Introduction: The Conclusion of the Letter Zayin
We are reaching the conclusion of the letter Zayin in Chapter 119, in the verses where King David describes his relationship with the Torah precisely during times of distress: how the Torah is consolation in poverty, how it is remembered at night, and how observing the precepts is what brought Divine providence upon him. Let us proceed through the verses in order.
"Your Statutes Have Been Songs to Me in the House of My Pilgrimage"
זְמִרוֹת הָיוּ־לִי חֻקֶּיךָ בְּבֵית מְגוּרָי׃ - Your statutes have been songs to me in the house of my pilgrimage.
"In the house of my pilgrimage" (b'veit megurai) - there are two ways to understand this: from the root of magor, fear and dread, referring to the places where I was terrified; or from the root of ger, a sojourner, meaning the places where I was in exile, living as a stranger. And in those very places - "Your statutes have been songs to me." The wicked brought grief to my heart, but whenever I remembered Your statutes, they became like songs to me; I delighted in them, and my joy was in the Torah.
זֹאת נֶחָמָתִי בְעׇנְיִי כִּי אִמְרָתְךָ חִיָּתְנִי׃ - This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has preserved me.
When a person finds himself in a difficult situation, his comfort and delight lie in the holy Torah. It is told of Rav Ovadia Yosef that on Erev Yom Kippur, he invited to his home a man who had recently been widowed, and began offering him words of solace. He told him: "Know that I, too, suffered a tremendous blow when the Rabbanit passed away, for the entire household relied upon her - 'he knew not ought he had with him' (cf. Bereishit 39:6), everything fell on Rabbanit Margalit." Once, Rabbanit Margalit was asked whether the Rav was meticulous not to open the refrigerator on Shabbat, or if he relied on the leniency he ruled allowing one to open it. She burst out laughing and said: "I cannot remember the last time he opened the refrigerator on a weekday, and you are asking about Shabbat? He is not involved with such matters at all." Everything was taken care of for him and brought to him.
The Rav continued and told the widower: "It was a terrible heartbreak for me, but 'this is my comfort in my affliction' - when I went through this crisis, I immersed myself even deeper in Torah, and through that I forgot all my troubles and distress. You, too - take upon yourself another Torah class, another chavrusa, more study, and through this you will rise above all the troubles and pain." This is "This is my comfort in my affliction": even in the most difficult situations, the Torah is what grants vitality and life.
Doeg - And His Torah from the Lips Outward
Songs are an expression of engaging in Torah with joy, and this is one of the things that can truly sever a person from his anxieties. After all, when someone is worried, it is exceedingly difficult to concentrate on his learning. It is said of Doeg the Edomite that "Doeg's Torah was only from the lips outward," and homiletically it is noted as a play on words: when a person is worried (do'eg), his Torah remains from the lips outward. He reads half a page, and suddenly finds himself at the bottom of the page without having any idea what he just read, because he was consumed by his wandering thoughts and anxieties. In another sense, the Torah of one who worries is merely "from the lips" because he is stressed (lachutz, literally "pressed outward"), and under such pressure, he does not even absorb what comes out of his mouth. Regarding this, David says: on the contrary, "Your statutes have been songs to me" - I sang the holy Torah with joy, until I forgot all my troubles and distress.
The Malbim's Explanation: Even the Chukim
The Malbim emphasizes that the novelty here lies in the word "Your statutes" (chukecha): even the statutes, which are the commandments that are less readily understood, those given without an explicit rationale - even they were like songs to me, and I studied them with joy in times of distress. Do not say that only concepts that are logically understood and grasped by the intellect bring joy; even Your statutes were like songs to me in the house of my pilgrimage.
The Gemara in Sotah: Why Was David Punished?
The Gemara in Masechet Sotah 35a states: Rava expounded, why was David punished? Because he referred to words of Torah as songs, as it is said, "Your statutes have been songs to me in the house of my dwelling." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Words of Torah, about which it is written, "Should you cast your eyes upon it, it is gone" - you call them songs? A song is something light, sung and hummed casually, whereas the Torah requires exactitude and proper depth of analysis, for in the blink of an eye a person forgets his Torah learning. He said to him: I will cause you to stumble in a matter that even schoolchildren know, as it is written, "But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, for the service of the holy things belonged to them; they bore them upon the shoulder" - yet he transported it on a wagon. Because there was an affront to words of Torah, David stumbled in a matter of Torah: instead of carrying the Ark on the shoulder, he placed it on a wagon - something known even to schoolchildren.
The Maharsha explains: A song is something a person sings only temporarily. No one sings continuously for twenty-four hours - one sings a little and then stops. But Torah study must be, "shall not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your seed... from henceforth and forever," and "you shall meditate therein day and night" - as our Sages said: Find an hour that is neither day nor night, and in it you may engage in Greek wisdom. When a person says, "Your statutes have been songs to me," it implies that he studies Torah only casually and intermittently, and that constitutes, as it were, a slight to the Torah.
"Zemirot" in the Sense of Pruning - Severing the Power of Impurity
It is also possible to explain *zemirot* in the sense of pruning (*zimur*). It is well known that we recite the *zemirot* (Pesukei D'Zimra) in the morning, and the Kabbalists explain that through this one cuts down tyrants - *zemirot* is related to the verse, "you shall not prune (*tizmor*) your vineyard." Through Torah study, we prune and sever the power of the *kelipah* and impurity that seeks to bring accusations against our prayer. This is the meaning of "Your statutes have been *zemirot* to me": through immersion in Torah, we cut down the power of impurity and the *kelipot* so that they cannot accuse us. In the same way, the enemies of Israel are pruned and cut down through the power of Torah. If one asks what the way is to overcome our enemies - it is not by drafting yeshivah students, but rather by having the yeshivot increase and strengthen their diligence in Torah study even more. This is the *zemirot* that prunes and eliminates the enemies.
The Sefer "Eil Tzvi": Learning with Melody and Memory
In the sefer *Eil Tzvi*, the verse is explained in light of the teaching of Chazal: Whoever reads Scripture without a pleasant tune or reviews the Mishnah without a chant, of him Scripture says, "Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live." A person who studies without song and chant, through dry reading - of him this was said. Tosafot explain there that they were accustomed to review the Mishnayot with a chant, and through this they remembered them better.
In connection with this, there is a very interesting explanation by the Tiferet Yisrael in his *Boaz* commentary on the Mishnah. We often find the Gemara stating, "The text is missing words, and this is how it should be taught" (*chasorei mechasra vehachi katani*) - meaning the wording of the Mishnah is incomplete and needs supplementation. He asks: If words are missing, why did they not simply correct the text? Likewise, in places where the sequence or wording seemingly required revision - why did they not correct it? He explains: because they were accustomed to study the Mishnayot set to a chant, and had they revised the wording, it would not have fit the melody, leading to confusion. Therefore, they preserved the wording exactly as it was, so that what was fluent in their mouths through song would be retained. We see this tangibly in life: when teaching children the names of the weekly Torah portions, one teaches them through song; when teaching them the English alphabet - A B C D E F G. When a person sings something, he remembers it.
According to this, the verse is explained: King David says, "Songs (*zemirot*)" - because I review my learning and repeat my studies in song, "Your statutes have been to me in the house of my dwelling (*megurai*)." Here *megurai* is related to *megurah*, a storehouse where grain is preserved, as it is written in Chaggai, "Is the seed yet in the barn (*bamegurah*)?" David says: By singing and chanting the Torah, it remains safely preserved within my storehouse, and I do not forget it.
"Yedi'ot HaTeva ShebaTalmud": The Power of Melody
In the sefer *Yedi'ot HaTeva ShebaTalmud*, the Gaon Rabbi Menachem Tzvi Taxin wonderfully explains Chazal's statement: "Whoever reads Scripture without a pleasant tune or reviews the Mishnah without a chant, of him Scripture says, 'Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live.'" He introduces this with a question: Merely because someone does not sing or chant, does he deserve "statutes that were not good" and "judgments whereby they should not live" - implying, Heaven forbid, death? What is the understanding here?
In connection with this, Rav Elyashiv was once asked whether there is a problem with learning Torah from a computer. He answered: There is certainly one clear issue - a person who learns from a computer does not articulate the words aloud. When studying, one must learn with a chant and articulate the words: "Abaye said," "Rava said" - "for they are life to those who find them (*lemotzeihem*)"; do not read *lemotzeihem*, but rather *lemotzi'eihem befeh*, "to those who articulate them with their mouth." Yet one who learns from a computer is rarely seen verbalizing in this way. This is a distinct disadvantage. Moreover, beyond the reality that the sacred printed letters impart wisdom, studies have found that what a person reads in print is retained far better than what is read on a screen. This is something readily felt in practice: when consulting software such as "Otzar HaChochmah," one notices that material studied there is remembered far less. A study reported in *Yated Ne'eman* affirmed that this is completely natural: researchers took groups of students who studied from computers and groups who studied from books - in general studies - and those who learned from the printed page retained the material far better. The explanation given was that approaching a computer inherently creates a sense of lightness, whereas approaching a book and the printed word instills a sense of gravity and seriousness; consequently, this change in mindset enables a person to remember much more.
Let us return to the question: Just because someone did not sing his study with a melody, does he deserve "judgments by which they shall not live"? The answer is magnificent. Look at the verse itself: Is that really the intended meaning of Scripture, that the Holy One, blessed be He, gave statutes that were not good and judgments by which they could not live? Of course not. Rather, the verse is phrased as an exclamation of wonder and disbelief: The Holy One, blessed be He, says, how could they corrupt their ways? How could they commit sins? Did I give them statutes that were not good? Judgments by which they should not live?! That is how it is meant - as a rhetorical question. Now, a person who says melody does not matter - how would he read this verse? "I also gave them statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live" - literally. Here is an example that demonstrates just how vital the melody is: if you do not chant it correctly, heaven forbid, you end up saying the Torah contains bad statutes and judgments. Therefore, we are told - learn with song, for then you will chant it properly, read such a verse with rhetorical wonder, and understand and interpret it correctly. But if you read it in a flat, monotone voice, like a robotic computer - you arrive at the exact opposite meaning.
A story is told of a synagogue warden (gabbai) who showed insolence toward the rabbi and spoke to him brazenly. The community leaders decided to put him in his place: he was to step up to the bimah on Shabbat morning before the Torah reading and apologize, or else be dismissed. Knowing he was quite a scorner, they dictated the exact wording to him so he could not play tricks: "I have sinned and transgressed against the rabbi; I must ask for forgiveness." He went up to the bimah and said, "I have sinned and transgressed against the rabbi? I must ask for forgiveness?" - and stepped down. He did not omit a single word or letter; the entire difference lay in the intonation. And conversely, there was once a teacher in a Talmud Torah who liked to administer collective punishment. When the students asked him, "Rebbe, 'shall one person sin, and You will be angry with the entire congregation?'", he would answer that the Torah has no question marks there - and he read it with an exclamation mark: "'One person sins, and You will be angry with the entire congregation!'"
"I remembered Your name at night, Hashem, and I kept Your Torah"
זָכַרְתִּי בַלַּיְלָה שִׁמְךָ יְהֹוָה וָאֶשְׁמְרָה תּוֹרָתֶךָ׃ - I remembered Your name at night, Hashem, and I kept Your Torah.
"Night" is always an expression denoting a time of distress and darkness: in difficult times, I remember Your name, Hashem. The Radak explains: when I awake at night from my sleep, I remember Your name and Your oneness and contemplate it - meditate upon it. And I know that guarding oneself against sin is what brings me to the knowledge of Your name; therefore, "and I kept Your Torah" - the language of "guarding" (shemirah) always refers to vigilance against negative commandments. I am constantly vigilant against transgression, so that through this I may attain closeness to Your Torah and Your mitzvot.
One could also say: the more one is attached to Hashem, may He be blessed, the greater his retention of Torah will be. The reason we fail to remember the Torah properly - beyond ordinary memory lapses - is due to our personal shortcomings, our sins, and imperfections in our divine service. This is the meaning of "I remembered Your name at night" - through what power? "And I kept Your Torah": because I safeguard Hashem's Torah and am meticulous with it as is fitting, through that I merit to remember.
The Malbim explains that the focal point here is Torah. As it is written, "I lay down and slept; I awoke" - on that night David was in grave danger due to the counsel of Achitophel, and the Holy One, blessed be He, thwarted his counsel, in answer to his plea: "O Hashem, please frustrate the counsel of Achitophel," and by virtue of this he was saved. David says: on that night I was delivered through "Your name, Hashem." And His blessed Name - when we speak of "the Name of Hashem," it refers to the essential Name, the Tetragrammaton (Y-H-V-H), whereas all other names are descriptive attributes: Elokim - the Almighty and Master of all power; Tzevaot - the One to Whom all hosts belong; Sha-dai - Who said to His world, "Enough," and so on. Thus: on that night, through the attribute of mercy represented by the Name Y-H-V-H, I was saved. "And I kept Your Torah" - and I know this was also in the merit of the Torah, for regarding the Torah it is taught that even when one is not actively engaged in it, it protects and saves; mitzvot protect only while one is performing them, but the Torah has the power to protect and save even when one is not actively studying it.
In the sefer Tehillot Maharit, it is explained: "Night" is an expression of exile and anguish. David says - even during a period of night, of exile and grief, it was not my personal anguish that preoccupied me, but the anguish of the Shechinah, the exile of the Shechinah, and the desecration of Hashem's Name (chilul Hashem). What troubled me was that His blessed Name was being desecrated: here is King David, a pious man - pursued; King David, a righteous man - suffering, and people will say there is no reward and punishment. "I remembered Your name at night, Hashem" - when a period of night fell upon me, the honor of Heaven preoccupied me, the sorrow of the Shechinah preoccupied me, and that was more important to me than anything else.
"This has been mine, because I kept Your precepts"
זֹאת הָיְתָה־לִּי כִּי פִקֻּדֶיךָ נָצָרְתִּי׃ - This has been mine, because I kept Your precepts.
Rashi cites the homily of Chazal: "This has been mine" - this Torah, which stands as a testimony for me and for my descendants who are worthy of kingship, because I kept Your precepts. The Radak explains: knowledge and divine providence are a gift from You, and why? "Because I kept Your precepts" - just as Chazal taught, the reward of a mitzvah is a mitzvah: I safeguard Your mitzvot, and in turn, You watch over me.
The Malbim explains that the focal point here is "precepts" (pikudim). "This has been mine" - by virtue of the fact that I kept Your precepts: the precepts, the commandments that Hashem deposits in His Torah, are what awaken wonders and individual divine providence. And "precepts," as we have explained, are the commandments in which a person is enjoined to remember specific historical events - such as the Pesach offering, to remember the Exodus from Egypt, and the eating of matzah in commemoration of the Exodus, and the like.
The sefer Otzrot HaAggadah explains this based on the words of Chazal, "An ignoramus cannot be sin-fearing, nor can an unlearned person be pious." A person cannot fulfill the Torah and mitzvot without learning and knowing what he is required to observe; only if one studies properly can he fulfill them properly. This is the meaning of "This became mine" - " 'This' refers to nothing other than Torah," as in "And this is the Torah." The merit of the Torah I learned caused that "I observed Your precepts": through engaging in Torah study, I know how to keep Hashem's commandments.
One could also suggest the reverse: when a person is merely "a donkey carrying books," he does not truly succeed in Torah, for he does not genuinely fulfill Hashem's commandments or perform His will; he merely amasses information. However, when a God-fearing person is meticulous with the mitzvot, it helps him remember and internalize the Torah. Thus, "This became mine" - why was my Torah study successful and why did I merit Torah? "Because I observed Your precepts": because I meticulously kept the mitzvot, and through this I succeeded in my Torah study as well. With this, we conclude the section of the letter Zayin.
In summary: In the section of Zayin, King David teaches us that the Torah is our source of vitality specifically in times of distress: "Your statutes have been songs to me in the house of my pilgrimage" - even the suprarational decrees became a song and delight for me in places of exile and fear, and "This is my comfort in my affliction" - Torah study is the consolation in times of crisis. We learned the Gemara's warning not to diminish the Torah by treating it like a fleeting song, and conversely, the tremendous power of zimrah: to prune away the spiritual husks and enemies, and to review and remember the Torah "in the house of my dwelling" - in my storehouse of memory, for learning with the proper melody also fosters correct understanding. "I remembered Your Name at night, Hashem" - in times of darkness, I remembered His blessed Name and the pain of the Shechinah more than my own suffering, and in the merit of the Torah, which protects even when one is not actively engaged in it, I was saved. Finally, "This became mine, because I observed Your precepts" - Torah study leads to the fulfillment of the mitzvot, and meticulous observance of the mitzvot brings success and retention in Torah.