The psalm before us is David's prayer for his son, King Solomon, and at its conclusion, he describes the abundance and blessing that will prevail in the days of the king - an abundance that Chazal interpreted as referring to the Messianic Era and the resurrection of the dead. In this section, we will examine the concluding verses of the psalm, which also serve as the closing verses of the Second Book of Tehillim, containing the blessing "Blessed be Hashem God, the God of Israel" and the concluding phrase "The prayers of David the son of Yishai are ended."
יְהִי פִסַּת־בַּר בָּאָרֶץ בְּרֹאשׁ הָרִים יִרְעַשׁ כַּלְּבָנוֹן פִּרְיוֹ וְיָצִיצוּ מֵעִיר כְּעֵשֶׂב הָאָרֶץ׃ - May there be an abundance of grain in the land upon the mountaintops; its fruit will rustle like Lebanon, and they will flourish from the city like grass of the earth.
Rashi explains that pissat is related to pisayon, meaning an addition and an increase. And what is pisayon? It is related to pasoh tifseh ("the lesion spreads on the skin") from the laws of tzara'at - meaning expansion and spreading. Metzudat Tziyon likewise explains it as an expression of increase, from pasoh tifseh; one should not wonder why it is spelled at times with a samech and at other times with a shin, as letters often interchange. According to this, "May there be pissat bar in the land" means: may grain multiply and spread across the land. Bar refers to grain, as in "to purchase grain" (lishbor bar). Veyatzitzu denotes blossoming, as in "and blossomed a blossom" (vayatzez tzitz), and they will multiply like the grass of the earth.
Radak explains pissat as derived from the palm of the hand (pas yad). In the time of the king, there will be such a blessing in the world that a person will sow just a handful of stalks, and they will grow in vast quantities - even atop the mountains - fine, healthy stalks, growing so tall that they will rustle like the cedars of Lebanon swaying in the wind. "Its fruit" refers to the yield of that handful of grain. "And they will flourish from the city" indicates that there will be blessing outside the city, in the fields, as well as within the city among people, so that they will flourish from the city abundantly like the grass of the earth, yielding limitless grain.
Rashi cites an additional explanation: pissat is related to goodwill and conciliation (piyyus). Piyyus means making peace among people when they become reconciled to one another; a lottery is also called payis because the lot brings peace among the participants. We find similarly in the Gemara that when disputes arose regarding the service in the Beit HaMikdash, they would cast lots (mefaysim) to establish peace. According to this, "May there be pissat bar in the land" means: may there be conciliation and contentment regarding grain. For when there is a scarcity of grain, disputes and conflicts arise; but when there is plenty for everyone, no one chases after another or quarrels with his neighbor. Thus, through the abundance of grain in the land, peace will prevail.
At first glance, this is difficult: if this refers to grain, how can "its fruit rustle like Lebanon"? Rashi explains: these are coarse, massive grains of wheat, as large as tree fruit, like the kidneys of a large ox. As the Gemara recounts, in the days of Rabbi Shimon ben Shetach, wheat grains were the size of kidneys. Through abundance and blessing, the wheat grew to supernatural proportions. Just as we saw in the days of the spies, where one person carried a pomegranate and eight men carried a cluster of grapes - demonstrating just how immense and bountiful the produce was. Therefore, do not be surprised that with these grains of wheat, "its fruit will rustle like Lebanon," making a great rustle due to their immense size.
The Malbim explains that the verse comes to describe how great the peace and prosperity will be in the realm governed by the king, to the point that there will be an abundance and expansion of grain in the land - an expression of abundance, as explained - and this will reach even the mountaintops. There its fruit will rustle like the rustle of Lebanon, thick with branches, where the cedars of Lebanon make a great sound, and as scripture states, "and Carmel shall be counted as a forest," meaning there will be an abundance of fruit and grain in that place. And why specifically on the mountaintops? Because in place of grainfields there will now be mountains, and in those places "they of the city shall blossom like the grass of the earth" - people will sprout from the cities just as the grass of the earth has sprouted until now. In other words, humanity will also multiply, sprout, and flourish, and grain will multiply as well.
The Gemara in Shabbat (30b) states: In the future, the Land of Israel is destined to produce gluska'ot (ready-made loaves), learning this from "May there be an abundance of grain (pissat bar) in the land." That is, ready-baked rolls will grow on trees - a person walks over and picks a roll. The Alshich raises two questions: First, does this not sound bizarre to the listening ear? It sounds strange that baked rolls should grow from a tree; after all, the world continues in its natural order, so why should such extraordinary phenomena occur? Second, where are gluska'ot mentioned in the verse? Where is there any hint of bread or cake that Chazal derived from this verse?
The Alshich explains: Chazal certainly did not mean that baked bread will grow on branches. Rather, just as the earth produces figs - which one picks from the tree, recites the blessing Borei Peri Ha'etz, and eats, with no preparation or processing whatsoever; or just as one takes an apple, wipes it off slightly, and eats it - so wheat will be in the future to come. Today, by contrast, wheat requires ten distinct labors before it can be eaten. Today, thank God, we no longer perform these ourselves; for ten shekels one buys two loaves at the grocery store. But in their time, consider how many labors were involved: reaping, then threshing to separate the wheat kernels from the stalk and the ear, separating the husk, winnowing so the wind scatters the chaff, grinding, sifting, and selecting. A person's soul is nearly exhausted before reaching edible bread! In the future to come, it will not be so. Instead, wheat will be ready to eat immediately, like bread that is eaten at once, like harvested produce that the gatherer picks and swallows while it is still in the palm of his hand. This makes far more sense.
Along similar lines, the Midrash says regarding the turnip (lefet): it was originally bread (pat), but it deteriorated and became lefet. Lefet is like lo pat ("not bread"). Originally it was bread, and apparently as a consequence of the sin of Adam HaRishon, it deteriorated. This, then, is the meaning of the Land of Israel being destined to bring forth gluska'ot: it will produce pure food with the taste of baked fine flour, free of straw, bran, coarse bran, and raw flour, edible just as it is. A person will take wheat kernels and eat them the way one eats a fresh roll, like fruit eaten immediately.
To his second question, the Alshich responds: The intention is that the land will sprout something eaten like pissat bar - a portion of grain, for pissah means a piece or portion, which is the state grain reaches only after kneading and baking; here, however, you will receive it ready straight from the ground. And do not think this will happen only in places of great bounty such as the valley, where water is plentiful and the soil is rich and fertile. On the contrary, the least fertile and least irrigated terrain is the mountains: they lack rich soil, since the rain washes it straight down, nor does rainwater rest on a mountain, as it runs off, whereas the valleys are the richer ground. The verse therefore tells you: know that even on the mountaintops there will be such great abundance, yielding wheat fit to eat like bread, as something immediately ready for consumption. People will be so astounded and stirred by this, viewing it as an astonishing wonder - "its fruit shall rustle like Lebanon"; just like the sound of the cedars of Lebanon, so will people be awestruck by this sight.
Chazal further expound: "'And they of the city shall blossom like the grass of the earth' - this refers to the resurrection of the dead." The dead will begin to sprout like the grass of the earth, and just as grass sprouts, so they will blossom from the city. The Alshich asks: What is the connection between the beginning of the verse, which discusses wheat emerging like ready loaves, and its conclusion, which discusses the resurrection of the dead? Observe how beautifully he connects the beginning of the verse to its end.
Chazal say that the dead are destined to arise in their garments - the dead person will not rise naked, but with his clothes, even though his clothes rotted long ago in the grave, for garments have no lasting existence in the grave and they wear out and decay. And from where did they derive this? Through a kal vachomer (an a fortiori argument) from wheat: wheat is buried naked and grows clothed. If so, a dead person, who is buried clothed, how much more so should he arise clothed!
According to this, the connection to the beginning of the verse is understood. For if "May there be an abundance of grain in the land" means that wheat will be fit to eat immediately, just as one eats an apple, without processing - a person might immediately come and ask: If it is so wonderful, why did Hashem not make it this way in our times as well? And the answer is: in order to teach the people knowledge, so they would understand from this that the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to resurrect the dead while they are clothed. And from where do we learn this? From the wheat, which is sown naked and sprouts with all its garments - the chaff, the husks, the ears, and everything around it. Had it grown from the very beginning without all of these, from where would we have learned the concept of the resurrection of the dead? Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, did not create today the same reality that will exist in the future in the days of Mashiach - when wheat will grow without husks, without chaff, and without waste, in total perfection - but rather created a reality from which we can learn about the resurrection of the dead. And more simply: why does such a reality not exist today? Because man corrupted his deeds, and it was decreed, "By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread" - that we must toil and sweat profusely until we reach the point of eating bread.
יְהִי שְׁמוֹ לְעוֹלָם לִפְנֵי־שֶׁמֶשׁ יִנּוֹן שְׁמוֹ וְיִתְבָּרְכוּ בוֹ כָּל־גּוֹיִם יְאַשְּׁרוּהוּ׃ - May his name endure forever; as long as the sun shines, his name shall flourish; may all nations be blessed through him and acclaim him fortunate.
Rashi explains: "May his name endure forever" - the name of Shlomo; Shlomo will be remembered forever for his wealth and wisdom. "Before the sun" - throughout all the days of the sun, by the light of the sun, his name will grow great. And "yinon" is an expression of royalty and dominion, as in "and in the end he will be a ruler (manon)," and like "they said in their hearts: their rulers (ninam) together," which means their kings together. "And be blessed through him" - every person will say: May you be like Shlomo, as wise as Shlomo and possessing abundance like Shlomo.
The Radak explains: "May his name endure forever" - the name of this king shall endure forever, being remembered eternally due to his immense greatness, as Rashi said. But "yinon" is an expression of offspring and lineage: just as a son is a remembrance of his father, and when people see the grandchild and the great-grandchild they recall the father and grandfather, so through his name people will recall the good deeds he performed. "May all nations be blessed through him, and acclaim him fortunate" - similar to "and in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed," where a person blesses his friend that God bless him in the manner He blessed that person; "acclaim him fortunate" (ye'ashruhu) - they will say of him, "Fortunate is he, fortunate is the one who gave birth to him."
"Osher" (fortune, happiness) is related to the word ishur (validation, confirmation) - stating that this matter receives approval, that it is the proper thing. As we have already mentioned: Who is considered a fortunate person (adam me'ushar)? A person whose every action receives validation. And who is this? One who walks in the path of Hashem. He never regrets what he did. I got up in the morning and donned tefillin - I acted correctly, for this is what Hashem commanded. I then went to learn - I acted correctly, for this is what Hashem commanded. Every deed of mine receives confirmation. By contrast, in other pursuits, there is no certainty that one acted correctly, and no guarantee that one's actions are approved. But when a person fulfills the will of Hashem, he has validation for everything, and when he has validation for all that he has done - he is truly fortunate.
The Malbim explains: His name will be remembered forever and he will be renowned, as his name will pass from generation to generation, from descendant to descendant. And what is meant by "before the sun"? Just as the sun revolves, illuminates, and removes physical darkness, so too will he circle, illuminate, and dispel the darkness of souls. By the power of Shlomo's wisdom, the darkness of souls is removed - as we indeed see, for Shlomo bequeathed to us Mishlei and Kohelet. This is the ultimate fortune, the happiness of the soul, and this is what is meant by "they will acclaim him fortunate" (ye'ashruhu). The Malbim establishes that the concept of osher is always linked to the realm of the soul, and Scripture never mentions osher in the context of material prosperity, but always in the spiritual and inner realm.
בָּרוּךְ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהִים אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עֹשֵׂה נִפְלָאוֹת לְבַדּוֹ׃ - Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, Who alone performs wonders.
Rashi explains: "Who alone does wondrous things" - referring to the descent of fire from heaven through my son Solomon. For at the dedication of the Beit HaMikdash, fire came down from heaven, and through this they witnessed wonders.
Radak explains, as he noted at the beginning of the first book, that this verse and the next are the words of the compiler, who gives thanks to Hashem, blessed be He, for helping him complete the book. For here in chapter 72, the second book of Tehillim concludes, and chapter 73 begins the third book, as Tehillim is divided into five books. This is the closing seal, and as was customary to conclude a book with prayer and supplication: Blessed is Hashem, God, the God of Israel, Who assisted me in completing the book. And regarding the phrase "Who alone does wondrous things" - He reveals His wonders to the Jewish people and to no other nation, for He is "the God of Israel," and therefore He performs these wonders only for us; "alone" - for the people of Israel alone. Hence the emphasis on "God, the God of Israel": as we have explained several times, "God" reflects His role as Sovereign over the entire universe, whereas "the God of Israel" reflects His individual Divine providence (hashgachah pratit) over us.
The Malbim explains: Since the king's success, as we have explained, is a spiritual success, a Divine matter and providence from Hashem that transcends the laws of nature, these are things Hashem performs only for the people of Israel. Spiritual matters and miracles Hashem performs only for Israel. The king's success here is a miraculous success, among the wonders. Therefore, "Blessed is Hashem, God, the God of Israel, Who alone does wondrous things" - such things Hashem does not perform through an intermediary, but by Himself alone, for this influence flows directly from Him, blessed be He.
וּבָרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹדוֹ לְעוֹלָם וְיִמָּלֵא כְבוֹדוֹ אֶת־כֹּל הָאָרֶץ אָמֵן וְאָמֵן׃ - And blessed be His glorious Name forever, and let the whole earth be filled with His glory; Amen, and Amen.
Radak explains that "His glorious Name" refers to the Name that is written but not pronounced, known as the Name of Glory - the four-letter Name of Havayah, which we do not pronounce as it is written, except by the Kohen Gadol in the Beit HaMikdash; normally, we pronounce it using the Name of Adonut. About this it is said, "On that day Hashem will be one and His Name one," meaning it will then be pronounced by that Name alone, unlike now when it is written with Y-H and read with A-D, as the Gemara expounds. And then the earth will be filled with the knowledge of Hashem, so that everyone will know the Name of Havayah - for today we do not even know how to vocalize it, and there are dozens and hundreds of vocalization combinations for the Name of Havayah, which the Kabbalists extensively discuss, each vocalization alluding to a different concept and a different sefirah.
And what is the meaning of "Amen, and Amen"? Radak says: "Amen" signifies affirmation and fulfillment, from the root of emet (truth) - may this matter be fulfilled. When he says "Amen, and Amen," it is as if he is saying: May it be fulfilled and fulfilled, enduring and enduring, so that this matter may be fulfilled in the future with true and eternal endurance.
The Malbim explains that once the nations also recognize the glory of Hashem - as we saw when the nations came to inquire and hear the wisdom of Solomon - they do not recognize the wonders, but rather His glorious Name, which represents the natural order of Divine governance. This is the difference between Tiferet and Kavod: Tiferet is when one is magnified, or so to speak the Holy One, blessed be He, through performing deeds worthy of glory, representing miraculous governance that transcends the established order; whereas the Name of Kavod refers to the orderly, regular governance of nature. Regarding this it is said, "and let the whole earth be filled with His glory" - that everyone will recognize the glory of Hashem, that Hashem is the Creator and the Ruler, for here they will be able to see the Holy One's providence that is above nature. And what is the reason for the repetition "Amen, and Amen"? One "Amen" corresponds to the aspect of Tiferet, which performs wonders, and the second "Amen" corresponds to the aspect of Kavod, which is the governance of nature, the rule of Hashem's glory throughout the world.
כָּלּוּ תְפִלּוֹת דָּוִד בֶּן־יִשָׁי׃ - The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended.
There are two textual readings in this verse, and some people are careful to read it both ways: some read "כָּלוּ" (kalu) with a regular kamatz, and some read with a chataf kamatz - "כָּל-לוּ" (kol-lu). Rav Mazuz notes that this is why it is customary to read it twice. If it is read with a regular kamatz, the lamed does not take a dagesh but is rafeh: "כָּל-לוּ" means "all of these", whereas "כָּלוּ" means "ended", in which case there is no place for a dagesh and the lamed must be rafeh - "כָּלוּ", the prayers of David the son of Yishai have ended.
Rashi cites that our Sages expounded "כל לו" (kol lu) as meaning "all these are David's prayers", in order to attribute the entire book to David's name: even what is written as "A psalm of the sons of Korach" and the like, as well as the psalms of the ten elders - where there is a psalm by Moshe and a psalm by Adam HaRishon - everything stems from David, who is called the sweet singer of Israel, and so everything is named after him. Furthermore, Rashi brings the interpretation that it means "ended", similar to "רומו מעט" (they are exalted for a little while) and "שומו שמים" (be appalled, O heavens) - meaning they are completed.
If "The prayers of David the son of Yishai are ended", it would have been fitting to write this at the end of chapter 150, where the prayers actually conclude. Indeed, the Radak already addressed this at the beginning of the chapter. Rashi explains that there is no chronological order in the book, and this psalm was recited in David's old age, when he crowned Shlomo. This aligns with what was explained in the name of the Radak, that the entire prayer here concerns the king - King Shlomo - praying for the king's son, who is Shlomo. Once David handed the reins over to Shlomo, he no longer composed special personal prayers, but rather relied on all the prayers that had already been said previously, and therefore his prayers concluded here. And why was this not placed at the very end of the book? Because there is no chronological order; and the Radak added another reason: he did not wish to conclude the book with this statement, but rather with praises and songs, and therefore concluded with "Hallelukah", so as to finish the book with praise and thanksgiving to Hashem Yitbarach.
The Ibn Ezra cites those who say that "כלו" (kalu) is related to fulfillment - then the prayers of the son of Yishai will be fulfilled, as though everything will be completed, similar to "כליל" (complete or whole), meaning it is entirely fulfilled to the end. He also brings another explanation, which he rejects: that "כלו" is related to "כלילת יופי" (perfection of beauty) or "כלילו יופייך" (perfected your beauty), an expression denoting the excellence and beauty of the prayers of David the son of Yishai. In the name of Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi, he cites that this was written by the original scribe, much like we write at the completion of a book, "Blessed is He Who gives power to the faint"; it is customary to conclude a book with a verse, and here the scribe wrote "The prayers of David the son of Yishai are ended" and "Blessed be Hashem, the God of Israel, Who alone does wondrous things", marking the conclusion of the book.
Here the Radak elaborates at length, and his words will be summarized briefly. Christians interpret this psalm as referring to that individual (whose name forms the acronym yemach shemo vezichro), claiming that he is "Shlomo" - the one to whom peace belongs - and that he is the "king's son", according to their absurdities. They claim "He shall save the children of the needy" means saving those descending to Gehennom, asserting that whoever believes in him is spared from going there; and "May he descend like rain upon mown grass" refers to divinity descending from heaven, since descending from above cannot be said of a mortal human being.
The Radak responds: you must shatter their claims before them and tell them - prove to them that, as is their habit, they are speaking nonsense here as well. You claim that the verse refers to a trinity: God, the king, and the king's son; yet you yourselves say that "Shlomo" refers to divinity. If so, there are four entities here and not three, whereas according to your own doctrine there are only three personas, not four. Furthermore: why would the Father need to give His judgments and righteousness to the Son? If this refers to the physical body - the body is not the son of the king, since according to your view divinity is the son, while the physical body lies in the grave; and if it refers to divinity - does God need anything to be given to Him? He Himself is God.
He further challenges: "May the mountains bear peace to the people" - yet during the days of that individual there was no peace. "They shall fear You as long as the sun shines" - were people righteous back then? How many sinners and wicked people lived in his time! "In his days the righteous shall flourish, and an abundance of peace until the moon is no more" - in his time there were neither righteous people nor an abundance of peace, and none of this materialized. "May he have dominion from sea to sea" - if this refers to the physical body, he did not even rule over a single village; and if it refers to divinity, Hashem rules without limit, over the entire universe, both in the upper realms and the lower realms, so how could it say "from sea to sea"? "And his enemies shall lick the dust" - who are his enemies according to them? The Jewish people; yet they pursued him until he was put to death, which is the exact opposite. "The kings of Tarshish and the isles shall render tribute", "All kings shall bow down to him" - when did this ever happen? "All nations shall serve him" - yet even two major portions of mankind do not serve him, neither Israel nor the Ishmaelites, and both reject him. "And may he live" - about whom is this said? If about the physical body, he died an early death; if about divinity, God is eternal and needs no prayer to live; and if about the believer, even the believer does not live forever. And why would one need to pray for him? If you say that the Son prays to the Father on behalf of all believers, according to your doctrine the Son is himself God and has no need to pray to the Father, and could give him the gold of Sheba and whatever else is needed directly. Thus, the Christian claims are utter vanity, and in their interpretation of this chapter they merely demonstrated how feeble their understanding is and how flawed their conception is.
The Radak confronts their claims in several other passages where they attempted to find allusions to that individual, and he was able to express himself freely because he lived in Islamic lands. By contrast, the Malbim, in the few places where he alluded to Christianity, did so only indirectly, for he had many enemies in his country - the Maskilim - who scrutinized his writings for hints that would allow them to hand him over to Christian authorities and the government, just like the fifth columnists of our own time who stoop to informing and handing over intelligence to our enemies. Therefore, the Malbim was extremely cautious when addressing Christianity, whereas the Radak expressed the matter plainly, without embellishment or restraint.
The concluding verses of the psalm describe the abundance of the Messianic era: "May there be an abundance of grain in the land" - an expansion and profusion of produce, as well as reconciliation and peace that stem from there being enough for everyone; grain that will grow even on the mountaintops, rustling like Lebanon due to its immense size. Chazal expounded that in the future the Land of Israel is destined to produce ready-baked rolls (gluska'ot), and the Alshich explained that this refers to wheat that will be immediately fit for eating without requiring the ten agricultural labors. In our current era it is specifically not so, in order that we may learn from the grain of wheat - which is buried naked and sprouts forth clothed - that the dead are destined to arise in their garments, and also because "by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread" was decreed following the sin of Adam HaRishon. "May his name endure forever" - Shlomo's name will be remembered for generations, and just as the sun dispels physical darkness, so his wisdom dispels the darkness of the soul, and this is true happiness. "Blessed be Hashem God, the God of Israel, Who alone performs wonders," and "blessed be His glorious Name" form the conclusion of the Second Book of Tehillim, with one "Amen" corresponding to the divine name of Tiferet and one "Amen" corresponding to the divine name of Kavod. And "The prayers of David the son of Yishai are ended" - whether interpreted as "all of these" or as an expression of conclusion, this seals David's prayers in his old age when he crowned Shlomo. With this, the Second Book is completed, and with the help of God, may He be blessed, the Third Book will begin.