Chapter 111 is a psalm of praise and thanksgiving, in which the Psalmist surveys Hashem's deeds in the world: the fixed natural order on the one hand, and the supernatural wonders on the other. In this lesson, we will examine the verses dealing with the ongoing work of the Holy One, blessed be He, the remembrance He made for His wonders, and the sustenance He gave to those who fear Him, based on the commentaries of the Malbim, Radak, Ibn Ezra, and Metzudos, alongside the teachings of Chazal and the Midrashim.
הוֹד־וְהָדָר פׇּעֳלוֹ וְצִדְקָתוֹ עֹמֶדֶת לָעַד׃ - Splendor and majesty are His work, and His righteousness endures forever.
Radak explains: When a person contemplates the work of the Holy One, blessed be He - which is essentially heaven and earth - he sees splendor and majesty. "His righteousness" refers to the entire world, for the whole world is an act of charity from Hashem to all creations, His kindness toward us; and everything that the Holy One, blessed be He, bestows upon us in the world endures forever, on a continuous basis.
The Malbim notes the precise distinction previously discussed: "the deeds of Hashem" (*ma'aseh Hashem*) refers, as it were, to something Hashem made and ceased engaging with, whereas "His work" (*po'alo*) refers to things that the Holy One, blessed be He, continues to act upon and engage with constantly - a renewed creation at every moment. And in this ongoing work, there is splendor (*hod*) and majesty (*hadar*). What is the difference between them? The Malbim explains in several places that *hadar* is external beauty, according to what we perceive with our eyes. This is also how we use the term today: a *mehudar* esrog, or something full of *hadar* - meaning beautiful in its outward appearance. *Hod*, on the other hand, is internal: the inner forces concealed within the deeds, "which no investigator can behold."
A noteworthy point should be made regarding the wording of the Malbim in this passage. In print, it reads: "acting both in the externality of things according to what we perceive with our senses," a phrasing that is very difficult to understand. An examination of the Malbim's original manuscript - which is kept today in the National Library and accessible to all - reveals that many unclear passages in the printed editions are simply printer errors resulting from misreading the handwriting. The Malbim's words are exceptionally clear and well-reasoned; while his Hebrew is not always simple, whenever a sentence seems disjointed, it is almost certainly a scribal error. Over a hundred such printing errors have been found in the printed Malbim, with corrections submitted to publishers for future editions.
Here, one can see in the manuscript that the Malbim had added a sentence in the middle and then drew a line through it - crossing it out. Anyone who writes a book knows that deleting a sentence in the middle of a text can cause complications, because one must review what precedes and follows it to ensure that everything flows seamlessly together, as a deletion can often leave the transition awkward. That is precisely what happened here: originally he wrote, "both in the externality of things... and in the internality of things," and he drew a line crossing out "and in the internality of things" - thereby leaving behind an awkward, disconnected phrase. The truth is that the word "both" should have been crossed out as well, and the intended meaning is: He acts in the externality of things according to what we perceive through our senses - which is hadar; and there is the dimension of hod, which is the internality of things, those inner forces that no investigator can behold.
The term "righteousness" (*tzedakah*) when applied to the Holy One, blessed be He, explains the Malbim, alludes to the orderly and fixed deeds established from His perspective, rather than in response to the creations and their actions. Later in the chapter, the psalm discusses wonders, where the Holy One, blessed be He, does indeed look upon the actions of mankind: when we are worthy of a miracle, He performs miracles and wonders for us; when we are not worthy, He does not. Here, however, when discussing natural phenomena, human actions are not taken into account. Even if people commit only evil, that is no reason for the sun not to rise tomorrow. This is "His righteousness": the fixed natural governance without regard to human conduct, and it endures forever - even if we are not worthy or deserving of that kindness. It is a perpetual act of righteousness through which Hashem sustains creation continuously, and its laws shall never depart throughout all the days of the world.
זֵכֶר עָשָׂה לְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם יְהֹוָה׃ - He made a remembrance for His wonders; gracious and merciful is Hashem.
Ibn Ezra explains: In every generation, Hashem creates a remembrance akin to the wonders He performed in Egypt, for Hashem is gracious and merciful. The wonders Hashem performs in every generation remind us of the wonders He performed when He took us out of Egypt.
Radak adds: after describing the deeds of Hashem in the world and how great and magnificent they are, he turns to the creations below - the people of Israel - and states that Hashem made a memorial for His wonders that He performed in Egypt. And he specifically mentions the wonders of Egypt because they were the beginning of the wonders, and they are so great that they are remembered in every single generation: in prayer, during the festivals, and at the Passover Seder. "Hashem is gracious and full of compassion" - for He showed them favor and had mercy on them when He performed these wonders for them.
Radak further cites from the Midrash, and Rashi notes as well: "He has made a memorial" - that Hashem established for Israel Sabbaths, festivals, and mitzvot regarding which it is said, "And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt." All of these matters are a memorial to the Exodus from Egypt: a person eats matzah and remembers the Exodus from Egypt, and likewise with each and every mitzvah instituted for us as a remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt. Through them, we remember the wonders of Hashem.
The Malbim explains that up to this point, the verses spoke of the actions that the Holy One, blessed be He, performs within the framework of nature - fixed, routine actions that repeat themselves without any change. In contrast, actions that transcend nature are one-time occurrences, meant to address a specific crisis, such as the splitting of the Red Sea in order to be saved from the Egyptians. This is also intended to make His mighty deeds known to mankind, and this is Hashem's remembrance for all generations: through these wonders, people remember that there is a Supreme Power capable of overturning the laws of nature. In natural occurrences, we do not readily perceive the hand of Hashem because we have grown accustomed to them - certainly, anyone who reflects deeply will see the hand of Hashem in them, but habit dulls the senses. Yet when a person sees something unnatural, he cries out, "A miracle!" For there, in something unfamiliar, we behold the wonders of the Supreme Ruler Who created the universe and possesses the power to alter it.
We have already explained that the overturning of the laws of nature proves that the universe is not primordial. In ancient times, many believed in the eternity of the universe - when was it created? It was never created; it had always been here. Interestingly, today not a single scientist holds that view. Concepts that once took deep root among many scientists have vanished without a trace today, and it is universally clear that the universe came into being at a specific point in time. The proof of this stems from Hashem's overturning of the natural order: if the Holy One, blessed be He, had not created the world, He would have no power to change anything within it. A person can alter only something he himself has created; if one did not make it, how could he have the power to alter it? The very fact that Hashem performs miracles is a sign and wonder attesting to the creation of the world ex nihilo - that the world was brought into being by the Creator at a point in time, and because He created it, He can also alter it.
We have also frequently cited the verse, "Are there any among the vanities of the nations that can cause rain?" - which idol in the world has ever brought down rain? Yet among the Jewish people, it has been known from time immemorial, with countless accounts of Jews going out, praying, returning - and rain falls. No other force in the world can accomplish this; even Native American rain dances never produced rain. This alone is sufficient to prove that rain comes solely through the power of the Creator, blessed be He, Who rules over nature and fulfills the will of those who fear Him. A sorcerer might perform localized feats, such as turning a staff into a serpent, and even that is usually sleight of hand; but to cause the sun or the moon to stand still - that he cannot do. That is why one sees that at a certain stage the magicians of Egypt stopped: to bring darkness, to make the sun vanish for a week - such things are completely beyond their power, even for a single minute.
This is the meaning of "His remembrance is for generation to generation": through these wonders, we remember that the Holy One, blessed be He, can alter creation. And He does not perform them continuously, because they serve merely as a memorial - and once we remember His wonders and are inspired, that is sufficient. On the contrary, had Hashem performed miracles continuously, they would have become the new natural order. Indeed, the Ramban asserts that fundamentally there is no difference between a miracle and nature, and "whoever does not believe that all our occurrences and events are miracles, and that there is no nature or normal worldly course in them at all, has no share in the Torah of Moshe." The fact that the sun rose today is no less a miracle than the sun standing still; the One Who commanded it to stand still is the very One Who commanded it to move this morning. It is simply that things to which we are accustomed do not appear miraculous to us. Therefore, "He has made a memorial for His wonders" - miracles occur in a manner that calls the Creator to mind, and consequently they must be occasional rather than permanent; once His wonders are remembered, there is no further need for another miracle.
And all of this stems from the fact that "Hashem is gracious and full of compassion": either out of grace (chein) - that He granted favor to the Patriarchs and they found favor in His eyes, or out of compassion (rachamim) - that He has mercy at present on whoever is in need of salvation. When the people of Israel needed to cross the Jordan, the Holy One, blessed be He, split the Jordan for them; when they were in the midst of battle and required salvation, He halted the sun and rained down hailstones upon their enemies from heaven. These miracles occurred because compassion was called for upon the nation at that very hour.
In Midrash Shocher Tov, our Sages state: "He has made a memorial for His wonders" - everything the Holy One, blessed be He, does for the righteous in this world is as nothing; rather, it is merely a memorial He makes for them. But when He acts in the World to Come - "and His righteousness endures forever," "Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness." That is to say, we should not think that if a righteous person received something here, he has already received his full reward. The Midrash tells you: no. It is merely a memorial, a mere foretaste of the "pleasantness at Your right hand forever." Do not think that anything will be deducted from his ultimate reward; rather, at that time he will see how, for all his righteousness, he will receive complete recompense.
טֶרֶף נָתַן לִירֵאָיו יִזְכֹּר לְעוֹלָם בְּרִיתוֹ׃ - He has given sustenance to those who fear Him; He will remember His covenant forever.
The Radak explains: The Holy One, blessed be He, gave the people of Israel their sustenance - their food, the wealth of Egypt, as it is written, "and they despoiled Egypt." "He remembers His covenant forever" - He remembered over a long duration the covenant He forged with Avraham Avinu at the Covenant Between the Parts, in which it was stated, "and afterward they shall go out with great wealth." This is the provision He gave to those who fear Him: that Israel went out with great wealth by virtue of the covenant.
The Metzudas David applies this to the generation of the wilderness: "He gave provision to those who fear Him" - this refers to the manna, for Hashem provided them their allotted bread and gave them their food. "He remembers His covenant forever" - He remembered the covenant He forged with Avraham to bring them into the Land, and included in bringing them into the Land was their sustenance in the wilderness.
The Malbim explains that the ultimate purpose of the wonders Hashem performed for our ancestors was for them to arrive in the Land, where they would have ample sustenance and be able to engage in Torah study, each man under his vine and under his fig tree. Sustenance is called teref, invoking the metaphor of a lion that preys and devours; here, the meaning is that they devoured the nations - in the language of the verse, "And you shall devour all the peoples that Hashem your God gives you," an expression of eating and consuming prey. Just as plant life serves as nourishment for animal life, and animal life serves as nourishment for speaking beings (man), so were the idolaters prepared to serve as nourishment for those who ascended to a lofty level elevated above their kind.
That is to say, there are four levels in creation - inanimate, vegetative, animal, and speaking - and in truth there is a fifth level: within the speaking realm itself stands the Jew, as the author of Sefer HaKuzari writes, that the Jew is a fifth category, a distinct realm and an entity unto himself. It has already been discussed on another occasion how one can recognize that they are indeed a category of their own. And the role of all the nations is to be of aid and assistance to the Jewish people.
It has already been elaborated in previous talks how this was Eisav's destiny in the eyes of Yitzchak, which is why he drew him close: "for game was in his mouth," because he ate of his hunt. One might ask - was Yitzchak really interested in steaks, and was that why he drew Eisav close? Rather, he saw him fulfilling his destiny, for the purpose of the gentile in the world is to be a help, support, and aid to the Jewish people so that they may fulfill the will of their Creator. "Strangers shall stand and pasture your flocks" is not meant to apply only in the Future to Come; it is simply that today the gentile does not understand his purpose, so only when we reach the complete Redemption will he understand his role. Then "ten men... shall take hold of the corner of a Jewish man's garment, saying, 'Let us go with you'" - they will plead; "Strangers shall stand and pasture your flocks"; "Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers; they shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth." Today the gentile thinks he is the primary focus and we are secondary; when he understands his place in the world, he will realize he was created to serve the Jewish people.
But when does this occur? Regarding this, the verse says, "He remembers His covenant forever" - when we remember the covenant. If we do not remember the covenant, the nations rebel against us, just as we see today that the entire world rebels against us. The gentile says: "My entire purpose in serving you is so that you serve Hashem; if you do not serve Hashem, why should I be your servant? I will be the master." This is precisely how animals rebel against man - because man does not fulfill his purpose. Had he fulfilled his purpose, they would submit to his authority; but since he does not fulfill it, the animal says: "Why should I obey you? I at least do the will of my Creator, whereas you do not do the will of your Creator." Likewise, the gentile says: "I have seven Noahide commandments and I observe them, while you do not observe that which you are obligated in - so why should I be subservient to you?"
It turns out that the Holy One, blessed be He, gives provision to those who fear Him - to those who revere Him and remember the covenant. Had we remembered the covenant, the nations would support us and provide for us; they would be our shepherds, our farmers, and our builders, while we would sit and engage in Torah study in tranquility. And what we see today, that the nations hold their heads high and refuse to accept our authority - it all stems from our failure to remember the covenant. Therefore, we must strengthen ourselves in the fear of Hashem, in the study of Torah, and in the observance of the mitzvos, and then we will merit all the blessings that the Holy One, blessed be He, promised us, and the complete Redemption speedily in our days, Amen.
The Malbim adds: Through this, "He remembers His covenant forever" - this refers to the covenant the Holy One, blessed be He, forged with the Patriarchs to give them the Land of Israel. For by our arriving in the Land and conquering the nations, Hashem fulfills His promise to the holy Patriarchs to give them the Land. There are parallel expressions later in the verses: In what way did the Holy One, blessed be He, remember His covenant? In that He fulfilled the promise to Avraham "to give them the heritage of the nations."
It is told of Rav Eliyahu Lopian that during his final twenty years here in Eretz Yisrael, he was renowned as the Mashgiach of Yeshivas Kfar Chasidim, but in his youth he headed a yeshivah ketanah in the town of Kelm. The financial situation of the yeshivah was extremely dire, and he was forced to take up the wanderer's staff and go door to door among donors to keep it afloat, a burden that weighed heavily upon him. It is known that he was a holy man of God; it is famous that the dibbuk in Radin said of him that he possessed a "holy mouth" - when they asked the dibbuk what was said in Heaven about various individuals, it said that of Rav Eliyahu Lopian it is said that he is a "holy mouth," though he was then still a young avreich; and of the Chafetz Chaim it said that his soul was like that of a lesser Tanna, such that had he lived in the Tannaitic era, he would have been a Tanna. It is likewise well known that Rav Eliyahu Lopian merited a revelation of Eliyahu HaNavi.
Rav Eliyahu Lopian turned to the Chafetz Chaim and asked: "Rebbi, why do I need this? I maintain a yeshivah; I want to deliver shiurim and advance the students spiritually - and instead, I must take up the wanderer's staff, travel from place to place, knock on the doors of benefactors, and beg for another dollar and another dollar just to keep the yeshivah open?"
The Chofetz Chaim said to him: The verse in Tehillim says, "He gave food [teref] to those who fear Him; He will remember His covenant forever," and our Sages expound - "He gave turmoil [tiruf] to those who fear Him in this world." The word teref has a double meaning: it denotes sustenance, and it also denotes turmoil - restlessness, like beaten, scrambled eggs (beitzim terufot), or like a ship tossed about in the sea (terufah bayam). The Holy One, blessed be He, gave those who fear Him restlessness, confusion, and a lack of peace. And the Chofetz Chaim asks: Why is this really so? Is this what the Holy One, blessed be He, gives to those who fear Him?
He said to him: Consider this. This restlessness is precisely what you are experiencing - you cannot sit and delve into the Torah as you desire, but must run around and endure humiliation at the doorways of donors. And why this turmoil? After all, if the Holy One, blessed be He, wished, He could sustain the yeshivos with ease; there are several wealthy magnates who could support the entire Torah world - and the Chofetz Chaim even listed their names, so-and-so and so-and-so - could they not support the Torah world comfortably? If so, why did "He give turmoil to those who fear Him"? Why must those who fear Him be tossed about on the roads and run from place to place?
Rather, this is the explanation: Our Sages say that Rabbi Elazar said: The unlearned (amei ha'aretz) do not live in the World to Come and do not rise at the resurrection of the dead, as it is stated, "For Your dew is like the dew of light" - whoever utilizes the light of Torah, the light of Torah revives him; and whoever does not utilize the light of Torah, the light of Torah does not revive him. To merit the resurrection of the dead, there is only one thing: "the dew of light," and light is Torah. Whoever has a connection to Torah will rise at the resurrection of the dead, and whoever does not, will not.
The Gemara relates: Reish Lakish expounded this way, and Rabbi Yochanan said to him - it brings no satisfaction before the Holy One, blessed be He, that you speak thus, excluding so many people from the resurrection of the dead. He replied to him: I have found a remedy for them from the Torah: "And you who cleave to the Lord your God are alive, every one of you, this day." Is it possible to cleave to the Shechinah? Rather, whoever marries his daughter to a Torah scholar, conducts business on behalf of a Torah scholar, or benefits a Torah scholar from his property - Scripture accounts it to him as if he cleaved to the Shechinah. In simple words: it is true that to merit resurrection one must have Torah, but even if you did not engage in Torah study yourself - if you supported Torah, that suffices. If you married your daughter to a Torah scholar, conducted business for a Torah scholar, maintained yeshivos, and contributed funds to places of Torah, about you it is said: "And you who cleave to the Lord your God are alive, every one of you, this day." Even if you merely attached yourself, sitting in the shadow of wisdom and in the shadow of wealth - one who cleaves to the Tree of Life becomes part of the holy Torah. Thus, a connection to Torah is indispensable.
Said the Chofetz Chaim to him: And what will those people do who have no such connection? A working man who starts his day, at best, with Shacharis and ends it with Maariv, and that is all - he has no further connection to Torah. He observes the mitzvos, fine, but he has no bond with Torah. Through what will they merit? What, then, does the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He brings about a situation where the holy yeshivos find themselves in dire financial straits, struggling to survive, and the donors do not maintain them easily.
And it is written that when the angel wrestled with Yaakov Avinu, he struck him in the hollow of his thigh at the sciatic nerve. The holy Zohar explains: "These are the supporters of the Torah" - where could he overcome him? Only in those supporters of Torah. He could not harm the Torah itself - the yeshivos continue to grow and develop, and he has no power to stop them; but he can strike at the supporters of Torah. That is why a rosh yeshivah must spit blood, as it were, to succeed in maintaining his yeshivah. And this entire reality in which Hashem throws those who fear Him into turmoil, leaving them to run from place to place to sustain the yeshivos - what is its reason? The Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to grant merit to those unlearned individuals who have no connection to Torah.
For a rosh yeshivah arrives at a synagogue to fundraise, and they invite him to speak. He delivers a twenty-minute shiur and then speaks to them about the importance of supporting Torah, and they donate and contribute. He then moves from synagogue to synagogue in this manner. It turns out that all these people have merited Torah; they all gained a connection and now have the means to rise at the resurrection of the dead. The Holy One, blessed be He, has compassion on those people, and therefore orchestrated that the sustenance of the yeshivos should come with difficulty, so that the roshei yeshivah would make the rounds from door to door, reach the wealthy donor, and share words of Torah with him.
And Rav Klogeniski remarked: More than once I came to fundraise from wealthy men, and I would share a d'var Torah - and he would answer me with a d'var Torah; I would share another d'var Torah - and he would answer with another d'var Torah. So I said to him: I am not speaking words of Torah with you so that you can reply with words of Torah; thank God, I have plenty of my own; I came so that you would open your pocket. And he further said: I think I am the person who has heard the most talks of inspiration and faith in the entire world. Why? Because every wealthy man I visit encourages me in faith: "The Holy One, blessed be He, will help; the Holy One, blessed be He, will provide in the end - just do not ask me." Instead of opening his pocket, he delivers a mussar discourse and words of encouragement in faith.
To return to the matter: the Chofetz Chaim said that this is the plain meaning of the verse. "He gave sustenance [teref] to those who fear Him" - teref signifies food, and teref signifies turmoil (tiruf). The Holy One, blessed be He, gave those who fear Him sustenance through what means? Through the turmoil He gave those who fear Him, requiring them to be tossed and turned through all manner of places to gather funds. And what is the purpose? "He will remember His covenant forever" - and covenant means nothing other than Torah, as it is stated, "If My covenant be not with day and night, I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth." Through this, people in the world remember His covenant and engage in Torah. Therefore, "He gave sustenance to those who fear Him," and through this all the rest will contemplate Torah, hear words of Torah, receive words of encouragement, and they too will have a share in the World to Come - "He will remember His covenant forever."
The psalm guides us through two dimensions of Hashem's governance: "Splendor and majesty is His work" - the outward majesty visible to our senses, and the inward splendor of hidden forces; and "His righteousness endures forever" - the constant natural providence that does not depend on the merit of created beings. Facing this is "He has made a memorial for His wonders": miracles that occur specifically at intervals, so that we remember there is a Ruler Who created the world and possesses the power to alter it; thus they are not constant, lest they too be perceived as nature. Moreover, all that the righteous receive in this world is merely a memorial and a foretaste, while their complete reward is preserved for the World to Come. Finally, "He gave food to those who fear Him": the nations were designated to provide sustenance and support for the Jewish people so that we may sit and engage in Torah, but this is conditioned upon remembering the covenant; and in the homiletic exposition of the Chofetz Chaim - He gave "turmoil" (tiruf) to those who fear Him, as roshei yeshivah wander and labor, and all this wandering is aimed at bringing merit to those far from Torah and binding them to it: "He will remember His covenant forever" - and covenant means nothing other than Torah.