Chapter 78 of Tehillim spans seventy-two verses. Everyone is familiar with the lengthy Psalm 119, yet Chapter 78 seems almost hidden away. We all know how it begins, but reaching its conclusion requires no small measure of persistence and resolve. Step by step, we proceed verse by verse, and with Heavenly help, we will see this chapter through to its end as well.
מַשְׂכִּיל לְאָסָף הַאֲזִינָה עַמִּי תּוֹרָתִי הַטּוּ אׇזְנְכֶם לְאִמְרֵי־פִי׃ - A Maskil of Asaph: Give ear, my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
Ibn Ezra explains that Maskil is the name of a poetic melody whose opening begins with this word. Alternatively, "a Maskil of Asaph" means that Asaph addresses his words to the maskil - the discerning listener - because he comes to impart wisdom to his audience.
"Give ear, my people, to my teaching" - Radak explains: What is meant by "my teaching"? It refers to what is taught here by recounting the kindnesses Hashem bestowed upon Israel, so that from these words one learns to revere Hashem and not rebel against His word. Indeed, this entire chapter is a historical overview: what transpired with the Jewish people when they went out into the wilderness, and what occurred when they defied Hashem's command and acted contrary to His will. All of these matters are expounded at length in this psalm; by contemplating them, one learns to fear Hashem. Seeing what happened when they rebelled, and how punishment struck immediately, one recognizes how vital and fitting it is to fulfill His blessed will.
The Malbim explains that the psalmist intends here to uphold the kingdom of the House of David and the Beis HaMikdash which was built, in contrast to the kingdom of Ephraim - since the Mishkan had previously stood in the territory of Ephraim. An explicit expression of this appears later in the psalm: "He rejected the tent of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim." He seeks to highlight the supremacy of the Beis HaMikdash over the Mishkan that had stood in the tribe of Ephraim, which Hashem ultimately abandoned.
Therefore, he chronicles the entire history of Israel, from the Exodus from Egypt until the reign of David, to teach us: even though there were generations that provoked Hashem to anger, He knew that a generation would eventually arise that would fulfill His will, a generation after His own heart. This was the generation of Shlomo, in which "the moon was at its fullness" - the Jewish people as a whole were righteous, walking in the ways of Hashem, and all the benevolent prophecies were fulfilled in them. Hashem knew that a king would arise, that the Temple would stand in total perfection, and that this would bring rectification for the generations that came before. In this, the Malbim notes, lies purpose, hope, and a lasting future for all coming generations until the end of time.
And so we find: there were generations that provoked anger until Noach, then Noach came and received the reward of them all; there were generations that provoked anger until Avraham, then Avraham came and received the reward of them all. Here too, the Holy One, Blessed is He, saw that although there were troubled generations - where Hashem would raise up a judge for them, yet they would once again do evil in the eyes of Hashem - a stage would eventually arrive when the kingdom of the House of David would be established: an enduring monarchy that truly leads toward the ultimate rectification.
The Malbim explains regarding "Give ear, my people, to my teaching": In this song, the history of our forefathers is recounted in its straightforward sense, describing what transpired with our ancestors. However, the chronicle of Israel's history differs fundamentally from the history of other nations, and our history books are unlike those of the rest of the world. Everything that befell the people of Hashem occurred through Divine Providence, and through Hashem's miracles and wonders, to the extent that knowledge of the history of Israel in ancient times is itself Torah and faith. This statement could easily serve as a guiding motto - it is a foundational, powerful insight: knowledge of Israel's ancient history is itself Torah and faith. And why? Because through it, one comes to know Hashem's existence, His almighty power, His providence, and His reward and punishment.
Similarly, the Yaavetz writes: By my life, greater in my eyes than all the miracles of the Exodus from Egypt - consider this carefully: greater than all the miracles of the Exodus, including the splitting of the Red Sea - is the survival of the Jewish people through two thousand years of exile. Whoever reads and studies ancient history sees how this nation has survived against all odds, when in every era leaders arose seeking to destroy them, hinder their steps, and expel them; what hardships have the Jewish people not endured? Stripped of a land and a homeland of their own, persecuted at every turn - yet the Jewish people are still alive, enduring, and thriving. Even today, when so many still live in foreign lands, the Jewish people continue to endure.
Therefore he says: "Give ear, my people, to my teaching; incline your ear to the sayings of my mouth." The Malbim consistently explains that "mouth" expresses the outer dimension, while "tongue" expresses the inner dimension: the mouth speaks what is more external, whereas the tongue speaks the deeper, inner speech. The outer layer of the narrative is "the sayings of my mouth," but when you look within - it is Torah. Describing history, seeing that the Jewish people rebelled here and received such a punishment, did that and the fire of Hashem burned among them, or acted rightly and the Holy One, blessed be He, granted them such reward - studying the chronicles of time through the lens of faith, this is Torah.
אֶפְתְּחָה בְמָשָׁל פִּי אַבִּיעָה חִידוֹת מִנִּי־קֶדֶם׃ - I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter riddles from of old.
Rashi explains that "parable" (mashal) here refers to words of Torah. From a grammatical perspective, there is a discussion whether to read "eftecha" with a sheva under the tav, or with a kamatz chataf. It is well known that a kamatz chataf is pronounced "o", as in "oniya" - a kamatz followed by a sheva is read "o", whereas a patach followed by a sheva is read "a". The Radak writes that in some manuscripts the tav has a kamatz chataf, while in others it has a sheva; in our printed texts it appears with a sheva, but Rav Mazuz notes that their custom is to read it as the Radak mentions - with a kamatz chataf, "eftocha". (And all this is according to Sephardic pronunciation, since among Yemenites and Ashkenazim all kamatz vowels are pronounced "o" in any case.)
The Radak explains the parables and riddles in this psalm: the parable is the poetic, figurative expression. For example, "to set a table in the wilderness": where did Hashem set a table in the wilderness? He brought down manna and gave quail, but "table" is a poetic metaphor. Likewise, "a fire was kindled against Yaakov" - not that there was actual physical fire, but rather an expression for the divine wrath directed at them. Similarly, "and opened the doors of heaven" - do the heavens have doors? And "the grain of heaven" - is the manna grain? Rather, these are figurative expressions, and that is what is meant by a parable (mashal).
And what is a riddle? An obscure, veiled matter, as in the phrase "Let me pose a riddle to you." For example, "Man ate the bread of the mighty" - what is the bread of the mighty? Or "He delivered His strength into captivity" - what did Hashem deliver into captivity, and what is "His strength"? The Radak explains: were it not written in the Book of Shmuel regarding the exile of the Ark, we would not know that the Ark is called "strength" (oz). We find in several places that the Ark is termed oz, which is why that breach was called "Peretz Uzza," for he touched the oz - and the oz is the Ark. Similarly, "The sons of Ephraim, armed shooters of the bow" - what do these words mean, and which battle is being referred to? It is obscure, and that is a riddle. All of these examples are verses that appear later in the chapter.
The Malbim explains: all ancient nations, in the vanities of their beliefs, possessed many legends about the exploits of their gods from ancient times, which were fabricated tales concocted by pagan priests - what is known as mythology. At times, the originator of the tale embedded within it an inner meaning, some wisdom or moral lesson. Nevertheless, they suffered from two major flaws: first, the parable itself was fabricated and false, containing not a shred of historical truth. Second, even the underlying meaning (the nimshal) was conveyed in riddles and obscure allegories that only their so-called sages could decipher, understanding what a battle between this deity and that one was meant to symbolize; meanwhile, the masses could not grasp the inner meaning and took the myths literally. Consequently, they inherited falsehood and folly - falsehood, because the parable was a lie; and folly, because they grasped only its outer shell and failed to comprehend what it alluded to.
Not so the narratives of the Torah. "I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter riddles from of old" - and these, says the Malbim, possess two distinct virtues. First, these are not sealed, impenetrable riddles; our riddles are lucid and accessible. Second, even if they contain an element of mystery, the reality itself is verified and known to be historical fact, as the following verse states.
אֲשֶׁר שָׁמַעְנוּ וַנֵּדָעֵם וַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ סִפְּרוּ־לָנוּ׃ - Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
"Which we have heard and known," says the Malbim: what our fathers recounted to us concerning the splitting of the Red Sea, the bringing down of the manna and the quail, and Hashem descending upon Mount Sinai - all of this our fathers told us. These are not cryptic riddles; we know that it genuinely occurred. Even if one does not comprehend precisely how every detail unfolded, and in that sense an element of mystery remains - "we know them": we know it truly took place. We know that the sea split, that the children of Israel departed from Egypt, that the Torah was given at Sinai. Through this, one perceives divine providence and the Creator's omnipotence, unlike the fables of others that possess no truth.
Why are these not fabricated tales? Because our fathers told us, and fathers do not bequeath a lie to their children. A person might tell lies to his friends or to strangers in the street, but a person does not pass down a falsehood to his children. No one comes to his child and says, "I saw such and such," knowing it to be a lie. A person wants his children to know the truth, to live the truth, and to know what truly happened. Therefore, if our fathers told us - we know that these events truly took place.
When we celebrate the holiday of Pesach today - why? Because our fathers celebrated Pesach and told their children that there was an Exodus from Egypt. And when did this begin? With an ancestor who was present at the Exodus from Egypt, and who told his son, "And so that you may recount in the hearing of your son and your son's son." Thus we have a living historical record that this is how things occurred.
And if someone should say to you: Christians also have historical documentation about that man, that he walked on water and distributed bread to a certain number of people and they were satisfied, and other such nonsense - from where does he know it? From his father. And who told his father? His father. But here lies the immense difference between truth and falsehood. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. When inspecting a crane, one does not check merely the final link, but all the links along the chain; if you find a link that can hold only fifty kilograms, you cannot lift more than fifty kilograms. And their weakest link is that all the stories were told by a single individual; a few elderly women at a gravesite claimed they saw him rise after being buried. Maybe they did, maybe they did not - old wives' tales, "bubbe meises" in Yiddish. One may believe it or disbelieve it, but to build a religion upon it? Utter vanity with no substance.
With us, by contrast, "our fathers told us" does not begin with one person: the narrative begins with roughly five million people who stood at Mount Sinai, and with at least six hundred thousand men who left Egypt. And if you say: today there are two billion Christians, and how many Jews are there - fifteen million? That is true. But for us, those fifteen million are the continuation of millions who were there from the very beginning; it is a strong chain. For them, what good are fifteen million or even fifteen billion adherents if it all began with a single person? Even if the chain appears strong at its outer edge, it originated with one individual who sold others a historical tale that lacks any foundation.
And if you should ask: perhaps among us, too, a single person arose and claimed that the event occurred before five million people? That is impossible. For people would immediately have asked: five million people witnessed this, so how is it that my father never told me? How is it that his father never told him? Is your father the only one who remembers an event witnessed by five million people? Especially regarding our nation, as we are the last people upon whom one could pull such a scheme; we are not quick to believe, nor do we easily buy into tales - after all, they rebelled against Moshe Rabbeinu during his own lifetime, even though he brought down the Torah and split the Sea! And yet, here you see five million people transmitting a single message, each one teaching it to his children at the Seder table.
Furthermore, understand this: if it were possible to fabricate and plant a historical claim of a public revelation before multitudes, why would they limit themselves to meager claims of events seen by only one or five people? After all, if the narrative is false from start to finish, what would prevent them from inventing an even grander lie? The answer is that there are lies people simply cannot swallow. One cannot retroactively distort history: one cannot claim today that Napoleon lived seven hundred years ago, nor can one erase him from history; one cannot claim that France had four hundred million inhabitants back then. Likewise, one cannot claim that a miracle or wonder occurred before millions if it never actually happened.
Incidentally, we have no difficulty believing that that man walked on water; Chazal tell us that he was adept in sorcery, and there are even traditions explaining where he acquired this sorcery - from Alexandria of Egypt, and from the Divine Name he heard in the Holy of Holies from the Kohen Gadol. Indeed, this is why he was executed: he practiced sorcery and incited and led the people astray. But from this to claiming that he was the son of God and other such absurdities - the distance is vast.
Thus, "our fathers told us" is the firmest anchor of our faith: person to person, generation after generation, we know what transpired at the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, what occurred at the Exodus from Egypt, and what took place throughout our history. Therefore, the parable here is understood, and the riddles stem from our fathers; these are not matters about which one could claim that someone invented them. The Radak adds: these matters we heard from the ancients, "and our fathers told us," and we also knew them from the written text - this is "which we have heard and known," from the Torah of Moshe. Here we have complete alignment: what we heard from the ancients, what we received from our fathers, and what is written in the Scriptures.
לֹא נְכַחֵד מִבְּנֵיהֶם לְדוֹר אַחֲרוֹן מְסַפְּרִים תְּהִלּוֹת ה' וֶעֱזוּזוֹ וְנִפְלְאֹתָיו אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה׃ - We will not withhold from their children, recounting to the final generation the praises of Hashem, His might, and the wonders that He has performed.
The Radak explains: "Their children" refers to the children of our fathers, our brethren who do not study and do not know the received tradition - not in the sense of Kabbalah (mysticism), but in the sense of the received heritage, which they did not receive. And we, who know, are obligated to remind them and not conceal it from them, until they too recount it to their children, and their children to their children's children, recounting the praises of Hashem unto the final generation. That is to say, even those among our people who are not versed in our history - we must teach them as well.
The Malbim adds: the vanities of the Greeks and their riddles were withheld from their children. Why? Because their descriptions were entirely imaginary, pure fantasy, and were therefore transmitted only to the elders and the philosophers. This marks a profound difference between the Jewish perspective and that of other religions: one does not see children in a mosque or in a church; children are not brought there. Pharaoh already advanced this very argument: "Go now, the men, for that is what you seek" - you wish to serve Hashem your God, so what do children have to do with this? Moshe replied to him: "With our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks." Perhaps for you it is so, but we know: if there are no kids, there are no he-goats.
Among the Jewish people, the Torah commands, "And you shall teach them to your children" - this is not something reserved for the elderly, nor solely for the adult generation. From the age that a child begins to understand, he can already be brought to the synagogue. This does not mean making him sit there for hours - such things are merely disruptive and harmful to the child himself, for his batteries run out quickly and he will no longer want to come. Rather, one accustoms him from a young age: bringing him for a few minutes, having him sit for a short while. As seen in the Aruch HaShulchan on the Gemara in Masechet Sukkah regarding a child whose father teaches him Torah - "Torah tzivah lanu Moshe": what age is this child? Around four years old, when his speech has already developed. Naturally, there is always room to advance, but at age four he already knows how to speak, and if he knows how to speak, teach him at that very stage. And what can be taught to him - the laws of two holding a garment (shenayim ochazim betallit)? They tell you: "Torah tzivah lanu Moshe" - this he can already manage; recite with him, "Torah tzivah lanu Moshe morashah kehillat Yaakov" (Moshe commanded us the Torah, an inheritance of the congregation of Yaakov). In Judaism, the Torah is passed down to children as well, whereas among the nations, it was reserved only for their elders and priests.
"Recounting the praises of Hashem" - among us, we recount the praises of Hashem, whereas among them, they tell of the flaws and shameful deeds of their gods: jealousy, lust, and cruelty. All mythological tales are driven by raw passions - envy, lust, and murder: this one murdered that one's son, another took someone and hurled him beyond the mountains of darkness, and yet another took revenge in such-and-such a way. Everything there revolves around base desires and drives.
"And His might" - the Malbim explains: they also tell of the weakness of their gods, that a deity may have had power, but another force came along, conquered him, humiliated him, and subjugated him. In the Jewish nation, by contrast, we recount the Almighty's absolute might, for all power belongs to Him and there is no power besides Him.
"And His wonders that He has done" - those who chase vanity fabricated their stories out of their own hearts, wonders that never actually occurred. In contrast, the allegories and accounts of the Torah are wonders that Hashem truly performed.
The opening of the psalm lays the foundation for the entire chapter: Asaf comes to instruct his listeners and convey that the chronicle of Israel's history is not mere history, but Torah and faith, for through it the existence of Hashem, His capability, His divine providence, and His reward and punishment become known. The parable and riddles in the psalm are not like the vanity of mythology - which are fictitious on the one hand and obscure to the masses on the other - but rather matters that we clearly know took place, because "we have heard and known them, and our fathers told us." A person does not bequeath a falsehood to his children, and our tradition begins with myriads upon myriads, not with a single individual. Therefore, we too are commanded not to withhold them from our children and to transmit to the final generation the praises of Hashem, His might, and His wonders - until the kingdom of the House of David and the Beit HaMikdash are established, which are the ultimate purpose of the entire psalm.