Chapter 125 is one of the Songs of Ascents (Shirei HaMa'alot), and its central theme is the trait of bitachon - trust in Hashem. King David teaches us here that human intellect itself dictates that whoever trusts in Hashem will be surrounded by kindness, and he compares one who trusts in Hashem to Mount Zion, which never falters. From there, the chapter transitions to discussing the protection of Jerusalem, the removal of the rod of wickedness from the lot of the righteous, and doing good to those who are good and upright in their hearts.
שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת הַבֹּטְחִים בַּיהֹוָה כְּהַר־צִיּוֹן לֹא־יִמּוֹט לְעוֹלָם יֵשֵׁב׃ - A song of ascents: Those who trust in Hashem are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
Radak explains: Just as Mount Zion will not falter - will not collapse - but will abide forever, so he describes the Jewish people when they return from exile: they will not falter, there will be no more destruction and no further exile, but rather they will abide forever. "Abides" (yeishev) here is not in the sense of sitting as opposed to standing, but in the sense of eternal endurance. Likewise, "And You are holy, enthroned (yoshev)" means existing forever, and "You, Hashem, will abide (teishev) forever" means You will endure forever. Thus, "sitting" (yeshivah) here denotes permanence and eternity.
Malbim explains that David comes to show us that reason dictates that those who trust in Hashem will find in Him refuge and strength, comparing them to Mount Zion, which does not collapse. Mount Zion is the central mountain of Jerusalem, the mountain upon which the Temple stands, and it is established and supported by the mountains and hills surrounding it - and therefore it abides forever. This follows an a fortiori argument (kal vachomer): if mountains surround Jerusalem, and Hashem surrounds His people from now and forever, then the natural, topographical preservation of Jerusalem depends on the mountains that flank it and make it difficult to conquer. And if natural mountains can protect Jerusalem, certainly the Infinite Blessed One, Who surrounds His people, is incomparably stronger than that physical mountain support, and this surely guarantees that the Jewish people will endure from now and forever.
In the sefer Tehilot Maharitz, it is explained that genuine trust in Hashem means having no doubt whatsoever that salvation will come. By contrast, a person who first exhausts every other option, and only if none succeed declares "Hashem will help," does not trust in Hashem, but rather in his own power; only when all else fails, having run out of alternatives, does he turn to Hashem, blessed be He. This is like trading in options: maybe my uncle will help, maybe I'll turn to this person, maybe to a certain member of Knesset, and if not - well, there's another option, the Holy One, Blessed be He. The Holy One, Blessed be He, says: Am I just another option to you? The Holy One, Blessed be He, ought to have been first. One must turn to Him first of all, and afterward make practical efforts (hishtadlut) - which is perfectly fine - but first and foremost, one must turn to the Almighty.
True bitachon means that not a single doubt enters a person's heart regarding Hashem's salvation. A person must be firm and steadfast, allowing no winds to shake his trust in Hashem, blessed be He. As is said of Avraham Avinu: Avraham Avinu was tested with ten trials and stood firm through them all. What does "stood firm through them all" mean? He remained standing in his place; nothing swayed him or dislodged him from where he stood. This is what is written here: "Those who trust in Hashem are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved." What kind of trust is required? Like Mount Zion: unshakeable, without doubting whether it will happen or not, but completely confident in Hashem's deliverance.
And regarding Mount Zion, it is written that even in its time of desolation, its sanctity endures - the Temple Mount retains its holiness. In the same way, a person must remain strong and courageous in all situations to trust in Hashem. By way of homiletical allusion (remez): sometimes a person feels that spiritually he is not worthy or complete enough to trust in Hashem. To this he is told, "like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved" - behold Mount Zion: there are times when it lies in ruins, yet its sanctity remains intact. Even if a person feels that his spiritual life lies in ruins, he is told: that has no bearing on the obligation of bitachon.
And as has been quoted in the name of the Vilna Gaon, who once said to Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin: "All who trust in Hashem" - it does not say Chaim, nor does it say Eliyahu; neither Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin nor Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna. Rather, anyone who trusts in Hashem, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will come to his aid. This teaches that even when Mount Zion is in ruins, even if you feel like Mount Zion when the Shechinah does not visibly rest upon it, know that the Divine Presence has never departed, and there is always reason to trust in Hashem, and you will not falter.
יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם הָרִים סָבִיב לָהּ וַיהֹוָה סָבִיב לְעַמּוֹ מֵעַתָּה וְעַד־עוֹלָם׃ - Jerusalem, mountains surround it, and Hashem surrounds His people from now and forever.
Ibn Ezra explains: Jerusalem - mountains surround it, and Hashem is within Jerusalem, surrounding His people, which is why Jerusalem was protected from its enemies. But when the people of Israel rebelled against the word of Hashem, Hashem was no longer surrounding His people, and consequently Jerusalem fell.
Radak explains differently: Even though mountains surround it, this is not its source of strength. Its power and fortitude do not stem from the mountains, but rather from "and Hashem surrounds His people from now and forever" - only Hashem within it, Who surrounds His people, is truly what sustains it. And so we have seen throughout history: when the Jewish people rebelled against Hashem's word, nothing helped, and the adversary and enemy entered the gates of Jerusalem; but when they performed Hashem's will, as long as there were sacrifices, the Holy One, blessed be He, protected and guarded Jerusalem. We see that what protects us is "Hashem surrounds His people", and not the mountains that surround it.
In the sefer Yalkut Peninim, he quotes Rav Abramsky as saying that King David, as it were, comes and tells us: "Jerusalem has mountains around it" - everyone sees this; and just as clearly, I see before my very eyes how "Hashem surrounds His people". What everyone perceives as natural defense - look at the walls Jerusalem has, look at the mountains, how difficult it is to conquer - I perceive with tangible clarity as the protection of the Holy One, blessed be He, from now and forever. In simple words: I do not see what everyone else sees. Everyone looks at nature, at the defense of the walls and mountains, while I know that the true Protector is the Holy One, blessed be He.
כִּי לֹא יָנוּחַ שֵׁבֶט הָרֶשַׁע עַל גּוֹרַל הַצַּדִּיקִים לְמַעַן לֹא־יִשְׁלְחוּ הַצַּדִּיקִים בְּעַוְלָתָה יְדֵיהֶם׃ - For the rod of wickedness shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous, so that the righteous not stretch out their hands to iniquity.
Rashi explains: The Holy One, blessed be He, will not allow the dominion of the wicked to rest upon the righteous. And the reason - "so that the righteous not stretch out their hands to iniquity", meaning for this reason: since the righteous are careful not to reach out their hands to wrongdoing, the Holy One, blessed be He, ensures that the dominion of wickedness will not rest upon the lot of the righteous.
One can say that, by Hashem's kindness, we have seen this in recent decades: even when there were wicked governments, they did not rest upon the lot of the righteous and did not endure. One government came like lightning and vanished just as quickly; another government came, caused damage, handed everything over to the Palestinians - and was gone; yet another government came in its first edition for a short period and left, and in its second edition came again for a short period and left. The Holy One, blessed be He, ensures that the rod of wickedness does not rest for long upon the lot of the righteous, and even if there is a rod of wickedness, the Holy One, blessed be He, rescues the righteous from their hand, in order to grant survival to the Jewish people. For if the rod of wickedness had remained in their hands, what would have remained of Torah observance among the Jewish people and in the Land of Israel? We would have faced another spiritual Holocaust.
Ibn Ezra explains that "the lot of the righteous" refers to the Jewish people, called so because they inherited the Land and divided it by lot (goral); and "the rod of wickedness" refers to the nations of the lands. The Holy One, blessed be He, did not allow the dominion of the nations of the lands to hold sway over the Jewish people when they came to inherit the Land.
Radak explains this regarding the future: the wicked, whether from the Jewish people or from the nations, will perish; and in Jerusalem, which is the lot of the righteous, the rod of wickedness will not rest. "Shevet" is the staff, the scepter of wickedness - the power of evil will no longer endure in Jerusalem. And the rationale "so that the righteous not stretch out [their hands]" is explained by Radak differently from Rashi: if the wicked were to remain in the Land, the righteous would come to learn from their evil deeds. Therefore, when the Holy One, blessed be He, brought the Jewish people into the Land during the Exodus from Egypt, He commanded that the nations here be driven out - "so that they do not teach you to do according to all their abominations." And when they failed to do so, that is precisely what happened: they learned from the deeds of the nations, and as a result, exile followed. That was their downfall. Radak heralds that in the future it will not be so: the rod of wickedness will not rest upon the lot of the righteous; rather, dominion will belong to the righteous and all the wicked will perish, for if wicked people were to remain here, the righteous would reach out their hands to iniquity and learn from their deeds.
The Malbim explains that the apparent departure of Providence, as it were, from those who trust in Hashem, can stem from one of two causes. The first is when a "scourge passes through the land" - a roaming affliction, a plague sweeping through the world, where at times the righteous are afflicted as well, as Chazal taught that once permission is granted to the destroyer, it does not distinguish between righteous and wicked. Regarding this, he states that logic dictates that the "rod of wickedness" - the scourge roaming through the earth - comes on account of the wicked, to chastise the sinners. And even though it passes by the righteous, it "shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous": it passes through, but it does not rest or linger, until it reaches the domain of the wicked, where it will come to rest, for that is its intended destination.
And the reason for this is "so that the righteous not stretch out their hands to iniquity" - lest the righteous person ask, "Why do I deserve this?" and come to doubt Hashem's Providence: How could one fate befall both the righteous and the wicked? In order that they not come to complain against divine Providence, the Holy One, blessed be He, ensures that even if there is a rod striking the world, it will not rest upon the lot of the righteous, but will reach its destination, the place of the wicked. And by Hashem's kindness, we all witnessed this during COVID: throughout the world the plague raged, and there are places in the world where it rages to this day, whereas the Jewish people emerged from it much earlier. To be sure, we needed it - Heavenly calculations - but at any rate, it was a passing blow and did not settle, it did not remain here permanently; the blow reached its true destination, while for us it merely passed through.
And the second situation in which it appears as though Providence has departed from those who trust in Hashem, even though they trust in Hashem in their hearts, is when their deeds are incomplete. They trust in their hearts, but their actions are not desirable; they do not succeed in bringing their good thoughts and plans to fruition. And it may be that in and of themselves they are worthy and upright, but they are subject to circumstances beyond their control and various forms of weakness, as a result of which they cannot implement their good intentions.
הֵיטִיבָה יְהֹוָה לַטּוֹבִים וְלִישָׁרִים בְּלִבּוֹתָם׃ - Do good, Hashem, to the good, and to those who are upright in their hearts.
On this, the Malbim explains: Know that the Holy One, blessed be He, looks into the heart - "Do good, Hashem, to the good, and to the upright in their hearts." If they are good in their essence, meaning there is goodness within their inner being, even if externally it seems that their deeds are not performed properly - and this stems from weakness and duress - nevertheless, since they are upright in their hearts, do good to them. And we can say that in our generation, in generations where the dominion of wickedness prevails in the world, there is immense duress due to all the wicked who introduce all their technologies and corruptions; and this harms even the righteous who strive to ascend and reach higher, and it is difficult for them because the surrounding wickedness brings them down and prevents them from elevating themselves. And since they are upright in their hearts - Master of the Universe, have mercy on them and do good to them.
Further on this verse: The Radak explains - Hashem, do good to those who are good in their deeds and upright in their heart, for uprightness of heart is an expression of integrity. A person who does not seek crooked paths but walks straight, as God made him - that is a person who is upright in his heart. One can say a "good heart", and we also say an "upright heart", meaning someone who does not engage in cunning schemes, but rather does things properly. And the Ibn Ezra says that "Do good, Hashem, to the good" is a prayer that King David prays: Please Hashem, do good to the good; or, it can be said that the verse is stated as a prophecy - that the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to do good to the good and to the upright in their hearts.
In the book Yosef Tehillot, he cites the statement of Chazal: A wife is matched to a man only according to his deeds, as it is stated, "For the rod [shevet] of wickedness shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous." And where did they find an allusion to a wife here? Rather, the word shevet (rod) has the numerical value of ha'isha (the woman) - 311. "The rod of wickedness shall not rest" - the wicked woman shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous.
And why specifically "the woman" (ha'isha) and not simply "a woman" (isha)? It is written, "And I find more bitter than death the woman" (et ha'isha), yet on the other hand it is written, "He who finds a wife (isha) finds good." Rather, a worthy wife fulfills her husband's will, and this is "He who finds a wife finds good": isha has the numerical value of 306, while ish (man) has the numerical value of 311. And our Sages said: "Descend a step and take a wife" - the proper state in the home is that a man should marry a woman who is one step lower than him. They did not say "descend steps", which would leave no connection between them at all, but rather "a step", a single degree. Therefore, the difference here is not between 311 and 31, but between 311 and 306: step down slightly and take a wife, so that she recognizes her place, does not lord over him, and respects him appropriately. But "I find more bitter than death the woman" - when she already reaches the numerical value of ha'isha, 311, when she comes with tunes of equal rights and emancipation and demands complete equality in the home - concerning this it is said, "more bitter than death."
Another allusion: plain "isha" is an ordinary woman, but "ha'isha" with the definite article implies she already considers herself someone of great prominence, and that is a terrible affliction. Furthermore, it is said: "He who found a wife found good" - matza ("found") is in the past tense, once, and that is it, she is here. But "I find" (motzeh ani) is in the present tense - every time anew he finds her: once coming back from the mall, once from here, once from there, "Where were you just now?" - every time he finds her anew, and that is bitter as death.
Incidentally, regarding "He who finds a wife finds good", the Vilna Gaon notes: Notice that "found a wife" is stated in the past tense, whereas "I find the woman more bitter than death" is stated in the present tense. Why? Because to a good thing, one grows accustomed very quickly; once we are used to it, it feels natural, and only if it disappears do we feel its lack. A bad thing, by contrast, is not like that: it bothers and disturbs constantly, and one never gets used to it - "a continuous dripping on a rainy day", one cannot rest until it is stopped up, because it causes constant distress. That is why the example King Solomon gives is a leak - a never-ending dripping, like water torture, and therefore it is an aspect of "finding" constantly in the present tense.
To return to our topic: The Yosef Tehillot explains, "For the rod of wickedness shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous" - the wicked woman shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, designates a good wife for the righteous. Even so, it must be emphasized: we see that there were Sages in the time of the Talmud and afterward whose wives, as recorded in the Gemara, caused them immense distress. What can be said about this? Apparently, according to reincarnations (gilgulim) and the like, this is his rectification (tikkun), that he must return and be with this woman. But his "lot" - what is destined for him by lot, the first match designated for him - the rod of wickedness is not matched to the lot of the righteous; and if this is nevertheless his match now, it may be that through reincarnations and spiritual rectifications, this is what he is meant to rectify at this time.
This brings to mind a story about an unlearned and completely ignorant man who was brought before the Beit Din for beating his wife, Heaven forbid - an ignorant practice, regarding which very severe things are written. They asked him: "What is this?" He replied: "It is an explicit verse: 'Lo tohu bera'ah, leshevet yisrah' [Do not tolerate her evil, discipline her with a rod]!" He confused the letters tav with tet, reading carelessly, and found for himself a license for the rod and the stick [corrupting the verse in Isaiah, lo tohu bera'ah, lashevet yetzarah - "He did not create it a waste, He formed it to be inhabited"]. This came to mind in connection with "The rod of wickedness shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous" - that is the rod.
וְהַמַּטִּים עֲקַלְקַלּוֹתָם יוֹלִיכֵם יְהֹוָה אֶת־פֹּעֲלֵי הָאָוֶן שָׁלוֹם עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - But as for those who turn aside to their crooked ways, Hashem shall lead them away with the workers of iniquity; peace be upon Israel.
Rashi explains: Those who turn their crooked ways upon people, inventing wicked pretexts - constantly walking in crookedness, through all kinds of tortuous ways, to find faults and flaws in people. "Hashem shall lead them away with the workers of iniquity" - Hashem will take them away together with the workers of iniquity, with the perpetrators of wickedness.
The Radak explains: "Those who turn aside to their crooked ways" refers to those of the people of Israel who turn their way into crooked paths; Hashem will lead them away together with the workers of iniquity among the nations, and judge them alongside them. He further explains that "those who turn aside to their crooked ways" refers to the heart - those whose inside does not match their outside. Concerning this it says, "Hashem shall lead them away with the workers of iniquity" among the nations, for then it will become evident what those people's true intentions were, and their inner character will be recognized when everyone sees them judged alongside the workers of iniquity. And then - "peace be upon Israel," for once the wicked of the people of Israel perish, there will be peace upon those who remain. This is just as it is written in the prophecy of Zephaniah: "And I will leave in your midst a poor and humble people, and they shall take refuge in the Name of Hashem," and "The remnant of Israel shall do no injustice and speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth, for they shall pasture and lie down with none to make them afraid." There you have "peace be upon Israel" - they will pasture and lie down with none to make them afraid, when ultimately all the wicked will have perished.
The holy Alshich analyzes the precise wording of the verse: Why does it say, "Hashem shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity," in the third person? After all, in the previous verse, the psalmist addressed Him in the second person - "Do good, Hashem, to the good," please, Hashem, do good to the good; so he should have said, "And those who turn aside to their crooked ways, You, Hashem, shall lead them forth." Rather, here, as it were, the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) responds: How can you say, "Do good, Hashem, to the good and to the upright in their hearts" - what will you do with those who turn aside to their crooked ways, the hypocrites, who have crookedness in their hearts and bend it with their mouths? With his mouth, he appears respectable and righteous, always speaking uprightly, but in his heart there is crookedness, schemes, and evil thoughts.
And what will happen? When the righteous see those who turn aside to their crooked ways - who appear decent on the outside - suffering, the righteous will say: If so, perhaps the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring suffering upon us as well! They do not know that this suffering individual bends crookedness in his heart; they see only the exterior, a person who appears upright and suffers. This frightens the righteous person: if this man suffers even though he seems righteous, what will become of me? Through this, they might come, God forbid, to question the divine providence of Hashem, as if His governance were not just.
To this, King David responds: "Hashem shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity" - the Holy One, blessed be He, will distance those who turn aside to their crooked ways from the righteous, and they will be joined with the workers of iniquity. Then their inner essence and true craft will be recognized, and it will be revealed that their interior is wickedness. And then, "peace shall be upon Israel."
And the meaning of this is: we are living today in a generation of clarification (birur). It is written that "many shall be purified, cleansed, and refined" - as we approach the footsteps of the Messiah (Ikvesa deMeshicha), there will be a clarification for everyone, showing where each person truly belongs. In such a generation, there is no middle ground: you either lean this way, or you lean that way. There is no room for people who bend crooked paths, who appear pleasant on the outside and project faith and fear of Heaven. We see this in the most extreme way: there is no longer a center, only left or right. The extreme leftist niche collapsed because the fringes - which were essentially the center - expanded, and today that entire wing has become a camp opposed to anything holy, to all spirituality, to Torah study, and to anything related to the service of Hashem. There may be those who appeared to wear a yarmulke, and one might have mistakenly thought they belonged to the camp of the God-fearing, yet suddenly you see them siding with the attacking camp, with those who oppose anything holy. This is the refinement, this is the clarification, this is the cleansing - this is the reality through which the Holy One, blessed be He, creates the proper distinctions.
The holy Alshich says: so it will be in the future to come, that as for those who turn aside to their crooked ways - Hashem will lead them forth with the workers of iniquity, distance them from the righteous, and their true inner nature will be exposed, revealing that their inside does not match their outside. Then everyone will recognize their wickedness, and when they receive their punishment, it will be clear to all that they are being punished because they are wicked. The righteous will no longer harbor doubts such as "behold, the righteous are suffering," because they will know that these people were not righteous in the slightest, since they are counted among the workers of iniquity. In this way, there will be "peace upon Israel": even those who turn aside to crooked paths will be ashamed lest their evil be exposed and will rectify themselves, and others will learn from them to rectify themselves, and through this, peace will be upon Israel. And whoever does not rectify himself will be an everlasting disgrace among the wicked, among the workers of iniquity, and then the complete clarification will take place, to know "who is for us and who is for our adversaries."
The Malbim interprets "those who turn aside to their crooked ways" in an entirely different manner: this does not refer to people who themselves walk in crooked paths, but to people who observe others and tilt their judgment of them unfavorably. "Turn aside to their crooked ways" - one bends that person who has crooked aspects toward the scale of guilt, judging him as flawed and defective. And as the Malbim explained earlier, these may actually be genuinely upright people, but due to weakness or circumstances beyond their control (ones), they fall short and do not perform things with complete perfection; yet inherently, they are decent and righteous.
Regarding this, it says: "Hashem shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity" - those who judge them unfavorably will be punished as if they themselves were workers of iniquity. That is to say, you must not judge a person according to his external situation when his heart is pure and clean - "Do good, Hashem, to the good and to the upright in their hearts." Sometimes you see that a person does not perform things with perfection, and it appears to us as though things are on a crooked path, deviating from the straight way - know that the Holy One, blessed be He, is with him, because in truth his aspiration is for good, but he may experience weakness, trials, or hardships. And whoever judges them harshly - Hashem will lead them forth with the workers of iniquity, and they will be punished as though they themselves were workers of iniquity. Therefore, it concludes, "Peace upon Israel": peace will continually rest upon the people of Israel, since they trust in Hashem, and it is fitting that their covenant of peace with the Holy One, blessed be He, should never falter.
The Malbim adds a precise linguistic insight into the Holy Tongue: "crookedness" (akalkalot) refers to something that appears twisted on the outside, yet in its essence is straight. This is the difference between *ikkesh* (perversely crooked) and *me'ukal* (bent): *ikkesh* is like a fox whose teeth are crooked - inherently twisted in its very essence; whereas *akalkal* appears crooked on the outside, but in truth it is the right and upright path. Thus, "those who turn aside to their crooked ways" refers to people who are genuinely upright in their hearts, even if externally they seem not entirely respectable - and know that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not withhold good from them, but generously bestows good upon these individuals as well.