Psalm 91 opens with: "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High" (Yoshev be-seter Elyon). The Radak notes that no author's name is mentioned in it. However, the Midrash Shocher Tov, which we mentioned in the previous chapter, explains that Moshe Rabbeinu composed all eleven of the psalms in which no author's name is mentioned, from "A Prayer of Moses" through Psalm 101. Moshe composed all of them corresponding to the eleven tribes that he blessed. The Midrash details them one by one: for example, "A Prayer of Moses" corresponds to Reuven, as it says, "You turn man back to dust" corresponding to "May Reuven live and not die," and so on, matching each and every psalm.
Rav Mazuz cites that this psalm is called in the Gemara "Shir Shel Pega'im" - a song recited to ward off harmful spirits (mazikim). Indeed, all matters of harmful spirits and plagues are mentioned here: "A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand," "from the devastating pestilence," "from the destruction that ravages at noontime" - and this psalm is effective for being saved from them. This is also the reason it is recited during a funeral: this song serves to escort the soul of the deceased, for when a person passes away, all the harmful spirits that were created from him come to exact retribution from him, particularly those created from wasted seed. Regarding this, an oath is adjured that his offspring should not follow after him, which is why sons do not walk behind the bier, but rather walk ahead of it or through a side street. In the past, this was solely the custom of Jerusalem, but today it has taken root in other cities in Israel as well. The idea is that an adjuration is made to the sparks that emerged from him, which are considered like his offspring, and consequently this adjuration also includes his actual children.
There is also a wonderful allusion here in the sequence of the psalms: after the "Song of Harmful Spirits" come Psalms 92 and 93 - the psalms of Shabbat - followed by Psalm 94 - the psalm of Wednesday. The Gemara in Pesachim 112b states that harmful spirits are prevalent on Friday nights (the eve of Shabbat) and Wednesday nights (as also found in Yevamot). Thus, the sequence teaches: the Song of Harmful Spirits provides protection, and when do we need this protection? On Shabbat eve and Wednesday, which are the times when harmful spirits are present and active.
יֹשֵׁב בְּסֵתֶר עֶלְיוֹן בְּצֵל שַׁדַּי יִתְלוֹנָן׃ - He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
At first glance, it might seem to us that this refers to the Holy One, Blessed be He, who dwells in the supreme secrecy, but that is not the case: the verse is speaking of man. Rashi explains that one who takes shelter in the covert of the wings of the Shechinah will abide in the shadow of the Holy One, Blessed be He, who protects him. That is to say, man dwells in the shelter of the Most High - in that Hashem conceals him, spreads His wings over him, and guards him - and in the shadow that the Holy One, Blessed be He, provides for him, he will "abide" (yitlonan). This is not from the root of complaint (telunah), but from lodging and dwelling (linah) beneath His wings and His shadow. "Shaddai" is always an expression of strength, and also an expression of His governance of this world - for He said to His world, "Enough" (dai). Thus, Moshe Rabbeinu is offering advice to human beings: take refuge in the wings of the Shechinah; dwell in the shelter of the Holy One, Blessed be He.
The Malbim explains that here, one of the supernal angels is speaking to the supplicant from the previous chapter. There, the supplicant described the dire plight of the Jewish people, the absence of the Davidic dynasty, and our being trampled underfoot, seeking answers from Hashem - and the answers are found in our chapter: as it were, one of the supernal seraphim responds to him. He says to him: Know that from the perspective of your soul, you "dwell in the shelter of the Most High," for the soul of man resides in the upper realms and is bound to its root. The kabbalists teach that the soul casts only rays of its light down to the person below, while its source remains above; there is a kind of "silver cord" mentioned in Kohelet - an astral cord, in the terminology of metaphysicians - a spiritual connection from the sparks descending below up to the soul's root above. And from the perspective of the body - "shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty": we are here below, sheltered in the shadow of the Holy One, Blessed be He, who watches over us with individual Divine providence and covers us in the shadow of His wings, which represents protection and providence.
אֹמַר לַה' מַחְסִי וּמְצוּדָתִי אֱלֹהַי אֶבְטַח בּוֹ׃ - I will say of Hashem, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust."
Rashi explains that the person says: Let everyone learn from me to know how to trust in Hashem, Blessed be He - I trust only in Him; He is my refuge, and He is the fortress spread over me to protect me. The Radak explains that this is an address directed toward the pious man: You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who trust in Hashem, hear my words - since Hashem is my refuge and my fortress, and He is my God in whom I trust, I therefore tell you that you, too, should trust in Him.
The Malbim makes a precise observation on the phrasing "I say of Hashem" (Omer la-Hashem): the letter lamed here functions as "on behalf of," just as in "Say of me (imri li), he is my brother" (Bereishis 12:13), where the meaning is not "tell me," but rather "say on my behalf." Here too, it means: I speak on behalf of Hashem and as His emissary. That is to say, an angel comes and responds to the person who is bewildered by the tribulations of Israel: I tell you in the Name of Hashem, Who is my refuge and my fortress; in the Name of my God in Whom I trust, I convey this message to you: "For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler," etc.
In Tehillos Maharith, a further nuance is noted: "I say of Hashem" employs the Tetragrammaton, representing the attribute of mercy; whereas "my God (Elokai) in Whom I trust" uses the Name Elokim, representing the attribute of strict justice. That is, even when Hashem conducts Himself toward me with the attribute of justice and I face dire circumstances, I nevertheless rely and trust in Him to deliver me, for even within judgment there is Divine mercy.
כִּי הוּא יַצִּילְךָ מִפַּח יָקוּשׁ מִדֶּבֶר הַוּוֹת׃ - For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, from the devastating pestilence.
Radak explains: If you trust in Him, He will rescue you just as He rescued me when I trusted in Him. "The snare of the fowler" (pach yakush) refers to a net hidden for you containing an obstacle - not in the modern sense of an explosive mine, but a trap in which a person is snared, stumbling and coming to grief. The word havvos denotes ruin and fracture, as in "the mischief of their tongue" (havvos leshonam) and "calamity upon calamity" (hovah al hovah), among many other biblical expressions; it refers to a pestilence that brings about devastating ruin.
The Malbim explains that the Holy One, blessed be He, delivers him from all the calamities that threaten to occur in the world, which fall into two categories: harms caused by beings with free will, and harms arising from the natural order. "The snare of the fowler" - someone deliberately set a trap for you, which is harm caused by a free agent; "devastating pestilence" - a plague that brings destruction through natural causes, not brought about by human design.
On this subject, the holy Or HaChaim presents a wonderful insight: When the brothers sought to kill Yosef and proposed casting him into one of the pits, what was gained, seemingly, if the pit contained serpents and scorpions - instead of killing him directly, would they not simply be killing him via serpents and scorpions? One answer is that the serpents were hidden in crevices and were not visible, and therefore Reuven said, "in order to rescue him from their hands," intending to return later to save him. But according to the opinion that the serpents were visible, what did Reuven hope to accomplish? The Or HaChaim explains that he wished to save him from the hands of beings endowed with free choice, for a free agent can cause harm even to someone for whom it was not decreed from Above, whereas animals are merely emissaries of Heaven: if it was decreed upon him, he will die; if it was not decreed upon him, he will not die. It has been noted previously in the name of Rav Chaim Friedlander in his work Emunah U'Vechirah (in the section on Faith and Divine Foreknowledge), that the view generally accepted by us follows the Vilna Gaon and Rav Yisrael Salanter: a being with free choice cannot harm someone unless it was decreed against him from Above. The fact that a person possesses free will does not grant him unlimited license to do whatever enters his mind, for "no person can touch what is prepared for his fellow even by a hairsbreadth," and certainly cannot harm him without Divine decree. How this is reconciled with the words of the Or HaChaim and with Radak, who wrote along similar lines, has been elaborated elsewhere. For our purposes, the Malbim divides the deliverance here between these two kinds of harm.
בְּאֶבְרָתוֹ יָסֶךְ לָךְ וְתַחַת כְּנָפָיו תֶּחְסֶה צִנָּה וְסֹחֵרָה אֲמִתּוֹ׃ - With His pinion He will cover you, and under His wings you will find refuge; His truth is a shield and an armor.
Radak explains that evrah means a wing, and by means of His wing Hashem yasech lach - from the root of sukkah, sheltering and shielding you from the misfortunes of the times, so that neither pestilence nor any of the other mentioned evils will strike you. "Shield and armor" (tzinah ve-socherah) are implements used for defense: the tzinah is a large body shield, and the socherah is armor that protects from three sides, named from the term sechor sechor (round and round), as it encircles the warrior. In the same way, a merchant (socher) is named because he travels around from place to place, as in "dwell in the land and trade (sachruha) in it" (Bereishis 34:10). And what is "His truth" (amitto)? It is that which the Holy One, blessed be He, promised: His promise is the shield and armor, for Hashem, having promised something, fulfills it faithfully, and it is this truth that will protect you.
The Malbim explains that the Holy One, blessed be He, protects him like a bird shielding its fledglings, and he carefully distinguishes between ever (pinion) and kanaf (wing): the kanaf refers to the long feathers attached to the edge of the limb, whereas the bodily structure of skin and bone - what we eat and call "wings" - is properly called the ever. The bird shelters and shields the chicks standing at its sides with its ever, while spreading its flight feathers (kanaf) overhead to provide a protective canopy. The parallel is clear: "With His pinion He will cover you" refers to protection against the malice of human beings, who approach from the side, with the pinion acting as a partition separating you from them; "and under His wings you will find refuge" refers to calamities that arise from nature, which, as it were, descend from above. A person coming to inflict harm approaches from the side, but torrential hail descends from above - and so too every natural catastrophe, which comes from a higher power, from Him, blessed be He. And "His truth is a shield and an armor" - you will take refuge under the shield and encircling armor of His truth, meaning the fulfillment of the word and promise of the Holy One, blessed be He, to protect you.
לֹא תִירָא מִפַּחַד לָיְלָה מֵחֵץ יָעוּף יוֹמָם׃ - You shall not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day.
Rashi explains that if you trust in Him, you will not fear the terror of night nor the arrow that flies by day - referring to a demon that flies like an arrow. Radak explains that this refers to the natural misfortunes and perils of time: the harms that befall man are like arrows striking suddenly, both by day and by night. "The terror of night" refers to a person walking alone at night, which is fraught with danger; "the arrow that flies by day" refers to harm that arrives swiftly like an arrow during the day. And of these you shall not be afraid.
The Malbim explains that since Hashem rescues you from the "ensnaring trap" of men, you will not fear them: neither night marauders who sneak in under cover of darkness, nor the arrow by day, for wars are fought by day - and even if an arrow is loosed against you by a warrior, Hashem will serve as a full-body shield to protect you.
מִדֶּבֶר בָּאֹפֶל יַהֲלֹךְ מִקֶּטֶב יָשׁוּד צָהֳרָיִם׃ - From pestilence that walks in darkness, from destruction that ravages at noontime.
Rashi explains that *dever* (pestilence) and *ketev* (destruction) are both names of demons: one causes harm at night - "pestilence that walks in darkness," the time of obscurity; while the other causes harm by day - "destruction that ravages (*yashud*) at noontime," related to *shoded* (a plunderer). Radak notes that one should not wonder why *yashud* is vocalized with a *shuruk*, for we find similar forms such as *yaron* ("he rejoices"), and the meaning is that it plunders at noon. Radak explains that pestilence spreads at night because of the coolness and at midday because of the heat, meaning it operates both day and night. He explains *ketev* as related to "I will be your destruction (*kotavcha*), O Sheol" (Hoshea 13:14), meaning cutting down and severing - you will fear neither the pestilence that spreads at night nor the ruin that cuts down at midday.
Radak also cites an explanation from the Masters of Derash that the darkness and the midday destruction refer to demons, as Rashi explained, and likewise "A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand" refers to demons falling at your side without harming you. However, Radak writes: "The scholars of inquiry [philosophers] do not acknowledge the existence of demons and prove conclusively that they do not exist." He is referring to the Rambam, who utterly dismissed the reality of demons and wrote that they are not actual entities but products of human imagination, and that any reference to demons in the sources is merely phrased according to what people believed at the time. Similarly, in the Rambam's view, necromancy (*ov*) and inquiring of the dead do not actually exist; rather, the Torah prohibited practices that people believed in, even though in truth there is no reality to them.
The Rambam's position is very difficult, and the Vilna Gaon (Gra) in Yoreh De'ah 179 wrote extremely sharp words regarding it, stating that accursed philosophy led him astray with its smooth talk - that his immersion in the works of philosophers, Aristotle and his peers, swayed him away from the words of Chazal. For we find numerous explicit accounts in Chazal concerning demons: Sages of Israel made use of them and dispatched them on errands, the Gemara records a Torah trial (*din Torah*) involving demons, and it warns against going out alone at night for fear of demons. Regarding King Shaul, Scripture explicitly states that he consulted an *ov* - did he merely imagine it? This is certainly not the prevailing Torah outlook. Even among Yemenite Jewry, who followed the Rambam in halachic rulings, their poskim wrote that they did not follow him in matters of hashkafah (theology), but only in halachah. This is not referring to the *Darda'im* who adopted a rigid rationalism, but to traditional Yemenite Jewry handed down generation to generation, who did not accept the Rambam's view on these matters. On the contrary, in Yemen itself the phenomenon of demons was well known. In the lands of the Diaspora the phenomenon of demons is far more common, whereas in Eretz Yisrael, the realm of holiness, the Ramak wrote that there are no demons. (This topic is discussed at length in the book *Mishnat HaChalomot*, in the chapter on demons, the scope of their power, when they were created, and when they appear - in connection with the analysis of dreams induced by demons versus dreams brought by angels, where both the words of the Rambam and the words of the Gra are cited.)
In the Diaspora, one hears many accounts from sensible, level-headed people - neither delirious nor overly imaginative - of occult practices through which the deceased appears and speaks to them. The dead person would speak as if from the earth, which is why it is called an *ov*, since the voice is heard rising from the ground. Today, there are other methods used to summon the dead, such as taking a bone from a corpse and placing it under the armpit. A story was once told about a young man who had been a yeshivah student in his youth before straying from observance, and ended up living among a Native American tribe. There, they held a kind of communal séance: one of them summoned spirits, and each person requested to contact a relative - one his grandfather, another his father - with the medium speaking in the deceased person's own voice. That young man asked to summon his father, and his father addressed him with piercing words and gave him a clear sign to prove he was speaking the truth - a specific object hidden away in his home. In the wake of this, the young man returned to full observance (*teshuvah*). In this way, the Holy One, blessed be He, orchestrated events so that his father would reach him all the way there, among Native Americans, even after he had cut himself off entirely.
The Malbim explains: "From pestilence that walks in darkness" parallels what was said earlier, "from destructive pestilence," the calamity brought on by plague; you will fear neither the pestilence that spreads in darkness nor the bitter destruction (*ketev meriri*) that ravages at noon, which he explains as a lethal, poisonous gas. In another place, the Malbim explains the phrase *chetz maskil* ("a discerning arrow") as an arrow endowed with intelligence knowing where to turn, which in our modern day we understand well through guided missiles programmed to navigate and strike their intended target. Similarly, regarding the verse in the Rebuke (*Tochachah*), "I will send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the venom of crawling creatures of the dust" (Devarim 32:24), preceded by *ketev meriri*, the Malbim explains that the nations will assail us with *ketev meriri* - with a lethal, poisonous gas with which they will kill us. Remarkably, the Malbim passed away decades before the Holocaust. This is also the meaning of "I will be your destruction (*kotavcha*), O Sheol" - a deadly, poisonous vapor, which is the *ketev* mentioned here.
יִפֹּל מִצִּדְּךָ אֶלֶף וּרְבָבָה מִימִינֶךָ אֵלֶיךָ לֹא יִגָּשׁ׃ - A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
Rashi explains "will fall" (yipol) in the sense of "will encamp" (yachaneh). That is, all these damaging forces will encamp at your sides without harming you at all - just as in the verse, "in the presence of all his brethren he dwelt [nafal]," where the meaning is not falling down, but dwelling or encamping. "At your side" means at your left side: a thousand demons will encamp at your left and ten thousand at your right, yet they will not approach you to harm you.
Radak explains according to the plain meaning: "will fall" in the sense of falling in battle. They will wage war, and a thousand will fall at your side, meaning you will not need to fight against them at all; they will destroy one another, leaving a clear path for you between them. You will see them falling to your right and to your left, and you will pass through them without any harm approaching you. Alternatively, this refers to pestilence: people will drop from plague to your right and to your left, yet you will remain completely unharmed by it.
The Malbim explains: even though a thousand may fall at your side - "at your side" meaning the left side, as proven by the fact that the right side is mentioned explicitly afterward - whether they fall by arrows or by pestilence, it will not come near you; no evil will touch you.
רַק בְּעֵינֶיךָ תַבִּיט וְשִׁלֻּמַת רְשָׁעִים תִּרְאֶה׃ - Only with your eyes will you look, and you will see the retribution of the wicked.
Radak explains: you will witness the demise of the wicked who did not dwell in the secret place of the Most High as you did. You dwelt in the secret place of the Most High and took refuge in the shadow of the Holy One, Blessed be He, and all is well with you; and you will look on as those who did not shelter in the shadow of the Most High receive what is coming to them. And what is meant by shillumat? Rashi explains it in the sense of destruction and termination - as in "the matter is completed" (hushlam hadavar), brought to a total end. Ibn Ezra explains more simply, in the sense of payment (tashlum): you will see the retribution the wicked receive for their evil deeds, for Hashem repays them according to their actions. Similarly, "the days of retribution (shillum) have drawn near" can be understood as the completion of one's days, or as the days when payment must be made for what one has done.
The Malbim notes the precise difference between re'iyah (seeing) and habatah (gazing or contemplating): re'iyah is mere visual perception, whereas habatah implies paying close attention and reflecting. Therefore, the verse says, "Only with your eyes will you look (tabit)" - observe closely and reflect on those falling all around you, and then you will see that this is "the retribution of the wicked," that Hashem is repaying them their punishment through Divine Providence. You will also perceive that this is why evil does not touch the righteous, who are shielded under watchful care for good. As we mentioned, one who observes reality and sees how Ukraine suffers devastating fire from Russia cannot feel excessive pity for them; as noted earlier, they were among the most zealous in persecuting the Jews during the Holocaust. Even though they were not an official party to the war, when the Nazis arrived, the Ukrainians were the first to hand over Jews and hunt them down with dreadful cruelty - Demjanjuk being just one infamous example. Ultimately, the wicked receive their due, but one must contemplate in order to perceive it; hence the verse says, "you will look (tabit)."
כִּי אַתָּה ה' מַחְסִי עֶלְיוֹן שַׂמְתָּ מְעוֹנֶךָ׃ - For You, Hashem, are my refuge; you have made the Most High your dwelling place.
Here too, unlike a simplistic reading, this is not addressed to the Holy One, Blessed be He. Rashi explains: "Because you [the person] said, 'Hashem is my refuge.'" The address is to the individual: Why do you merit all of this divine protection? Because you placed your trust in Hashem. The proof for this is straightforward: all the preceding verses address the person - "nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness," "only with your eyes will you look," "and you will see the retribution of the wicked" - so it cannot abruptly switch to addressing the Holy One, Blessed be He. Rather, you, the human being, say, "Hashem is my refuge," and you have made the Most High your habitation. "Habitation" (ma'on) is used here in the same sense as "Hashem, You have been our dwelling place (ma'on)" - a place where we take refuge and find cover, our protective shield. Ibn Ezra explains similarly, that these are the words of the psalmist addressed to the servant of Hashem: you, the servant, have made your dwelling in Hashem, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, is forever exalted on high, and therefore He protects you.
The Malbim explains that this verse clarifies why "it will not come near you": because you, who trust in Him, have made your habitation in Hashem Most High, Who is my refuge. In a sense, you do not dwell among the lower beings in this physical world at all; rather, you feel as though you are placed in the hands of the Holy One, Blessed be He, in the celestial realm. "My refuge" refers to the refuge of the angels, who are beings on high, whom the evils of this lower world can never reach. The angels do not suffer from the afflictions of this world; the problems here are strictly earthly troubles. You have set your habitation on high, having elevated yourself above all earthly matters, and you are with the Holy One, Blessed be He. Therefore, none of the evils of this world will touch you, just as they do not touch the angels who abide with the Almighty.
This is truly the reality of the righteous, as we have explained several times: they merely walk among us outwardly, but in truth they dwell above with the Holy One, blessed be He. Based on this, we have explained several passages in Tanach. Esther stands before Achashverosh and says, "An adversary and an enemy," and an angel came and deflected her hand, whereupon she said, "This wicked Haman." Did she intend to commit suicide? Rather, says the Gra, the righteous are not here; they are above. When she heard the question of who the wicked one was, she was answering the Holy One, blessed be He: It is him - here is Achashverosh, the one who sold us out. Then an angel came and reminded her that she was still here, deflecting her hand to point at Haman so that she would not endanger herself. But in truth, the righteous live above, and when they hear "Who is he," they speak directly to the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe, You will solve the problems - will Achashverosh solve my problems? And I tell You, Master of the Universe, that the real problem is Achashverosh! As Chazal taught regarding the owner of the ditch and the owner of the mound: he was an even greater villain than Haman.
So it was with Daniel as well. When Nevuchadnezzar recounted his dream to him - that he would be like a beast of the field and driven from his palace - Daniel said: "My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you, and its interpretation for your enemies" ("מָרְאִי, חֶלְמָא לְשָׂנְאָךְ וּפִשְׁרֵהּ לְעָרָךְ"). This is seemingly astonishing: who were Nevuchadnezzar's enemies? The Jewish people! Did Daniel really want the misfortune of the dream to befall us, Heaven forbid? Rather, Daniel was not addressing him at all. Daniel was with the Holy One, blessed be He, saying to Him: Master of the Universe, bring this dream upon Your enemies and foes - this one standing here before me - and fulfill the entire dream upon him! And so it indeed came to pass in the end. Nevuchadnezzar understood "Mar'i" as "my lord," assuming Daniel was speaking to him, but Daniel meant "Mara D'alma" (Master of the Universe) - Master of the Universe, may You bring this dream upon Your enemies and foes, upon Nevuchadnezzar and his cohorts.
And this connects to what we learned in Nefesh HaChaim in the name of Rav Chaim of Volozhin, a most wondrous counsel for being saved from any trouble: If a person faces danger or a threat and finds himself in distress, if he cleaves his thought to the Supreme God and instills in his heart and mind that there is truly none besides Him (ein od milvado), and that the Holy One, blessed be He, is the sole One Who creates and directs all deeds, and that there is no power in the world besides Him, nor any force that can harm him unless it is the will of Hashem - and if he clings with his mind to this reality to the absolute utmost - he is guaranteed to be saved from every trouble. We also cited sources for this in the past from the Rambam, who wrote in almost identical terms: that one who cleaves to the Supreme God will not be touched by the troubles of this world. And we related how the Brisker Rov survived the Holocaust through this very approach - cleaving to the Master of the Universe: they passed guards and checkpoints while he clung in thought to the Master of the Universe, and they did not see them at all. This is what the verse means: "For You, Hashem, are my refuge; You have made the Most High your dwelling" - you place your dwelling with the Most High, with the Holy One, blessed be He, and consequently, no lower power can harm you.
Psalm 91, the "Song of Plagues," is a heavenly response to the questions of the supplicant in the previous chapter: as if one of the supernal angels has arrived to convey, in the Name of Hashem, the secret of divine protection. On the level of the soul, man "dwells in the shelter of the Most High," cleaved to his root above; and on the level of the body, he "abides in the shadow of the Almighty" through divine providence. The Holy One, blessed be He, rescues him from both types of evil - from the "fowler's snare" of beings endowed with free choice, and from the "destructive pestilence" stemming from nature - shielding him with His pinions from the sides and with His wings from above, while His faithfulness serves as a shield and buckler. Therefore, he shall not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor pestilence, nor destruction at noonday; and though a thousand fall at his side and ten thousand at his right hand, it shall not come near him. He need only observe and witness the retribution of the wicked through Divine providence. And why all of this? "For You, Hashem, are my refuge; You have made the Most High your dwelling" - one who elevates himself above worldliness and makes his dwelling with the Holy One, blessed be He, lives like the heavenly beings, whom the evils of this world cannot touch. And through this cleaving - as in the counsel of Rav Chaim of Volozhin - he is guaranteed to be saved from every trouble.