פֵּרַשְׂתִּי יָדַי אֵלֶיךָ נַפְשִׁי כְּאֶרֶץ־עֲיֵפָה לְךָ סֶלָה׃ - I spread forth my hands to You; my soul thirsts for You like a weary land, Selah.
The Radak explains "my soul thirsts for You like a weary land": just as dry earth thirsts, yearns, and longs for rain, so too my soul thirsts and yearns for You. Rashi explains that these words reflect the reality of the Jewish people in exile, like a weary land thirsting for salvation.
The Malbim offers an innovative explanation. After David described all that the Holy One, Blessed be He, does - both in the fixed orders of creation and in matters of divine providence - he says: In this state, I am already preparing myself for death. As he said earlier, "like those who have long been dead," he feels himself to be in his final moments, and therefore spreads forth his hands. As is well known, an infant enters the world with clenched fists, whereas when a person departs, his hands are spread open. He opens his hands as if to say: I have taken nothing with me.
It is told of rare tzaddikim that they passed away with clenched hands, and one of them was Rav Shteinman. One who took nothing of worldly vanity can depart with clenched fists, saying: I took all the true treasures of this world - Torah, fear of Heaven, and the service of Hashem - and from material matters I took nothing, so no one would mistake his clenched hands as clutching anything of this world. In any event, the opening of the hands signifies that one takes nothing from here.
Notice that this is a novel interpretation by the Malbim. The plain understanding of "I spread forth my hands to You" is spreading one's hands in prayer, which is the familiar expression. But the Malbim explains that since David is already in his dying moments, he says: I spread forth my hands to You in the manner of living creatures that stretch out their limbs at the moment of death, as man does as well. And from this: I spread my hands to return to You, "my soul is like a weary land to You," ready to return to the abode of eternal life. And "Selah," according to the Malbim, marks the conclusion of the matter.
מַהֵר עֲנֵנִי יְהֹוָה כָּלְתָה רוּחִי אַל־תַּסְתֵּר פָּנֶיךָ מִמֶּנִּי וְנִמְשַׁלְתִּי עִם־יֹרְדֵי בוֹר׃ - Answer me speedily, Hashem, my spirit fails; do not hide Your face from me, lest I be compared to those who go down to the pit.
Rashi explains that "my spirit fails" is always an expression denoting someone who yearns for something but cannot attain it, longing with pining eyes and an exhausted spirit to reach that thing. The Radak explains: I am close to death, and if You do not hurry to answer me, I will perish, Heaven forbid. "My spirit fails" means that I am on the verge of death, and if You hide Your face from me, immediately "I am compared to those who go down to the pit" - I will be counted among those who descend to the grave, that is, the dead.
The Malbim explains that this portrays how he stands a mere step from death, and at that very moment the power of trust, hope, and yearning awakens, crying out: Answer me speedily! Master of the Universe, answer me before my spirit expires, for my spirit is already departing and stands at the threshold of death; another moment and it will expire. "Do not hide Your face from me" means do not turn Your face from me even for an instant, do not remove Your providence from me, for if You turn Your face away for even one moment, "I am compared to those who go down to the pit." My life hangs by a thread; therefore, Master of the Universe, answer me quickly.
הַשְׁמִיעֵנִי בַבֹּקֶר חַסְדֶּךָ כִּי־בְךָ בָטָחְתִּי הוֹדִיעֵנִי דֶּרֶךְ־זוּ אֵלֵךְ כִּי־אֵלֶיךָ נָשָׂאתִי נַפְשִׁי׃ - Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust; make known to me the way I should walk, for to You have I lifted up my soul.
Rashi explains that "in the morning" refers to when redemption sprouts forth, and "make known to me the way" means: in what way will You accept my petition, for I lift up my soul to You. The Radak adds that the time of distress is called evening - a motif found in many places, where trouble is likened to night, and salvation and redemption are likened to day and morning. Thus: instruct me, Hashem, which way I should go, how I may reach salvation, and where I can flee from those who pursue me. "For to You have I lifted up my soul" - as in the verse, "and unto it he lifteth up his soul" (Devarim 24:15) - meaning that all my longing and hope are directed toward You. I have no one else to yearn for and no one else to place my hope in; all my hope is in You alone.
The Malbim explains that from here on, David details four requests. The first is that his spirit return to him, meaning that he return to life. The second is, "Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning": I am submerged in the darkness of night; let the morning shine forth, and let a strand of chesed be drawn out to revive me, and since in You do I trust, cause me to hear this chesed. The third is that the Holy One, blessed be He, take him out of the cave: "Make known to me the way I should walk," so that I may emerge from this dark place, as David was hiding in the cave when Shaul entered. "For to You have I lifted up my soul" - You are the One Who guides me in the paths of righteousness, and therefore I lift up my soul to You to bring me out of the dark place in which I find myself.
In the sefer Otzrot HaAggadah, a wonderful parable is cited regarding "Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust." When the Holy One, blessed be He, wishes to test a person, He brings afflictions upon him to see whether he will endure and whether he is worthy of the reward designated for him. But a righteous person does not require a trial, for he trusts in Hashem from the outset and does not need to undergo tribulations to prove he is worthy. This is the meaning of "Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning": the morning is the beginning, while the evening comes after the conclusion. There are people with whom one must wait until the evening to see how they will fare throughout the day and whether they truly deserve it. But as for me, Master of the Universe, because I trust in You so completely, You can bestow it upon me already in the morning. You do not need to wait until the evening to examine whether I will remain steadfast or not, whether I am deserving or not, for You are confident that I will serve You with wholeness. "For in You do I trust" - I have always trusted in You, and there is no need to test me. This is also what David meant by "and my heart is slain within me," having succeeded in completely subduing and nullifying the yetzer hara.
The sefer Maaseh Ish recounts concerning "for in You do I trust": The Chazon Ish was once walking along the road with one of his close associates when he suddenly noticed a child walking on the edge of a building, in a spot that lacked a railing. The companion, who was normally a calm person, was overcome with panic and dread, feeling immense anxiety and alarm. The Chazon Ish immediately calmed him and said: Do not panic, "in You do I trust." Everyone has their own protection, everyone has their own special Divine providence (hashgachah), and there is no need to fear. What, then, must be done? By the principle of rescuing someone in danger (hatzalah), one must certainly run to save him, that is clear. But there is no place for falling into panic and fear, because fear and panic paralyze a person and do not lead to effective action. One must go and act, for that is the duty at hand, while simultaneously trusting that whatever Heaven wills for each person is what will occur.
In the sefer Shirat Yonah, an explanation is brought on "Make known to me the way [zo] I should walk, for to You have I lifted up my soul": The numerical value (gematria) of the word zo (זו) is thirteen, corresponding to the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy of the Holy One, blessed be He. Make known to me zo - the Thirteen Attributes. And why is this called the way in which I should walk? Because Chazal taught: Just as He is gracious, so too must you be gracious; just as He is merciful, so too must you be merciful. Likewise, Chazal expounded on the verse, "After Hashem your God shall you walk" (Devarim 13:5): Is it possible for a person to literally walk after the Shechinah, when He is a consuming fire? Rather, walk after His attributes. This is the meaning of "Make known to me the way [zo] I should walk, for to You have I lifted up my soul" - I wish to cleave to You and to Your attributes; the path of the Thirteen Attributes is the way in which I will walk. To walk after Hashem means to cleave to His attributes.
הַצִּילֵנִי מֵאֹיְבַי יְהֹוָה אֵלֶיךָ כִסִּתִי׃ - Deliver me from my enemies, Hashem; unto You have I concealed.
The Radak explains: Deliver me from my enemies, Master of the Universe, for I did not disclose my dispute to human beings, because I did not expect salvation from people. The way of someone involved in a dispute with his fellow, who expects someone to come to his rescue, is to tell another person and ask him for help. David says: I have no one to confide in; vain is human deliverance. "Unto You have I concealed" means that only to You have I revealed it, while concealing it from everyone else; I cried out to You in secret, in a manner hidden from people. The meaning is not that I concealed it from You, but rather that I concealed it from the entire world and revealed it to You alone.
The Meiri explains similarly that "unto You have I concealed" (eilecha chisiti) means on Your account have I concealed it, as in the phrase "Say of me [li], 'He is my brother'" (Bereishit 20:13), where "li" does not mean "to me," but rather "about me" and "for my sake." Here, too, it means "for Your sake have I concealed it" - since it is my wish to spread the matter before You alone and not turn to mortal men, for I trust only in You. Therefore, I concealed it from the entire world, wishing for it to be revealed only to You, as I rely upon You to deliver me. Rashi explains along the same lines: My tribulations I conceal from all people in order to recount them to You. The Ibn Ezra cites an intriguing explanation in the name of Rabbi Marinus, that chisiti (כיסיתי) is akin to chasiti (חסיתי, "I took refuge"), with an interchange of the letters kaf and chet, as if it said "in You have I taken refuge"; however, the Ibn Ezra himself does not accept this interpretation.
The Malbim presents this as the third request in the psalm: that the Holy One, blessed be He, rescue him from the enemies lying in ambush along the way. "For unto You have I concealed" - I conceal my paths, my goings out and comings in, for they are constantly tracking me and informing Shaul of David's whereabouts. Master of the Universe, I conceal my whereabouts from all people, and You alone know my location; You guard the secret that I have revealed only to You. What is concealed from others I reveal before You alone, and it is known to You alone, for among all human beings, I place my trust in no one other than the Master of the Universe.
In the sefer Tehillot Maharit, it is noted that David is hinting here to a remarkable passage of Chazal in Sanhedrin (107a): David sought to worship idols, as it is said, "And it was when David came to the summit [rosh, which the Gemara interprets as an idol]." Chushai Ha'Archi said to him: "Shall people say that a king like you worships idols?" David replied: "Shall people say that a king like me is being killed by his own son? It is better that he appear to worship idols rather than have the Name of Heaven publicly desecrated."
The Vilna Gaon offered a parable to explain this matter: A king had a devoted servant who was deeply beloved by him, a close confidant, and the bond between them was extraordinary. One day, as the servant served the king soup, a single drop splattered onto the king's royal garment. The king flew into a rage and ordered his execution. Hearing this, the servant took the entire bowl of soup and poured it all over the king's clothes. The king grew even angrier and commanded that he be executed with agonizing torture. Later, however, the king reconsidered: 'How could my beloved servant do such a thing?' He summoned him and asked, 'How did you dare? The first drop was an accident, but then to pour the whole bowl?' The servant replied, 'I did it out of honor for my king. I thought to myself: anyone who hears that a servant so beloved to the king made a slight error and spilled a drop, and the king put him to death for it, will say what a cruel king this is. But now, when they hear that I dumped an entire bowl over you, they will say he certainly deserved it, and the king is righteous. I wanted Your Majesty's honor to remain intact.' The king heard this, restored him to his position, and loved him all the more.
This was precisely the dynamic with King David. David sought to appear as though he were worshipping idols, because otherwise, Hashem's Name would be desecrated: How could it be that Hashem's beloved, King David, suffered such calamity from within his own household? People would speak ill of Hashem, blessed be He. But if they heard that David had worshipped idols, they would say: 'Hashem is righteous; David must have sinned against Him, and he truly had it coming.' Rashi explains there that David said: 'People will say, "A king like him, a pious man like him, is killed by his son," and they will murmur against the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, leading to a public desecration of Heaven's Name. Better that I appear to worship idols and desecrate Hashem's Name on my own, rather than have the entire nation desecrate it.' And what did Chushai Ha'Archi answer him? 'Shall people say a king like you worships idols?' In other words, on the contrary: if they say that King David worships idols, all restraint will be cast off; people will say that idolatry must be legitimate, for David discovered the truth, pious as he is. Consequently, you would cause an even greater desecration of Hashem's Name. Hearing this, David accepted his counsel. Naturally, David never intended to worship idols in truth, but only outwardly, so that it would appear that way and people would speak accordingly. From this we see David's profound love of Hashem - he was willing to be branded an idolater for the honor of the Creator, blessed be He, so that His Name would not be desecrated.
This is what David recalls now in his hour of distress: "Rescue me from my enemies, Hashem; to You I concealed." For You and for the sake of Your Name, I concealed myself. I concealed my righteousness; I obscured and sullied my honor to appear as if I were worshipping idols, so that the Name of Heaven would not be publicly desecrated. And if I concealed my honor, my stature, and my fear of Heaven for Your sake, this is reason enough for You to rescue me. Even if it is not warranted through natural means, act for me above the laws of nature, just as I gave over my soul for Your honor.
The holy Alshich explains that there are two kinds of enemies: enemies of the body and enemies of the soul. The evil inclination and its forces are the enemies of the soul - the forces of impurity generated by a person's sins. Enemies of the body are not as formidable or dangerous as enemies of the soul. Incidentally, within the enemies of the soul themselves, the holy Ohr HaChaim writes that the female dimension (nukva) is harsher than the male (dechura): one battles against the sitra achra, against the male dimension, and can prevail, but the female dimension nearly overpowered him.
For our purposes, enemies of the body are not such grave enemies, whereas enemies of the soul are far more dangerous. Therefore, when a person reaches a situation where he might forfeit his Judaism, it is better that he lose his physical life. Forfeiting his Jewish soul means being cut off for eternity, whereas losing one's physical life is something all mortals eventually face - "the days of our years are seventy, or with strength, eighty years" - so that he merely dies a bit sooner and merits eternal life. But if he preserves his physical life while losing his spiritual soul, he forfeits eternity itself, and the two cannot be compared at all.
With this, David says: "Rescue me from my enemies, Hashem." And from which of them? From those through whom "to You I concealed" - meaning those that conceal and create a barrier between me and You. These are the enemies through whom I am hidden from You, the enemies of the soul that distance me from Your service. Master of the Universe, rescue me from them, for through them I am obscured from Your service and alienated from the fear of You. As Chazal taught, one who causes another to sin is worse than one who kills him; the enemies of the soul are far more dangerous than the enemies of the body, and it is on this account that I pray, rescue me.
The Me'am Lo'ez offers another novel interpretation: "To You I concealed [kissiti]" is related to counting, as in the phrase "you shall reckon [tachossu] for the lamb." That is to say: I have counted the statements in which You promised to redeem me, and upon them I rely.
לַמְּדֵנִי לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנֶךָ כִּי־אַתָּה אֱלוֹהָי רוּחֲךָ טוֹבָה תַּנְחֵנִי בְּאֶרֶץ מִישׁוֹר׃ - Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good spirit lead me in a level land.
Radak explains that David prays here for both the salvation of the body and the salvation of the soul. Up to this point he prayed for bodily salvation, and from here onward he prays for the spiritual dimension: Help me in the study of wisdom, so that I may know what Your will is and fulfill it truly according to Your will. "For You are my God" - I recognize that power and ability belong to You alone; You judge the world and guide it, and therefore my desire is to do Your will properly. "May Your good spirit" refers to the supreme spiritual force, that it may guide me along a good path and lead me in a level land - that is, upon an upright and straightforward path, as opposed to a crooked path. I do not desire convoluted ways, but a level path.
The Malbim explains that this is the fourth request: in return for the enemy pursuing my soul to make me sin, teach me to do Your will. And since You are my God, I ask that Your good spirit guide me on a level path. The Malbim describes the "level ground" (mishor) as a distinct entity, a special place and a unique land, and the good spirit - which is the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) - will guide me to that place called "a level land," to the place where uprightness dwells and where righteousness resides. The intention is that I will always act with integrity and never walk along a path that angers You.
לְמַעַן־שִׁמְךָ יְהֹוָה תְּחַיֵּנִי בְּצִדְקָתְךָ תּוֹצִיא מִצָּרָה נַפְשִׁי׃ - For Your Name's sake, Hashem, revive me; in Your righteousness, bring my soul out of distress.
Ibn Ezra interprets "For Your Name's sake" in two ways: so that Your Name will become known, or because I serve Your Name. In other words, either the ultimate purpose is that I will publicize the Name of Hashem and sanctify Heaven's Name, or that because I serve Your Name, I am worthy of salvation. Radak explains according to the first approach, so that Your Name may be magnified in the mouths of people: when You save me and revive me from distress, everyone will say, behold, great is Hashem God Who saved David from his pursuers, brought him out of his distress, and brought him to kingship.
The Malbim explains that here David returns and elucidates his earlier requests. Corresponding to "Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning," he says, "For Your Name's sake, Hashem, revive me" - meaning, revive me so that I may publicize Your Name in the world and Your Name will be sanctified through me. And corresponding to "Make known to me the way I should walk," which means taking me out of the cave and out of darkness, he says, "in Your righteousness, bring my soul out of distress": I am currently placed in distress; bring me out of it on account of Your righteousness, Your benevolence, and Your fairness.
The author of Tehillot Maharit explains: as long as the Jewish people are in exile, neither the Name nor the Throne is complete, as it says, "For the hand is on the throne (kes) of the Lord (Yah)" - the Name is not complete, written only as Yah, and the Throne is not complete, written as kes. And Chazal say that David is the Mashiach. If so, David pleads: For Your Name's sake, Master of the Universe, bring me - that is, bring the Redemption - whereby Your Name will be sanctified and will no longer be only Yah, but the complete Name. This is "For Your Name's sake," so that the reality of the rectified world will come to be. Therefore, "revive me," that I may arise in the resurrection of the dead and those who dwell in the dust will awaken; and then "in Your righteousness, bring my soul out of distress," which refers to the collective soul of Klal Yisrael, and the world will be perfected under the Kingdom of the Almighty, and the Name will be whole and the Throne will be whole.
וּבְחַסְדְּךָ תַּצְמִית אֹיְבָי וְהַאֲבַדְתָּ כׇּל־צֹרְרֵי נַפְשִׁי כִּי אֲנִי עַבְדֶּךָ׃ - And in Your lovingkindness cut off my enemies, and destroy all the oppressors of my soul, for I am Your servant.
Corresponding to what he said earlier, "Teach me to do Your will," he now says, "and destroy all the oppressors of my soul," referring to the enemies of the soul who seek to distance me from Your service. And this is only fitting, "for I am Your servant": since my desire is to serve You, it is proper that You remove the oppressors of the soul from me. Radak adds: it is fitting that You conquer those oppressors and keep them away from me, because I serve You and they do not; therefore, it is fitting that You stand at my right hand.
In the book Tehillot Maharit, this is explained based on the Chatam Sofer. It says, "Hashem is a master of war, Hashem is His Name," and the Chatam Sofer notes that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not perform miracles in vain unless benefit and the sanctification of God's Name result from it; the Holy One, blessed be He, does not perform a miracle for nothing. This is the meaning of "Hashem is a master of war," that Hashem, may He be blessed, wages war in a supernatural manner, and the objective is "Hashem is His Name," that His Name be magnified and sanctified in the eyes of mankind. Miracles are performed solely for the sanctification of Hashem's Name; Hashem never performs a miracle for nothing.
The reason is that it is "difficult" before the Holy One, blessed be He, to alter the natural order of Creation. "Difficult" does not mean hard in the conventional sense, for nothing is difficult for the Holy One, blessed be He; rather, it refers to the principle He established in His world, that the world should always function according to the laws of nature, and therefore it goes against His system to act contrary to nature. The reason for this is that such an action diminishes free will, and without a balance in free will, the entire order of the world is disrupted: on what basis would we deserve reward? If we only saw miracles and Hashem's open hand all the time, where would faith and trust be? That would not be trust born of faith, but rather the result of seeing and receiving directly. Then the element of reward earned through our own invested effort would be missing, and one would merely be receiving the unearned bread of charity (lechem chessed), that which the Holy One, blessed be He, gives for free. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, performs miracles only when the event itself brings about the sanctification of God's Name, and then "Hashem is His Name." This is what the verse means: "And in Your lovingkindness cut off my enemies, and destroy all the oppressors of my soul" - and toward what end? "For I am Your servant," so that through this salvation I may grow stronger in the service of Hashem, and there will be a sanctification of God's Name.
The book Binah Le'itim addresses a difficulty: "And in Your lovingkindness cut off my enemies" - ostensibly, it should have said "in Your might cut off my enemies," for cutting off enemies requires might, so why mention lovingkindness? First, the simple understanding: whenever lovingkindness is mentioned regarding enemies, it does not mean kindness toward them, but rather: in Your lovingkindness toward me, cut off my enemies; the kindness is with me. However, the Binah Le'itim explains that "my enemies" refers to those who seek my harm only in this world, and regarding them he asks that Hashem cut them off with kindness - that He show them mercy so that they do not perish entirely. But "the oppressors of my soul" are those who seek my harm not only in this world but also in the World to Come, those who want to make me sin. They are far worse, for one who causes another to sin is worse than one who kills him; and regarding them he requests, "and destroy," that they be destroyed completely.
Another explanation comes to mind as to why it says "in Your kindness." The death of the wicked is good for them and good for the world, for as long as a wicked person lives, he adds fuel to his own Gehinnom. When a person prolongs his days in sin, woe to him and woe to his soul, for he continues to stoke the fires of Gehinnom for himself for more and more years. According to this, it fits wonderfully: "In Your kindness cut off my enemies" - Master of the Universe, it is an act of kindness if You take them away, not only a kindness to me, but even a kindness to them! Do him a kindness and take him, for as long as he remains here he continues to cause harm, and this harm brings great evil upon him and leads him to Gehinnom; therefore, in Your kindness, take him.