Psalm 109 is well known, primarily because of the numerous curses it contains. It is known that among Yemenite Jews, when they wished to execute a "targeted strike" on a tyrannical ruler or someone who needed to be removed from the way, they would say: let us recite Chapter "Get" in Tehillim - get (גט) having the numerical value of 109. There was no need for drones or airstrikes; they recited Psalm 109, with its manifold "blessings" as we will soon see, and it took immediate effect, even without a pulsa de-nura or other unconventional measures.
It is told of the Brisker Rav that he once went to the Kotel and encountered a certain Zionist. Knowing that the Rav opposed Zionism, the man mockingly remarked: Surely the Rav has come to the Kotel to pray for the State, its ministers, and its counselors. The Rav replied: Certainly, I came to recite Psalm 109 for them. The curses we will encounter in this chapter are essentially a response to the words and actions directed against David, and from here we shall begin.
לַמְנַצֵּחַ לְדָוִד מִזְמוֹר אֱלֹהֵי תְהִלָּתִי אַל־תֶּחֱרַשׁ׃ - For the conductor, a psalm of David: O God of my praise, do not remain silent.
The Radak explains that David composed this psalm while fleeing from Saul. There were people in Israel who would slander David to Saul and speak ill of him, and regarding this he says, "O God of my praise, do not remain silent" - I glory in You, Master of the Universe, so do not remain silent in the face of what they say about me. And who were these people? Doeg, Achitophel, and the rest of David's enemies. David says: You are the God of my praise; I glory in You, unlike those who glory in their wickedness; and I call out to You not to be silent concerning everything the wicked are doing to me.
The Malbim likewise notes that David composed the psalm while pursued by Saul, when his enemies sought false pretexts against him in order to put him to death. However, he interprets the phrase differently: not "in You do I glory" as the Radak explained, but rather "You are the God of my praise" - You are the cause of my praise and renown. Therefore, do not remain silent regarding my grievance.
כִּי פִי רָשָׁע וּפִי־מִרְמָה עָלַי פָּתָחוּ דִּבְּרוּ אִתִּי לְשׁוֹן שָׁקֶר׃ - For a mouth of wickedness and a mouth of deceit have opened against me; they have spoken with me with a lying tongue.
Rashi applies these verses to Esau, as does the Midrash: the wicked one in this chapter represents Esau and Edom. According to the Radak, however, this refers to David's enemies during the period of Saul. The Radak explains: "A mouth of wickedness" - the mouth of a wicked man; "and a mouth of deceit" - the mouth of a deceitful man. These wicked and deceitful men open their mouths against me with evil talk, and even speak about me with a lying tongue. And what does "they have spoken with me with a lying tongue" mean? That even when they speak with me face-to-face, their tongue is deceitful: acting pleasant to me, "David, how are you, how are things," while behind my back going to inform on me. All of their speech is hypocritical, feigning friendship, only to say things against me to Saul behind my back.
The Malbim distinguishes between the two parts: on the one hand, "a mouth of wickedness" - they open their mouths with wicked intent to put me to death without any sin or guilt on my part; and on the other hand, "a mouth of deceit" - even when speaking with me ostensibly as my friends, their tongue is a tongue of falsehood.
וְדִבְרֵי שִׂנְאָה סְבָבוּנִי וַיִּלָּחֲמוּנִי חִנָּם׃ - And with words of hatred they surrounded me, and fought against me without cause.
This is the meaning of "a wicked mouth": they surround me with words of hatred. Behind my back, they speak wicked words against me, saying evil things about me and spreading lashon hara, and fighting against me without cause to put me to death. The Radak adds: The words of hatred they spoke about me before Shaul were what caused Shaul and his men to surround me and fight against me. For why did Shaul fight against me, if not because of those individuals who defamed David and stirred up his hatred?
תַּחַת־אַהֲבָתִי יִשְׂטְנוּנִי וַאֲנִי תְפִלָּה׃ - In return for my love they accuse me, but I am prayer.
Rashi explains: In return for my love for You, they accuse me; I love You, and because of that they hate me even more. "But I am prayer" - I pray to You constantly. The Radak explains more simply: "In return for my love" - in return for the love I bestow upon them, they hate me. This shows how completely disproportionate it is: I bestow love upon them, and they repay me with hatred.
And what is the meaning of "but I am prayer"? It is somewhat of an unusual expression. The Radak explains: I am a man of prayer, someone who prays constantly. Just as it is said regarding Daniel, "for you are precious [chamudot]" - meaning not that you yourself are preciousness, but that you are a man of precious qualities [ish chamudot]. That is to say, they are men of war rising against me, while I am a man of prayer; and not only do I not rise against them, but I would even pray for them - "Yet as for me, when they were ill, my clothing was sackcloth," when they were sick I wore sackcloth and prayed on their behalf. The Radak also cites in the name of his father: "But I am prayer" - against everything they do to me, I have no power to do anything except pray; I have no recourse other than to pray to Hashem to deliver me from their hand.
Rav Pincus, for whom prayer was one of the central themes of his discourses and books, teaches that the ultimate purpose of prayer is to draw the person praying close, so that he is near to his Maker. Tefillah is related to the word petilah (a wick or braided cord), as in the phrase "With divine twistings I have wrestled [naftulei Elokim niftalti]" - a term denoting connection. A wick consists of several threads twisted together into one, and similarly prayer is meant to connect and braid us together with the Holy One, blessed be He. This stands in place of the korban, whose purpose was likewise to create closeness between us and Hashem, may He be blessed.
According to this, "but I am prayer" means that Dovid HaMelech is saying: Throughout the entire day, I exist in a state of prayer. A person's task is to be in prayer all day long - not meaning that one should stand the entire day in the Shemoneh Esreh, but that one should feel all day that he is standing before the King and speaking with Him. Everything I want, everything I desire, every action I take - it is all in connection with the Master of the World. This does not have to be spoken aloud; it can also be in thought, turning to Him and asking for His help in every action. This is "but I am prayer": even when I am not actually standing in formal prayer, in my very essence I am prayer.
In another place, Rav Pincus explains: "But I am prayer" - I myself have become an object, a cheftza, of prayer and deveikus to Hashem. My entire being has turned into a single piece of prayer. Because I am constantly speaking with the Holy One, blessed be He, and bound to Him, continually turning to Him in supplications, requests, praises, and adulation, a state was created in which I became the very embodiment of prayer, a person whose entire essence is prayer.
In the sefer Yalkut Peninim, Rabbi Avraham Diskin cites a parable in the name of the Rashab of Ponevezh: If a poor man comes before a wealthy benefactor dressed in fine garments, the wealthy man must hear from him what exactly he is lacking; the pauper begins to recount how dire his situation is and how many loans he has taken, explaining that the clothes he wears are merely remnants from better times. But if a man comes to the wealthy man dressed in tatters, he does not need to say a word; simply look at him, and his plight cries out from within. So says Dovid HaMelech: I am so broken and crushed that I myself am prayer. I do not even need to speak and describe before You, Master of the World, what I am going through - look at me and You see a prayer, a person who is entirely an outcry: Master of the World, save me!
וַיָּשִׂימוּ עָלַי רָעָה תַּחַת טוֹבָה וְשִׂנְאָה תַּחַת אַהֲבָתִי׃ - They placed evil upon me in return for good, and hatred in return for my love.
The Malbim explains: in return for my love for them, they accuse me, and in place of my being prayer and praying on their behalf - they placed evil upon me in return for good. I do good for you and pray on your behalf, yet you do evil to me; and in return for the love I poured out upon them, they shower me with their hatred.
Rashi, who applies these words to Eisav and the nations, explains based on Midrash Shocher Tov: Israel says, we sacrifice seventy bulls each year corresponding to the seventy nations, and we pray for rain on behalf of the entire world - yet they harm us. Thus, I pray for the whole world, and despite all this, it does not lead them to show me love.
הַפְקֵד עָלָיו רָשָׁע וְשָׂטָן יַעֲמֹד עַל־יְמִינוֹ׃ - Appoint a wicked man over him, and let an accuser stand at his right hand.
From here, the commentators begin to diverge regarding the identity of the speaker. According to most commentators, David begins here with his "tractate of blessings," meaning his curses: I do so much good for them and they do so much evil to me, therefore I pray that the Master of the Universe inflict evil upon them measure for measure. The Malbim, however, explains that at this stage David is still describing what they pray and petition against him. The Malbim's explanation is compelling, for the text here is still in the singular, shifting to the plural only later - and at that point, the Malbim explains, David begins to petition against them in response to what they requested against him.
According to the Radak: "Appoint a wicked man over him" - David asks that a wicked person rule over him, and "let an accuser stand at his right hand" to oppose him, so that whatever he does will become a curse for him. And he speaks in the singular against the chief of his enemies, Doeg the Edomite.
The Malbim explains: they are saying about David - Master of the Universe, appoint a wicked man over him, that there be a corrupt judge to judge him; that a court be convened for him that will judge him according to all sorts of arbitrary "standards of reasonableness" and the like. "And let an accuser stand at his right hand" - that a prosecutor stand at his right hand during the trial, akin to a legal counsel standing there to argue against him.
בְּהִשָּׁפְטוֹ יֵצֵא רָשָׁע וּתְפִלָּתוֹ תִּהְיֶה לַחֲטָאָה׃ - When he is judged, let him emerge guilty, and let his prayer become a sin.
According to the Malbim, the enemies' words continue here: they ask that if a wicked person stands to judge him, the outcome of the trial is already predetermined - he will emerge guilty in judgment and be condemned. That is, that Shaul will judge me wickedly, through them serving as accusers and witnesses who speak ill of me, and then Shaul will condemn me to death. "And let his prayer become a sin" - it is the way of a defendant on trial to plead for his life before the judge, and they ask that his plea miss its mark, that it not be accepted, and that his words fall on deaf ears.
According to the other commentators, however, this is a plea that David makes against his enemies, and it encompasses three interpretations. Rashi explains: when he is judged before You - let him emerge from Your judgment convicted and guilty. The Ibn Ezra explains: when he is judged with me; after all, he wronged me and acted unjustly, praying that I die, so let him emerge guilty and let death strike him instead. And the Radak explains: whenever he has a legal dispute with anyone, not necessarily with me, let him emerge guilty in his trial, be convicted, and stumble in his speech and arguments. "And let his prayer become a sin" - the prayer that he prays for himself should not be counted as a merit for him, but as a sin.
In a similar vein, Moshe Rabbeinu pleaded regarding the incense offered by Korach's assembly: that they should have no share in the communal daily offerings, and that the incense they burned should not find favor before You. In other words, that their prayer should not be accepted. From this, the masters of Mussar deduce that it is no simple matter for a prayer to go unanswered: a preemptive strike by Moshe Rabbeinu was required in advance so that the prayer of Korach and his faction would not be accepted, their incense would not find favor, and their portion in the communal offerings would have no effect. This implies that naturally the prayer would have been answered, and only because Moshe came and prayed against it was there a chance it would be halted - like an "Iron Dome" neutralizing the prayer in advance.
From here we must draw strength regarding prayer: prayer influences, prayer accomplishes, prayer takes effect. If heavy artillery such as the prayer of Moshe Rabbeinu was required to neutralize the prayers of Korach and his congregation - even though their entire aim was to war against Hashem and His anointed, and their prayer was the prayer of the wicked - nonetheless, great measures were necessary so that "his prayer become sin," standing not to his merit, but to his detriment.
יִהְיוּ־יָמָיו מְעַטִּים פְּקֻדָּתוֹ יִקַּח אַחֵר׃ - Let his days be few; let another take his office.
The Ibn Ezra cites an explanation in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua that pekudato refers to his wife, as in the expression "Give me my wife that I may go in to her," and "and he visited [vayifkod] his wife" concerning Shimshon, and in the words of Chazal, "he visited his wife and did not sin." That is to say: the wife whom he visits will be taken by another. The Ibn Ezra himself, however, explains that pekudato refers to the fate of all humanity - the death common to all men, as in the phrase "the time of his visitation has arrived," the moment he is destined to die. In modern terms this is intuitive: in military terminology, nifkad means absent or missing; this is the time when a person becomes absent from this world, passing on and arriving Above. And what is meant by "let another take his visitation"? That when the time of his visitation arrives, his death will be at the hands of another man, and he will not die peacefully upon his bed. Others say that pekudato refers to his soul, since the soul is a deposit (pikadon) entrusted to the Holy One, Blessed be He, as in "Into Your hand I commit [afkid] my spirit" - and another will take his soul, meaning that someone will murder him so that he does not live out his days.
The Radak explains: pekudato is that over which he is an overseer (pakid) and appointed. This could refer to his wife, as in the interpretation cited above, or it could mean his wealth - that the wealth entrusted to your charge will be taken from you. The Malbim continues here in his consistent approach, explaining that these are the curses hurled by the pursuers against David: they vehemently curse him that his days should be few, and that while he is still alive another should take his office - the position over which he is appointed, for he was an officer and commander over the army - so that another will be appointed in his place.
The sefer Tehillot Maharitz explains a marvelous principle here. King David asked the Holy One, Blessed be He: "Hashem, make me know my end, and what is the measure of my days." The Holy One, Blessed be He, told him: You will die on Shabbat. David said: Master of the Universe, perhaps on Sunday - postpone it by a single day. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him: That is impossible, for the reign of your son Shlomo has already arrived, and one reign does not encroach upon another even by a hairsbreadth. We learn from this: so long as there is no successor, Heaven can extend your time; but once there is already a successor designated to begin on a specific date, it is over - you must vacate the position, and there is no way you can remain.
We previously explained this concept regarding Moshe Rabbeinu as well. When Yehoshua heard Eldad and Meidad prophesying in the camp - "Moshe will die and Yehoshua will bring Israel into the Land" - he was alarmed and said, "My lord Moshe, imprison them," so that their prophecy might cease. Moshe, however, replied: "Would that all Hashem's people were prophets!" The Gemara explains that regarding Moshe, "they did not finish the matter before him" - he did not hear the report to its end. He heard "Moshe will die," and thought: There is a decree, so I will pray; Hashem decreed that I will not enter the Land, so I will pray - and through prayer, everything can be changed. But he did not hear the conclusion: "and Yehoshua will bring them in." Had he heard that, he would have understood that the matter was sealed. When someone is already destined to assume the office, there is no chance whatsoever that you will continue, for that is a promise of good, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not retract a promise of good. For you, there is an adverse decree - pray, and perhaps you will be spared; but if another has already received a promise that he will be the leader from such-and-such a date, of necessity your time has ended.
So too with David: he asked to remain until Sunday, but was answered that another had already been granted the role for Sunday, and the kingship had already been promised to his son Shlomo, and one reign does not encroach upon another by a hairsbreadth. From this we see that once authority has been promised to another, prayers are of no avail, and even Moshe Rabbeinu with the heaviest artillery cannot change the reality. According to this, our verse is illuminated wonderfully: "Let his days be few" - and how can I ensure that his days are shortened and that the decree is never annulled? "Let another take his office" - bestow his position upon another from this moment onward. Then, even if he prays, nothing will avail him, for the time has already arrived for another to assume his post, forcing the first to step aside, and thereby guaranteeing that "his days be few."
Rav Mazuz explains that pekudato refers to his wealth and possessions, from the concept of things over which he is an overseer (pakid). He adds that it can also be understood as a deposit (pikadon), for whatever the Holy One, blessed be He, grants a person is entrusted to him; the wealth in our hands is a deposit that Hashem has placed in our care. As it is said, "He may prepare, but the righteous will wear it": the wicked person prepares it and the righteous person wears it, meaning that whatever the wicked person possesses is merely a temporary deposit, since the ultimate purpose is for it to reach the righteous.
He further explains there that "let another take his charge" relates to "May his days be few": if a person was meant to live seventy years and only lives forty, what happens to the remaining thirty years? They are called his pekudah, the remaining years of life allotted to him. A similar thought is found in the sefer Vayaged Moshe, which explains it from the perspective of the years missing from him (shenifkedu mimenu), that is, the years subtracted from him - and let another take the years subtracted from him. This aligns with what the Gemara recounts in that incident, where the Angel of Death was sent to take Miriam Megadla Se'ar Nesheya, but the messenger mistakenly took Miriam Megadla Dardekei; when asked what is done with those unlived years, the response was that they are given to someone who overlooks personal slights. This is the meaning of "let another take his charge" - those years subtracted from the wicked, let them be given to another.
This can also be connected to what was explained above: if those years are not given to someone else, it might still be possible for the wicked person to perform some action and have them restored to him; but once they have already been promised to another - "let another take his charge" - the matter is finalized, ensuring that "his days will be few."
In this chapter, widely known as the chapter of curses, David opens with a plea that the Holy One, blessed be He, not remain silent before those who slandered him to Shaul - Doeg and his companions according to the Radak, and Eisav and Edom according to Rashi and the Midrash. He describes the mouth of wickedness and the mouth of deceit, words of hatred and unprovoked war, and the repaying of evil for good and hatred for love - while he himself is "and I am prayer": a man of prayer who even prays on their behalf, and on a deeper level, one whose entire essence has become the very embodiment of prayer and devotion, broken and crying out to the point that words are no longer needed. From there, the chapter moves to the section of "blessings": "Appoint a wicked man over him," "When he is judged, let him emerge wicked, and let his prayer become sin," and "May his days be few, let another take his charge" - which according to the Malbim are the enemies' curses against David, and according to the other commentators, David's plea against them. Amidst all this emerge two great lessons: the immense power of prayer, that even the prayer of the wicked required Moshe Rabbeinu to neutralize it, and the foundational principle that "one realm does not encroach upon another by even a hairsbreadth" - that once a role has already been promised to another, prayer is no longer effective to change it.