Until now, King David showed us how one can discern the existence of the Creator and His Divine Providence from the world: "The heavens declare the glory of God." From this point onward, the Malbim explains, David comes to show us that it is far preferable to see all of this through the Torah. For through the Torah, we attain far greater insights than we ever could through investigating and contemplating the physical realm - the earth, the sun, and the celestial bodies. The superiority of the Torah manifests in six distinct matters, and David now begins to delineate them: in what ways do we perceive in the Torah manifestations of Godliness that we cannot see in the sun, the moon, and the contemplation of nature.
תּוֹרַת יְהֹוָה תְּמִימָה מְשִׁיבַת נָפֶשׁ, עֵדוּת יְהֹוָה נֶאֱמָנָה מַחְכִּימַת פֶּתִי׃ - The Torah of Hashem is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of Hashem is trustworthy, making the simple wise.
Why specifically six? The Malbim explains this based on the chapter in Tehillim known as "Temanya Apei" - Chapter 119. It is called this because each letter of the alef-bet is repeated eight times, eight facets for each letter. Throughout the entirety of Chapter 119, with the exception of a single verse, the focus is on the Torah, and six terms are used there to describe it: Torah, edut (testimonies), pikudim (precepts), mitzvot (commandments), chukim (statutes), and mishpatim (judgments). Six categories, six expressions for the Torah. And since there are six expressions for the Torah, it signifies that in six dimensions one can learn through the Torah things that cannot be learned through contemplating nature. Regarding the aspect called "Torah" - there the Torah teaches us the foundations of faith, in divine matters and in belief, far beyond what one can learn from observing physical reality.
The Malbim explains: Here we are taught that the Torah contains insights far exceeding what we attain by contemplating the world. Through the Torah, it becomes clear to us that the initial declaration - that "the heavens declare the glory of God" - is not a complete declaration. What is lacking in it? It shows me that there is a Creator, that someone created me. But can you prove from all the heavenly bodies that the world was created anew and is not eternal? The ancient philosophers and heretics believed in the eternity of the universe: even if God fashioned man, He came into a world that had already existed, and the world was never brought into being from nothing, but had always been. That is what they once believed.
In fact, today not a single researcher or scientist believes this. Slowly but surely, people begin to understand; once this was the prevailing view, while we always maintained that the Holy One, blessed be He, created His world and brought it into being anew in six days. Today, everyone recognizes that the universe came into existence at a specific moment. Later, another debate remained: we maintained that the world was created in a single instant, while they believed it formed gradually. And as is often observed, scientists need to be given time without pressure. Here, too, it took them time, and in the end Stephen Hawking revised his conclusions and acknowledged that there was a Big Bang - meaning the universe was created in a single instant. Thank you very much, chazak u'varuch, yasher koach.
This is like a person who climbs Mount Everest, feeling young, energetic, and dynamic. He reaches the peak - and suddenly he sees three elderly men sitting there. "What are you doing here?" "We were born here; you just arrived. Good morning to you! What are you so excited about? We have known the Torah and the reality of the world since it was born. When you claimed the world was eternal, we already knew it was created. When you claimed it developed slowly, we already knew it came into being in an instant." Slowly, they learn - and therefore one should never be unsettled by the various challenges raised by scientists.
It emerges that there is a limitation in contemplating creation: it teaches that there is a Creator who fashioned man, but who is to say the world is not eternal? And even if the universe was created, was it created ex nihilo - out of absolute nothingness - or from pre-existing matter from which God fashioned His world? This cannot be known merely by observing the sun, the moon, and the celestial bodies. Could one ever know from observing the world about Hashem's providence over the Jewish people, about prophecy, Torah from Heaven, or that the Jewish people are His chosen nation? None of this can be known from creation, but only through the power of the Torah.
Therefore, the comprehension attained from the physical world is incomplete, whereas "the Torah of Hashem is perfect" - from the Torah one attains a complete comprehension without deficiency, through which one knows all facets of faith and all matters of worldview: the existence of the Creator, the creation of the world ex nihilo rather than being eternal, how the world was created, its purpose, the role of man, and who the chosen people are. Furthermore, what happens when a person departs this world, where the soul goes and what becomes of it - this cannot be known from observing the world, yet from the Torah we know it. Thus: "The Torah of Hashem is perfect, restoring the soul" - through the Torah, one knows what occurs when the soul returns to its Source.
There is a portion of the Torah known as "testimony" (edut), and the Malbim explains that this refers to the narrative sections of the Torah: Yosef and his brothers, Avraham purchasing the Cave of Machpelah from Ephron, and the like. Here too, the Torah holds a great advantage over the writings of human authors. Human authors invent fictional stories to serve as allegories and parables through which to convey the ideas they wish to teach. But "the testimony of Hashem is trustworthy" - ne'emanah (trustworthy) shares its root with emet (truth) and emunah (faith) - the narratives recorded in the Torah are absolute, historical truth, one hundred percent factual. Often a person tells a story and embellishes it slightly, adjusting details so that it fits the moral lesson he wants to impart; with the Torah, this is never so.
And yet, the Torah conceals within these accounts profound, sublime matters. For example: "And these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the Children of Israel" - Bela the son of Beor, and the name of his city was Dinhabah; and Shaul from Rechovot-on-the-River; and Meheitavel the daughter of Matred. One who reads this wonders why the Torah needs to recount all these kings, the names of their cities, the names of their wives, and who arranged the marriage; seemingly, these are entirely marginal details. But whoever understands knows that the entire mystery of the Shattering of the Vessels (shevirat hakelim) and the Holy One, Blessed is He, fashioning the worlds is alluded to right there. Within these verses lies the entire process of the creation of the worlds, the shattering of the vessels, and how the partzufim were formed; a vast portion of the Zohar and Kabbalah is founded upon these very verses. And if you ask: So was there no actual Meheitavel daughter of Matred? Of course there was! Rather, the events occurred and were written in a manner that hints at the inner spiritual dimensions as well. The literal layer is absolute truth, and "the testimony of Hashem is trustworthy" - all while containing hidden layers that teach of reality prior to the creation of the world, of the descent of the lights and divine emanation from Adam Kadmon (A"K), and how the lights cascaded down until the emergence of the sefirot and their present structure.
And not only this, but it is also "making wise the simple." In the tales of philosophers there is no real practical benefit, but from the narratives of the Torah we derive the ethical and moral dimension of the Torah, particularly from Sefer Bereishit, which is called Sefer HaYashar (the Book of the Upright) - because in the book of Bereishit one learns first and foremost how to be upright (yashar). Look at how Avraham Avinu conducts himself; look at how Yaakov conducts himself with Lavan, how he was deceived yet humbled himself and refused to repay deceit with deceit; look at how the brothers acted toward Yosef, and how Yosef ultimately rewarded them with good in return for their deeds - initially striving to rectify them, and afterwards repaying them with kindness. Look at Yaakov facing Esav, Yitzchak facing Yishmael, the good and proper conducts and what is improper. And look at what befalls one who defies the word of Hashem: the Generation of the Flood, the Generation of the Dispersion.
And who is a "simple person" (peti)? Not a great scholar, not a philosopher, and not an intellectual, but an ordinary, straightforward person - what we call in our times a "simple Jew." Even such a person, from a basic reading of the verses of the Torah, receives reinforcement in Divine providence, reward and punishment, distancing himself from evil deeds, and emulating the good deeds of the righteous. Thus we find that "the testimony of Hashem" is, first, faithful - everything is absolute truth; and second, it makes wise the simple, for even one who is not a great scholar can become wise through the Torah's narratives.
פִּקּוּדֵי יְהֹוָה יְשָׁרִים מְשַׂמְּחֵי לֵב, מִצְוַת יְהֹוָה בָּרָה מְאִירַת עֵינָיִם׃ - The orders of Hashem are upright, gladdening the heart; the commandment of Hashem is clear, enlightening the eyes.
Let us add here what Rashi comments. "The Torah of Hashem is perfect" - it too shines like the sun. After speaking about the sun, that "its rising is from one end of the heavens" and "their line goes out through all the earth," Scripture comes and declares that the Torah of Hashem likewise shines like the sun, as stated further on, "enlightening the eyes," for "a mitzvah is a candle and Torah is light."
Rashi further explains: That which was stated above, "and nothing is hidden from its heat," refers to the Day of Judgment, when the Holy One, Blessed is He, draws the sun out from its sheath and it burns the wicked, as it is written, "and the coming day shall burn them." Incidentally, the expression "draws the sun out from its sheath" teaches that when the sun is unsheathed, it scorches. In contrast, however, "the Torah of Hashem is perfect, restoring the soul" - it protects those who study it from that future heat, so that the righteous are warmed by it; on the contrary, that very heat will serve to their benefit and they will be delivered from it: "And the sun of righteousness and healing shall shine for you who fear My Name." For the wicked - "nothing is hidden from its heat," from the sun that will shine upon them on that day; while for the righteous, the Torah restores the soul.
And "the testimony of Hashem is trustworthy" - it is faithful to testify on behalf of those who study it, and it turns them away from the ways of death to the ways of life. Who will testify on a person's behalf there in the World of Truth? The testimony of Hashem is faithful - the Torah is the faithful witness that will testify on a person's behalf regarding how much he engaged in it and how attached he was to it, and it is that which restores his soul from the ways of death to the ways of life.
"The commandment of Hashem is clear (barah)" - Rashi explains: illuminating, meaning it shines like the noon sun (tzohorayim), and this is the meaning of barah: pleasant, pure, and lucid, something fine and beautiful. And Rashi adds: Note that six expressions are stated here, as the Malbim mentioned - the Torah of Hashem, the testimony of Hashem, the orders of Hashem, the commandment of Hashem, the fear of Hashem, the judgments of Hashem - and these six correspond to the Six Orders of the Mishnah, for this passage speaks of the Torah of Hashem. Furthermore: between each Divine Name, there are five words, including the Name of Hashem itself. For example: Pikudei, Hashem, yesharim, mesamchei, lev - five words; and then: Mitzvat, Hashem, barah, me'irat, einayim. And why is it structured in groups of five? To allude to the Five Books of the Torah.
Thus, we find on the one hand six expressions corresponding to the six orders of the Mishnah - the Oral Torah; and on the other hand, a division of five words each - corresponding to the Written Torah. Therefore, the verse concludes: "The judgments of Hashem are true; they are righteous altogether" - all of them are established in lovingkindness and truth. Both the Written Torah and the Oral Torah descended bound together, contrary to the view of the Sadducees, who held that the Written Torah and the Oral Torah are two separate entities. This entire matter is truth, and so it was given from Hashem - both the six orders of the Mishnah and the five books of the Torah.
The Malbim explains: "The precepts of Hashem are upright, rejoicing the heart" - this refers to the category of mitzvot known as pikudim (precepts), which are the commandments through which we remember our faith. For example, the festivals, which are a commemoration of the Exodus from Egypt: through them, we constantly strengthen our faith that Hashem took us out of Egypt, redeemed us, struck Egypt with ten plagues, and split the sea. Likewise, there are mitzvot designed to reinforce good character traits within us, such as unloading and loading an animal - "If you see the donkey of your enemy crouching under its burden" - do not be cruel; and like the gifts to the poor: leket, shikhechah, and pe'ah - if you see the poor, you must give to them. Consider how different these precepts are from the statutes of the nations of the world, whose laws are not upright.
"The precepts of Hashem are upright" - matters enacted according to fairness and justice. We find many laws among the nations that are far from fairness and justice, certainly throughout history. But there is no need to look far back into history. In the world today, two worldviews circulate: a capitalist worldview and a socialist worldview, with the State of Israel representing an attempted blend. Both of these ideologies ostensibly aim to provide a better life for the people living under them.
The socialist worldview - or call it communist - seemingly sounds wonderful: everyone is equal, giving everyone equality and the opportunity to gain an education, not allowing extreme class divisions where one person holds eighty percent of the wealth while everyone else struggles for pennies. It was on this principle that the kibbutzim were founded: no individual possesses private wealth, any money brought in belongs to the entire community, every investment made benefits everyone, and all receive equally according to their needs. On the surface, this sounds marvelous. Why, then, does the Torah not advocate this? There is a fundamental principle: if an ideology appears good on the surface, yet the Torah does not endorse it as a path of life, that is a sign it is flawed. When the Holy One, Blessed be He, gave us the Torah, He provided us with the best possible way of life for us; if He did not prescribe this as a way of life, it means it is not the right path.
On the other hand, consider the capitalist model - America. There, vast class divides exist, ranging from people of legendary wealth to the destitute and homeless sleeping on cardboard in subway stations, many of whom sleep the sleep of eternity, unable to survive the bitter cold, never waking in the morning. It is an excruciating poverty unlike any other, where a person simply has nothing: no government subsidies, no social welfare. America operates on the mindset of, "Sir, you worked and succeeded? You get the reward. You have nothing? That is your problem. Sorry, go to work." It seems like a predatory mindset: if you have nothing, you perish. In Europe, things are different; the model there is more socialist. And why do we see so many immigrants flocking to Europe? Not only because its gates were opened while America became stricter, but because throughout Europe there are integration packages, generous social security, and substantial child allowances, making the ability to get by without working far greater than in America.
Now consider the downfall of the socialist model, which seemed so wonderful. The countries that embraced the communist ethos of "everyone is equal" are all backward nations; not a single one is advanced. Even Russia, which is perceived as more developed, remains utterly lagging behind compared to America; travel to the villages of Russia and you will see people left behind in the past. And why? For a simple reason: if a person develops something, invents a startup, and is told that everything he works for will be divided among everyone, belonging to the state - why should he exert himself? People develop a minimalist mindset: clock in, do the bare minimum, clock out, drop the keys, and go home. That is why one sees virtually no innovation or breakthroughs in communist countries. A pharmaceutical company invests billions in research and development, with research labs and professors working for years, sometimes producing nothing at all; but when they succeed with a single breakthrough drug, they generate revenues that cover everything - and thus, the investment is worthwhile. A person who invests for his own gain is willing to exert effort. But if an individual invests and the entire collective shares the fruit, why bother to strive when he will receive no more than what he already has?
Notice, however, that every system has severe drawbacks. In America, there is agonizing poverty and a terrible polarization between rich and poor; in Russia and the communist nations, there is no progress or innovation. What, then, is the correct approach?
Judaism aligns neither with the communist worldview nor with the capitalist one; Judaism has a distinct approach of its own. In short: on the one hand, the Torah recognizes that human nature will not work purely for the sake of others - if a person feels he is laboring only for someone else, his drive diminishes. A person must work for himself: he labors, earns, and prospers for his own benefit. On the other hand, this naturally creates enormous class divides. In antiquity, the bulk of a person's wealth lay in real estate; whoever owned extensive land was wealthy. The Torah therefore commands that once every fifty years, real estate resets - this is the Jubilee year (Yovel), "and each man shall return to his ancestral holding." Even if a person fell into dire poverty and during those fifty years collapsed financially and sold everything he owned, once every fifty years the land reverts to him. In other words, there is a built-in "reset," ensuring that ultimately every person is given the opportunity to begin anew.
On the other hand, the poor person cannot wait fifty years; he could starve in the meantime. Therefore, throughout those fifty years, the Torah bound us with numerous commandments to support and assist the disadvantaged: "You shall surely release it with him," "You shall surely open your hand," "You shall surely give him," tithes, tzedakah, and gifts. Do not ignore the impoverished. You are obligated to sustain his life.
Notice the vast difference between the communist conception and the Torah's perspective. Under communism, one is told that everyone must be equal - the other person is unfortunate, and you must take care of him. When the prevailing outlook is "you have to take care of him," human nature dictates that a person will ultimately look out for himself. Consequently, in communist countries we do not see an awakening of genuine mutual concern. In the Torah, the principle of chessed does not stem from a begrudging duty to care for someone else, but from the desire to give to oneself. When the Torah commands us to perform chessed, it speaks constantly in terms of "you gain, you receive, you merit": "You shall surely open [your hand]" - you open, and you receive; "Tithe so that you may become wealthy." Giving actually gives to you. A person performs chessed wholeheartedly when he knows: I am not merely giving to a stranger out of pity, but giving because I myself gain - and that changes the dynamic completely.
When giving is approached this way - when a person realizes that by giving, he gives to himself - he gives willingly. Look at Kupat Ha'ir: millions upon millions are raised. The matching campaigns of recent times are astonishing in the sheer sums collected, for Mayanei HaYeshua and other causes - ordinary contributions of a hundred or two hundred shekels that add up to millions. A person is eager to invest; a person is eager to give. Thus, the Torah's view is the truly balanced economic outlook, showing how society should conduct itself: on the one hand, it preserves innovation and the drive to invent and develop, because an individual sees the fruit of his labor; on the other hand, it does not crush the destitute or abandon them to a subway station on a scrap of cardboard. Instead, it fosters a reality where one supports and cares for the poor - and in doing so, enriches himself.
Faced with the friction between these two extremes, many nations have attempted a compromise: welfare, assistance, and subsidies for the needy on one side, alongside the opportunity to develop, profit, and build personal wealth on the other, so that individuals feel they are gaining rather than working solely for others. Yet the true balance is found exclusively in the Torah. This is the meaning of: "The orders of Hashem are upright" - when the Holy One, blessed be He, issues directives in the Torah, they are inherently upright, aligned with perfect justice and equity. This is the proper path of life: preserving human ambition and the drive to build, while never trampling the poor and vulnerable.
Human legal codes do not gladden the heart, because human law possesses no transcendent purpose. One never sees citizens dancing in the street with their country's penal code. Furthermore, one never sees a Christian dancing with the New Testament or a Muslim dancing with the Quran. A person might celebrate wildly after an athletic championship, or dance in triumph over violence, but a gentile rejoicing and dancing with his sacred text? The laws of the nations, whether civil or religious, are not genuine truths that elevate a person toward spiritual perfection. Therefore, they do not gladden the heart - so why would anyone dance with them? But "the orders of Hashem are upright" - they gladden the heart and bring true joy, because a person knows that through them he achieves genuine spiritual completion.
"The commandment of Hashem" refers specifically to the category known as mitzvah, which encompasses the majority of the Torah's commandments, and it too stands apart from the statutes of the nations. The Malbim explains that the nations' statutes walk in darkness, untouched by the light of reason - what inner meaning or spiritual depth can be found in them? But "the commandment of Hashem is pure": every mitzvah possesses profound reason and inner depth, leading the soul to true fulfillment. It is also "enlightening the eyes" - the "eyes" referring to the physical senses. Because the commandments of Hashem train a person in generosity, empathy, and attentiveness to others, they illuminate his worldly senses, enabling him to practice these mitzvos and live by them in this world, not merely for the World to Come.
King David opens a new realm: after demonstrating how the heavens recount the glory of God, he teaches that the Torah surpasses the contemplation of nature in six distinct ways, corresponding to the six designations of the Torah in Psalm 119. "The Torah of Hashem is perfect" - granting complete understanding of creation, divine providence, prophecy, and the eternal fate of the soul, which nature cannot teach. "The testimony of Hashem is faithful" - the narratives of the Torah are absolute truth, containing profound inner layers, while also "making wise the simple," teaching mussar and derech eretz even to the unlearned. "The orders of Hashem are upright, gladdening the heart" - directives founded on justice and equity that preserve both individual initiative and responsibility for the poor, representing neither capitalism nor communism, but the way of the Torah. "The commandment of Hashem is pure, enlightening the eyes" - every mitzvah carries deep rationale and inner meaning, bringing true spiritual joy and illuminating a person's life in this world.