The Radak writes that all of these psalms, up until "A Psalm of David" which is Psalm 101, are set in the future and were spoken concerning the Messianic era. The previous psalm concludes with "my Rock, in Whom there is no injustice" - for at that time the entire world will recognize the righteousness of His guidance - and immediately our psalm begins: "Hashem reigns." Then all will recognize that the Holy One, blessed be He, is the King and Ruler over all, and human beings will no longer pride themselves before Him.
יְהֹוָה מָלָךְ גֵּאוּת לָבֵשׁ, לָבֵשׁ יְהֹוָה עֹז הִתְאַזָּר, אַף תִּכּוֹן תֵּבֵל בַּל תִּמּוֹט׃ - Hashem reigns, He has clothed Himself in majesty; Hashem has clothed Himself, girded Himself with strength; the world also is established, that it cannot be moved.
Throughout history, the kings of the nations clothed themselves in pride: Nevuchadnezzar said, "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High"; Pharaoh said, "My river is my own, and I have made it for myself"; the king of Assyria said, "By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I am prudent"; and the prince of Tyre said, "I am a god, I sit in the seat of God." That is in the present world. But when His sovereignty, blessed be He, is exalted - "Hashem reigns, He has clothed Himself in majesty" - everyone will recognize that His kingship is the true kingship, and no man will ever again clothe himself in pride to claim that he is king. This is what is meant by "And the kingdom shall be Hashem's," and "And Hashem shall be King over all the earth; on that day Hashem shall be One and His name One."
Through this, "He has girded Himself with strength" and "the world also is established, that it cannot be moved": there will no longer be those who destabilize the world, and there will be no more war. The opposite of this is the great wars of which it is said, "The earth is broken down" - the earth crumbles and does not retain its established order, "The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall sway like a hut." But in the future to come, the world will be firmly established and stand in its proper order, no longer shaken by the evil deeds of human beings who ruin and corrupt the earth.
The Malbim explains that the chapter continues the theme we learned earlier: the Holy One, blessed be He, directs His world through two modes of governance. One is the constant governance, the order of nature: sunrise in the morning, sunset at dusk, winter and summer. The second is the miraculous, providential governance for a specific hour: the splitting of the Red Sea, "Sun, stand still at Gibeon," "He opened the rock and waters gushed out." These are temporary, supernatural interventions in which the Holy One, blessed be He, demonstrates His power in the world.
Natural governance is always termed "oz" (strength), because "oz" denotes something fixed and enduring that does not collapse - an ever-standing power. The governance of nature has stood in its strength for thousands of years without faltering. By contrast, miraculous governance is termed "gei'ut" (majesty or loftiness), an expression of rising above: Hashem elevates Himself and transcends the fixed laws of nature. As we saw earlier, "Strong is Your hand, exalted is Your right hand" - "Your hand" necessarily refers to the left hand, and the left represents natural governance, which is why "strong" is applied to it; whereas the right hand represents the aspect of chessed and influence that transcends nature, and of it it is said "exalted," for times when Hashem performs miracles.
So too here: when "Hashem reigns, He has clothed Himself in majesty" - meaning He performs acts that suspend the systems of nature, such as making the sun stand still, the sea split, or the rock yield water - He, as it were, clothes Himself in exalted majesty and says: I shall suspend the laws of nature. Yet at that very same time, "Hashem has clothed Himself, girded Himself with strength": He continues to guide His world through the governance of strength, through natural law, so that "the world also is established, that it cannot be moved" - the fixed laws do not collapse. Even when Hashem transcends nature, He does not completely upend all of nature's systems; they all continue to operate in their orderly course, and only at a specific point does He rise above them. Precisely in this are the strength and mighty power of the Creator, blessed be He, revealed.
Ask people which is more awe-inspiring, the order of nature or miraculous intervention, and they will tell you: the miracle. The sea rises up, the water stands like a wall - when have you ever seen such a thing? That is "This is my God, and I will glorify Him." Yet logical reflection reveals, says the Malbim, that nature holds greater superiority over the miracle. A miracle is temporary: for a single moment He held the sea in place, and then it ended. But the fact that the Holy One, blessed be He, sets the sea in its place day after day, for nearly six thousand years - that is far more powerful than a one-time act.
And do not say that there is greater might in making the waters of the sea stand still than in the Holy One, blessed be He, decreeing that the waters of the sea should always flow downward. Hashem established a law in nature - the force of gravity - that water should always flow to the lowest place; now, when you see the opposite, you are filled with wonder. But is there truly more power in commanding the water to stand still than in commanding it to flow down? There is no difference at all; it is merely that we are accustomed to the one and unaccustomed to the other. And the fact that Hashem commanded the sea at Creation to flow downward - that is an even greater display of power, because He established it permanently.
To what can this be compared? A person might be able to lift something heavy once - impressive indeed. But another person says to you: I have been holding this for six thousand years; let us see you hold it for twenty seconds. Who is stronger? Without doubt, the miracle of constant nature is greater than the momentary miracle of standing water upright.
In truth, there is no real difference between them at all. As the Chazon Ish defined it: the only difference between a miracle and nature is that nature is the more constant will of the Holy One, blessed be He. A miracle means that Hashem wills right now that the water rise and stand like a wall. Nature means that Hashem continuously wills that it flow downward. A miracle is a momentary will, and nature is a constant will. One must not draw a distinction and say that here things operate by inertia and only there is Hashem revealed. As the Ramban writes, a person has no portion in the Torah of Moshe until he believes and knows that all our occurrences and events are entirely miracles, with no nature or natural order of the world in them at all. One who does not recognize this has no portion in the Torah of Moshe. The fact that you see oil burn is a miracle from Hashem just as much as vinegar burning; it is simply that to the one we are accustomed, and to the other we are not.
In conclusion, the act of a miracle is very light compared to the operation of nature, just as it is easier to carry a load for a moment than to carry it constantly for years upon years. Even so, says the Malbim, there is an elevation and majesty in the miracle - namely, that even at the time of the miracle, nature is not nullified.
Let us explain. Suppose you were shown a highly intricate machine with numerous gears, operating by tremendous steam power. A man comes along and manages to turn one of the gears in reverse, while all the other gears continue turning as usual - that is an astounding feat of power. Naturally speaking, either the overwhelming force of the machine would overpower him and he would fail entirely, or, if his strength were great enough, he might manage to turn the gear in reverse, but in doing so he would shatter all the gear teeth and destroy the machine. Tremendous power is required to turn one gear against the flow while keeping all the others operating as usual - this is holding two contradictory states at once.
The simplest thing would be to unplug the machine from the electricity: flip the main switch and it is done. Similarly, had Hashem performed a miracle by flipping the switch, so to speak, it would be quite simple. The sun has a fixed orbit; the Holy One, blessed be He, pulls the plug from the socket and it halts in place - not disconnected entirely, as it still shines, but its movement has ceased. That is not complicated at all. But the sun operates in concert with all the celestial bodies, and the Holy One, blessed be He, stops the sun while continuing to operate all the other celestial bodies - that is the great power.
The power does not lie in shutting down the world; turning off a machine is truly not difficult. The power is that at that very point, the Holy One, blessed be He, performs a miracle and runs it in reverse, while everything else continues to flow in its normal course without altering its function. Had all the waters of the world surged upward for a moment, the reality of the world would have changed temporarily, and there would not be such a novelty in that. But for all the waters of the world to continue flowing downward while only the waters of the Red Sea stand like a wall - that is the great power: to sustain two opposites, where nature continues on its course, yet locally the Holy One, blessed be He, overrides nature and alters reality.
This is what is written here: at the time when "Hashem reigns, He is robed in majesty" - a miraculous act, Hashem exalts Himself above nature and performs a supernatural act - at that very same moment, "Hashem is robed, He has girded Himself with strength": He girds Himself with His strength and directs all the rest of the world through nature. He does not shut down the world for a moment and change everything, for changing everything is possible; rather, everything continues to operate in its normal state, and only here is something working contrary to it. "The world also is established, it shall not be moved" - the world remains established in its proper course and is not disrupted by the miracle. In the words of the Malbim: the stopping of the part does not hinder the run and motion of the whole. Nature is greater than a miracle because it is fixed and constant; yet to perform a miracle and simultaneously sustain the natural order that runs contrary to the miracle - this demonstrates immense greatness and His unquestioned governance over His world.
Therefore, one must know: there is no independent reality of nature. When we say "nature," we mean something constant - gravity is nature - but it does not mean that the Holy One, blessed be He, instituted a reality and leaves it to run on its own. At every single moment, when you lift an object and it falls, it means that Hashem willed right now that it should fall. This is why we say, "Who in His goodness renews each day continuously the work of Creation" - notice the twofold and threefold repetition in the phrasing. We are accustomed to thinking that Hashem placed the luminaries during the Creation of the world and since then they have run on their own; but we are taught otherwise: no, every single day Hashem renews the work of Creation, every day He causes the sun to shine, as if saying to it anew, "Let there be light" - and there was light. The Holy One, blessed be He, vivifies reality at every moment through His power and by His will.
In the sefer Tehillos Yoel, this is explained homiletically: "Hashem reigns, He is robed in majesty" - although a person is required to conduct himself with humility and lowliness, he must know that when it comes to the honor of Heaven, there is no place for humility and submissiveness; rather, "his heart was lifted up in the ways of Hashem." One must act with strength and dignity, protest against those who corrupt, and not say, "Who am I, what am I, and what power do I have?" but rather rise up with all strength and might. And this is "Hashem reigns" - when dealing with the kingdom of Heaven, a person should embody "He is robed in majesty": clothe himself with holy pride and act to increase the honor of Heaven.
נָכוֹן כִּסְאֲךָ מֵאָז, מֵעוֹלָם אָתָּה׃ - Your throne was established from of old; You are from eternity.
Radak explains: Then everyone will recognize that the throne of Your sovereignty has been established and prepared from all time. And "You are from eternity" - You created the world, and You preceded it.
Malbim explains based on the well-known concept that the heavens are called Hashem's throne - "Hashem has established His throne in the heavens," "The heavens are My throne, and the earth is My footstool." The governance of the heavenly systems, whereby Hashem guides the world through a fixed order and the laws of nature, is what was termed in the Book of Iyov "the governance of the natural order." Regarding these laws, we say, "Your throne was established from of old" - from the very Six Days of Creation, the Holy One, blessed be He, prepared the throne through which He governs His world. Nevertheless, do not think that He always governs His world only in that fixed manner; therefore, it says, "You are from eternity": You Yourself also govern from eternity without the agency of the throne, through a miraculous governance emanating directly from You, may You be blessed, whenever You choose to overturn the laws of nature.
As has been explained several times, those who deny the reality of the Creator and the reality of Creation - claiming that the universe is primordial and uncreated - do not believe in any miracle. The reason is simple: if the universe is eternal, meaning that Hashem did not create it, from where would He have the power to alter it? In order to understand that the Holy One, blessed be He, can alter His world, one must understand that He created it. And so we state clearly: "Your throne was established from of old; You are from eternity" - there is an additional mode of governance attributed to You Yourself, beyond the governance of the throne which comprises the sun, moon, and planetary systems functioning on a fixed basis: that is the miraculous governance emanating directly from Him, blessed be He.
In the sefer *Az Yedaber Yehoshua*, the verse "Your throne was established *me'az* (from of old); You are from eternity" is explained based on the Gemara in Rosh Hashanah, where the Sages dispute when the world was created: Rabbi Eliezer says the world was created in Tishrei, and Rabbi Yehoshua says the world was created in Nisan. Tosafot in Rosh Hashanah (27a) explains that both are the words of the living God: initially it arose in thought to be created in Tishrei, but it was not actually created until Nisan. If you will, Tishrei was the conception and Nisan was the birth; that is why on Rosh Hashanah we say, "Today is the conception of the world" (*hayom harat olam*) - today was the world's conception, when it arose in thought to be created, but it was only created in Nisan. This is alluded to here: "Your throne was established *me'az* (מֵאָז)" - Tishrei is the first month in this reckoning, represented by *Alef* (1); and Nisan is the seventh, represented by *Zayin* (7). *Me'az* (מ-אז) - from *Alef* and *Zayin*, from Tishrei and from Nisan; from then on, "He girded Himself with strength" and "the world is firmly established so that it cannot falter," for Hashem in His strength prepared the world so that it would not collapse.
נָשְׂאוּ נְהָרוֹת ה', נָשְׂאוּ נְהָרוֹת קוֹלָם, יִשְׂאוּ נְהָרוֹת דָּכְיָם׃ - The rivers have raised, Hashem, the rivers have raised their voice; the rivers raise their crashing waves.
Rashi explains that *nas'u* ("they raised") is like "raising a voice," an expression of crying out and complaint - "Alas, Hashem!" The rivers are the nations that surge like a flood, raising their voices in tumultuous roar. And *dokyam* is from the root *dakah*, meaning depth and lowliness; a *dach* place is so named because it is low and sunken. They lift up and elevate their deep torrents to boast against You. Thus, according to Rashi, the rivers are a metaphor for the lowly nations that rise up and become arrogant against Hashem.
Radak explains that the rivers are a metaphor for Gog and Magog and the kings who will accompany him - as is his usual approach, interpreting the matters in connection with the redemption and the coming of Mashiach. Gog and Magog and the kings gathering to wage war against Yerushalayim are compared to mighty rivers that make their sound heard as they rush along, as in the verses, "like the voice of the Almighty as they went," "a sound of tumult like the sound of an army camp," "like the roar of mighty waters." We likewise find that Assyria was compared to a river: "Behold, I am bringing up against them the mighty and abundant waters of the river" - referring to the king of Assyria who sweeps over them. These kingdoms will lift up their voice and bring *dokyam* against Israel, where *dokyam* according to Radak denotes crushing and breaking, as in "the bones You have crushed (*dikkita*) will rejoice," and "for You have crushed us (*dikitanu*) in the place of jackals" - meaning broken us; they will raise their crushing breakers against the Jewish people.
Malbim explains: The rivers raised their voice, and what do they say? "Your throne was established from of old; You are from eternity." As it were, the rivers speak with one another and testify that the Holy One, blessed be He, is the One who governs nature from all time and for all eternity. This is spoken metaphorically and allegorically, in the manner of the Psalmist who says, "the trees of the forest shall sing," "the mountains will break forth in song," speaking of mountains and trees as possessing human capacities.
And as mentioned: "To Hashem belongs the earth and its fullness... For He founded it upon seas, and established it upon rivers." From the seas and rivers, one knows that Hashem founded the earth. For the natural tendency of the sea and the river is to cover the entire globe, and who restrained them? "He set a boundary for the sea." And why is His Name called *Shaddai*? Because He said to His world, *Dai* ("Enough!"). There was a need to block the sea from expanding, so Hashem instilled in the waters a counter-nature to gather into one place so that dry land would appear. From this mastery over nature, it is evident that "to Hashem belongs the earth."
And from the rivers, which we see reaching every inhabited land and giving life to settled regions, we learn of "the world and those who dwell in it" - that the world and all its inhabitants belong to Hashem, and He provides for them all according to their needs of sustenance. It is well known that where there were rivers, human beings settled, and where there was no water source, they did not settle. It was not like our days, when people can say we will desalinate water or import water from Turkey; in ancient times, if there was a nearby water source, survival was possible; if not, there was no existence. Anyone who examines history will see that all ancient settlements were always situated beside water sources, which could sustain man, domestic animal, and beast. And from the fact that the rivers are laid out and apportioned according to the places of human habitation, possessing enough water to irrigate and quench the thirst of all living creatures, we learn that everything exists by divine providence.
The rivers also lift up their dokh’yam (crashing waves/restraint). The Malbim explains that the dokh’yam of the rivers refers to the place where the rivers cease their raging course, related to the concept of crushing and subjugation (dikkui and hakhna’ah) - that Hashem suppressed them and decreed: "Thus far shall you come." For had the rivers swept over everything, there would be no habitable land at all; everything would be submerged by rivers. It turns out that both in the places where they flow and in the places where they are halted, everything bears witness that the providence of the Holy One, blessed be He, fills the earth, that it all proceeds from Him, and that the world is built with deliberate design.
And if one asks why Hashem did not create His world in a single instant rather than in seven days - in all questions pertaining to what preceded creation, we have no comprehension; this touches upon the inquiry of "what is above, what is below, what is before, and what is after." We know only the little that He revealed to us, and beyond that, seeking to understand how things transpired and why they were done in this manner rather than another is beyond us. There are matters that Chazal expound, such as why the world was created with ten utterances when it could have been created with one - in order to exact punishment from the wicked and grant a good reward to the righteous; yet this merely scratches the outer surface, for truly understanding the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, in the creation of His world belongs to the innermost secrets of His counsel.
מִקֹּלוֹת מַיִם רַבִּים אַדִּירִים מִשְׁבְּרֵי יָם, אַדִּיר בַּמָּרוֹם ה'׃ - Above the voices of many waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea, mighty on high is Hashem.
Rashi explains: I know that greater than the voices of the many waters roaring against us, and mightier than the breakers of this sea - meaning the nations that rise up against us - mighty on high is Hashem. I am not frightened by the sounds of mighty waters, nor am I terrified of the raging nations; You, Hashem, are mighty on high, and Your hand overpowers them. And if they are mighty, Hashem is mighty on high; He is both mighty and exalted, and His power far exceeds theirs.
The Malbim explains: The sea, with its waters and its breakers - namely the place where the waves crash and are halted so they do not flood the dry land, allowing for human habitation, as it is written, "Who placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, an eternal decree that it cannot cross" - lift up their voice and declare, "Mighty on high is Hashem." He is mighty on high, directing the celestial orders and the laws of nature, and everything submits before Him: He commanded them to halt, and they halted; were it not so, they would inundate the entire world.
Today it is easy to understand what "the voices of many waters" means. We are familiar with reports of tsunamis, and we know how a single wave can claim three hundred thousand lives in a single moment: it rose, swept across, receded, and was over - the entire catastrophe took only minutes, and afterward people were left merely counting the dead and beginning to rebuild. If so, consider what would happen if the waves were to rise constantly: where would the dry land be, and how could mankind survive? In the fact that the Holy One, blessed be He, curbs the breakers of the sea, we see that "mighty on high is Hashem," and we witness the might of the Creator of the world, before Whose will all natural systems surrender.
Incidentally, this sheds light on what Chazal taught regarding the generation of Enosh, that Hashem caused the ocean to flood over them - much like a tsunami. A slight earthquake in the Mediterranean Sea or the ocean is enough for continents to be submerged in water; an entire continent could be flooded, depending on the Richter scale. In this light, we can understand how in a single instant the entire world could be covered by water. Indeed, one of the arguments in the Generation of the Dispersion (Dor HaFlagah) was that once in a certain period the Holy One, blessed be He, floods the world with water - in the generation of Enosh He flooded them, in the generation of Noach He brought the Flood - and therefore they said: "Come, let us build a tower so that the waters do not sweep us away." How ridiculous this was, for against a single wave, what would remain of that tower? Yet see the delusions to which people can be driven. The generation is called Dor HaFlagah after the verse, "for in his days the earth was divided (niflegah)," being split into many languages; Noach lived in his own generation and lived on until the Generation of the Dispersion, at which point Hashem scattered them and confused their language.
עֵדֹתֶיךָ נֶאֶמְנוּ מְאֹד, לְבֵיתְךָ נַאֲוָה קֹדֶשׁ, ה' לְאֹרֶךְ יָמִים׃ - Your testimonies are exceedingly faithful; holiness befits Your House, Hashem, for the length of days.
Rashi explains: The testimony that the prophets testified and promised regarding Your House, that it will be an abode of holiness (na’avah kodesh) - that the Beis HaMikdash will once again be a beautiful and sanctified place - "are exceedingly faithful," even though many days have passed and we still await them. They are trustworthy and will surely be fulfilled. And so it is with all prophecies: every prophecy designated to be fulfilled up to this time has been fulfilled; there is not a single prophecy whose time arrived that went unfulfilled. There are still many prophecies destined to be realized whose appointed time has not yet arrived, but whatever was meant to happen by now has already occurred. "Exceedingly faithful" - reliable, true, and certain to be fulfilled. Rashi also notes on the phrase na’avah kodesh: here the letter alef is vocalized (with a chataf patach), deriving from the root of ne’ot Elokim (habitations of God), like an oasis (neveh midbar), meaning a dwelling place; whereas every other instance of naveh in Scripture does not pronounce the alef, deriving from the root of beauty and adornment (noi).
The Radak explains: "Your testimonies" are the words recorded by the prophets attesting to Your kingship, and they will be fulfilled "exceedingly" - at the time of Gog u’Magog and the coming of Mashiach. And what does "exceedingly" mean? That there will be no room for doubt, nor can one say that this part will come to pass and that will not, or this will be partially fulfilled and that completely; rather, they will all come true with absolute fidelity, point by point as spoken by the prophets, leaving no doubt in anyone's heart. "Holiness befits Your House" - holiness will be fitting and beautiful for Your House for length of days; for the Radak interprets na’avah as related to noi (beauty), that it will be beautiful and majestic for length of days and will never again be destroyed. And "Hashem, for length of days" is an address of exclamation. As it is written, "The mountain of the House of Hashem shall be established at the head of the mountains, and be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall stream to it," and likewise, "all flesh shall come to prostrate themselves before Me, says Hashem" - indicating that in the future to come, the Beis HaMikdash will endure eternally.
The Malbim explains that this verse continues the previous one: "Above the voices of many waters" - Your testimonies are exceedingly faithful, even more than the voices of mighty, crashing waters. The roar of the waters testifies to His blessed kingship and to the command He gave them to stop and not flood the world, proclaiming, "Mighty on high is Hashem." But You, Hashem, have testified to far more than this: not only are You mighty on high, but "holiness is fitting for Your House."
And this is the difference between the way the nations look at Hashem's kingship and the way we look at it. The nations cast Divine Providence upward, reducing Hashem to being high and lofty above alone - "Hashem is high above all nations." "High" (ram) is like a hot-air balloon or an airplane high up in the sky; whereas "great" (gadol) is like the Eiffel Tower - extending continuously from bottom to top. We say "Great is Hashem": "The heavens are My throne, and the earth is My footstool," spanning from below all the way to above. The nations gain by this idea, because if He is only high above, He does not concern Himself with our actions and there is no Divine Providence - cast Him as high as possible and do whatever you feel like doing. But we know that even though He is high and exalted, "I dwell with the contrite and humble of spirit"; the Holy One, Blessed be He, is present down below as well.
And this is the testimony we received from Him: that He does not merely dwell on high, but dwells in the Beit HaMikdash and directs a supernatural Providence there, which is called "holiness." In the Malbim's thought, "holy" is always set in contrast to nature: nature is the earthly order, while holiness is that which transcends it. The meaning of kadosh is elevated and set apart; to sanctify something means to separate and designate it. And this mode of leadership resides "in Your House," where Hashem dwells.
Nor is it that You perform a miraculous wonder just once, but rather "for length of days" - this providential guidance is constant. For Chazal describe ten miracles that took place regularly throughout the entire existence of the Beit HaMikdash: "Rain never extinguished the fire of the wood on the altar" - who can comprehend this? Torrential rains and snows fall in Jerusalem; what bonfire could survive that? Yet they tell you that rain never quenched the fire on the altar. "Nor did the wind ever prevail over the pillar of smoke" of the incense - who can grasp such a thing? Light a cigarette, and the gentlest breeze scatters the smoke; yet here the smoke rose straight as a rod, and even a typhoon could not alter it in the least. These were regular miracles seen continuously in the Beit HaMikdash. Thus, the presence of Hashem dwelling in His House is "for length of days" - not a one-time miracle, but a constant, watchful Providence through which Hashem watches over us for good.
In the book Shirat Yonah, an explanation of the verse is cited in the name of the Tiferet Yonatan, based on what Chazal taught: Wisdom was asked, "What is the punishment of a sinner?" Wisdom answered them, "'Evil pursues sinners' - misfortune will overtake those who sin." Prophecy was asked, "What is the punishment of a sinner?" It answered them, "The soul that sins, it shall die." The Torah was asked, "What is the punishment of a sinner?" It answered them, "Let him bring an offering, and he will be atoned for." The Holy One, Blessed be He, was asked, "What is the punishment of a sinner?" He replied to them, "Let him do teshuvah, and he will be atoned for." This is what is written: "Good and upright is Hashem; therefore He instructs sinners in the way" - that is, He directs them along the path of teshuvah.
And this is what is written here: "Your testimonies" - the counsel and testimony of the Torah, that one should bring a sacrifice; "are exceedingly faithful" - a faithful piece of advice to bring an offering and receive atonement. But when is this relevant? "Holiness is fitting for Your House" - when the Beit HaMikdash is standing and offerings can be brought. Yet when the Beit HaMikdash is not standing, the Torah did not provide this solution, as there is nowhere to offer a sacrifice. To this the verse responds: "Hashem, for length of days." The counsel of the Holy One, Blessed be He, that one should do teshuvah, is advice for length of days and not just for that era alone; even when the Beit HaMikdash does not stand, this path remains steadfast, so that through teshuvah a person can always repair his ways.
Psalm 93 is a psalm of recognizing Hashem's kingship - both in the Future to Come, when all will acknowledge that "Hashem reigns" and no one will ever wrap themselves in pride, and in the present, by understanding His two modes of governance. "Majesty" represents the supernatural, miraculous governance, while "strength" represents the ongoing, natural order; and the true wonder is that even during a miracle, the world remains in its established framework - "the world also is established, it cannot be moved" - meaning that halting one component does not disrupt the flow of the whole. In truth, there is no independent "nature," only the continuous will of the Creator, Who renews the work of Creation every day. The rivers and the sea, through their very flow and their halting, testify that "Mighty on high is Hashem," and we testify even more than they: "Holiness is fitting for Your House" - that He is not merely elevated on high but truly great, resting His holiness down below and watching over us for length of days; and His counsel, the gift of teshuvah, stands available to us in every generation.