Introduction: The Letter Tav - The Conclusion of Psalm 119
Before us is the letter Tav, the eight verses that conclude Psalm 119. King David here brings his great prayer to a close, and in every single verse, one of the chapter's key words recurs: devarim (words), amarot (sayings), chukim (statutes), mitzvot (commandments), pikudim (precepts), Torah (law), and mishpatim (judgments). We will proceed through the verses in order, citing the commentaries of the Rishonim, and primarily the approach of the Malbim.
"Let My Cry Come Near" - That Prayer Stem from Understanding
תִּקְרַב רִנָּתִי לְפָנֶיךָ יְהֹוָה כִּדְבָרְךָ הֲבִינֵנִי׃ - Let my cry come near before You, Hashem; give me understanding according to Your word.
Ibn Ezra asks: What does it mean for the cry to "come near" - where must it draw near to? He answers that this is said metaphorically, reflecting the distance between heaven and earth: the Holy One, blessed be He, is, as it were, enthroned in heaven while I cry out here on earth; therefore, I ask that my cry ascend and draw close to Him. And of course, "sitting in heaven" is itself an allegory, for Hashem fills His world, encompassing all worlds and permeating all worlds.
And what is "rinati" (my cry)? Radak and Ibn Ezra explain that it means my outcry, as in "and a cry passed through the camp." And what is this outcry? "Give me understanding according to Your word" - grant me the insight and intellect to act according to Your word. Instill within me the awareness to comprehend that this is truly for my own good. For so often, a person performs the will of Hashem merely by rote habit, without choice, lacking the insight and intellect to recognize that this is for his ultimate benefit.
We see this in its most acute form among youth: one does what he does, but his heart is not in it. He would prefer to be somewhere else and doing other things, and he performs his duties under duress. King David asks for something entirely different: grant me understanding and intellect to act according to Your word, so that my own reason and intellect draw me to Your service - not out of compulsion, but such that the intellect itself affirms: this is what ought to be done. Then, one serves with joy.
"A Captive Infant Among the Chareidim"
Rabbi Uri Zohar once remarked that there are those who are like a "tinok shenishba" - a captured infant - among the Chareidim. We are familiar with the concept of a captive infant raised among the nations, who was born into that reality and thinks he is a non-Jew; but there is also a captive infant among the religious. He does not know what he is doing here; he feels forced to fulfill mitzvot, forced to put on tefillin, forced to observe Shabbat, forced to learn Torah. Everything is done out of coercion, as though he were taken captive into this world. How much pity one must feel for such a person! As the sage in the Gemara said: Do not inherit two Gehinnoms - Gehinnom there in the World to Come, because you performed the mitzvot merely to get them over with, and Gehinnom here in this world, because you suffer constantly from observing the mitzvot, feeling how miserable and burdened you are. The counsel is: instill a love of Torah and mitzvot in your heart. Study, draw close, internalize it, and keep away from sin - and this itself will bring you greater closeness to the mitzvot, granting you Gan Eden both here and there.
"Give Me Understanding According to Your Word" - Understanding the Torah as It Truly Is
Rashi explains: "Give me understanding according to Your word" - grant me understanding of the words of Your Torah so that they are understood properly, according to their true halachic and authentic nature. That is, that I understand the Torah as it emerged from the mouth of Hashem. For sometimes a person offers all sorts of explanations in Torah that are distorted, or interprets the Torah inappropriately, or proposes a convoluted explanation that bears no relation to the verse.
It is told of Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer that a young scholar once came to present him with an interpretation and a novel thought, but the ideas did not sit well with him, as they were far from the truth. He said to him: "Tell me, what compels you to propose such an interpretation? As for me, I have no choice - I am required to deliver a shiur; but who obligates you to arrive at such interpretations?" A rosh yeshivah must deliver a general lecture and is obligated to present an approach, and if he has not found one, he digs and finds it from beneath the earth. But someone who is not under such an obligation - why plunge into far-fetched explanations like that?
Along similar lines, someone once came to the Rogatchover with a resolution to a difficulty, but it was a crooked, forced answer. The Rogatchover said to him, "Your answer is refuted by an explicit Shulchan Aruch." The man was astonished: "A Shulchan Aruch against my answer?" He told him, "Open Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, Siman 3, Se'if 9." The man was bewildered - after all, they had been discussing the complex laws of tzorat habat (a co-wife's status), so what did the morning halachot of bodily relief have to do with this? He opened it and saw written there: 'And one should not strain himself too much, lest he cause rectal prolapse' - which refers to relieving oneself. The Rogatchover said to him: "One should not strain himself too much! Why enter into forced interpretations that you have no need for?"
This is King David's plea: "Grant me understanding according to Your word" - that I may understand the words of Your Torah properly and as they truly are, as though they were just uttered from Your mouth, and not through all kinds of meanings that I invent for myself which hold no truth.
The Malbim explains that the central theme here is "words" (devarim). Joyous song precedes prayer and supplication, for initially a person sings and recites psalms, and only afterward prays and presents his requests. Therefore he asks: when the song approaches, as I begin to recite Pesukei d'Zimrah, immediately "grant me understanding according to Your word" - help me understand what I am praying, to comprehend what I say and what I ask for, so that the prayer will be offered with contemplation and attentiveness, and then the prayer will truly be properly accepted.
May My Supplication Come - Deliverance from Iniquity
תָּבוֹא תְחִנָּתִי לְפָנֶיךָ כְּאִמְרָתְךָ הַצִּילֵנִי׃ - May my supplication come before You; deliver me according to Your word.
Ibn Ezra explains that supplication (techinah) occurs when a person is in distress, as in the verse, "when he pleaded with us" - when I am in distress and plead with You, may my supplication come before You.
Radak offers an original insight: the deliverance sought here is not bodily rescue from distress, but the soul's rescue from iniquity. The proof of this is that neither in this verse nor in the preceding verses are enemies mentioned at all; and if there are no enemies, the deliverance spoken of is salvation from sin.
The question immediately arises: "Deliver me according to Your word" - as You said, as You promised; yet where do we find a promise that the Holy One, blessed be He, will save a person from sin? Radak explains that this is hinted at in the verse, "so that the fear of Him may be before you, that you do not sin." Although the Holy One, blessed be He, gave man free choice, if a person is upright, God assists him on the good path. That is, whoever genuinely seeks to attain cleaving to Hashem, Hashem helps him along the good path. Similarly, Rabbeinu Yonah writes: "For Hashem will help those who repent" - the Torah promised us that Hashem will help the penitent achieve even that which exceeds their natural capacity, up to love of Him, blessed be He; and love is the highest level. Thus, there is indeed a promise that the Holy One, blessed be He, assists anyone who sincerely seeks the truth and desires to draw close to Him.
Radak further adds: this is why the Holy One, blessed be He, showed the Jewish people the Revelation at Mount Sinai - "so that it would serve as a great key for them to open their hearts to the good path and prevent them from sinning." This is the very same principle: the Holy One, blessed be He, assists a person to perceive His Godliness and His closeness, to know that the Holy One, blessed be He, lives, exists, is present, and has the power to help. This is also hinted at in the verse, "O that they had such a heart to fear Me" - "O that they had" from man's side: if they give of themselves, I will give and help them to fear Me and keep My commandments. If they do what is within their power, says the Holy One, blessed be He, I will act on My part. The beginning is always an awakening from below, and only afterward comes the awakening from Above; therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, says, as it were: when will they finally open up, so that I may bestow endless bounty upon them? This is "Deliver me according to Your word" - save me from transgression, as You said in Your Torah, for I too have awakened myself and dedicated my heart to Your service, so may You, Master of the Universe, come to my aid and help me.
The Malbim explains that here the central theme is "utterances" (imrot). After first requesting "Let my cry come near" - which is the song of Pesukei d'Zimrah preceding the prayer, concerning which he asked "grant me understanding according to Your word," that Heaven assist him in understanding what proceeds from his mouth - he now says: and then, "May my supplication come before You," the prayer will be worthy of acceptance, and "Deliver me according to Your word" - just as You promised, so deliver me and save me.
My Lips Shall Utter Praise - The Seventh Time
תַּבַּעְנָה שְׂפָתַי תְּהִלָּה כִּי תְלַמְּדֵנִי חֻקֶּיךָ׃ - My lips shall utter praise, when You teach me Your statutes.
"*Tabana*" (shall utter) means they will speak, in the phrasing of Rashi and the Radak; it is a matter of speech, as in "Day unto day pours forth speech (*yabi'a omer*)." Speech is also called "*niv sefatayim*" (fruit of the lips), which is the yield of the lips. Furthermore, the term "*haba'ah*" carries the connotation of prolonged, continuous speech - speech that never ceases, like a flowing spring. "My lips shall utter praise" - may my lips continually pour forth praise to Hashem; "when You teach me Your statutes" - when You teach me Your statutes, I will continually praise You with my lips.
The Malbim explains that the focal point here is "statutes" (*chukim*). Dovid Hamelech had already asked six times, "Teach me Your statutes," and this is the seventh time. Since this is the conclusion of his prayer - the end of the letter *Tav* and the end of Psalm 119 - he says, as it were: I am confident that Hashem will fulfill my request, assist me, and teach me the statutes. Precisely at this seventh request - "Seven times a day I praise You" - I am confident that Hashem has already accepted my prayer. For this reason he praises Hashem: "My lips shall utter praise," for after seven requests, my prayer will surely be accepted and He will teach me His statutes; therefore, even now, I offer thanks and utter praise.
The sefer *Tehillot Maharitz* explains that Dovid Hamelech was accustomed to offering songs and praises to thank Hashem for his victories over his enemies, but here he says: Master of the Universe, I prefer victories of a different kind - victories in the beit midrash, engaging in the debates of Torah and fighting the battle of Torah; this is the war I prefer over battlefield wars. "My lips shall utter praise" - for what do I want my lips to utter praise? Not for military battles, but because You open my heart to Your Torah and teach me Your statutes.
Ta'an Leshoni - Vocal Thanksgiving, and Inner Understanding
תַּעַן לְשׁוֹנִי אִמְרָתֶךָ כִּי כׇל־מִצְוֺתֶיךָ צֶּדֶק׃ - My tongue shall speak of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteous.
Rashi states: Every instance of "*aniyah*" (answering or speaking) denotes a loud voice, the prototype being "And the Levites shall speak up (*ve'anu*) and say." Likewise, "And you shall speak up (*ve'anita*) and say: An Aramean sought to destroy my father" - and why is the term *aniyah* used there? Because it involves thanksgiving, and thanksgiving must be uttered aloud. For this reason, it is written that one should not recite Birkat Hamazon in a whisper, but rather raise one's voice - not to shout, but audibly - because thanksgiving is said aloud. Therefore, when reaching *Modim*, the entire congregation recites the thanksgiving aloud rather than sufficing with listening to the chazzan as in the rest of the prayer, for thanksgiving must be voiced by the person himself and aloud. Just like the aunts who, when giving a candy to a child, say: Say thank you nicely to auntie, why are you whispering? Say thank you properly! So too with Birkat Hamazon: "Blessed are You, Hashem... Who in His mercy feeds all" - the entire blessing should be said in an audible manner.
The Radak, on the other hand, explains "*ta'an*" like "and you shall speak and say" (*ve'anita ve'amarta*) - meaning ordinary speech, not necessarily in a loud voice. According to this, the request is: when I speak of Your word and tell others, what will my tongue say? "For all Your commandments are righteous" - I will teach the people so they know that all of Hashem's commandments are truth and justice.
The Radak further cites the Masorah, which explains "*ta'an*" as an expression of praise: my tongue shall praise Your word, for the word of Hashem is entirely righteous. The Masorah notes: "*Ta'an*" - three occurrences denote praise, and your mnemonic is: "And Miriam answered (*vata'an*) them," "My tongue shall speak (*ta'an*)," "Answer (*ta'an*) a fool." It is the way of the Masorah to identify a word recurring in several places in Tanach and draw parallels between them. "And Miriam answered them" was praise to Hashem, and likewise "My tongue shall speak Your word" means my tongue shall praise Your word. Yet how "Answer a fool according to his folly" (*ta'an kesil ke'ivalto*) is an expression of praise requires further study.
The Malbim notes that the focal point here is "commandments" (*mitzvot*). He frequently elaborates on this concept in Sefer Mishlei: there is a distinction between "my lips" (*sefatay*) and "my tongue" (*leshoni*), and they often appear together in the same verse. The lips are external, so simple, external speech - what sounds on the surface - is called "my lips"; whereas rational, insightful, and deeper speech is called "my tongue." That is, you often hear what a person has to say with his lips, but it is worthwhile to examine what lies on his tongue - what he actually intended to hint at.
An example of this: when Yehudah approached Yosef, he told him, "For you are equal to Pharaoh." With his lips, he said: You are as esteemed in my eyes as a king. But on the inner level, something else entirely was being conveyed: My grandmother gave your boss, Pharaoh, absolute grief; check history to see what plagues Pharaoh suffered when he took Sarah - beware, do not mess with me, lest you end up like him. Did he state this explicitly? No. If challenged, "Are you threatening me?", he could reply: Heaven forbid, I merely said you are as esteemed in my eyes as Pharaoh. It is a matter that carries two meanings (*milta dimeshtam'a literin anpin*) - you may understand it this way, or you may understand it that way, and I rely on you to grasp what I meant. Thus, the tongue represents internal, reasoned speech, just as the tongue itself is internal, while the lips represent external speech.
Based on this, the Malbim explains: after "My lips shall utter praise," which is external speech, comes "My tongue shall speak of Your word" - I will contemplate and comprehend through insight the reasons for the mitzvot (*ta'amei hamitzvot*). After You teach me the statutes whose reasons are concealed, I will contemplate and realize that what appeared puzzling and incomprehensible is actually true, just, rational, and meaningful: "all Your commandments are righteous." In contrast to what he stated earlier, "All Your commandments are faithful (*emunah*)" - that I fulfill Hashem's commandments out of faith, even when I do not understand everything, simply because He commanded them - now, after "Teach me Your statutes," I grasp even the statutes and reach the recognition that "all Your commandments are righteous." There are thus two levels: the level of pure, simple faith, and the level of profound contemplation. This is truly what Hashem desires: that a person should not study Torah merely externally, as "a commandment of men learned by rote." Simple faith and "*na'aseh*" (we will do) are certainly necessary, but afterward one also needs "*nishma*" (we will hear and understand) - depth, contemplation, and understanding the inner core of things.
Tehi Yadcha Le'ozreni - Salvation Without an Intermediary
תְּהִי־יָדְךָ לְעׇזְרֵנִי כִּי פִקּוּדֶיךָ בָחָרְתִּי׃ - Let Your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen Your precepts.
Radak explains: Since I have chosen Your precepts, I ask that You assist me. A person is granted divine assistance when he genuinely chooses the right path, the path of Hashem.
The Malbim explains based on what was noted earlier, that the pikudim (precepts) are those mitzvos that Hashem commanded us to perform in order to remember the salvations and miracles He performed for us throughout history: the Seventh Day of Pesach corresponding to the Splitting of the Red Sea; the Korban Pesach corresponding to the Holy One, Blessed be He, passing over the houses of Israel and saving them; dwelling in the Sukkah corresponding to the miracles of shielding us with the Clouds of Glory, and so forth. The pikudim are the mitzvos through which we remember the individual Divine Providence (hashgachah pratis) that the Holy One, Blessed be He, exercised over us. Regarding this, David pleads: through the pikudim I remember the individual Divine Providence and the supreme protection, and that there the Holy One, Blessed be He, Himself brought salvation - "I and not an angel, I and not a messenger." So too now: "Let Your hand be ready to help me" - You Yourself, and not through emissaries. Just as it was with Moshe Rabbeinu, when the Holy One, Blessed be He, told him, "Behold, I send an angel before you," Moshe declined the angel: we do not want an angel, only You should save us. And though an angel ultimately did arrive in the days of Yehoshua, in any event, the greatest merit is to be saved by Hashem Himself. "For I have chosen Your precepts" - as we have seen from the pikudim, which teach that Hashem saves by Himself when Israel is worthy.
I Long for Your Salvation - For the Sake of the Torah
תָּאַבְתִּי לִישׁוּעָתְךָ יְהֹוָה וְתוֹרָתְךָ שַׁעֲשֻׁעָי׃ - I long for Your salvation, Hashem, and Your Torah is my delight.
"Ta'avti" is an expression of longing and deep yearning, similar to "My soul yearns and even pines" - something a person deeply desires, strives for, and seeks. And what salvation is being spoken of? Radak explains: the salvation of the soul for the World to Come. Just as he explained earlier that "deliver me according to Your word" refers to the rescue of the soul rather than the physical body, so too here. And what will bring about that salvation? "And Your Torah is my delight" - the Torah of Hashem is the delight to which I cling, and by its power I will attain the World to Come and salvation in the World to Come.
This is akin to what the Gemara relates concerning Acher, whom the angels could not cast into Gehinnom because of his Torah: since he had engaged in Torah, the fire of Gehinnom had no power over him; yet on the other hand, he was not worthy of Gan Eden, and so he remained suspended between them, until they had to intercede and plead for mercy on his behalf so that he could enter Gehinnom to be cleansed. Such is the power of Torah to rescue from Gehinnom.
The Malbim explains that the central theme here is "Torah," and King David says: The reason I long for Your salvation is so that Your Torah can be my delight. For when I lack salvation I suffer, and when I endure suffering I cannot immerse myself in Torah properly. Therefore: "I long for Your salvation, Hashem" - not for worldly pleasures and indulgences, but so that I may delve into the Torah.
In HaKesav VeHaKabbalah, this is explained based on the words of the Rambam in Hilchos Melachim: our longing for the Messianic era is not for the sake of pleasures and luxuries, dominion and authority, or leisure and ease, but rather to engage in Torah and fulfill the mitzvos with tranquility of mind. This is "I long for Your salvation" - the sole motive for this yearning is "and Your Torah is my delight," without any ulterior motive: to have the peace of mind needed to delve into the Torah without constant fear, persecution, and turmoil, which leave the heart unavailable for the study of wisdom.
Perhaps this can also be explained simply: when a Jew suffers - not necessarily a tzaddik, but any member of the Jewish people - there is distress to the Shechinah, as it says, "My head is heavy, My arm is heavy," and "I am with him in distress"; the Shechinah shares in his sorrow. When a tzaddik prays regarding his suffering, what is he truly praying for? Master of the Universe, remove the suffering from me so that the Shechinah will no longer be in pain. His personal hardship matters far less to him; rather, as long as I suffer, You, as it were, share in that distress. Accordingly, the verse is read not as "I long for Your salvation, Hashem" in the sense of You saving me, but rather: I long for Hashem's salvation, as it were - that the Shechinah be redeemed from exile and freed from distress; it is Hashem's salvation that stands before my eyes.
Let My Soul Live and Praise You
תְּחִי־נַפְשִׁי וּתְהַלְלֶךָּ וּמִשְׁפָּטֶךָ יַעְזְרֻנִי׃ - Let my soul live and it shall praise You, and may Your judgments help me.
The Radak explains: "Let my soul live" - in this world; the entire purpose of my life here is so that I may praise You, so that I recognize Your greatness and praise You. And "Your judgments will help me" - Hashem's judgments are the ladder by which to ascend to the knowledge of God. For a person cannot attain knowledge of Godliness without study; there is no knowledge without studying the subject. No one becomes close to Hashem and recognizes His Godliness without learning what Godliness is, what the Holy One, blessed be He, gave us, and what our obligations to Him are in our service of Him. Therefore: "Let my soul live, and it will praise You" - I ask to live so that I may praise You, that I may know the truth of Your Godliness by virtue of Your judgments.
Metzudat David interprets differently: "Your judgments" are the judgments David asks Hashem to execute against his enemies - those judgments will help me and rescue me from their hands, and thereby I will be free to praise You.
The Malbim explains that the key focus here is "judgments": "Let my soul live" in order that "it will praise You" - this is the purpose of my life, to live in order to praise You, for "the dead cannot praise the Lord, nor any who go down into silence." And through this, "Your judgments will help me" - the assistance comes from the side of justice and judgment itself. For when a worker is retained in a factory, management wants to know what output he produces and whether he justifies his continued presence there, or whether he is merely an expense. Here David says: from the standpoint of justice, I am worthy of remaining here, for the life You grant me is used to praise You; therefore, even according to strict justice I should be preserved, and Your judgments themselves will assist and help me to remain here, so that I can continue to praise and laud the Creator, blessed be He.
I Have Gone Astray Like a Lost Sheep - The Signs by Which Israel Will Be Redeemed
תָּעִיתִי כְּשֶׂה אֹבֵד בַּקֵּשׁ עַבְדֶּךָ כִּי מִצְוֺתֶיךָ לֹא שָׁכָחְתִּי׃ - I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I have not forgotten Your commandments.
The Radak explains: I have gone astray in that knowledge which I have not yet attained - the knowledge of the truth of Godliness. I am like a sheep that lost its pasture, became lost, and does not know where to return; so too, my soul does not know how to attain its source. And just as the faithful shepherd does not allow the sheep to wander on and become lost, but goes and searches for it, so David pleads: Master of the Universe, I am now lost and have not attained the apprehension of Godliness; please go and search for me and return me to my fold, and thereby I will attain knowledge of You. "Seek Your servant" - seek Your servant from the place of his error to return me to the upright path. And why? "For I have not forgotten Your commandments" - just as I have not forgotten Your commandments, so do not forget me.
The Malbim explains that the focal point here is "commandments": even if I have gone astray like a lost sheep that forgot its fold and has no pasture - You are the Shepherd, Master of the Universe, and You will seek out the outcast sheep. David, who was pursued by Saul, was indeed wandering among the lands of the nations, as he said: "They have driven me out today from sharing in the inheritance of Hashem, saying: Go, serve other gods" - meaning, to go to the lands of the nations. Therefore he asks: seek me out and bring me back to the Land of Israel. And even though the place of my fold and pasture has slipped from my memory, I have not forgotten Your commandments; as it says, "I have not transgressed Your commandments, nor have I forgotten" - I remember Hashem's commandments and always seek to fulfill them. If so, even though I was forced to reach a place where I was banished from the Holy Land, by virtue of having guarded, meticulously observed, and not forgotten Your commandments - seek out Your servant and return me to the Holy Land.
The sefer Tehilot Maharitz cites Rashi on the verse "You shall place these words of Mine upon your heart," which refers to the time of exile: even though you are exiled, remain marked (metzuyanim) by the mitzvot - put on tefillin, keep Shabbat, affix a mezuzah, so that you are recognizable among the nations like a lost object that bears identifying marks. A lost object that has an identifying mark will ultimately be returned; a lost object that lacks an identifying mark has no chance of being returned. Through this, the Owner, the Holy One, blessed be He, will not despair of us and will find us. So too, "Set up road markers (tziyunim) for yourself, make guideposts (tamrurim) for yourself" - "tamrurim" does not mean bitterness of weeping, but rather when they wanted to mark the path, they would plant date palm trees (temarim), and by means of them they knew the way back; mark the way, and then when you return from exile you will know how to return. In our context: our signs are that we must be distinguished (metzuyanim) there, and "metzuyanim" does not mean passing all the exams, but stems from "set a marker (tziyon) upon it" - an identifying mark, so that it is recognizable that this is a Jew. That is why the signs - or as the Yemenites call them, "simonim" - are the peyot (sidelocks), by which it is evident that he is a Jew. Our signs are the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvot, and when Hashem sees that we are marked and distinguished - He will return us.
Parenthetically, there is a major difficulty with this Rashi, which was once discussed in depth based on the teachings of Rav Assouline ztz"l: Are these not commandments that are independent of the Land, obligations incumbent upon the body itself? If so, how can one say that we fulfill them outside the Land only so they will not seem new to us upon our return and so that we have identifying marks by which to be redeemed - when one is fundamentally obligated in them by biblical law? There is an explanation there based on the words of Rabbeinu Tam, and whoever wishes may look into the matter there; it is mentioned here simply because it requires clarification.
In any case, the Tehilot Maharitz says: even though "I have gone astray like a lost sheep," and I am currently in exile and cannot find the path to the place where light dwells - Master of the Universe, do not despair of me; "seek Your servant." On the contrary, now is the time to come and seek us out and take us out of exile. And should You say: "How will I find you, when a Jew and a gentile already look the same?" To this he answers: "I have not forgotten Your commandments" - the identifying signs are upon us, and You will easily find me by them. As Rashi explained: put on tefillin, affix a mezuzah, keep Shabbat - these will be your signs. King David says: the signs are upon us, You will easily recognize us, so come and redeem us - through the marks of the mitzvot that I have not abandoned, redeem us now with an eternal redemption.
In summary:
With the letter Tav, King David concludes his great prayer with eight petitions: that his cry of prayer draw near and bring with it understanding in prayer; that his supplication be accepted and bring with it salvation from sin, by virtue of the promise that the Holy One, blessed be He, assists one who awakens himself; that he merit learning the statutes - this being the seventh time he makes this request, and therefore he already gives thanks and praises; that his tongue merit internal contemplation and the recognition that "all Your commandments are righteous," rather than mere simple faith; that Hashem's own hand come to his aid without an intermediary, as indicated by the precepts; that salvation arrive so that the Torah may be his delight; that he live in order to praise, and that Hashem's judgments assist him by right; and finally, that even when he wanders like a lost sheep in exile, the Faithful Shepherd will seek us out and return us - for the identifying marks are upon us, the observance of the Torah and mitzvot, and through them we will merit the eternal redemption.