In the passage before us, King David continues to describe his devotion to the Torah specifically from amidst distress: life-threatening dangers, traps laid for him by the wicked, preoccupations, and obstacles. The central theme here is that the Torah is not abandoned when times are hard; on the contrary, it is specifically through difficulty that it is acquired. Let us go through the verses in order.
נַפְשִׁי בְכַפִּי תָמִיד וְתוֹרָתְךָ לֹא שָׁכָחְתִּי׃ - My soul is continually in my hand, yet I have not forgotten Your Torah.
Rashi explains: I faced many dangers near to death, yet despite this, I did not forget Your Torah. We have already explained the expression "he put his soul in his hand" based on the Radak: like a person holding his soul in the palm of his hand, where a slight blow is enough to make it fall. As long as the soul is inside the body it is hard for it to depart, but something lying exposed on the palm of the hand - a slight tap and it falls. Such was the intensity of the danger he faced, and even so, he did not forget the Torah of Hashem even in the most difficult periods.
The Malbim notes precisely: The verse refers to Torah study. Although I am always in danger due to wars, and this harms in-depth study (iyun) - for a person lacks the calm and peace of mind needed to delve properly into study - nevertheless, "I have not forgotten Your Torah"; I engage in it constantly. This is similar to what he said earlier, "The cords of the wicked have surrounded me, yet I have not forgotten Your Torah": despite all the troubles, he managed to immerse himself in Torah.
The earlier sages frequently wrote about the many troubles they endured, yet they still meditated upon the Torah. The Steipler testified about himself that given the afflictions he had endured, he had all the makings of becoming an am ha'aretz (an unlearned person); but amidst all the struggles and trials, he knew how to overcome and constantly delve into the Torah - "and Your Torah is my delight." The Brisker Rav wrote his Torah novellae during the bombardments of Jerusalem, lying under a bed in mortal danger with artillery shells falling all around, fully immersed in resolving a difficult Rambam.
It is told of the author of the Siftei Kohen (the Shach) that his poverty was so extreme that he wrote his Torah novellae on paper brought from the local shooting range: though perforated with bullet holes, the reverse side of the target could still be written on. The cold in his home was severe with no means to heat it, so he would cover himself with a blanket and hold the ink close to his body to keep it from freezing and congealing, and thus he wrote. From this one can understand how such giants were forged.
The Chofetz Chaim remarked that he knew Torah luminaries whose novellae from their youth were far more exceptional than those from their later years, which seems astounding - for generally a person grows and increases in stature. He explained: in their youth, they studied with self-sacrifice, amidst poverty and great hardship; but in their later years, once they grew wealthier, their financial circumstances improved, and they were appointed as salaried rabbis - when the hardships ceased, the Torah produced was also less exceptional. We see, then, that specifically through trials, through "my soul is continually in my hand," the Torah becomes something far more extraordinary.
Rashi cites here in brackets (and some say this is not from Rashi himself, but an addition) in the vein of "one who feels pain in his head should engage in Torah": even though I am always in dire straits, nevertheless I engage in Torah. This aligns with the words of Chazal that one who feels pain in his head, even though it hurts and is difficult for him, should engage in Torah. In yeshivot, they tell of a mashgiach who noticed a student missing from seder; he went to the dormitory and found him lying in bed. He asked him what happened, and the student said, "I have a headache." The mashgiach told him, "Did Chazal not say - an explicit Gemara - 'one who feels pain in his head should engage in Torah'?" The student replied, "Rebbi, there is a ban of the early authorities against using medical remedies recorded in the Talmud..."
נָתְנוּ רְשָׁעִים פַּח לִי וּמִפִּקּוּדֶיךָ לֹא תָעִיתִי׃ - The wicked have laid a snare for me, yet I have not strayed from Your precepts.
The Radak explains: they set a snare in the paths where I was meant to pass, specifically for me - this is "a snare for me" (pach li); they laid a trap for me. Yet despite all this, "from Your precepts I did not stray" - this did not distance me from the commandments of Hashem. The Metzudat David adds an explanation that resolves the difficulty of what a snare has to do with straying from Hashem's path: "I did not stray from the path of Your precepts to take vengeance upon them." That is to say, had I taken revenge on them, that in itself would be straying from the path of Your precepts, for Hashem commanded, "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge." Just because they set a snare for me, I did not seek ways to take revenge against them.
The Malbim emphasizes that the central point here is pikudim (precepts) - these are the commandments performed to commemorate events that occurred in our history, such as the mitzvah of tefillin ("with a strong hand Hashem brought you out of Egypt"), the Pesach offering commemorating the Exodus from Egypt, and more. The wicked set a snare for me, meaning they placed an obstacle in my path to divert me from the straight way - but the pikudim are what mark out the way for me. For through the pikudim I remember the deeds of Hashem, and from that I remember compassion, lovingkindness, and mercy; these actions refine the ways of the heart, and through them I do not stumble into that snare they set for me. As it is written, "From Your precepts I gain understanding; therefore I hate every false way."
And this does not necessarily mean a literal trap, where someone placed a stumbling block in front of my feet, but rather a trap in the sense of an attempt to cause me to stumble into a sin or the like. In spite of all this, "from Your precepts I did not stray," because the Torah of Hashem illuminates my path, and through it I know the correct path and do not stumble in that which they try to make me fail. When a person clings to Hashem's Torah, he has a clear and established way, and no matter how much they try to cause him to stumble - he will not fall.
Rav Mazuz, in his book Emet Keneh, writes that here the verse hints at the episode involving Rav Sheshet: the men of the Exilarch's household, to whom Rav Sheshet had offered rebukes which they could not endure, dug a pit for him and covered it with a mat, intending for him to walk and fall into it - they were exceedingly wicked men. Rav Sheshet said to a schoolchild, "Recite your verse to me." The child replied to him, "Turn to your right or to your left." Hearing a verse from a child is considered a minor form of prophecy, and he understood there was a message here; he turned to his right or to his left and was saved. For he was blind and could not see the obstacle they had placed for him, and in the merit of that verse he was saved. This is the meaning of "from Your precepts" - through that verse recited to him by the child - "I did not stray" into falling into the pit, but rather I turned to the right or to the left and was saved.
נָחַלְתִּי עֵדְוֺתֶיךָ לְעוֹלָם כִּי שְׂשׂוֹן לִבִּי הֵמָּה׃ - I have taken Your testimonies as an eternal heritage, for they are the joy of my heart.
First, a grammatical point: why is seson vocalized with a sheva rather than sason? Because the word is in the construct state (smichut) - "seson libi" (the joy of my heart) - and the construct state changes the vocalization, just as one says bayit, but in the construct state, beit sefer.
The Radak explains: the testimonies of Hashem, the commandments that the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded us, are a heritage to me, and I hold onto them like a person who holds onto his heritage forever; I will not depart from them for even a single hour. And just as a person holds onto his heritage permanently, so too the commandments of Hashem are my permanent heritage. And why? "For they are the joy of my heart" - in the spirit of "the precepts of Hashem are right, rejoicing the heart" - I fulfill the commandments of Hashem with joy, and this itself is what ensures that it will endure forever.
For when a person does something with an urge to throw off the yoke, out of difficulty, constantly looking for ways to get rid of the obligation - it will not last for long. It only lasts until the moment he loses his temper, and then he throws off everything and casts it all away. The proper path is for a person to cling to the commandments of Hashem out of joy, instilling joy into his heart over having been privileged to fulfill the will of his Creator.
Consider this: there are seven or eight billion people in the world. How many of them are Jews? About two-tenths of one percent, around fifteen million. And out of those, how many are observant - two million? And out of those two million, how many are privileged to delve into the Torah of Hashem? Half a million? Calculate what an immense privilege it is that one is privileged to delve into His Torah and cling to Him. When a person learns, reflects, and contemplates this - "they are the joy of my heart," it becomes true joy for him, and through this, "I have taken Your testimonies as an eternal heritage." The commandments are acquired permanently, not as a burden one seeks the first opportunity to cast off.
The book Tehillot Maharitz explains: if a person fulfills the commandments out of joy, with holy fiery passion and enthusiasm, this also influences his children and the members of his household. But if he performs them merely out of rote habit, seeking only how to get them over with - "when is my obligation done so I can fulfill it and move on," let us finish this and leave - this likewise leaves an impression on his children after him, leading them also to perform them by rote and look for ways to be rid of them. And this is "I have taken Your testimonies as an eternal heritage" (nachalti, which also connotes transmitting a heritage): I merit transmitting the Torah and the mitzvot to my children and descendants forever. And why? "For they are the joy of my heart" - because I fulfill them with joy and gladness, and when the children see this, it builds them to perform the commandments of Hashem out of joy and gladness.
We have mentioned several times that the true path of chinuch is personal example, which is worth a thousand times more than words of mussar and rebuke. In practice, one should minimize rebuke and preaching, for constantly giving mussar breeds antagonism, a sense of distance, and burden: "Once again he has complaints; once again whatever I do is never good." The proper way is for a person to demonstrate through his own actions how to behave.
Rav Wolbe's son attested: In our youth we were not easy children, but Father never multiplied rebukes and never preached mussar. What did he do? He always showed love and always set a personal example, and that is what built us. But when parents constantly say, "That is forbidden, that is a sin, woe to you, what about the time for Shema, what about learning today?" - all these rebukes do not build; they destroy, causing the child to despise Torah and mitzvos. Often, such children will quickly find themselves outside the home, simply because it is unpleasant for them at home, with Father always nagging and Mother always nagging.
Does he not know what the right thing to do is? He knows very well. But he is a young man, and he has desires, cravings, and passions. None of us was born fifty years old. We know what they are going through - and to tell the truth, we do not truly know what they are going through, because what they face today is a thousand times harder than what we faced, for we did not have all the temptations of this generation. Rav Zilberstein said: In our generation, a young man who marries directly from the yeshivah, who sat and learned and immersed himself in Torah until his wedding - one could write him a kvittel asking for a blessing. The trials are so difficult and the yetzer hara is so accessible - not outside Bnei Brak, but right inside Bnei Brak, in all the smartphone shops. Today the yetzer hara presents itself freely: just take it, slip it into your pocket, and no one knows or sees. If you see that he is still attached to the Torah - praiseworthy is he and praiseworthy is his portion! And if you see that it is hard for him, one must understand that he is going through a difficult period, bear with him, and see how to bring him close.
Rav Shteinman used to say: Rebuke a child once or twice, and that is enough. Do not keep scolding him and do not keep shouting at him: "The time for Shema has passed," and then "The time for prayer has passed," and on and on, an ongoing daily saga. Did that wake him up? Did that bring him to learn? Did that lead him to perform mitzvos? It only fostered hatred. Therefore, the main thing is personal example - "for they are the rejoicing of my heart."
Someone once asked Rav Chaim Kanievsky: My child comes to the synagogue and I see him daydreaming instead of praying; I want to correct him, but on the other hand, it disturbs my own prayer - what should I do? He told him: Your own life comes first. Sit and pray yourself. The father said: But the child is not praying, and what about the obligation of chinuch? He replied: You pray; he will see you, and he too will pray. That is the answer - personal example. True, he is still young and his mind is not yet mature, but whatever you do, he will imitate later. Otherwise, the child says to himself: Did Father come here to pray or just to scold me? He is not praying at all; he is just watching me and criticizing me the whole time. You pray and remain focused; the child will see what prayer truly looks like, and in the end, the penny will drop for him as well.
In the sefer Yeshuos Moshe, the verse is explained in another way: There are times when a person is preoccupied and lacks the peace of mind to delve into Torah. Yet one who is nevertheless attached to the Torah snatches moments here and there to immerse in it.
Rav Reuven Bengis once held a siyum haShas. They asked him: The Rav has completed Shas hundreds of times; why make a celebration specifically now? He told them: This is a special siyum - this is the Shas I completed during the five-minute intervals I spent waiting wherever I went. Arriving at a bris, there are five minutes until the mohel gets ready with the baby; arriving at a wedding, there are five minutes while the photographer arranges everyone. He was a tremendous gaon and held the entire Torah in his mind, and from five minutes here and five minutes there, he completed the entire Shas and held a special siyum seudah for it.
One who is attached to the Torah finds time to delve into it even amidst all preoccupations and disruptions. This is the meaning of "I have inherited Your testimonies forever" - even at times when I am burdened with worries. And why? "For they are the rejoicing of my heart" - since I rejoice and delight in them, preoccupation does not serve as an excuse to say, "Today I am exempt, today there is no need to go to the shiur." On the contrary, despite all the distractions, I find the time to immerse in the Torah.
נָטִיתִי לִבִּי לַעֲשׂוֹת חֻקֶּיךָ לְעוֹלָם עֵקֶב׃ - I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever, to the end.
One who does not learn out of love and joy must constantly incline himself and force himself to fulfill the mitzvos of Hashem. Regarding such a person it is said, "forever, to the end [ekev]" - he learns only in the manner of an ekev, a heel, at the very end. That is to say: only when he has finished everything, when he has no preoccupations and no disturbances, when he happens to have spare time - only then will he delve into Torah. If he has a half hour without any interruption, only then will he open a sefer. Instead of snatching time to go and immerse in the Torah, he does so only at the very end.
This is what Chazal meant when they taught that one's heart should not be divided toward the Omnipresent (HaMakom) - meaning that all times should be equally dedicated to good. A person should not say: "Now it is possible, but now it is not possible; today I can, but today I cannot" - that is what it means for one's heart to be divided toward the Omnipresent. Rather, one should constantly meditate upon the Torah, at every single moment and at every time that he can, compelling himself to do so. He will then see how he succeeds in learning even in the most difficult circumstances.
In the sefer Emet Keneh, Rav Mazuz explains that the word ekev carries over to the following verse: "Ekev - because I hated divided thoughts." That is to say, why did I incline my heart to perform Your statutes forever? Because (ekev) I hated divided thoughts and distractions other than Torah, for I hated anything that distances me from the Torah.
סֵעֲפִים שָׂנֵאתִי וְתוֹרָתְךָ אָהָבְתִּי׃ - I hate divided thoughts, but Your Torah I love.
According to this, the word ekev is actually the opening of the next verse: "Because (ekev) I hated divided thoughts and loved Your Torah" - therefore I inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever. Now, if you ask: Why was the word ekev not written in the next verse itself? Because the psalm is arranged according to the order of the alef-beit, and it is impossible to open that verse with the word ekev, since it begins the section of the letter Samech and not Ayin. Therefore, Scripture had to write the word ekev at the end of the preceding verse, serving as an opening to the verse that follows.
In this passage, David HaMelech teaches us that Torah is acquired precisely through hardship: "My life is continually in my hands" - even amid danger and war, when there is no peace of mind for in-depth study, "yet I have not forgotten Your Torah"; "The wicked have laid a snare for me" - and even when they try to trip him up, the precepts illuminate the path and protect from stumbling, and even restrain him from taking revenge. And what gives the strength to persevere through all this? "I have taken Your testimonies as an eternal heritage, for they are the rejoicing of my heart" - one who performs the mitzvot out of joy and gladness acquires them as an enduring heritage, passes them on to his children through personal example rather than rebuke, and finds time for Torah even amid all his preoccupations. But one who is not like this, who only "inclined my heart" by force, learns only ekev - at the very end, when he has free time. Therefore, a person must strive so that his heart is not divided toward the Omnipresent, but rather meditate upon the Torah at every time and in every circumstance, out of hatred for divided thoughts and love for the Torah.