Introduction
We continue with Psalm 103, a psalm of thanksgiving for Hashem's bountiful kindness toward the soul. The central theme here is the acceptance of teshuvah: that the Holy One, Blessed be He, accepts a person in repentance, forgives his iniquity, and thereby heals, redeems, and crowns the soul. We will follow the order of the verses, with the commentaries of the Radak and the Malbim, along with the insights gathered in our study.
"He Placed Breasts in the Place of Understanding (Binah)" - Teshuvah Draws from Binah
Our Sages state: "He placed breasts in the place of understanding (Binah)." What is the meaning of this? In this psalm, we express that Hashem accepts a person in teshuvah and forgives his iniquity, and teshuvah - as we have explained - draws its sustenance from Binah. "Breasts in the place of Binah" means that repentance nurses from the lofty source of Binah. This is an aspect of nursing: we draw down divine bounty from the supreme source of Binah.
The Gemara offers two reasons for this, and both can be interpreted on an inner level as well. One sage said: so that the infant would not gaze at a place of nakedness (ervah) - for had the baby nursed from a lower place as an animal does, he might, Heaven forbid, gaze at a place of ervah. And do not say, "He is only an infant" - indeed, it still damages the soul. That is the plain understanding. But according to our context of teshuvah, this refers to two of the gravest areas in human conduct. The first is repentance of the eyes - not merely forbidden sights, but "and you shall not follow after your heart" in the sense of inclining toward heresy and disbelief, where one is drawn after skepticism. This is "so that he would not gaze at a place of ervah": to rectify that which one was drawn after with his vision, after idolatry and heresy.
And the other sage said: so that he would not nurse from a place of filth - in the simple sense, so that he would not nurse close to where waste is excreted. But in light of what we explained, this refers to sin that stems from the source of filth, which is the sin of base lust. To rectify these two categories of sin, "He placed breasts in the place of Binah": the bounty that descends from the realm of Binah, which is the elevated realm, and the teshuvah that stems from there, rectifies all blemishes and all sins.
Moreover, there is a simple moral lesson here: to strip away a person's arrogance. What reason does one born of woman have to be prideful, having passed twice through the place of urine and blood? Twice. This comes to show just how lowly man is - see where you came from, and through this, remove pride from your heart.
Verse 3 - Forgiveness of Iniquity Is the Healing of the Soul
הַסֹּלֵחַ לְכׇל־עֲוֺנֵכִי הָרֹפֵא לְכׇל־תַּחֲלוּאָיְכִי׃ - Who forgives all your iniquity, Who heals all your diseases.
The Radak notes that the letter yud in "avonechi" is extra, as are the other instances of the letter yud in this psalm, and it is equivalent to "avonech" (your iniquity). Similarly, we find "betochechi Yerushalayim" (in your midst, O Jerusalem). These extra letters are stylistic flourishes of the language, and one need not seek a special hidden meaning in them. By the way, the Malbim himself, especially in Shir HaShirim, frequently explains things along Kabbalistic lines, and we strive to grasp his ideas through fundamental concepts without delivering a discourse in Kabbalah.
The Radak explains: this is one of the greatest benevolences Hashem bestows upon us - "Who forgives all your iniquity." The verse then parallels this by saying, "Who heals all your diseases," referring to the ailments of the soul, which are its iniquities. As it says, "Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You" - we see that the term "healing" is used in relation to the soul, because sin is considered an illness. The healing of the soul occurs when a person removes that sickness from himself and restores his soul to health. Maimonides writes similarly in the Eight Chapters (Shemonah Perakim) that the soul has health and illness just as the body has health and illness, writing this as an eminent physician who understands sickness and health.
Today this is widely known and recognized even without connection to sin: a person can become mentally or emotionally unwell - plunged into depression, suffering from psychiatric issues and illnesses that require treatment. We understand very well that illness applies to the soul as well.
The Connection Between Soul and Body
Radak notes that some explain this as referring to bodily ailments, because when the soul is afflicted, it degrades and weakens the body, even if no physical illness has overtaken it. When a person suffers emotionally, his body suffers as well. Consider a person in a low emotional state: the first thing he loses is his appetite, having no desire to eat, and then you see him wasting away and languishing, withdrawing into himself, falling silent, his countenance fallen. Seemingly, what is the connection between an emotional struggle and the physical body? Yet we see that there is a balance and a deep link between soul and body, and the effects are entirely evident.
King Solomon already wrote: "The spirit of a man will sustain his sickness, but a broken spirit who can bear?" "The spirit of a man will sustain his sickness" - a person can be healed through the spirit; if he possesses fortitude of spirit, he overcomes illnesses as well. Today this is widely recognized, and there are even medical clowns, because in order to increase the chances of recovery, one must uplift the patient emotionally. But the balance does not work in reverse: if you say, here is a person withering away due to depression, let us feed him well and strengthen his body - regarding this it is said, "but a broken spirit who can bear?" The soul can carry the body, but the body cannot carry the soul; when the spirit is crushed, the body lacks the power to lift the soul.
Radak further notes: "All your iniquities" does not literally mean every single one, but rather the majority, following the scriptural idiom in "with all the bounty of his master in his hand," which means most of his master's bounty, and "and all the earth came to Egypt," meaning the vast majority. That is, Hashem acts with loving-kindness toward man by not punishing him for all his iniquities, but only for a portion of them, in the manner of "forgiving iniquity and passing over transgression." And the Malbim explains that this verse comes to clarify what was stated earlier, "and do not forget all His benefits": what are His benefits? That Hashem forgives our iniquities, and through this, He heals all our diseases.
"Bring Us Back in Complete Repentance" and "Send Complete Healing"
In the sefer *Tehillot Maharitz*, the question is raised: In *Avinu Malkeinu*, we say, "Bring us back in complete repentance before You," and immediately afterward, "Send complete healing to the sick of Your people." Seemingly, the petition for healing belongs among the physical requests, after "Inscribe us in the book of good life." Why is a physical petition placed directly adjacent to a spiritual one?
Rather, it is understood through what we have learned here: "Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases." For the Jewish people, physical healing depends on spiritual healing, for there is no suffering without iniquity. If you see an ailment in the body, its root is already present in the soul. Rav Shalom Schwadron related that he once visited a doctor, and the doctor told him, "You have a virus." He replied, "It is not a virus; it is an *aveirus* [from *aveirah*, a sin]." In other words, do not seek only mundane, natural explanations; while it is true that the Holy One, blessed be He, sent it through physical means, where does it originate? In sin.
Therefore, when a person rectifies the sin and his soul is healed, his body is healed as a consequence. A person repents, the Holy One, blessed be He, accepts him and forgives him - and immediately He is "Who heals all your diseases," for once there are no iniquities, there is no need for afflictions and illnesses. This is why we are careful to say, "Send complete healing to the sick of *Your people*" - specifically Your people, because only among the Jewish people does spiritual healing directly yield physical healing. This is also reflected in the order of the Shemoneh Esrei: first, "Blessed are You, Hashem, Who desires repentance," and only then do we pray for healing, because healing is contingent upon repentance.
Verse 4 - Redemption from the Pit and the Crown of Torah and Mitzvot
הַגּוֹאֵל מִשַּׁחַת חַיָּיְכִי הַמְעַטְּרֵכִי חֶסֶד וְרַחֲמִים׃ - Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with loving-kindness and compassion.
Radak explains: Sometimes a person commits a sin for which he incurs the death penalty, or, Heaven forbid, *karet* (spiritual excision) and the loss of the soul in the World to Come, yet Hashem redeems him from the pit - whether "pit" (*shachat*) refers to Gehinnom or to the grave, both meanings being true. Because the person repented and showed remorse before Hashem, the Holy One, blessed be He, brings upon him afflictions that atone for him, thereby bringing him to perfection. This is the meaning of "Who crowns you with loving-kindness and compassion": the very bringing of afflictions is an act of loving-kindness and compassion, designed to benefit him in his ultimate end.
The Malbim explains "Who crowns you with loving-kindness and compassion" from the perspective of the soul: Hashem has compassion on the soul and places a crown upon it - with what? With the Torah and mitzvot, which are its diadem and crown.
Verse 5 - "Who satisfies your adornment with good"
הַמַּשְׂבִּיעַ בַּטּוֹב עֶדְיֵךְ תִּתְחַדֵּשׁ כַּנֶּשֶׁר נְעוּרָיְכִי׃ - Who satisfies your adornment with good, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
The Malbim explains: "Satisfies your adornment with good" - while the soul is imprisoned within the body, the Holy One, blessed be He, satisfies it with spiritual goodness, meaning He gave it the tools to attain spirituality right where it is. How so? When the body eats, the soul gains nothing from it; it derives neither profit nor benefit. But when a person studies Torah and fulfills mitzvot, that brings vitality to the soul. The Torah and mitzvot are the sustenance of the soul, granted through Hashem's kindness toward it.
Regarding this it is said, "So that your youth is renewed like the eagle": through the fulfillment of the Torah and mitzvot, when the soul departs from the body it will renew itself like an eagle. In the words of the Malbim, it will strip off the drab, ash-like body, clothe itself in regal garments, and in them soar to its dwelling and to its Father's house. The drab body is left behind in the grave, while the soul reaches lofty spiritual heights - by virtue of what? By virtue of "Who satisfies your adornment with good," through the power of the Torah and mitzvot that the Holy One, blessed be He, granted it, through which it soars upward like an eagle.
The Renewal of the Eagle
Rashi explains "your youth is renewed like the eagle": like an eagle that renews its wings and sheds its feathers year after year. He quotes a Midrashic Aggadah (as do other commentators) about a species of eagle that, as it ages, returns to its youth by shedding its feathers. The Radak elaborates: the eagle renews itself every ten years, and Rav Saadia Gaon similarly wrote that the eagle flies higher than all other birds, ascending high above the expanse of the sky and drawing close to the elemental fire, meaning it approaches the sun. From the intense heat, it casts itself into the sea, where it renews itself, grows new pinions, and returns to the days of its youth. Its feathers are as if burned away by that heat, and afterward it sprouts fresh feathers. This occurs every ten years until the age of one hundred; when it reaches one hundred, it ascends as usual, falls into the sea, and dies there.
The Baal HaTurim explains why it is called a nesher: because it sheds its feathers - nesher comes from the root of neshirah (shedding), as it sheds its feathers and is renewed.
Rabbeinu Bachya brings another idea regarding the eagle: the women refused to donate toward the Golden Calf, whereas for the donation to the Mishkan they were eager and zealous - "and the men came upon the women," meaning after the women had already brought their gifts. The donation of the Mishkan took place on Rosh Chodesh, and therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, gave them their reward in this world in the observance of Rosh Chodesh, which is a festival for women; in the World to Come, they are destined to renew themselves like Rosh Chodesh. This is the meaning of "so that your youth is renewed like the eagle" - a renewal just as the eagle is renewed.
"Adayich" - Your Mouth: The Healing of the Sick
The Radak explains that "adayich" does not derive from the word for ornament or jewelry, but rather means "your mouth," as in the verse, "to curb its mouth [edyo] with bit and bridle." This verse is spoken with reference to a sick person: a sick person finds all food repulsive, as it says, "So that his life loathes bread, and his soul dainty food" - "his life" refers to his body; bread becomes loathsome and repulsive to him, and his soul detests desirable food. It is well known that sick people lose a great deal of weight, and for this reason a sick person is permitted to eat meat even during the Three Weeks (Bein HaMetzarim), since he loses his appetite, and unless one provides him with tasty foods, his condition could deteriorate severely.
The Holy One, blessed be He, performs loving-kindness with man: He brings ailments upon him for the atonement of sins, and then He heals him from illness. This is the meaning of "Who satisfies your mouth with good" - that very mouth which detested food during his illness, Hashem satisfies with good at the time of healing, granting him health and also giving him the appetite to be satisfied.
The Story of the Million Dollars
There was once a man living in dire poverty who came to the rabbi and poured out his woes: how terrible his financial situation was and how hard it was for him to cope. The rabbi said to him, "You already have a million dollars." He replied, "A million dollars? From where? If the rabbi would tell me, I will go get it, and we can even split it!" The rabbi told him, "Five minutes before you arrived, a very wealthy man was here with his wife. He told me that his wife had lost her appetite and was wasting away to a mere shadow of a person. Which doctor had he not visited? He told me, 'Believe me, Rabbi, to date I have spent a million dollars on doctors in Israel and around the world trying to cure this woman.' As far as I can see, baruch Hashem, you have a hearty appetite - so you already have a million dollars." In simple terms: do not focus on what you lack; look at what you have.
Returning to our subject, the Radak explains: after a person is healed from his illness, "Who satisfies your mouth with goodness" - the Holy One, blessed be He, satisfies his mouth, giving him an appetite and health, and then "your youth is renewed like an eagle," for his health has returned to him and he is as though renewed and transformed. This is just as it is said, "His flesh becomes tenderer than in youth; he returns to the days of his boyhood" - after illness, the flesh is renewed. Our Sages expounded rutafash as a combination of ratov (moist) and fash (plentiful). "Ratov" - because when a person ages, everything in him dries out; his hair and flesh dry up and wither, but when he returns to his youth, vitality and moisture return to him. And "fash" denotes abundance, as in the Aramaic words nefish and sagi. His flesh becomes moist and full again, and he returns to the days of his youth and his prime.
In Netivot Shalom, the Slonimer Rebbe writes: "Your youth is renewed like an eagle" - just like an eagle that molts its feathers and is rejuvenated with new plumage, so too on the festival of Shavuot it is said, "you shall offer a new meal-offering." What is the definition of "new"? On Shavuot, a person must renew himself like a new creation, for the holiday of Shavuot is the time when one can attain Torah, and consequently, he must renew himself in order to merit receiving his portion in the Torah.
Verse 6 - Acts of Righteousness and Justice
עֹשֵׂה צְדָקוֹת יְהֹוָה וּמִשְׁפָּטִים לְכׇל־עֲשׁוּקִים׃ - Hashem performs acts of righteousness, and justice for all who are oppressed.
The Radak explains: since we mentioned that Hashem heals man from his illness, in doing so He performs an act of charity (tzedakah) with him, for it is Hashem's way to bestow benevolence upon His creations. In contrast, in interpersonal matters (bein adam lechavero), the Holy One, blessed be He, "executes justice for all who are oppressed." A literal reading might sound as if Hashem judges the oppressed, whereas we mean quite the opposite - that He judges the oppressors! Rather, the meaning is that He rescues the oppressed from the hand of his oppressor and repays the oppressor evil for evil; He executes judgment upon the oppressors on behalf of the oppressed. This is similar to the phrase, "say of me (li), 'He is my brother'" - where "li" means "on my behalf"; likewise, "for the oppressed" (le-ashukim) means on behalf of the oppressed. And "for all who are oppressed" - against anyone who oppresses them, whichever nation he may belong to.
The Malbim explains: "Hashem performs acts of righteousness" - even though strictly by the letter of law and justice the sinning soul ought to die, and even Avraham Avinu could not withstand it if the Holy One, blessed be He, were to enter into strict judgment with him, as it says, "I was afraid of Your judgments" and "My flesh shudders in fear of You" - nevertheless, the Holy One, blessed be He, does not deal with us according to the full depth of justice, but rather through the higher righteousness (tzedakah elyonah). Hashem's act of righteousness does not look at good or bad, at prosecution or defense. There is a benevolence that transcends strict law and justice, in the realm of "I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy," which our Sages expounded: even if he is unworthy, even if he is undeserving.
This is the aspect of higher righteousness, not lower justice. In terms of the Sefirot, the lower seven Sefirot represent the realm of justice - the standard of governance in this world - whereas the upper three transcend this. They represent a sublime, spiritual governance known as higher righteousness, which does not look at human deeds or the attribute of strict justice, but rather bestows unearned loving-kindness according to the measure of the Holy One's own righteousness, rather than man's actions. This will also be the reality of the future Redemption: not according to the governance of justice (hanhagat hamishpat), whereby if we are worthy we will be redeemed and if not we will not, but according to the governance of absolute unity (hanhagat hayichud). This is explained at length in the Ramchal's Da'at Tevunot and Derech Hashem: the governance of unity is the mode in which the Holy One, blessed be He, directs His world entirely alone, without external factors, without prosecuting angels, and without voices from the right or the left, but solely according to His divine will. Thus, there exists a higher dimension of chesed that does not depend on human deeds, and this is "Hashem performs acts of righteousness."
Between Man and God, and Between Man and His Fellow
"And justice for all who are oppressed" - in contrast to the attribute of righteousness, Hashem exercises the attribute of strict justice when someone oppresses his fellow man. Simply put: in matters between man and God, you can merit receiving pure righteousness, where the Holy One, blessed be He, has mercy on you beyond what you deserve - if you do teshuvah, He will treat you beyond the strict letter of the law. But in interpersonal matters, between man and his fellow, Hashem says: there are no compromises here; here there is justice, not arbitrary leniency. Whatever harm you inflicted, you must make right, and here teshuvah alone does not suffice. One might say, "Master of the Universe, I repented and regret what I did!" Hashem replies, "Very commendable, but what about that person? Did you return what you took? Did you restore what you stole? Did you ask for forgiveness for the pain you caused? You did none of these things." Thus, justice for the oppressed will take its course in every case, whereas someone who sinned solely between man and God needs only to repent sincerely to merit Hashem's gracious righteousness.
Verses 7-8 - The Ways of the Holy One, Blessed Be He
יוֹדִיעַ דְּרָכָיו לְמֹשֶׁה לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲלִילוֹתָיו׃ - He made known His ways to Moshe, His deeds to the Children of Israel.
רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן יְהֹוָה אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב־חָסֶד׃ - Compassionate and gracious is Hashem, slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
Radak explains that the word "yodia" (He will make known) is used here in the sense of "hodia" (He made known), since Moshe was no longer among the living. This is common in scriptural style, as in "ya'asu egel be-Chorev" (they made a calf at Horeb) in Psalm 106, or "az yashir Moshe" and "az yivneh Yehoshua" - a future form conveying past action. "His ways" refers to His attributes, the ways in which the Holy One, blessed be He, conducts Himself toward His creations. This is what Moshe Rabbeinu asked: "Make known to me, please, Your ways," and when Hashem passed before him and proclaimed His name, He made His ways known to him. "His deeds to the Children of Israel" refers to His actions: how the Holy One, blessed be He, dealt with Israel in the wilderness, and how He deals with us in exile. These are some of the attributes through which Hashem's governance becomes clear - according to which attribute Hashem acts with us at each stage, and this is what He revealed to Moshe by making known His attributes, blessed be He.
The Malbim explains: "He made known His ways to Moshe" - what were those ways? That is what the next verse tells us: compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness. Through this, the Holy One, blessed be He, made known to Moshe that His ways and modes of governance are gracious, compassionate, and abounding in kindness, all stemming from the supreme attribute of tzedakah that we discussed earlier.
Why "His Ways" to Moshe and "His Deeds" to the Children of Israel
Notice that "His ways" is said in connection with Moshe, whereas "His deeds" (alilotav) is said in connection with the Children of Israel. Two questions arise here: What is the difference between "ways" and "deeds," and why did He make known His ways to Moshe, but to the people of Israel, His deeds?
The Malbim explains: "His ways" are the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, whereas an "alilah" (a deed) always denotes an action stemming from internal emotional traits of the soul. For example, if someone hates his fellow and strikes him, that action stems from a disposition of his soul; he harbors resentment and hatred, and the hatred originates from a trait of his soul. The Children of Israel assumed that Hashem's conduct stems from inner emotional traits, just as it does with us: I show compassion because a feeling of mercy is awakened within me; compassion stirs in my soul and so I act mercifully. People might mistakenly imagine the same regarding Hashem, as it were - that He possesses emotional traits and is emotionally moved by the attribute of mercy or grace. With human beings that is indeed the case, since our actions stem from psychological dispositions that move us to compassion. But with the Holy One, blessed be He, when we speak of mercy, it is said only to facilitate human understanding, and it is not an emotional reaction stemming from a disposition of the soul.
Therefore, it was necessary to make known to the Children of Israel the matter of "His deeds" - that what they assumed to be "deeds," meaning emotional reactions and actions stemming from an internal soul-force, is simply not the case with Him. To Moshe, He made known "His ways": that the Holy One, blessed be He, is never affected by anything, and nothing can exert an external influence upon Him. For example, if I show mercy, it may be because someone stirred my compassion by telling me of a tragedy, which moved me to pity and prompted me to help. That is called a soul-trait and emotional affectation - I was affected by an external factor that caused me to act. With the Holy One, blessed be He, there is no such thing at all, and Hashem is completely unaffected by anything.
The mercy attributed to the Holy One, blessed be He, is not the mercy found in human beings. With Him, it is a way and a mode of governance; there is an attribute of mercy, but it is not driven by emotional reactivity as it is with us. With Him, there is no change and no external influence; there is nothing by which He is affected or moved. Therefore, Moshe had to make known to the Jewish people that what they imagined to be emotional deeds are not deeds at all, nor are they emotional reactions stemming from a disposition of the soul, for the Holy One, blessed be He, has no soul-traits. Having a trait of the soul means that one person possesses this character trait while another possesses that one: a cruel, hardhearted person is disposed toward cruelty, whereas a compassionate person will always show pity and mercy. But with the Holy One, blessed be He, it is impossible to characterize Him by an innate trait. Rather, these are solely ways of divine governance, and we do not define His Essence through them, for His Essence is entirely beyond our ability to discuss.
No Trait and No Definition in the Creator
Rather, what is taking place? The Holy One, blessed be He, instituted the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, which are modes of divine governance and conduits through which He channels heavenly abundance, and we are not speaking at all of His Essence, blessed be He. Therefore, as we have noted several times, we can never speak of Hashem in positive, descriptive terms; all of our expressions regarding Him describe what He is not: He has no body, He has no form of a body, He cannot be grasped - we always speak of what He is not, because grasping His Essence is impossible. When we speak of the attribute of kindness or mercy, these are His ways, the paths of His influence, the channels through which the Holy One, blessed be He, bestows bounty to sustain the world, not Hashem in His Essence possessing an innate trait or nature of which one could say, "Now I have defined Hashem."
Hashem does not fall under any definition, for two reasons. First, every definition is restrictive: once I define something, that is its definition - it is this and nothing else, and it is impossible to define the Holy One, blessed be He, because doing so would impose limitation upon Him. Second, when I act cruelly toward someone, it can be said that this stems from an innate trait within me, the trait of cruelty; and when I act mercifully, it stems from the trait of mercy ingrained within me. What does that imply? In a certain sense, I am confined - I am bound to that trait, and my actions flow from it. Everyone is born with particular traits. If you were to apply this to the Holy One, blessed be He, you would effectively imagine a limited Creator, who would be confined by that trait and restricted to acting according to it. Just as someone with an ingrained trait of cruelty is naturally drawn to act accordingly, and someone with an ingrained trait of compassion is naturally drawn to act accordingly, unable to easily behave otherwise - theoretically one can overcome it, but in practice one acts in accordance with his nature. If one were to say that Hashem has ingrained traits, it would follow that the Holy One, blessed be He, is limited to acting according to traits ingrained within Him. Rather, what we describe as the attribute of mercy and the like is not in Him as it is in us; it is a mode of governance by which Hashem guides His world, not an innate trait or nature within Him, blessed be He.
In summary:
We have learned that teshuvah draws from the sublime source of Binah, possessing the power to rectify both sins of sight and heresy, and sins of lust. "Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases" - iniquity is the sickness of the soul, and for the Jewish people, bodily healing depends on spiritual healing; therefore, the plea for healing is juxtaposed with the plea for teshuvah. "Who redeems your life from the pit" - even suffering is lovingkindness and mercy, and the true crown of the soul is the Torah and mitzvos, through whose power "your youth is renewed like the eagle," whether in the renewal of the soul after it departs the body, in the renewal of the body after illness, or in the renewal of receiving the Torah on Shavuos. "He performs righteous deeds" - in matters between man and God, Hashem acts with sublime righteousness that is beyond the strict letter of the law, whereas regarding "justice for all the oppressed" - in interpersonal matters between man and his fellow, there is no exemption from justice until one makes restitution and appeases his fellow. And finally, "He makes His ways known to Moshe": all the attributes we ascribe to the Creator are neither emotional traits nor affective responses, but solely ways of providential guidance and influence, for in Him, blessed is He, there is no measure, no change, and no definition.