes and a new one begins.
יָקוּם אֱלֹהִים יָפוּצוּ אוֹיְבָיו וְיָנוּסוּ מְשַׂנְאָיו מִפָּנָיו׃ - Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered, and let those who hate Him flee before Him.
Rashi explains that these words refer to Amalek and similar foes. Radak interprets "Let God arise" in the sense of "Rise up, Hashem, and let Your enemies be scattered" from the Book of Numbers (Bamidbar), spoken whenever the Ark journeyed with Israel. What does "arise" mean? It means that God should reveal His might. One might ask: is this phrased as an imperative or in the future tense? Radak explains that it may be a prayer - "Please Hashem, let God arise and display His might against the enemies"; alternatively, it may be a prophecy - know that I have foreseen in prophecy that Hashem will arise and scatter His enemies.
Radak, consistent with his view, applies this to the war with Sennacherib: this was indeed what happened, as an angel of Hashem went out and struck down one hundred and eighty-five thousand army captains. To be sure, this might seem inconsistent with the wording "be scattered" and "flee," since all of them died there. However, it can be explained as referring to Sennacherib and his sons who fled - Sennacherib and Esarhaddon, and ultimately his two sons who killed him. That is to say, the prominent and leading figures among the enemies, who had arrived with vast legions, were the ones who were ultimately scattered.
The Malbim explains according to his own path: when Hashem came to deliver Israel in David's wars, it recalled the days in the wilderness - "And it came to pass, when the Ark set forward, that Moses said: Rise up, Hashem, and let Your enemies be scattered." So too now, Hashem acted in accordance with those signs and wonders: let God arise, let His enemies be scattered, and let those who hate Him flee before Him. Let us remember that according to the Malbim, this does not refer to Sennacherib's campaign, but rather to the wars against Edom, the Philistines, Moab, Aram Damascus, and Aram Zobah.
What is the difference between "His enemies will scatter" and "His haters will flee"? The Malbim explains in many places, including chapter 18, verse 18, that a hater (*shoneh*) is less severe than an enemy (*oyev*). A hater often does not actively pursue harm, but rather hates in his heart, whereas an enemy seeks every opportunity to inflict actual damage. For example, the nations of Europe might be called haters, while the Palestinians are enemies. The nations of Europe have hated us for a long time and would like to see us eradicated, doing so through indirect means - tying our hands so that we absorb blows and cannot respond - yet they wash their hands of guilt and do nothing directly themselves; they merely ensure that others can do so. Therefore, the enemies, who actively assembled for war, "will scatter"; whereas the haters, who stood at a distance to witness our downfall, "will flee" - they will run away.
כְּהִנְדֹּף עָשָׁן תִּנְדֹּף כְּהִמֵּס דּוֹנַג מִפְּנֵי אֵשׁ יֹאבְדוּ רְשָׁעִים מִפְּנֵי אֱלֹהִים׃ - As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before fire, so let the wicked perish before God.
Rashi explains: just as smoke is dispersed, so may You, Hashem, disperse the enemies. And "before God" - before the Ark that was in the days of Moshe, as mentioned in the previous verse, "His enemies will scatter."
The Malbim explains that this is an elaboration on the earlier poetic expression, "When the Ark set out, Moshe said: Rise up, Hashem, and let Your enemies be scattered": when the Ark traveled in the wilderness, the pillar of cloud went before them by day, and the pillar of fire by night. So too now - just as You then guided Your people by a cloud by day, so now the matter turns upside down for the enemies, becoming for them a pillar of smoke that consumes the eyes and drives them off, "as smoke is driven away." What was a pillar of cloud for us becomes for them a pillar of smoke that blinds their eyes. And since You guided Your people back then with a pillar of fire, the verse says, "as wax melts before fire" - just as *donag*, which is wax, melts before fire, so let the wicked perish before God, for Hashem will be like a fire unto them. It emerges that there is a renewed edition here of the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire, as it is written: "And Hashem will create over the whole site of Mount Zion... a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night," as he explained there.
וְצַדִּיקִים יִשְׂמְחוּ יַעַלְצוּ לִפְנֵי אֱלֹהִים וְיָשִׂישׂוּ בְשִׂמְחָה׃ - But the righteous shall rejoice; they shall exult before God, and they shall be jubilant with joy.
Rashi explains that *yashisu* refers to song - that they will sing a song to God, as we will see in the next verse. The Radak, following his usual approach, applies this to the era of Chizkiyahu: the rejoicing righteous are Chizkiyahu and Israel, and the double expression "they shall be jubilant with joy" points to an abundance of joy, as Yeshayahu said (30:29): "You shall have a song as in the night when a festival is sanctified, and gladness of heart as when one goes with the flute." This aligns closely with Chazal's teaching that the defeat of Sancheriv and his hosts by the angel of Hashem occurred on the night of the Seder. Thus, it was literally "a song... as in the night when a festival is sanctified" - on the night the festival was sanctified, we had song and Hallel, praising and exalting Hashem over the demise of the enemies who besieged Jerusalem. According to this, the duality is explained: "they shall rejoice" - over the immediate salvation from the enemies; "and they shall be jubilant with joy" - in addition to the joy of the festival and the redemption from Egypt for which they were offering praise on that very night.
The Malbim explains: the radiance of the Shechinah, which for the wicked is like dispersing smoke and a wax-melting flame, is for the righteous a cloud, illumination, joy, and gladness. And the joy they take in Hashem will awaken outward jubilation in them when they see that Hashem is with them. The foundation of this idea lies in the distinction between the verbs *yismechu* ("rejoice"), *ya'altzu* ("exult"), and *yashisu* ("be jubilant"). There are many terms for joy, each conveying a distinct nuance, with varied perspectives among the commentators. According to the Malbim, the root *alatz* always denotes a spiritual, inner joy - not a bodily pleasure - and is usually an exultation in Hashem, "my soul exults in Hashem," connected to divine service. The difference between *simchah* and *sason* is that *sason* relates to the external expressions of joy: when someone breaks into dance, he is described as *sas*, he is seen celebrating, which is an external manifestation. *Simchah*, by contrast, is more internal. Therefore: the righteous will rejoice with internal joy (*yismechu*), exult before God with spiritual delight in Him (*ya'altzu*), and then "be jubilant with joy" (*yashisu vesimchah*) - the joy will fill their interior and become manifest externally.
One must realize that joy in a mitzvah is a mitzvah in its own right. We discussed this when studying Pirkei Avos, chapter 4, mishnah 2: "Be swift to fulfill a minor mitzvah as a major one," "for one mitzvah leads to another," "and the reward of a mitzvah is a mitzvah." The Bartenura writes: the pleasure a person experiences while performing a mitzvah is considered a mitzvah in its own right, and he receives a reward both for the mitzvah he performed and for the delight and enjoyment he took in its performance. Truly wondrous! This does not refer to the Shabbos cholent, but to the very delight and joy of fulfilling the mitzvah, for which one receives a distinct reward. Beyond the reward for laying tefillin, there is an independent reward for the joy of laying tefillin. This is the meaning of "the reward of a mitzvah is a mitzvah" - not merely for the act itself, but for the joy experienced while performing it, which constitutes a mitzvah in its own right.
Based on this, the Chida explains our verse: "But the righteous shall rejoice; they shall exult before God" - the righteous rejoice before God in the World to Come over the reward for the mitzvos they fulfilled; "and they shall be jubilant with joy" - this is an additional dimension, for they will also be jubilant over the joy itself that they felt when performing the mitzvah, for which they receive an independent reward. Every mitzvah over which they rejoiced down here will bring them even greater jubilation up Above.
As the Gemara in Berachot (9b) relates regarding Rav Berona, who was a great man and rejoiced in mitzvot - and who is considered a great man? One who rejoices in mitzvot. Once, he juxtaposed the blessing of redemption directly to the prayer of Shemoneh Esreh, "and a smile did not leave his lips the entire day" out of immense joy. It is told of a student of Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, who was known as someone who always had joy on his face, and even when he rebuked, he did so gently and with a smile, not with harsh reprimand. Once, that student was with Rabbi Shlomo Zalman and was in a somewhat lighthearted mood, and evidently this lack of seriousness bothered the Rosh Yeshiva. Rabbi Shlomo Zalman said to him: "It seems to me that today you juxtaposed redemption to prayer..." The student immediately understood the hint and settled himself. In this gentle way, he hinted to him: "A smile did not leave his lips the entire day."
The book *Tehillot Maharitz* explains the difference between *simchah* (joy) and *sason* (gladness) in another way: *simchah* is material joy, while *sason* is spiritual gladness. And the righteous transform material joy into spiritual gladness. This is a foundational principle: the Torah desires that every material joy be transformed into spiritual gladness. You experience material joy during the harvest season - the Torah gave you the festival of Sukkot: take this joy and leverage it for the service of Hashem. The nations of the world rejoiced in the produce of the land and danced with the field's harvest; the Torah says: you dance as well - but take an *etrog* and a *lulav* and dance with them for the sake of Hashem. Rejoice in all the good that Hashem your God has given you, but let it be a joy that contains a connection to God. This is the Torah's objective in every realm: to connect all physicality to spirituality.
The supreme example of this is Yaakov Avinu. The most joyous moment in his life was the day he was reunited with his son Yosef, after twenty-two years during which he was certain his son was dead. And at that very moment, out of that tremendous joy, he recited *Kriat Shema* - dedicating the joy to the Creator, blessed be He, and performing an act that elevates and connects the physical joy to spiritual joy. This is the great level; this is the service of the righteous.
And regarding this, the verse says: the righteous, when they rejoice and exult in some material joy, take it all "before God" and dedicate it to Hashem, blessed be He - and then, "they will exult with gladness," for the material joy itself is transformed for them into spiritual gladness.
This is further explained based on what is taught: that the righteous rejoice in the joy of their children. It is a well-known custom, particularly among Chassidim, to go and invite deceased parents to their children's wedding: they go to the gravesite and invite them to come and participate in the celebration. Some go even further and leave a printed invitation there, so they know the date and address. And this is the meaning of "And the righteous will rejoice and exult before God" - even though they are already before God in the Heavenly Academy, nevertheless "they will exult with gladness," experiencing spiritual gladness up there over the earthly joy of their children and grandchildren down here.
However, one must ensure that it is a fitting celebration: a modest, proper wedding, without mixed seating or dancing, and heaven forbid not a groom or bride who is unsuitable - for in such a case, it brings them grief rather than gladness in Heaven above. In the book *Mishnat HaChalomot*, a story is related concerning one of the Sanz Chassidim who, before his daughter's wedding, saw his deceased father in a dream saying harshly: "Whom are you bringing into our home?" He was terrified and went to inquire of the Rebbe what this meant. The Rebbe told him: "Check the groom's lineage." He investigated and discovered that the groom's grandmother had undergone an invalid conversion, which meant the groom was actually a non-Jew. Then it became clear why his father had appeared in the dream: a family that preserved its sanctity, and you are about to introduce a flaw into the vineyard? Therefore, one must ensure that the parents will have true joy from whoever is brought into the family, and that the home will be one of the fear of Heaven.
שִׁירוּ לֵאלֹהִים זַמְּרוּ שְׁמוֹ סֹלּוּ לָרֹכֵב בָּעֲרָבוֹת בְּיָהּ שְׁמוֹ וְעִלְזוּ לְפָנָיו׃ - Sing to God, chant praise to His Name; extol Him Who rides in the Arabot by His Name Yah, and exult before Him.
Rashi explains that *solu* is an expression of praise, as in *lo tesuleh vechetom* ("it cannot be valued against fine gold"), *lo tesuleh vefaz*, and *hamesula'im bapaz* ("who were valued like pure gold"). That is to say: recite words of praise to Him Who rides in the *Arabot*. "By His Name Yah" - the Name *Yah* connotes awe and fear, as the Targum renders it, *decheila* (awesome), like "My strength and song is *Yah*" (Shemot 15:2), translated as "My strength and my praise is the Awesome One," and likewise "For a hand is upon the throne of *Yah*" (Shemot 17:16), and "For in *Yah*, Hashem, is the Rock of eternity" (Yeshayahu 26:4) - "thereby you shall be redeemed by the word of the awesome Hashem, the Mighty of the world." Thus: sing and chant praise before Him, for He is the One Whom it is fitting to revere. "And exult before Him" - this corresponds to "and rejoice with trembling": on the one hand awe, and on the other hand gladness and exultation; therefore, even when one exults, it must be in the manner of "rejoicing with trembling."
The Radak explains that *solu* is an expression of elevation, as in *salseleha u'teromemeka* ("Esteem her, and she will exalt you"); any form of the root *s-l-l* denotes elevation and exaltation: exalt Him Who rides in the *Arabot*. And what is meant by "riding in the *Arabot*"? It is similar to "He Who rides the heavens to your help" (Devarim 33:26). Just as a rider directs an animal and moves it wherever he pleases, so does the Holy One, blessed be He, turn the celestial sphere. *Arabot* is the highest celestial sphere that encompasses everything, and through its movement, sets all the other spheres in motion.
We have explained this matter several times: when the ancients described the movements of the celestial bodies, they envisioned spheres (galgalim). If one observes the sun revolving - and we will not enter here into the question of whether the sun revolves or the earth - it was taken as a sign that it is set within a sphere in which it rotates, a transparent sphere if you will, for otherwise why would it not fly outward? The ancients were not familiar with gravity or the earth's magnetism, nor with inertia - that if you spin a marble inside a glass, at a certain point it will fly out in a straight line rather than continue spinning in place. Therefore, they understood that everything rotates in spheres: there are smaller spheres, such as the moon revolving around the earth, and there is a great, encompassing sphere that drives everything. And this is "He Who rides across the heights (Aravot)" - the Holy One, blessed be He, moves this master sphere, like a rider guiding his mount, and He is the prime mover of all the motions of the heavenly bodies.
"In Yah is His Name" - exalt the One Whose Name is Yah, for Hashem is the Creator of the world and the cause of its existence. We explained that the Four-Letter Name (Havayah) encompasses different dimensions: Yud-Hei corresponds to Chochmah and Binah, while Vav-Hei corresponds to Ze'ir Anpin and Nukva. Yud-Hei represents the World to Come, while Vav-Hei represents this world. The higher sefirot, Chochmah and Binah, govern everything from above, while the lower sefirot - what Kabbalists call Zat, the seven lower ones: Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, and Malchut - are alluded to in the Vav and the Hei. The Vav represents the Vak (the six extremities), from Chesed through Yesod; and the Hei is Malchut, the lowest sefirah, which channels the entire divine flow down into this world. Thus, the lower seven represent this world, while the upper two represent the spiritual realm of the World to Come - they do not dwell down here, but influence and direct from above. They are Abba and Imma (Father and Mother), Chochmah and Binah, and from them all divine bounty flows to the lower sefirot, which are termed bera u-brata, the son and the daughter, who receive from the Father and Mother.
According to this, we can understand the verse: "For a hand is upon the throne of Yah: Hashem maintains a war against Amalek from generation to generation." The letters that Amalek impaired are Vav-Hei, whereas he has no power to taint the letters Yud-Hei, which are the aspect of Chochmah and Binah, Father and Mother, a governance far above this world, belonging to the World to Come. Therefore, the war continues until the Vav-Hei that Amalek damaged is fully restored. As for our verse: "Pave the way" (solu) for the One Whose Name is Yah, which signifies that He is the Creator of the world and the reason for its existence, "and rejoice before Him" - and this will take place ultimately in the Beit HaMikdash, as Radak explains.
Granted, in the traditional texts that enumerate the heavens, Aravot is the name of one specific heaven. However, one must realize that we often use a term denoting a part of a whole as a general name for the whole itself. Consider the word neshamah (soul): when people say neshamah, do they strictly mean the specific level of neshamah as opposed to ruach and nefesh? Only when analyzing the precise distinctions among them. But when Scripture says, "no breath of life (ruach chayim) remained in them," it does not mean that the ruach departed while the neshamah remained; rather, it is a general term for all three dimensions of the soul. The same applies here: sometimes Aravot is mentioned not to denote one particular heaven, but rather the heavens in general, named after that foremost part.
The Malbim explains the verse in a completely different manner. He describes Hashem here as a warrior riding his horse into battle, mounted upon his steed in a time of war, which is why the verse defines Him as "riding in the plains (aravot)," similar to "Your chariots of salvation" spoken regarding the Holy One, blessed be He. And where is the place of His chariot? In the aravah (desert plain). Note that the Malbim understands that aravah here does not mean Aravot as the celestial spheres, but rather the desert plain, as in the verse, "in the wilderness, in the plain (ba-aravah), opposite Suf."
According to this, solu is not an expression of praise as Rashi explains, nor an expression of exalting as Radak suggests, but rather the paving of a highway: sing to Hashem and pave a road for the One Who rides in the plains, clear a highway before Him, as in "make straight in the desert plain (ba-aravah) a highway for our God." And "in Yah is His Name" - this Name denotes Hashem's might as He comes to wage battle against the enemies, just as we noted that Yah connotes awe (yir'ah). And you, Israel, sing to Hashem and exult before the mighty Hashem Who rides in the plain, Who now appears to the enemies as a warrior coming to wage war against them.
Indeed, we find that at times Hashem reveals Himself as a warrior - such as at the Splitting of the Red Sea, when they proclaimed, "This is my God and I will glorify Him" - whereas at the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, He revealed Himself to them as an elder sitting in a yeshivah. This means that Hashem reveals Himself in each situation according to His action. The same is true of angels: an angel's name is determined by his mission. This is the meaning of "Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wondrous (peli)?" Some interpret peli as meaning hidden, but others explain that an angel's name is defined by his mission, and his mission then was to designate Shimshon as a nazirite - and matters of vows are termed hafla'ah, as in the Rambam's Sefer Hafla'ah, and from the verse, "When a man shall clearly utter (yafli) a vow to Hashem." Therefore he said: Why do you ask my name? I have no permanent name; this time my name is Peli, because I came to set apart a vow concerning Shimshon, and on a different mission my name will change accordingly. It emerges that Hashem and His angels appear each time according to the action they perform - and here, "pave a highway for Him Who rides in the plains," because Hashem is now revealed before the nations as a warrior, coming to fight the battles of Israel.
The psalm, according to the Malbim following Ibn Ezra, was composed concerning David's wars against Moab, the Philistines, Edom, and Aram. Yet the Psalmist cloaked it in the majestic garb of ancient miracles - "Rise up, Hashem, and let Your enemies be scattered," the pillar of cloud, and the pillar of fire - to declare that Hashem's lovingkindness has not ended, and those very wonders recur in those same regions. Nearby enemies are scattered and distant foes take flight; and the radiance of the Shechinah, which for the wicked is smoke and melting fire, is for the righteous a protective cloud and brilliant light, joy and gladness. And from the verse, "And the righteous shall be glad, they shall exult before God and rejoice with gladness," we derived a great principle: that joy in a mitzvah is a mitzvah in its own right, bringing its own reward, and that the service of the tzaddik is to take every earthly joy and consecrate it before God until it is elevated into spiritual delight. Finally - "pave a highway for Him Who rides in the plains": clear a path before the King of Glory, Who is revealed in every generation according to His deeds, and in times of Israel's wars reveals Himself as a warrior to save His people.