Introduction: Between the Idols of the Nations and Trust in Hashem
In this section of the psalm, the text continues its description of the helplessness of the nations' idols, and from there transitions to the great call: "Israel, trust in Hashem." We will examine the verses in order, with the commentary of the Malbim and the classic commentators, alongside the homiletical and ethical lessons that emerge from them.
Verse 5: "They Have a Mouth, but Cannot Speak" - Form Without Spirit
פֶּה־לָהֶם וְלֹא יְדַבֵּרוּ עֵינַיִם לָהֶם וְלֹא יִרְאוּ׃ - They have a mouth, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see.
Radak explains: they would fashion the idols in human form to suggest that this was an entity of power. Yet the most essential element is missing. You can sculpt the external shape, but you cannot instill spirit into them: a mouth that speaks, eyes that see, ears that hear - that is beyond human power.
This brings to mind a story about a thief who was caught in a church and brought to trial. They asked him: "How could you do such a thing?" He said to them: "I will tell you the truth; I did not enter to steal or take anything. I stood before the icon, turned to that man, and said to him: 'Look at my plight, look at the poverty I live in, how much I suffer.' Then he opened his eyes and said to me: 'Indeed, your situation is very dire. Please go to the box at the side, there are a few pieces of jewelry there, take them, and this will grant you some relief.' And so I did." Now, who could tell him: "What nonsense are you talking? Since when does it speak? There is no spirit of life in it!" No one could say that - they were forced to remain silent.
The Human Form - Speech; The Animal Form - Movement
The Malbim explains: "They have a mouth, but cannot speak" - this is a deficiency in terms of form, namely the human form. How does the human form express itself? Through speech. And what is the form of an animal? Movement and sensation. Movement is the defining characteristic of an animal; whereas with a human being, even if one is completely paralyzed, as long as one possesses the power of speech - that alone suffices for us to recognize a human being, and even an exalted one.
In his time, there was Stephen Hawking, a world-renowned scientist who suffered from motor neuron disease to the point where the only thing he could move was his pupils, and through them he would communicate. They built a special computer program for him so that with the movement of his pupils he could write, and that was how he communicated, with many scientific discoveries credited to his name. One of the things he wrote and spoke about was that the universe began with a big bang. Previously, people thought the universe formed gradually, whereas he showed that the universe came into being in a single moment. Consider what an immense step forward toward the Torah this is: "In the beginning Elokim created the heavens and the earth" - the world was created in a single moment, not gradually. You call it a "Big Bang" - fine, slowly they will learn the true terminology and understand.
After all, people once believed that the universe was eternal, having existed forever. Anyone who reads ancient science and philosophy will see they were certain the world was primordial, without a beginning. It took time, but they eventually recognized that the world began at a specific point in time; it took more time, and they recognized that it began in a single instant rather than gradually; and it will take a little more time until they also recognize that the world has a Creator. One must understand the pace of their comprehension and not rush them - we see they are making progress, and we are in no rush.
To return to our subject: the essence of man is his capacity for communication. What is one called who lacks the ability to communicate? A shoteh (an incompetent or halakhically unaccountable person). Who is considered a shoteh in this sense? A deaf-mute from birth, who lacked communication, and was therefore considered lacking halakhic competence. Today we are able to educate and develop deaf-mutes, but in their time such a person was considered completely cut off. The superiority of man is a ruach memalela, a speaking spirit, his power of speech. From this it follows: idols possess neither the human form nor the animal form. They lack speech - "they have a mouth, but cannot speak"; and they do not even possess the senses of animals: animals see - but for them, "they have eyes, but cannot see"; animals hear - but for them, "they have ears, but cannot hear." They do not possess even the basic faculties that animals have.
A Homiletical Insight: "Their Idols Are Silver and Gold" - The Sorrow of Chasing Wealth
The book Otzrot HaAggadah cites a homiletical interpretation of these verses. Our Sages state, "He who increases possessions increases worry." A person who invests all his toil in this world is in a state of perpetual sorrow, because all worldly pursuits and the investment in them originate from a curse: "By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread." He is simply beautifying the curse - he is not satisfied with a modest curse, but wants an abundance of sweat in order to eat bread, and thus draws himself deeper into the curse.
A person immersed in work also loses connection with those around him. He has no time for his wife, his children, his family, his parents - for anything, because he is constantly occupied with acquiring something more. An incident illustrates this reality: a young couple once went to visit a friend who had recently married. Her husband was a scribe of sacred texts (sofer STa"M), and right when they arrived, he was sitting and writing before greeting his guests. The visiting husband felt the entire time as though bills were being burned before the scribe's eyes: an unfamiliar guest was sitting there, forcing him to waste his time, whereas during that time he could have been writing and earning. The visitors made sure to cut the visit short; there is no reason to distress a person, and certainly not to cause him financial loss. But this is the reality in which people sometimes find themselves - having no time for anything, not even for one's family, because one is consumed with making money.
A touching video produced in America once depicted this: a man working as an investment advisor leaves home early in the morning and returns late at night. His child pleads with him to spend time with him, opens his piggy bank, pulls out a few dollars, and says: "Dad, I want you to spend some time with me too; here is money." In other words: you are busy making money - I will also give you money, just spend a little time with me. It was made in a deeply moving way, showing how a person can live hounded by material pursuit to the point that perhaps only if he is paid will he find time for his loved ones: "Schedule an appointment; I have a calendar."
And this is the meaning of "Atzabeihem kesef vezahav" - their idols are silver and gold: the sorrow (atzvut) a person experiences comes from silver and gold. The pursuit of materiality and worldliness causes him sadness, marital discord, and problems with his family and children. "The work of human hands" - this stems from Adam HaRishon, who was cursed: "By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread." Regarding this, the verse continues: "They have a mouth, but cannot speak; eyes, but cannot see; ears, but cannot hear" - referring to those immersed in work, known today as workaholics. They have a mouth, but have no time to speak with their wife and children; they have eyes, but do not even manage to see them (perhaps today they see them on a video call). Such a person lives in a parallel reality, completely detached from how the Torah wants him to live: that a person should have a wife, have children, and have time for them.
The Brisker Rav would dedicate much of his time to teaching his children Torah, saying that this is the intent of the Torah's command, "And you shall teach them diligently to your children" - it is an obligation upon a father to teach his children Torah. A person must devote time to his home, to his wife, and to his children. But one who is totally consumed by "their idols are silver and gold" inevitably ends up with "a mouth, but cannot speak; eyes, but cannot see" - he has no time to see even those closest to him.
This, unfortunately, is modern slavery. High-tech employees are often described as modern slaves: stay stuck in the office, arrive early in the morning - want to exercise? There is a gym. A swimming pool? There is a pool. A restaurant? There is one too. There is an important project, and he arrives home at midnight. These people work for very lucrative salaries, but nothing is left outside of that. What do you live for? For work. That is the purpose. Usually, they do not stay married for long and do not maintain ties with their surroundings, because one gets sucked in: there is a project that must be finished by a deadline, and millions, sometimes billions, are at stake. For how much was Waze sold? A billion dollars. So everyone is driven relentlessly, there are bonuses and incentives - these are the modern slaves, slaves to time and money, as the saying goes, "time is money."
"I See God and He Does Not See Me"
The book Otzrot HaAggadah cites another incident: an apostate was asked what had changed for him since he was Jewish until he converted to Christianity. He told them: "I live in an inverted world. When I was a Jew, I did not see God, but God saw me. Today, as a Christian, I see God, but He does not see me." He sees the crucifix, but no one sees him. What a profound contrast!
A story is told of a man who was looking for a place to put on tefillin. He looked right and left and could not find a quiet spot on the street - in Europe, doing so was mortal danger. He saw a church, peeked inside, saw that it was quiet, and entered. He began putting on tefillin and praying, when suddenly he noticed people gathering for their service. He sat in a corner, and after everyone had entered and the priest delivered his sermon, the priest noticed someone sitting there wearing tefillin. He announced: "I request that anyone who is Jewish here leave." The story goes that the Jew stood up, took his tefillin bag, walked up to the picture of that man hanging at the entrance, lifted it, and said: "Come, Jesus, they don't want us here."
"They Utter No Sound with Their Throat" - Suffering and Neglect of Torah
An additional homiletical explanation is offered: Our Sages teach that if a person sees that suffering has befallen him, he should examine his deeds; if he examined them and found nothing, he should attribute it to neglect of Torah (bittul Torah). In the simple understanding, the meaning is that neglect of Torah is judged with utmost scrutiny, and perhaps that is his sin. Another explanation has also been suggested: "He should attribute it to neglect of Torah" refers not to the suffering, but to the fact that he found nothing! Had you learned a little more, you would have found many sins within yourself. You examined and found nothing because you did not learn Torah; study a little, and you will realize how much you are lacking.
According to this: "They have a mouth, but cannot speak; eyes, but cannot see" - when suffering befalls a person, he suffers in his mouth, developing sores or illness and cannot speak, or suffers in his eyes. And all of this is because "they utter no sound with their throat (lo yehgu begronam)" - recalling "and you shall meditate (vehagita) upon it day and night." For our Sages teach: If one feels pain in his head, let him engage in Torah; if he feels pain in his throat, let him engage in Torah; if he feels pain in his entire body, let him engage in Torah, as it is stated, "and healing to all his flesh." Had they meditated with their throat, they would not have reached this state; but because they did not meditate on the Torah, suffering comes upon a person.
They tell of a yeshivah mashgiach who noticed that a student had not arrived for the study seder. He went to look for him in the dormitory and found him in bed. He asked him: "What happened?" The student replied: "Rebbe, I have a headache." The mashgiach said to him: "Doesn't Chazal state that one who feels pain in his head should engage in Torah?" The student answered: "There is an ancient ban against healing oneself with remedies mentioned in the Talmud, as recorded in the sefarim - and this is a remedy recorded in the Talmud..."
Pasuk 7: The Vilna Gaon's Insight - Why "Their Hands" and Not "Hands They Have"
יְדֵיהֶם וְלֹא יְמִישׁוּן רַגְלֵיהֶם וְלֹא יְהַלֵּכוּ לֹא־יֶהְגּוּ בִּגְרוֹנָם׃ - Their hands, yet they cannot feel; their feet, yet they cannot walk; they do not utter a sound with their throat.
In the sefer Yalkut Peninim, an insight is cited in the name of the Vilna Gaon: You have surely noticed the shift in phrasing. Regarding the mouth, eyes, ears, and nose, the text says, "A mouth they have," "Eyes they have," "Ears they have," "A nose they have"; whereas regarding the hands and feet, it says "Their hands," "Their feet," and not "Hands they have" or "Feet they have." The Vilna Gaon explains this based on the teaching of Chazal: One who finds fragments of idols - they are permitted. If someone finds an idol that was broken, he may take the fragments - for example, if it is made of silver, he may sell them - because a shattered idol loses its status as an idol. However, if one finds the form of a hand or the form of a foot, these are forbidden, because objects of that kind were worshipped on their own: people would also worship the isolated form of a hand or a foot. It turns out that a hand or a foot is not considered merely "fragments of idols," but is an idol in its own right.
Accordingly, regarding the mouth, eyes, ears, and nose, the verse says "they have," because these parts are not forbidden in their own right, but only when attached to the idol - "a mouth they have," meaning that when the mouth is connected to them, the status of an idol rests upon it. But regarding hands and feet, which are considered idols even on their own, even when not connected to a complete body, the verse says "their hands," "their feet" - defining them in their own right. And "the words of a wise man's mouth are gracious" - a truly marvelous insight.
Eyes and Ears - To Whom Do They Belong?
It is further taught: "Eyes they have, and they do not see" - if a person uses his eyes only for himself, to satisfy his own desires, then inevitably "and they do not see" - he cannot perceive the glory of Hashem. "Ears they have, and they do not hear" - he does not hear the word of Hashem. A person must ensure that his ears are not merely "theirs," directed toward self-gratification, but turned toward Him, Blessed be He: constantly inclined to hear words of Torah, words of mussar, and holy matters, rather than vanity and nonsense.
And this is not even speaking of those who spend the entire day consumed by news and demanding immediate updates. Why does a person need a phone alert every two minutes, a breaking bulletin from the newsroom? Live a tranquil life! Someone recently discussed this issue - how essential it is to disconnect from all these foolish distractions - and mentioned that a relative of his arrived from abroad and immediately installed the red alert siren app. He kept calling frantically: "A rocket just landed here, are you all right? There's a siren now, how are things over there?" They finally told him: "My friend, you just arrived from abroad, but we didn't start living here yesterday. We're already used to this - let us sleep." A person subjects himself to constant stress. Don't you want a peaceful life? Don't you want to sleep undisturbed? One who distances himself from looking at nonsense merits seeing Hashem, Blessed be He; one who keeps his ears from listening to nonsense merits hearing the voice of Hashem speaking, and through this, one merits drawing close to Him, Blessed be He.
Pasuk 6: The Five Senses and a Double Flaw
אׇזְנַיִם לָהֶם וְלֹא יִשְׁמָעוּ אַף לָהֶם וְלֹא יְרִיחוּן׃ - Ears they have, but they cannot hear; a nose they have, but they cannot smell.
The Radak explains that the verse mentions the five perceptions, the five senses: they possess the physical forms, yet they perceive nothing through them. The idol is fashioned, as it were, in the shape of a human being - hands, feet, eyes - but there is no spirit within it, and it feels nothing at all.
The Malbim emphasizes an additional point: "Ears they have, and they do not hear," and corresponding to the sense of smell, "a nose they have, and they do not smell," and similarly with all of them - "a mouth they have," "eyes they have." The very fact that it requires these physical instruments - a mouth and an eye, an ear and a nose - is already a deficiency in the true definition of divinity. Does God require corporeal eyes or corporeal ears? And if it does possess them, it should at least see and hear with them, yet it cannot even do that. It turns out that the deficiency here is twofold.
And corresponding to the sense of touch: "Their hands - but they do not touch; their feet - but they do not walk" - they do not even use the organs of movement; the feet do not walk and the hands do not feel. "They utter no sound with their throat" - the Malbim explains that uttering a sound (hagiyyah) is midway between speech and thought: speech is brought outward, thought remains entirely inside, and murmuring is that faint chirp midway between speech and silence. That is to say, they do not possess even inner speech, not even a quiet whisper in secret. And so explains the Radak: this refers to even the slightest sound - not in the sense of logic, but from the root of vocalizing (hogeih); they cannot produce even a chirp from their throat, as in "I murmur like a dove."
Pasuk 8: Like Them Shall Their Makers Be
כְּמוֹהֶם יִהְיוּ עֹשֵׂיהֶם כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־בֹּטֵחַ בָּהֶם׃ - "Like them shall their makers be, all who trust in them."
The Radak explains that this is expressed as a prayer: Master of the Universe, may all those who crafted these idols become like them, and may anyone who trusts in them also become like them - possessing eyes but unable to see, ears but unable to hear, becoming just like the god he made for himself. The Metzudas David explains that it is phrased as a curse: he curses them that they should become like them - unable to speak, see, or hear, and likewise all who trust in them.
The Malbim adds the perspective of purpose: Why did you construct an idol? In order to derive favor from it, so that it would fulfill your requests and aspirations. Regarding this the verse states, "Like them shall their makers be" - both the makers and those who put their trust in them: you will not see and you will not hear; not only will you gain no salvation from them, but you will also suffer harm as a consequence of what you have done.
The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh notes: Regarding the Divine, it says, "Through God we shall achieve valor," and Chazal taught that when a person fulfills God's will and observes His mitzvos, "I consider it as if he made Me." Just as it is in holiness, so it is in the realm of the kelipah (spiritual impurity): when a person makes an idol, he connects himself to it through that act and becomes like it - blind like it and deaf like it.
The Sfas Emes elaborates: In everything there is a spark of life from holiness. However, when the wicked person trusts in idolatry and vanity, he strips holiness away from himself entirely and becomes like the idol - a piece of husk and defilement. The power of holiness departs from him, physicality covers over inwardness and spirituality, and he is considered dead even while alive. The reverse is also true: just as one who trusts in idolatry separates himself from holiness, one who trusts in Hashem separates himself from the kelipah, sheds his earthliness and physicality, and cleaves to spirituality. This is the meaning of "and Hashem was his trust" - he merits connecting to Divinity, "like Him shall His makers be": one who "makes" the Holy One, blessed be He, by fulfilling His mitzvos and doing His will merits cleaving to Divinity itself, just as the idolater cleaves to idolatry and becomes like it.
Pasuk 9: Israel, Trust in Hashem
יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּטַח בַּיהֹוָה עֶזְרָם וּמָגִנָּם הוּא׃ - "Israel, trust in Hashem; their help and their shield is He."
The Radak explains: You, the nation of Israel, do not be like the nations; rather, trust in Hashem and not in idols. Look and see that across all generations and throughout history, "their help and their shield is He" - Hashem has helped and protected the Jewish people. This verse serves as an overarching headline, after which the text proceeds to detail: the House of Aharon, those who fear Hashem.
The Malbim explains: "Israel, trust in Hashem" - even though "our God is in the heavens," and seemingly the idolater has an advantage over us in that he sees his god, and it is far easier to serve someone you can see. Nevertheless, Israel trusts in Hashem even without seeing Him, and to a greater extent than the gentile trusts in his god. Why? "Their help and their shield is He" - there is protection to rescue them from distress, and there is help to subjugate the enemies that rise against them. These are facts, not mere theory: the Jewish people have tangible proof on the ground that the Holy One, blessed be He, is their help and their shield.
With every war, the question resurfaces whether the assurance of the Chazon Ish, and subsequently of Rav Chaim Kanievsky, that missiles would not fall in Bnei Brak, remains in effect, and whether it applies to other places of Torah as well - Kiryat Sefer, Beitar Illit, Elad, and all places where God-fearing people reside. Rav Zilberstein explained that in truth this applies to any place of Torah, not exclusively to specific cities, and this is likewise cited in the name of Rav Chaim Kanievsky: a place where there is Torah and acts of loving-kindness protects and saves. To this it can be added: there is no basis for question here at all, for the facts speak for themselves. If to this day not a single missile has fallen in Bnei Brak, the facts prove that it holds true, so what room is there for doubt?
And so it is in general: there is no natural explanation for the eternal survival of the Jewish people. Historians stand dumbfounded. What logic is there in the fact that such a tiny nation, persecuted throughout most of its existence, without a land and without a state, scattered among the nations - and even today, when it possesses a land and a state, most of it still does not live in its land - nevertheless survives? Leo Tolstoy, the Russian writer, observed that there is some primordial decree here; there is simply no natural explanation. There is no logic to it, when we look at nations throughout history that proudly carried the torch and were consumed by their own torch, as he put it, while the Jewish nation still exists, alive and breathing, and not as some marginal nation either: there is hardly a news broadcast that does not mention Israel, even in peacetime. We are the most influential nation in the world in every respect - banking, startups, innovation, defense industries, finance. Is there any natural explanation for this? "He is their help and their shield." History proves that the Holy One, blessed be He, has aided and shielded the Jewish people, and therefore we truly have every reason to trust in Hashem.
Kol Eliyahu: "If It Is So for Those Who Transgress His Will"
In the sefer Kol Eliyahu, this verse is explained based on the well-known story in the Gemara: Rabban Gamliel, Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah, Rabbi Yehoshua, and Rabbi Akiva were walking along the road. They heard the bustling roar of Rome from a distance of one hundred and twenty mil; the others began to weep, while Rabbi Akiva laughed. They asked him, "Why are you laughing?" He said to them, "And why are you weeping?" They answered him, "These idolaters who bow to idols and burn incense to false gods dwell in peace and tranquility, while we - the House of the footstool of our God is consumed by fire, and should we not weep?" He said to them, "That is precisely why I am laughing; if it is so for those who transgress His will, all the more so for those who fulfill His will!"
This aligns with what we explained earlier regarding the verse, "You have placed gladness in my heart, from the time their grain and their wine increased." What cause is there to rejoice when the grain and wine of the nations increase? A parable is given, attributed to the Dubno Maggid, of a man walking toward a wedding hall. From afar, he saw dogs emerging from the banquet hall holding prime steaks, cutlets, and chicken in their jaws. He began to rejoice and dance. People asked him, "Why are you so thrilled?" He answered them, "Just think: if this is what the dogs received, what are we going to receive soon?" So it is: "You have placed gladness in my heart, from the time their grain and their wine increased" - I rejoice, because if this is what Hashem gives to those who transgress His will, what will He give to those who fulfill His will?
In a similar vein, our verse can be explained: "O Israel, trust in Hashem; He is their help and their shield" - you, Israel, trust in Hashem, for you see that He is a help and a shield even to the nations of the world. And if Hashem protects the nations, how much more so for us, about whom it is said, "You are children to Hashem your God," that the Holy One, blessed be He, will surely protect and preserve us! If it is so for those who transgress His will, all the more so for those who fulfill His will - and in this, we certainly have every reason to rely upon and trust in Hashem.
Verse 10: The House of Aaron - The Greater the Trust
בֵּית אַהֲרֹן בִּטְחוּ בַיהֹוָה עֶזְרָם וּמָגִנָּם הוּא׃ - House of Aaron, trust in Hashem; He is their help and their shield.
After mentioning Israel, he mentions His sanctified ones. Ibn Ezra explains that the "House of Aaron" refers to the sanctified ones among the Jewish people, the kohanim. Radak adds that they are close to Hashem and continually stand before Him, and to them he says, "Trust in Hashem" - since you are close to Him in your service, laboring and ministering before Him, you have even greater reason to trust in Hashem.
The Malbim explains a fundamental principle: the greater one's bitachon and the higher the stature of the one who trusts, the greater the divine help and protection will be. As explored at length in the shiurim on Chovot HaLevavot: the more completely a person relies upon the Holy One, blessed be He, the more Hashem shields and protects him. Conversely, the more self-reliant a person feels, turning to Hashem only minimally or in situations he cannot manage on his own, the Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: "Go to the one you rely upon" - He leaves him in the hands of whatever he trusts in. But when a person places his trust in Hashem, the Holy One, blessed be He, as it were, says: "I must assume responsibility for you, for you have placed your trust and reliance in Me."
Therefore, the House of Aaron possesses a higher stature and a greater degree of bitachon. First, because they are sanctified unto Hashem from among the people, being the kohanim; and furthermore, they are those of whom it is written, "For the lips of the kohen shall safeguard knowledge, and they shall seek Torah from his mouth, for he is an angel of the Lord of Hosts." They are closer to Hashem in their service and their righteousness; they do not toil in daily worldly labor nor do they go out to cultivate fields, but instead receive the twenty-four gifts of the priesthood so that they may be free around the clock for the service of Hashem. Consequently, they are closer to Hashem, blessed be He, and thus "He is their help and their shield" in a far more individual, providential manner than for the general House of Israel.
Yet the stature of those who fear Hashem is even greater than that of the House of Aaron. Why? Because the House of Aaron serves Hashem by virtue of having been chosen by Him, whereas one who fears Hashem might be an ordinary person, yet he personally chose to serve Hashem. He was not born into it or chosen by lineage; rather, he chose this path of his own accord. Therefore, their choice of holiness is far more profound, and divine assistance is granted to them in even greater measure, for the more a person trusts in Hashem and clings to Him, the more siyata d'Shemaya he merits.
Verse 11: Who Are Those Who Fear Hashem?
יִרְאֵי יְהֹוָה בִּטְחוּ בַיהֹוָה עֶזְרָם וּמָגִנָּם הוּא׃ - You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield.
Who are "those who fear the Lord"? Rashi explains that this refers to converts. Metzudat David explains that this refers to the pious among the nations of the world, and similarly Radak - those who fear the Lord found within every nation. For initially the psalm addressed the House of Israel, then the Kohanim ("House of Aaron"), and if so, "those who fear the Lord" are neither from Israel nor from the Kohanim. According to Rashi, these are converts, and according to Radak, the righteous of every nation, like Iyov who was a righteous figure among the nations.
Incidentally, a "righteous gentile" (Chasid Umot HaOlam) is specifically one who observes the Seven Noahide Commandments because Hashem so commanded. But someone who refrains from stealing because it seems to him destructive to society, or does not consume meat out of vegetarianism - the Rambam writes that such a person is neither of the pious of the nations nor of their wise men. And what we see today, such as the "Forest of the Righteous Among the Nations" - this is not the halachic definition; a forest was planted in honor of those who aided and rescued Jews, and that is undoubtedly a tremendous merit for which they will receive a great reward in Heaven, but it is not the halachic definition of a Chasid Umot HaOlam who observes the Seven Noahide Commandments.
Today there are entire communities, at times congregations that broke away from the church and became observers of the Seven Noahide Commandments. They have a rabbi from whom they learn and receive guidance regarding their obligations, and in this manner they serve Hashem according to what is incumbent upon them. However, it is taught that today, even if they observe their commandments, they receive reward as one who is "not commanded yet performs," as it is stated: "He stood and released the nations" (Habakkuk 3:6). The Gemara asks: What did He release for them - can it be that one who fails to perform Hashem's commandments receives a reward? And it answers: It is not that He exempted them from the commandments, but rather that even if they do observe them, they receive reward only as one who is not commanded yet performs, because they originally abandoned the path of Hashem's commandments, and this was their penalty. At all events, one who fulfills these commandments receives the reward of one who is not commanded yet performs, which is still a reward. "Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are reckoned as dust on the balance" (Yeshayahu 40:15) - do you know what "dust on the balance" is? After weighing something, a trace of fine dust remains behind; does anyone bother to collect it? So it is with the nations.
The Radak offers an additional explanation: "Those who fear the Lord" are the sages who seclude themselves in the House of Hashem to learn, occupying themselves with wisdom to know Hashem, for through their wisdom they understand that there is none beside Him and that it is fitting to trust in Him. In other words, in addition to the explanation that it refers to those who fear Hashem among all the nations, he also applies this to the fearers of Hashem within the Jewish people - those who dedicate their very lives to the service of Hashem.
In summary:
The idols are fashioned in the form of man, yet they lack what is essential: neither the human form, which is speech, nor the animal form, which is sensation and movement. Furthermore, the very need of a deity for physical vessels is an inherent deficiency, and above all - it accomplishes nothing through them. "Those who make them shall be like them": one who cleaves to vanity becomes like it, dead while yet alive, just as one who cleaves to holiness becomes bound to the Divine. And by way of derash, we learned that one who chases after "their idols of silver and gold" likewise ends up with "a mouth, but they speak not," having no time for his wife and children. Against all this, the psalm calls out: "Israel, trust in the Lord" - and history and contemporary reality both demonstrate that "He is their help and their shield." And the greater the trust and the level of the one who trusts - in the House of Aaron and among those who fear the Lord - the greater the help and protection bestowed by Him, blessed be He.