Introduction: A Psalm Without an Author's Name - and a Direct Continuation of the Preceding Psalm
Psalm 106 opens with praise and thanksgiving, and bears no author's name at its heading: neither "A Psalm of David" nor any other name. The Ibn Ezra comments on this, explaining that the psalm is addressed to the wise: praise Hashem and give thanks to Him for the kindness He bestows upon you - without mentioning who uttered it. And there are those who say that all psalms that do not name a composer are essentially by David.
הַלְלוּ־יָהּ הוֹדוּ לַיהֹוָה כִּי־טוֹב כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ׃ - Hallelujah! Give thanks to Hashem, for He is good; for His kindness endures forever.
"Give thanks to Hashem, for He is good" - evil does not emanate from Hashem; the Holy One, blessed be He, bestows only goodness. "For His kindness endures forever" - for all eternity, the Holy One, blessed be He, pours forth only lovingkindness.
The Malbim explains that this psalm is a direct continuation of the one preceding it. There, it described what happened to the Jewish people in Egypt - "Joseph was sold as a slave" and the entire enslavement - whereas here, it depicts what the Holy One, blessed be He, did with the People of Israel after the Exodus from Egypt: their experience in the wilderness, the great miracles performed for them, and also the occasions when they rebelled against Hashem's word. "And the waters covered their adversaries, not one of them remained," "Then they believed His words; they sang His praise," "They swiftly forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel," "He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; and He led them through the depths as through a desert" - all of these are descriptions of the miracles and deeds of the next stage, after the Exodus from Egypt.
And why does the thanksgiving intensify specifically here? Because the kindness Hashem began to show them continued even after they sinned. In Egypt, one could still say: they did not know Hashem, they were enslaved. But now, after they had already received the Torah, after He tore open seven heavens and seven realms on earth for them and showed them that there is none beside Him - at this point, they ought to have been punished severely for every sin. Yet come and see that Hashem continues His lovingkindness even after they rebel against His word, and this teaches how deeply one must give thanks to Hashem, for He is good, for His kindness endures forever, as stated later in the psalm: "And He remembered His covenant for them, and relented according to His abundant lovingkindness."
Hashem is good to His people and His kindness is eternal, but the people did not acknowledge His kindness. And this was a generation that witnessed these kindnesses with their own eyes, a generation that experienced the Exodus from Egypt. Despite all this, we will see later painful descriptions of rebelling against Hashem's word without recognizing His great kindness. This is what we express: "To You, Hashem, belongs righteousness, and to us shamefacedness." We must feel shame that despite all the wrong we have done, You still showed us charity, and You continue to bestow goodness upon us despite all our negative conduct.
"Who Can Utter the Mighty Acts of Hashem?" - Thanksgiving That Cannot Be Complete
מִי יְמַלֵּל גְּבוּרוֹת יְהֹוָה יַשְׁמִיעַ כׇּל־תְּהִלָּתוֹ׃ - Who can utter the mighty acts of Hashem? Who can declare all His praise?
The Ibn Ezra states: one must give thanks to Hashem even though no person can praise all of His mighty acts, and no person can recount all of His praise. We find this similarly in the Gemara, where they said to a certain individual who excessively elaborated in his praises during prayer: "Have you concluded all the praises of your Master?" Have you exhausted all the praise that belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He? He had said, "The God who is great, mighty, awesome, powerful, strong, courageous, and majestic" - can you really say it all? He asked: If so, what should one say? He replied: Only what was instituted for us - "the great, mighty, and awesome God." This is what the verse means: "Who can utter the mighty acts of Hashem? Who can declare all His praise?"
The Radak notes a grammatical point: the word "who" (mi) in the verse serves a double function. This is a principle we have mentioned several times, like "taking another along with it" - where a word at the beginning of the clause applies equally to the continuation. "Who can utter the mighty acts of Hashem? [Who] can declare all His praise?" - it is as if the word "who" were written twice.
And so the psalmist says: if we were to recount the mighty acts of Hashem, to make all of His praises heard, all the miracles Hashem performed for our ancestors for which we are obligated to praise, laud, and glorify Him - "mighty acts" refers to how Hashem dealt severely with Egypt and what He did to them at the Red Sea, where we witnessed the mighty acts of Hashem - who could ever utter them?
The Radak asks: Surely in Chapter 9 it says, "I will tell of all Your praises in the gates of the daughter of Zion"! If so, is it possible to recount all His praises, or is it impossible? He answers: David is saying there that he will recount Hashem's praises for the troubles that befell him from his enemies - for those troubles from which Hashem saved him, he praises, lauds, and gives thanks. But when we come to recount the miracles that Hashem performed for the Jewish people throughout history, in the Exodus from Egypt, in the wilderness, in every generation - about this it is said, "[Who can] proclaim all His praise?" Who could ever enumerate them?
And lest you think that an individual at least can recount all His praise, the Radak immediately adds that an individual too, if he wishes to recount all the kindnesses that Hashem does with him each and every day, cannot. As stated in Chapter 40: "Were I to declare and speak of them, they are too numerous to recount" - if I wish to recount Hashem's praises, they are too vast and mighty for me to tell. And this is not only because a person forgets, but sometimes you do not even know at all: "For Hashem performs a miracle for a person and he does not know or sense it, until later when he contemplates it." A person is sometimes saved from something where he never even knew he was in danger - how can he praise for that?
"Praise Hashem, all you nations" - The praise that only the nations can say
About this King David said: "Praise Hashem, all you nations; laud Him, all you peoples, for His kindness has prevailed over us." There is a famous insight: Should the nations praise because "His kindness has prevailed over us"? If His kindness prevailed over them, let them praise. But when His kindness prevailed over us, should the nations praise? The answer is: yes, there is praise that only the nations can say. For example, they prepared a large explosive device that was supposed, Heaven forbid, to cause dozens of casualties, and by Hashem's mercies it blew up on them on the way - so may all Your enemies perish, Hashem. And no one among us knows anything about it. Who knows? Only they do, only those who planned it. That is why it says, "Praise Hashem, all you nations; laud Him, all you peoples" - there are many things where only you know how much His kindness has prevailed over us. We do not know what the plans were, we do not know what we were saved from, we do not know what was supposed to happen. This praise, only the nations can say.
If so, how can it be said that even an individual can praise for all the good Hashem has done with him? Hashem has done so much good and provided so many salvations for us that we know nothing about, as Chazal say, "The beneficiary of a miracle does not recognize his miracle" - Hashem performs a miracle for him, and he does not recognize or know at all that a miracle was performed for him. And so too in Midrash Shocher Tov: Does a person know how many wonders the Holy One, blessed be He, performs with him every day? How so? A person sleeps in his bed while a snake is on the floor; he gets up to stand, the snake senses him, and just as he is about to step on it, the snake slithers away from him, and he does not know what wonder the Holy One, blessed be He, performed with him. And so with all such matters.
The Malbim's Explanation: There Are No Words Even for a Single Miracle
The Metzudat Tzion explains yemalel from the word milah, speech - as we find in Aramaic, ruach memalela, a speaking spirit. And the Malbim explains: "Who can express the mighty acts of Hashem?" - it is impossible to make known and publicize all the miracles in specific detail, for even regarding a single miracle, who can express all its might? Who can describe the miracle in its full power? After all, regarding the plagues of Egypt, which we look at in the simple sense of the word, the Sages reveal that every single plague contained two hundred and fifty plagues, and so on. That is to say, even when you contemplate the might of Hashem, you discover layers within layers of depth. Who can truly express and recount a single mighty act among the mighty acts of Hashem? We have neither the word nor the means of expression to articulate His mighty acts.
And likewise, "[Who can] proclaim all His praise?" - Hashem's praise is limitless, for "no thought can grasp Him at all." We have no comprehension whatsoever of the greatness, holiness, and exaltedness of Hashem, blessed be He. All that we know is only from what the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed to us, from the reality through which He reveals Himself via the Sefirot; but to know Hashem in His Essence, we have no comprehension at all. If so, who can proclaim His praise?
And from here the verse comes to teach: For what do we give thanks? "Give thanks to Hashem, for He is good, for His kindness is forever" - from the perspective that Hashem is good and His kindness is constant. We have spoken of this several times, and we also learned this in the Kuzari: the Holy One, blessed be He, in Himself we do not know; we have no grasp of Him at all. What do we know? His actions. Therefore we praise the Holy One, blessed be He, for His actions, for what we receive: Hashem makes the sun shine, brings down rain, grants an abundance of life, gave us the Torah, took us out of Egypt. Because of the kindnesses that we see - "for His kindness is forever" - for this we can praise. But to speak of His mighty deeds and proclaim His praises, we do not have even the beginning of an understanding. We, as recipients, can testify that the kindness of the Holy One, blessed be He, constantly surrounds us - this we receive, and of this we can speak.
An Inner Approach: "Mi yemalel" - From the Meaning of Crushing and Crumbling
The Rebbe of Zlotchov would explain the verse in a more inward way. "Mi yemalel" - like molelim melilot, crumbling ears of grain. "Who can express [crumble] the mighty acts of Hashem?" - who has the power to crumble, to crush, the aspect of gevurot? Gevurot are strict judgments. Who can break down these judgments so they do not harm us or exert a negative influence upon us? And the answer is found in the continuation of the verse, according to the principle that the word "who" carries over to the next clause: "[He who can] proclaim all His praise" - one who proclaims all His praise. When a person recites the entire Book of Tehillim, through this he crumbles the gevurot and shatters them, so that there will be no strict judgment upon us, but rather Hashem will bestow upon us only kindnesses.
"Praiseworthy are those who keep justice" - Everything Depends on the Recipient
אַשְׁרֵי שֹׁמְרֵי מִשְׁפָּט עֹשֵׂה צְדָקָה בְכׇל־עֵת׃ - Happy are those who uphold justice, who perform righteousness at all times.
The Radak explains: Fortunate would Israel be had they kept the judgments of Hashem. For when Hashem comes to bestow abundance, the assessment is whether we are doing the will of the Omnipresent or not. Had we upheld justice - how much goodness Hashem would have bestowed upon us! Even had we rebelled against Him a little, the Holy One, blessed be He, would still bear with us, in the hope that we might improve and repent, because on the whole we would be keepers of justice. All the more so had we practiced righteousness at all times - the Holy One, blessed be He, would have acted righteously with us, and we would not have been exiled from the land. Here the Psalmist anticipates the exile, as we will see further on, "Remember me, Hashem, with the favor shown to Your people," and about this he says: Happy would we be had we upheld justice and done righteousness at all times - we would never have been exiled, and the Holy One, blessed be He, would have showered us with nothing but goodness.
The Malbim explains: The lovingkindnesses of Hashem are inherently good forever, but everything depends on the recipient. We have discussed this several times: the Holy One, blessed be He, brings down rain, but will crops grow for you, and will you see produce and grain? It depends on what you planted. Sow thorns, and thorns will grow; sow wheat, and wheat will grow. The divine flow descends constantly; the question is whether the recipients are prepared to receive it. We once gave a parable for this: the distance from heaven to earth is constant, and what varies is the earth itself - there are high places and low places. In heaven there is no higher or lower place; the influence flows equally. But among the recipients, some are high and some are low. One who prepares more vessels merits more abundance, while one who prepares fewer vessels receives less.
The Malbim adds: The Holy One, blessed be He, gave us the Land of Israel only on condition that we observe His statutes and keep His commandments. And what is "mishpat" (justice) and what is "tzedakah" (righteousness)? The Malbim always explains that mishpat refers to the realm of the courts - matters between man and his fellow man; whereas "performing tzedakah" is not meant in the colloquial sense of giving money, but rather doing righteous deeds between oneself and the Holy One, blessed be He - matters between man and God. One who performs righteousness and also upholds justice - fortunate is he, because then Hashem's kindnesses never change. There is no difference between the acts of lovingkindness that Hashem performed in ancient times and the kindnesses He can bestow upon us today; the only difference is whether one fulfills His will. Happy are those who observe justice, and happy are those who perform righteousness at all times, for they will merit that very same abundance even now, and not only back then during the Exodus from Egypt.
Happy Is One Whose Money Is Earned Rightfully - Yet Distributes It to Charity
The sefer Tehillot Mahari'atz explains: There are wealthy people who distribute large sums of money to charity, but in truth this is no great credit to them, because the money came to them easily and not always with complete honesty, without scrupulousness in monetary laws - and consequently, it is easy for them to give it away. In places like Netanya, for example, there were organized crime families (euphemistically referred to by rearranging the letters of pesha, crime, into shefa, abundance), who would come to the synagogue and buy the opening of the Aron Kodesh for tens of thousands. Once a year they would come to atone for everything they had done. When money comes easily and quickly, it is also easy to spend - one did not toil or strain for it.
Not so with the righteous: they are meticulous about every penny being kosher, rightfully theirs beyond doubt, with no suspicion of theft. Their money is completely their own, beyond any question - after all, Yaakov Avinu went back for small jars, even risking danger. When one sees such a person, whose every penny is earned scrupulously and attained only after ensuring it is completely untainted, and yet he still gives charity - about him it is said, "Fortunate is he!" For a wealthy person with questionable gains to open his hand is no great achievement; but for the tzaddik, whose every penny is earned strictly uprightly, to give and distribute to charity - that is true greatness. This is the meaning of "Happy are those who observe justice": how great is the merit of the righteous who ensure that their money and possessions are acquired solely through justice, who attain wealth only lawfully and stay far from any doubtful prohibition, yet despite this are "performing righteousness at all times" - giving lavishly without stinginess or hesitation. Happy are they, and how fortunate is their portion in this world and the World to Come.
"This Deceased Person Passed Away in His Own Shrouds"
In this context, a story is told of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, who was once attending a funeral and heard people talking: "The deceased was once a very wealthy man, and look at him now - having lost his fortune, even his shrouds do not belong to him. His family had no money to buy shrouds, so they brought him what the Chevra Kadisha or another donor contributed." Rabbi Yisrael Salanter said to them: "You are completely mistaken. Know that this deceased man passed away in shrouds that are truly his own; in contrast, there are others who think their shrouds belong to them, but in truth they do not."
The explanation: Those who donated the shrouds to this poor man gave them as an outright gift, and therefore the shrouds belong to him without a shadow of a doubt. On the other hand, there are many people who imagine they bought their shrouds with their own money - and the most luxurious shrouds, of the finest cut - yet they amassed their wealth unlawfully, which means they purchased shrouds with stolen money. Does stealing make money truly yours? Even the shrouds you are buried in are not yours. It follows, then, that when a tzaddik gives charity, it possesses immense virtue, for he is giving from money that is genuinely his own - and that is far harder than for one who acquires wealth unjustly and scatters money without feeling any sacrifice.
"He Shall Not Come at All Times into the Holy Place"
In the sefer Imrot Tehorot, it is related in the name of the Mahari of Neskhiz that he once went to collect charity from a certain wealthy man. The man said to him: "Honored Rabbi, I give a great deal of charity." Now, that was hardly his reputation in town; he was well known as a miserly rich man. The Rebbe asked him: "You give a great deal of charity?" The man replied: "Of course! Chazal say that 'one who performs charity at all times' refers to one who sustains his sons and daughters while they are young. Thank God, I have a home full of sons and daughters, and I support and sustain them generously, and that is 'at all times,' because I am giving constantly!" The Rebbe said to him: "Regarding you, the verse says: 'And he shall not come at all times into the Holy Place' - above, into the Holy Place, into Gan Eden, one does not enter on the merits of charity done only 'at all times' for one's own family. Supporting your children is wonderful, but with that kind of charity alone, one does not acquire the World to Come; one needs genuine acts of charity, giving to strangers as well."
Rav Saadia Gaon: "Shomrei" - Those Who Await
Rav Saadia Gaon explains "Ashrei shomrei mishpat" (Fortunate are those who guard justice) as an expression of waiting. "Shomer" means one who waits, as it is written, "and his father kept the matter in mind" (shamar et hadavar) - where Rashi explains that he waited to see how the matter would unfold. Similarly, "shomrim laboker" refers to those who wait for the morning. If so, "shomrei mishpat" are people who are always awaiting judgment. When does this judgment take place? After a person's hundred and twenty years. Yet there is a person who awaits judgment all the days of his life, which reflects the rabbinic dictum, "Repent one day before your death." At every moment he is, as it were, awaiting judgment - thinking that at any moment he might be summoned to the Heavenly Court, or that he might not be here tomorrow. Consequently, because he watches and anticipates judgment at every moment, he also "practices charity at all times" (oseh tzedakah vechol eit): constantly doing kindness for his own soul through righteous deeds, as well as doing kindness for others and giving tzedakah. He performs spiritual actions at all times because he is constantly anticipating when Hashem will summon him to judgment. It is not that he wishes for this to happen quickly, but rather that he is always prepared for it. This is the meaning of "shomrei mishpat" - repent one day before your death.
"Practices Charity at All Times" - Yet in His Own Eyes Only Guarding Justice
The sefer Sha'arei Simchah explains that David Hamelech came to praise such a person, saying: Fortunate is one who, although he practices charity at all times, considers himself merely in the category of "those who guard justice." Sometimes a person gives or accomplishes something and then struts around like a peacock, boasting, glorifying himself, and telling anyone who will listen: "Do you see that room in the yeshivah? I donated that." There is no one who has not heard the story from him. And if that is not prominent enough, he even asks the yeshivah to place an announcement in the newspaper: "The renowned benefactor, pursuer of tzedakah and chesed." Someone once walked into a mikveh in Bnei Brak and noticed an enormous marble plaque at the entrance; upon inquiring what it was for, it turned out that the individual had simply donated the plastic mats for the mikveh. Judging by the size of the plaque, one would have thought he built the entire mikveh! Yet he made sure they erected a marble plaque for him at the entrance - which likely cost, with the engraving, more than the plastic mats he had donated - and naturally, he also dictated what was to be written on it.
Thus, a person might perform acts of charity, yet walk around swollen with pride, feeling as though he has accomplished something extraordinary - but such tzedakah carries little enduring value. Fortunate is the person who performs charity at all times, and when people tell him, "How fortunate you are, what a tremendous merit," he replies: "Not at all, what praise do I deserve? I merely fulfilled the requirement that I am obligated to carry out; this is my basic duty." This is the meaning of "Ashrei shomrei mishpat" - even though he "practices charity at all times," he does not boast or seek acclaim. Rather, he says that he merely fulfilled his obligation and nothing more. If so, how fortunate is such a person, for then this tzedakah truly endures for him for all eternity and serves as an impenetrable shield and buckler for him.
The Holy Shelah: Transforming Every Action into a Mitzvah Through Intention
Chazal state that "one who practices charity at all times" refers to one who supports his young children. Here, the holy Shelah derives a profound and magnificent principle, discussed at length throughout the weekly Torah portions. After all, what does a person do naturally? He supports his children. There is no normal human being who does not care for his children; even a non-Jew and even an animal have compassion for their offspring - the Gemara notes that while a raven does not have compassion for its young, a human being certainly does. Yet despite this natural inclination, Chazal come and teach that one who has compassion on his children and provides for them is considered "one who practices charity at all times." What is required of a person? Simply to have this intention! He should say to himself: "I intend now to provide for my children's sustenance, and thereby fulfill the mitzvah of tzedakah."
And so it is, says Rav Dessler, in every area of life. A person runs a grocery store - why? Because he needs to earn a living. That is true, but when customers come to buy milk, he has an opportunity to do chesed with a fellow Jew: "I am providing him with milk, which, had my grocery store not been here, he would have had to travel far and wide to find." And if one should object, "But you are being paid for it!" - what of it? The fact that a person receives payment and needs to earn a livelihood does not negate the kindness. Is he not performing chesed for a fellow Jew if his intent is to do good for him? In all of one's actions, one can intend to perform an act of chesed, thereby transforming an ordinary activity into the performance of a mitzvah.
Similarly, in every matter, a person can direct his intentions for the sake of Heaven. Everyone goes to sleep at night. One person says, "I'm going to sleep; I'm exhausted, completely drained, I must get some rest." But if you ask another person why he is going to sleep, he says, "My intention is to have the strength tomorrow to rise for the service of the Creator, so that I can daven and learn Torah without dozing off during the shiur." What did he accomplish? He transformed hours of sleep into hours of Torah study, because his very purpose in sleeping is to be able to learn. This is the teaching of the holy Shelah: regarding anything in the world, even if done for oneself, if one can elevate it for the honor of His blessed Name, he should take it to heart, inspire himself with it, and do it with joy. The same applies to eating: a person eats because he is hungry, and indeed the food tastes good, but he also eats so that he will have the strength to serve the Almighty, to learn, and to daven - and that intention transforms the physical act itself into a mitzvah. The Shulchan Aruch writes this explicitly in Siman 231, that all of one's deeds should be for the sake of Heaven: by merely adding the proper intention, one is found constantly serving his Creator. Thus, even one who supports his children out of a father's natural compassion for his offspring - if he directs his intention for the sake of tzedakah and chesed, he merits a mitzvah.
Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian: "Why Don't You Think Chesed?"
It is told of Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian that in his yeshivah, when a new beit midrash was built, all the shtenders and sefarim had to be moved to the new study hall. In the morning, the bachurim were instructed that each should carry his own shtender over, and so they did. Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian said to them: "Why don't you think chesed? After all, you have to move a shtender anyway; you should have said to your friend, 'Let me carry yours,' and he would have said, 'I will carry yours.' Then both of you would have merited the mitzvah of chesed! I carried his and he carried mine, and we both gained a mitzvah."
A person must act like a shrewd merchant: looking for where he can earn a profit, where he can fulfill a mitzvah. Just like Aharon, who grieved over a sacrifice he did not bring: "Aharon, you have all the sacrifices!" "True, I have everything, but I could have acquired a little more." That is how a businessman thinks: "Here I could have earned a little more; there I could have accomplished something extra." This is how a person should view mitzvot, and in doing so, he will become truly wealthy.
Focusing One's Intentions in Building, Sweeping, and in Everything
And why wait for a certain stage? Start earlier. A person builds a house and intends it for the sake of settling the Land of Israel: "I could have built in Miami, yet I built here, and I intend this for the mitzvah of settling Eretz Yisrael" - and with that, one has already fulfilled a mitzvah.
There was a Rebbe in Tel Aviv who would wake up every morning and sweep his street, the entrance to his house, and everything around it. People said to him: "Rebbe, this is not fitting. The Rav has attendants, yet the Rav goes out in the morning to sweep?" He replied: "When I was in Auschwitz, I vowed that if Hashem granted me the merit to ascend to Eretz Yisrael, I would sweep the streets of Eretz Yisrael." And how do we act? A person walks down the street, eats something, and throws the wrapper on the ground. Why do you throw it on the street? You are defiling Eretz Yisrael! Never mind the municipality for a moment - you are soiling the Land of Israel, "a land upon which the eyes of Hashem your God constantly rest." Even in such a simple deed, in a small act of tidying up, one can have the intention: "I am cleaning the Land of Israel, this is the dwelling place of the Holy One, blessed be He, 'the eyes of Hashem your God are upon it.'" In every single action, a person can direct their intent for the sake of Heaven, and thereby merit that all their deeds become spiritual endeavors, all their actions transformed into mitzvos.
Thoughts of Chessed in the Shop - and Faith in One's Livelihood
Rav Dessler observes: If this is your outlook, your entire attitude changes. A customer comes in and asks, "Do you carry this and that item?" You reply, "No, I don't." He asks, "Where can I find it?" You might think to yourself, "What, should I send him to my competitor? I don't know." But if your whole mindset is to do chessed - yes, I need to earn a living, and yes, I receive payment, but I want to perform an act of kindness and I can help a fellow Jew right now - why shouldn't I help him? Since my goal is chessed, one tells him, "Go, you can purchase it at so-and-so's store."
And should you say: "Wait, but tomorrow he might get used to buying from him!" - that is how an unbeliever speaks. An unbeliever worries that a customer might go elsewhere or hear about someone else tomorrow. But a person of faith knows: what has been decreed for me, I will receive; what was allocated for me to earn, I will earn; and right now, I have a mitzvah to perform an act of chessed. Do you truly think one loses out by doing kindness? You did a kindness for a fellow Jew, and that will cause you financial loss? Will Hashem punish you for that? One would have to lack faith entirely to think such a thing. Therefore, a person whose sole ambition is "How can I help?" asks in every action - in his shop and wherever he may be: How can I assist? How can I make things easier for people? How can I do good for them? Consequently, every action is directed toward that goal, and with such a mindset, every action is carried out in a manner completely different from someone who merely seeks profit and looks only to amass wealth.
In Summary:
Psalm 106, which bears no author's name in its opening, is the continuation of the preceding psalm: after describing the era in Egypt, it recounts what the Holy One, blessed be He, did with Israel after the Exodus from Egypt - great miracles on the one hand, yet rebellion against His word on the other, and nevertheless "for His lovingkindness endures forever." "Who can recount the mighty acts of Hashem?" - we do not have the power to fully describe even a single one of His mighty deeds, nor can we grasp His praise; all our awareness is limited to His actions and the kindnesses we receive each day, many of which we remain completely unaware of, as the beneficiary of a miracle often does not recognize the miracle done for him. And according to the Rebbe of Zlotchov, one who proclaims all His praise crushes and crumbles the harsh judgments and strictures. "Praiseworthy are those who keep justice" - Hashem's kindnesses are constant and good, and everything depends on the recipient's preparation. Praiseworthy is the one whose wealth is kept strictly within the bounds of justice yet disperses it to charity; praiseworthy is the one who anticipates judgment every day, living by the dictum "repent one day before your death"; and praiseworthy is the one who performs charity at all times while viewing it merely as fulfilling an obligation. From here emerges the profound principle: with proper intention, one can elevate every worldly action - supporting one's children, running a grocery store, sleeping, eating, building, and sweeping the street - into an act of chessed and mitzvah, thereby serving one's Creator at all times.