Introduction: The Psalm of the Cave
Psalm 143 continues the theme of the preceding psalm. The Radak explains that this psalm was recited while David was fleeing from Saul, and the Malbim follows this same line of interpretation: the psalm was composed in the cave, when David sat in its innermost recesses and Saul entered to relieve himself. Out of that dark and life-threatening predicament bursts the prayer before us.
מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד: יְהֹוָה שְׁמַע תְּפִלָּתִי, הַאֲזִינָה אֶל תַּחֲנוּנַי, בֶּאֱמֻנָתְךָ עֲנֵנִי בְּצִדְקָתֶךָ. - A psalm of David: Hashem, hear my prayer, give ear to my supplications; in Your faithfulness answer me, in Your righteousness.
Rashi explains "in Your faithfulness" - to fulfill the promise You made to me; that is, keep what You promised me. The Radak similarly comments: "in Your faithfulness" - just as You promised me, for the word of Hashem is truth; "answer me in Your righteousness" - for You are righteous and upright, and You see that justice is on my side against my futile enemies. And since You are righteous and upright, it is fitting that You execute justice on my behalf, in accordance with my righteousness.
Tefillah and Tachanunim - Two Types of Petition
The Malbim asks: What is the difference between "my prayer" (tefillati) and "my supplications" (tachanunai)? Tefillah refers to the fixed prayer, which we pray in light of the general providence of the Holy One, blessed be He, like the Shemoneh Esreh instituted by the Men of the Great Assembly: an orderly prayer in which one first arranges the praise of the Omnipresent, concludes with thanksgiving, and petitions for necessities in the middle. After the formal prayer, one recites tachanunim (supplications), and here it concerns personal needs, one's private affairs for which one seeks help. Therefore: "hear my prayer" - and corresponding to it, "give ear to my supplications."
Accordingly, the continuation of the verse is also divided: "in Your faithfulness answer me" refers to the prayer. Prayer concerns universal, essential needs, which we pray for out of faith in Hashem, in Whose hands are livelihood, health, and life itself - matters in which the Holy One, blessed be He, is, so to speak, obligated to us by the very fact that He created us. The Holy One, blessed be He, did not create the world for chaos, and it is inconceivable that He would create a world without sustaining His creatures. As the Gemara states: "He who gives life gives sustenance" - and He who gives sustenance provides it to living beings; the early and late rains in their season - all this stems from the fact that the Holy One, blessed be He, is faithful to sustain His world, and is therefore, as it were, bound to provide all this.
We have mentioned in the past the distinction between the blessing over the Torah, in which we say "Bless Hashem Who is blessed," and the zimmun, in which we say "Let us bless our God (Elokeinu) of Whose bounty we have eaten" - here using the Name Elokim and there using the Four-Letter Name (Havayah). The Tosafot Yom Tov explains: Birkat HaMazon is for food, and the Holy One, blessed be He, is obligated by strict justice (din) to provide us with food, for it is inconceivable that He would create man without sustaining him. Therefore we say "Let us bless our God" - a Name denoting judgment and justice, since by strict justice it is due to us. By contrast, the Holy One, blessed be He, is under no obligation to give you the Torah; after all, He gave nothing of it to the nations of the world. The Torah is an act of pure grace (chesed), and chesed corresponds to the Name Havayah; therefore we say "Bless Hashem Who is blessed" - for in His mercy and abundant lovingkindness toward us, He gave us the Torah.
And corresponding to "give ear to my supplications," which represent the unique and personal petitions that the Holy One, blessed be He, is not, as it were, obligated to fulfill, David says: "in Your righteousness answer me." Individual needs are answered solely out of transcendent righteousness and charity - the Holy One, blessed be He, is merciful, gracious, and abundant in lovingkindness, and out of that attribute He grants our personal requests, even though He was never bound to do so.
Hearing and Giving Ear
The Malbim further teaches that there is a distinction between shemi'ah (hearing) and ha'azanah (giving ear): ha'azanah precedes shemi'ah and is lesser in degree. This is contrary to what people commonly think - that ha'azanah is deeper and shemi'ah is shallower - but the Malbim maintains that the reverse is true. When both appear in a single verse, Scripture applies shemi'ah to the more significant matter and ha'azanah to the less significant one. Based on this, the Malbim explains "Give ear... hear my voice," as well as "Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth," and "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth" in Yeshayahu.
Accordingly: the prayer is primary and the supplications are secondary; hence "hear my prayer" uses the term of shemi'ah - for the essence of prayer is what the Men of the Great Assembly established for us. Supplications, by contrast, are not primary, and even if a person did not recite supplications, he has not forfeited the obligation, since he fulfilled the core prayer. Therefore regarding them it says "give ear," as ha'azanah pertains to the less significant matter.
Do Not Enter into Judgment with Your Servant
וְאַל תָּבוֹא בְמִשְׁפָּט אֶת עַבְדֶּךָ, כִּי לֹא יִצְדַּק לְפָנֶיךָ כׇל חָי. - And do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for no living being can be justified before You.
This is a verse frequently recited during the Yamim Noraim, and it is worthy of careful reflection. First, let us look at the peshat, as explained by the Radak: Now, while I am in great distress, do not enter into judgment with me. Even if I deserve to be judged - not now. First, extricate me from this distress, and judgment can wait for later. And why? "For You know that I am Your servant, and no living being can be justified before You" - if You scrutinize the deeds of any living being, none could stand justified before You; how then could I be justified before You? And Chazal expounded on "no living being" - even the angels, even the celestial beings, cannot be justified before You.
The Malbim explains: When a person pleads before Hashem, the Holy One, Blessed be He, may place him on trial to examine whether he is worthy of having his request granted. For supplications are personal petitions, and it must be examined whether this person deserves to have his request fulfilled: Have you fulfilled your obligations? In accordance with this, it will be determined whether you are worthy of that special bounty you are requesting.
The Malbim notes with precision: It does not say, "Do not judge Your servant," but rather, "Do not enter into judgment with Your servant" (et avdecha) - as if Hashem Himself enters the matter being judged. The explanation is: When evaluating whether a person has met his obligation, one must consider toward whom the obligation is owed. If it is toward an employer, the obligation is at a certain finite level; but if toward the Holy One, Blessed be He, the obligation is infinite, and consequently, the possibility of fulfilling it is incomparably small. This is the meaning of "entering into judgment with Your servant": measuring man against the greatness of the Creator. Relative to Your infinite greatness and goodness, it is required that our service also be limitless - and who can claim to have served the Holy One, Blessed be He, with limitless service? It is impossible for a limited human being to serve his Creator with infinite service. Therefore, David pleads: Do not judge me according to what is truly demanded of man in light of the Creator's greatness, for then "no living being can be justified before You," since every living creature is finite; rather, hold me accountable according to the capacities of a limited human being.
"May Your Hand Grasp Judgment" - Resolving the Apparent Contradiction
This requires clarification: In Selichot we say, "Do not make an end of us, may Your hand grasp judgment," whereas David says, "Do not enter into judgment with Your servant." Are we asking for judgment, or are we asking that He not enter into judgment? We have addressed this question in the past and offered several answers.
The first answer: The initial "do not" (al) carries over to the subsequent clause as well - "Do not make an end of us, [and do not] let Your hand grasp judgment." This is similar to the phrase in Aleinu, "for He did not make our portion like theirs, nor our lot like that of all their multitude," where the negative word "not" at the beginning applies to the second clause as well.
Another explanation: Chazal expounded on the verse, "If I whet My glittering sword, and My hand grasps judgment" - the attribute of the Holy One, Blessed be He, is not like that of flesh and blood. An attribute of flesh and blood: a person shoots an arrow and cannot recall it; but the Holy One, Blessed be He, shoots His arrows and has the power to recall them, as though holding them back in His hand. Once a human shoots an arrow, it is done, it has left his hand; but the Holy One, Blessed be He, can halt judgment even midcourse. This is the meaning of "may Your hand grasp judgment" - grasp hold of the judgment and restrain it, so as not to carry out the sentence.
Others suggest differently: After all, "A king establishes the land through justice," so it is inconceivable to ask that there be no judgment at all; what we are asking is only that He have mercy upon us within the framework of judgment. The Ramchal writes that mercy is applicable only within judgment, and it is impossible to extend mercy outside of judgment. A person cannot appear before a judge and simply say, "Have mercy on me and send me home" - there must be a trial, and within the trial one can raise mitigating claims: what he endured, the family background he came from, and the like. Arousing mercy is only relevant when there is a judicial process; without judgment, there is nothing upon which to awaken mercy. Therefore, we ask, "May Your hand grasp judgment" - and from that, "Do not make an end of us," that You have mercy upon us even as Your hand grasps judgment.
If David Fears - How Much More So Must We
In Midrash Shocher Tov: "Do not enter into judgment with Your servant" - King David, who said of himself, "I have not sat with deceitful men," "I hate the gathering of evildoers," and "Preserve my soul, for I am pious," and whose towering stature we see - he says, "Do not enter into judgment with Your servant"; how much more so anyone else! How much more must we fear judgment.
It is told that in the days of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, someone asked one of the Torah giants: "Why make such a commotion about Elul? Is Elul a bear?" He answered: "Elul is more frightening than a bear, and I have proof from the verses: King David said, 'Do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for no living being will be vindicated before You,' yet he testified about himself, 'Your servant struck down both the lion and the bear.' It follows that bears did not frighten him, but Elul did." That was their spiritual level; on our level, we must serve the Holy One, blessed be He, out of closeness and love, for today, if you speak to people in a tone of intimidation, you will find yourself alone - we are already in a different generation.
And regarding "for no living being will be vindicated before You" - will the dead be vindicated? Rather, as we mentioned: Midrash Shocher Tov explains that even the heavenly beings (Chayos) cannot be vindicated before You on the Day of Judgment, meaning they cannot plead defense before You on the Day of Judgment.
"Judge Me" or "Do Not Enter into Judgment"?
The Yalkut notes a contradiction: here it is written, "And do not enter into judgment with Your servant," yet in chapter 26 David says, "Judge me, Hashem." It answers: David said, "When You judge the wicked, 'Judge me, Hashem'; but when You judge the righteous, 'Do not enter into judgment with Your servant.'" And this is astonishing: does David truly wish to be judged alongside the wicked?
The Tehilot Mahari"tz offers several wonderful explanations. The first: David was concerned that although he was righteous and pious in his own right, and certainly recognized his own spiritual standing, perhaps he had not fulfilled the obligation of rebuke. This is a claim with which even the greatest tzaddik can be charged. The Gemara expounds on the verse, "and mark a tav on the foreheads of the men": The Holy One, blessed be He, never retracted a favorable decree except on this occasion. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: a tav of life, a tav of death; and in the end, He rescinded the tav of life because the Attribute of Justice prosecuted and said: "Master of the Universe, they did not rebuke! They are righteous, true, but they should have rebuked the generation." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to it: "Had they rebuked them, they would not have repented anyway; it is revealed and known before Me." The Attribute of Justice replied: "Before You it is revealed, but was it revealed before them?" Therefore, they were obligated to rebuke. We see that even the greatest tzaddik can be held liable regarding the duty of rebuke.
Apparently, the Holy One, blessed be He, had mercy on our generation and created within it many brazen individuals. It is taught that the insolent people of the generation are reincarnations of animals from earlier generations, and animals are inherently brazen; thus, they are the "brazen ones of the generation." Consequently, in our generation there are many such people, and it is impossible to rebuke anyone. It once happened that someone stood next to a Jew whose barber had cut his peyot completely, shaving them all the way up, and he said to him with utmost gentleness: "Perhaps you didn't notice - next time tell the barber not to cut so high up; there is an issue with this in halachah. It is not your fault at all, it was the barber." The man replied: "When you become my rabbi, I'll ask you what to do." That was a clear lesson in where to speak and with whom to speak. Yet it is precisely this that shields our generation - that there is no one who can accept rebuke, as the Gemara states. In any case, we have learned that this is a very severe claim with which even the greatest tzaddik is confronted: Why didn't you rebuke?
Therefore, David comes and says: Master of the Universe, when You judge the wicked, judge me along with them. For among the wicked, it is certain that they do not accept rebuke - they are brazen and insolent - and then I will emerge clear of blame. But if You judge me with the righteous, I may very well be held accountable: Why didn't you rebuke so-and-so? And there I will not be able to claim that they would not accept rebuke, for these are God-fearing people who are eager to receive rebuke.
A second explanation: "When You judge the wicked" - meaning, judge me with the same measure by which You judge the wicked. For with the righteous, the Holy One, blessed be He, is exacting to a hair's breadth, and they are held accountable for every slight flaw and misstep. The holy Ari relates that a man was reincarnated simply because some dirt had entered his shoe and, without noticing, he carried it on Shabbat, which falls under the category of mit'asek (an act done without awareness). How could one be reincarnated over such a matter? Rather, when a soul reaches exceptionally high levels and seeks to ascend another rung, it is told: "Here you cannot proceed, for you still have a minor imperfection to purify." The soul itself then requests to return and refine that point in order to reach a higher realm. It follows that with the righteous, the Holy One, blessed be He, is exacting to a hair's breadth. Therefore, David says: "Do not enter into judgment with Your servant" - I do not wish to be judged with the righteous, where the standard is so exacting; rather, judge me with the wicked, where the judgment is less exacting and less severe, a lenient judgment - judge me with lenient judgment and not with harsh judgment. And regarding the judgment of the righteous, he brings that even the angels, who are called "all living," cannot endure it, for they are not entirely blameless before Him in judgment: "Behold, He puts no trust in His holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in His sight... and His angels He charges with flaw - how much more so man, who is a worm, and how can one born of woman be righteous?"
And a third explanation from the Midrash: "Alternatively: in this world, judge me; but in the World to Come, do not enter into judgment." This is a wonderful resolution to the contradiction: the question is where. Judge me, Master of the Universe, here in this world, and if I must be purified - "welcome, my brothers, welcome, my companions," I welcome those afflictions; but in the World to Come, do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for there the cost is far higher. If I must undergo something, let me undergo the purification here and arrive as a tzaddik in the World to Come.
The Persecution: Injury to Body and Soul
כִּי רָדַף אוֹיֵב נַפְשִׁי, דִּכָּא לָאָרֶץ חַיָּתִי, הוֹשִׁיבַנִי בְמַחֲשַׁכִּים כְּמֵתֵי עוֹלָם. - For an enemy has pursued my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me dwell in darkness like those long dead.
Rashi explains: If I have sinned against You, I have already been stricken, for "an enemy has pursued my soul." And Rashi adds that this does not refer to David alone; rather, this psalm was said on behalf of all of Israel. That is, if we have sinned before Hashem, surely all the persecutions, murders, exterminations, inquisitions, and everything we have endured ought to serve as atonement, and through this we should already be pure in Your sight.
The Radak explains "he crushed my life to the ground" - he degraded my life as if it were cast down to the ground, humbled and brought down to the dust. "He made me dwell in dark places" - this refers to the inner recesses of the cave, where David sat while hiding from Shaul; a place without light, deep and dark, where he was like a dead man beneath the earth. And what is "like those long dead"? He did not simply say "like a dead man," but rather like those who died long ago, regarding whom people have already abandoned hope, seeing no possibility that they will return; they are already dry bones. For although naturally speaking neither category can rise again, those dead from long ago are far more removed from resurrection than someone who just passed away - for we have heard of cases where someone was presumed dead and suddenly knocking was heard from the morgue refrigerator, and it turned out he had been sent there too early.
And what is "chayati" (my life)? The Metzudat Tzion explains that it refers to the soul, as in "and man became a living soul (nefesh chayah)." When speaking of the levels of the soul - Naran-chai (Nefesh, Ruach, Neshamah, Chayah, Yechidah) - the level of Chayah is exceedingly elevated. Chayah and Yechidah are very lofty realms, and the sacred books barely touch upon them because so few individuals have ever attained them. One of those few was King David, and indeed we find that he mentions "chayati" several times, and even "yechidati": "Rescue my soul from the sword, my only one (yechidati) from the power of the dog." This aligns beautifully with the teachings on the transmigration of souls, that David is the reincarnation of Adam HaRishon - Adam, David, Mashiach, forming the acronym ADaM. Adam HaRishon achieved the levels of Naran-chai in their absolute perfection, which is why the kabbalists explain that he grasped the Torah in its highest perfection, as a person's grasp of the Torah corresponds directly to the perfection of his soul's levels. Likewise, it is said of David that the halachah follows him everywhere - even though there were wise, discerning, righteous, and scholarly figures in his generation, the halachah followed him everywhere, because he had attained even the levels of Chayah and Yechidah.
The Malbim explains that the enemy struck at both dimensions: the spiritual realm and the physical realm. Spiritually - "For they have driven me out today from attaching myself to the inheritance of Hashem, saying: Go, serve other gods" - they drive me out of the Land to go and associate with foreigners, which is likened to serving idols, a blow to spirituality. Physically - "he crushed my life to the ground, he made me dwell in dark places," referring to the cave, like people buried in a pit; thus, I am deprived both of bodily life and of the soul's spiritual vitality. The Malbim maintains a consistent principle: wherever "nafshi" and "chayati" appear together, one refers to the physical aspect and the other to the spiritual - "chayati" refers to physical vitality, and "nafshi" to spiritual vitality.
The Fainting of the Spirit and the Desolation of the Heart
וַתִּתְעַטֵּף עָלַי רוּחִי, בְּתוֹכִי יִשְׁתּוֹמֵם לִבִּי. - My spirit fainted within me; within me, my heart was desolate.
We have already explained "my spirit fainted (vatitatef) within me" in the previous psalm: a person in distress shrinks, as it were, and wraps himself up in his spirit, a state of deep sorrow and depression. Here, this also brought about "within me, my heart was desolate (yishtomem)" - yishtomem conveys numbness, astonishment, and stupefaction, as Rashi explains, like "and I sat there appalled (mashmim) among them for seven days" in Yechezkel, and like "and Tamar remained desolate": a state of desolation, shock, and numbness of heart.
The Malbim explains that David describes himself as one whose end has arrived: his spirit - meaning his spiritual and mental faculties - is concealed beneath a shroud and cannot actualize its potential; and the heart, which is the seat of life, becomes desolate. Due to the terrible circumstance, feeling that the end is near, I have reached a state where my spiritual and physical powers cannot operate, crushed and degraded to the point that I cannot serve the Holy One, blessed be He, as I desire.
Remembering Days of Old - The Source of Consolation
זָכַרְתִּי יָמִים מִקֶּדֶם, הָגִיתִי בְכׇל פׇּעֳלֶךָ, בְּמַעֲשֵׂה יָדֶיךָ אֲשׂוֹחֵחַ. - I remembered days of old, I meditated on all Your deeds, I spoke of the work of Your hands.
Rashi explains: I remembered days of old when You performed many wonders for us, doing miracles for us in the past. The Radak adds: Specifically when I am in distress and my heart is desolate within me, I recall days of old when our forefathers were in great distress, even greater than mine, and You delivered them - and through this I find comfort. "I meditated on all Your deeds" - on the deeds, wonders, and miracles; "I spoke of the work of Your hands" - of what You did for them, and in this I find solace. By recalling all the miracles and wonders, I console myself and say: The One Who redeemed our ancestors from Egypt will redeem us, and the One Who brought us out of distress and anguish in the past will bring us out now as well. Thus, even in the dreadful situation I find myself in, I find encouragement and feel that the Holy One, blessed be He, will redeem me and save me from my affliction.
The Malbim explains this in another way: it is known that right before death, a person sees his entire life flash before him like a film in mere seconds. So the Malbim explains - at the final moment when the soul parts from the body, everything that occurred throughout one's lifetime passes through his thoughts, until he recalls the days of old.
Deed and Action, Meditation and Speech
The Malbim explains in several places the difference between po'al (ongoing work) and ma'aseh (a finished deed), two terms that appear interchangeable. A ma'aseh is a completed entity whose creation is finished, whereas a po'al refers to an active endeavor that continues to unfold in the present. Accordingly, alongside matters where one sees the po'al of Hashem - how the Holy One, blessed be He, is actively engaged in sustaining reality and preserving it through constant Divine Providence - one also meditates upon the work of His hands (ma'aseh yadav), the things that are already completed. Heaven and earth are the work of His hands, established from the outset. While we certainly believe that the Holy One in His goodness renews the work of creation continuously each day, we do not directly see or feel this ongoing renewal. In contrast, in the events unfolding around us day by day, we perceive the po'al of Hashem - we see how He performs miracles now, how He exercises providence now, and how He protects us at this very moment. David thus declares: I contemplate both aspects - both the present po'al of Hashem, and the completed works of His hands and His acts of kindness toward us since the six days of creation.
The Malbim further notes the precise phrasing: "I meditate on all Your works" (hagiti b'chol po'alecha). The po'al of Hashem requires deep attention and contemplation, which is why the verse uses hagiti - one must ponder and reflect deeply to discern the ongoing work of Hashem. By contrast, regarding the work of His hands, anyone who opens his eyes sees the sky, the earth, the seas, and the sun; for this, simple reflection (asochei'ach, "I converse" or "ponder") suffices, requiring no profound meditation to perceive His existing creation. But perceiving Providence requires genuine contemplation. One person sees unmistakable Providence, while another insists, "I don't know, I saw nothing."
Divine Providence - Whoever Wants to See, Sees
Rav Eliyahu Deri, a resident of Kiryat Herzog, related that his wife had a relative who had been married to a kohen, divorced him, married another man, and then returned to the first husband and became pregnant by him, wishing to remarry him. He told her: There is no chance; who would ever permit this? She is both a divorcée forbidden to a kohen and had married someone else in the interim! But she insisted: "Take me to Rav Ovadia; he releases agunot, surely he will find a solution for me." He explained that there is no solution contrary to the Torah, but she was adamant until he finally took her. They entered and presented the situation to the Rav, who said: "No, no, how could this be possible? Both a kohen and remarried, it is completely out of the question." The relative pleaded: "Rabbi, she is pregnant by him, perhaps the Rav can find some solution?" The Rav replied: "It will not hold, it will not hold" - and dismissed her. On their way back along Route 1, as they passed near Tel HaShomer, she began screaming in pain and was rushed into the hospital. Within less than an hour - just as the Rav had said - she miscarried.
This story was once recounted during an inspirational talk at a women's midrasha, an audience comprising sharp, educated women and lawyers. A university student stood up and challenged: "Honored Rabbi, surely because the Rav told her it wouldn't last, it induced severe stress, and that stress caused her to miscarry! So what miracle is there here?" The answer given was: "A story was told; anyone is free to think whatever they wish. One person will see Divine Providence, the hand of Hashem, and the fulfillment of 'a tzaddik decrees and the Holy One carries it out,' while another will think stress caused it." Providence is an individual matter: whoever wants to see it will see it, and whoever does not want to see it will not. One can present a person with the clearest evidence, and he will shrug, "I don't see it" - so be it. Heaven does not force anyone to see. This is precisely what the verse conveys: perceiving Providence requires hagiti (deep contemplation), because human nature often seeks to avoid seeing it. The time will come when everyone will see; but whoever chooses to see today gains immediately, beholding Hashem's work and His watchful Providence in everything that befalls us.
A similar occurrence was witnessed with Ariel Sharon: Rav Ovadia Yosef said of him that Hashem would strike him with a single blow to the head, and he would lie down and not get up. Sharon heard this, grew alarmed - perhaps retaining some lingering reverence from his grandfather's home - and sent an emissary to plead with the Rav to soften his words. The Rav told the messenger: "Tell him not to worry, he will live a long life." Both statements were fulfilled: he suffered a massive stroke to the head, and he lingered for many long years in the hospital, breathing on his own for years - seven years. May Hashem have mercy.
In summary: The psalm was uttered from the darkness of the cave, opening with a twofold plea - "Hear my prayer" for general needs that the Holy One, blessed be He, faithfully provides to His world, and "give ear to my supplications" for personal petitions that stem solely from His righteousness. From there, David pleads, "Do not enter into judgment with Your servant": do not measure me against Your limitless greatness, for before You no living being can be justified, not even the celestial beings on high. Our Sages expounded several dimensions to this: that he not be held accountable for rebuking others, that he not be scrutinized to a hair's breadth in the manner reserved for the righteous, and that his purification take place in this world rather than the World to Come. Finally, from the depths of physical and spiritual exhaustion, David finds comfort in memory: "I remember the days of old" - He Who delivered our ancestors from troubles far greater than mine will deliver me now as well. With this, we are called to "meditate on all Your works" - to contemplate and perceive the guiding hand of Hashem in the present, for Divine Providence is revealed only to those who truly wish to see it.