In the final section of Chapter 144, King David transitions from praying for deliverance from the hands of foreigners to a new song that he innovates for the Holy One, blessed be He. From there, he moves into a complete depiction of a blessed nation: sons and daughters raised properly, full granaries, abundant flocks and cattle, and peace in the streets. Ultimately, it becomes clear that all this abundance is not the primary point, but rather what stands behind it: "Happy is the people whose God is the Lord."
אֱלֹהִים שִׁיר חָדָשׁ אָשִׁירָה לָּךְ בְּנֵבֶל עָשׂוֹר אֲזַמְּרָה־לָּךְ׃ (ט) - O God, I will sing a new song to You; upon a ten-stringed harp I will make music to You. (9)
The Radak explains: Every time You renew wonders for me, I renew a song for You. And indeed, the Book of Tehillim is filled with songs and praises that King David composed anew, glorifying the Creator of the universe with them - a new song for every miracle and for every deliverance.
The Malbim notes precisely: "A new song" is not like ordinary songs. Ordinary songs are sung for salvations that arrive through natural means, whereas a new song is sung for a supernatural salvation, for something that transcends the ordinary order of things. Therefore, the instrument also changes: "Upon a ten-stringed harp" - not on the lyre of "For the leader, on the Sheminis." The Sheminis refers to an eight-stringed instrument, and as is known, the musical octave consists of eight notes (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do) - which still represents a dimension within nature. "Asor" (ten), on the other hand, always alludes to a higher realm, to the number ten, to the spiritual world rooted in the ten divine utterances. Thus, a new song on a ten-stringed harp is a song that transcends the familiar and natural reality.
And in a humorous vein, people quote the verse, "Sing to the Lord a new song, His praise in the assembly of the pious": Why must it specifically be a new song? What is wrong with the old ones? Some have taken this all too literally, constantly inventing brand-new songs every morning with lyrics whose origins nobody knows. Rather, the answer is hinted at in the continuation of the verse: "His praise" - that which people used to sing to the Master of the Universe - is now sung "in the assembly of the pious," meaning they sing it to their Rebbe instead. So there is no choice left but to compose a brand-new song for the Master of the Universe.
הַנּוֹתֵן תְּשׁוּעָה לַמְּלָכִים הַפּוֹצֶה אֶת־דָּוִד עַבְדּוֹ מֵחֶרֶב רָעָה׃ (י) - Who gives salvation to kings, Who delivers David His servant from the evil sword. (10)
The verse is familiar to everyone from the prayer for the welfare of the government, "He Who gives salvation to kings and dominion to princes." It is told that a minister from the Mafdal party encountered the Brisker Rov on his way to pray at the Western Wall, and jabbed at him: Surely the Rov is going to pray for "its ministers and advisors." The Rov replied: Certainly, I am going to recite Chapter 109 of Tehillim for them - that very chapter we studied, which is filled with imprecations against the persecutors of the righteous. He repaid him in kind. And a friend of mine used to say with a wink: "Who gives salvation to kings and government to lunatics."
As for the verse itself, Rashi explains that this refers to Sela HaMachlekos (the Rock of Division): Saul and his men were surrounding David and his men to capture them, and David was on the verge of being trapped - until a messenger came to Saul and told him, "Hurry and go." Through this, two people were saved: Saul was saved from shedding innocent blood, from killing the anointed of the Lord who had already been anointed by Samuel; and David was saved from Saul's sword. This is the meaning of "Who gives salvation to kings" - for He saved the king from being brought to kill David; and "Who delivers David His servant from the evil sword" - for He rescued David from Saul's sword.
One might add: Why does it say "to kings" in the plural, when ostensibly it should have said "to the king"? Rather, David was already a king as well, since he had already been anointed. Thus, both are included here: salvation for Saul, that he did not kill David, and salvation for David himself.
The expression "fotzeh" recurs several times in this chapter - "Stretch out Your hands from on high; rescue me and deliver me" (7), "Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners" (11) - and it carries the meaning of deliverance and redemption, derived from the root of opening, as in "opened his mouth" (patzah piv): open an opening for me and bring me out.
Radak notes precisely: "Salvation to kings" comes to teach you that even kings need salvation. Not only an ordinary person, regarding whom one might ask who will help him and who will save him, but even a king requires the salvation of the Holy One, Blessed be He.
And what is an "evil sword" - is there such a thing as a good sword? Radak explains: This refers to Saul's sword, and it is called "evil" because David had no way to protect himself against it, seeing that Saul was king and one of his own people. Metzudat David adds an explanation: The sword is called evil because Saul did not relent in pursuing him, being confident that David would not lay a hand on him since he was the anointed of Hashem. And there is no sword more evil than this - someone shooting at you from inside a hospital, knowing that you will not shell the hospital. When someone knows that he can harm you while you will not strike back at him, that is an evil sword.
There is another interpretation: that the evil sword is the sword of Goliath, which David took, and it is called evil because it belonged to a wicked man. Some suggest that one can see here a defense of Saul: an "evil sword" - a sword stemming from an evil spirit, meaning that it was not Saul's deliberate choice driving it, but rather the evil spirit that terrified him and clouded his judgment.
The Malbim explains the sequence: David says that he must sing a new song for two types of salvation. First, for the general salvation through which the Holy One, Blessed be He, delivers kings. And second, for a loftier matter - "Who delivers David His servant," the personal salvation wrought for me because I am Your servant. Therefore he goes on to ask, "Rescue me and deliver me," in an individual manner. Indeed, the salvation of the individual is greater in stature than that of the collective: the collective is saved by virtue of its abundant merits, but when the Holy One, Blessed be He, plucks an individual out, so to speak, and extracts him from danger - for that, extraordinary merits are required.
פְּצֵנִי וְהַצִּילֵנִי מִיַּד בְּנֵי־נֵכָר אֲשֶׁר פִּיהֶם דִּבֶּר־שָׁוְא וִימִינָם יְמִין שָׁקֶר׃ (יא) - Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners, whose mouth speaks falsehood, and whose right hand is a right hand of deceit. (11)
We have already seen these words above in verses 7-8, and they are repeated here as a renewed petition.
אֲשֶׁר בָּנֵינוּ כִּנְטִעִים מְגֻדָּלִים בִּנְעוּרֵיהֶם בְּנוֹתֵינוּ כְזָוִיֹּת מְחֻטָּבוֹת תַּבְנִית הֵיכָל׃ (יב) - For our sons are like plants grown up in their youth; our daughters are like cornerstones, carved in the form of a palace. (12)
Rashi explains that David is stating that this generation is also a righteous generation. "Like plants" - unblemished, cleansed of sin. "Grown up in their youth" - that already from their youth they are raised with a good name; it is not that their old age atones for their childhood, but rather even their childhood was spent in righteousness and holiness. Rashi notes that this full praise could be fulfilled only in the generation of Hezekiah, where there was not a young boy or girl from Dan to Antipatris who was not proficient in the laws of ritual purity and impurity - there it could truly be said that they were raised from their youth with a good name.
"Our daughters are like cornerstones, carved in the form of a palace" - Rashi explains: tall in stature and fair like the corners of a stone edifice, where the cornerstones are aligned with each other and ascend upward until the corners are perfectly straight; and they are carved in the form of a palace, acclaimed by those who see them, who liken them to the stature of a palace. Our Sages expounded on the verse: "Our daughters are like corners" - they are filled with desire like the corners of the altar filled with blood, yet they give themselves only to their husbands. Thus, Scripture speaks in praise of them and of their elevated level of holiness.
Radak explains the underlying meaning of this entire description: David pleads, "Master of the Universe, rescue me from foreigners," and his argument is - You have already bestowed blessing upon the fruit of our womb, the fruit of our ground, and the fruit of our livestock, all three of which are mentioned in this psalm just as they are mentioned in the blessings: "Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your livestock." Since that is so, it is fitting that You save us. For our Sages taught that the Holy One, Blessed be He, provides sustenance to the living and not to the dead; He does not grant a person sustenance to slay him, but to grant him life. If so, after You have bestowed all this goodness upon us, You surely intended to keep us alive; therefore, rescue us from foreigners.
Radak elaborates: "Our sons are like plants" - like saplings growing by abundant waters in fertile, rich soil, so our sons are raised in their youth with abundant goodness, upright faith, and good deeds. Likewise, our daughters are raised in goodness, beautiful in appearance, even like the corners of the palace - the cornerstones of the palace - sculpted of hewn stone, exquisitely chiseled with delicate craftsmanship, until all the cornerstones appear, by virtue of their precise alignment, as though they were a single stone. They would craft the cornerstones with such extraordinary artistry and precision that anyone looking at them would not distinguish stone upon stone, but rather see a single unified block.
The Malbim adds a wonderful explanation here that directly touches upon the education of children: "Our sons are like plants, grown up in their youth" - if one is careful with a sapling from the beginning so that it grows straight, it will become an upright tree, but if it bends while still a tender shoot, it will become a crooked tree. We all know that a tree cannot be straightened after it has grown crooked. Even if you bend it initially and it strives upward and eventually straightens out at the top, you still end up with a crooked tree; it is no longer straight. This is why farmers and growers place a stake beside the seedling to serve as a guide and plumb line, ensuring it grows straight. This is precisely the nature of education: we provide a plumb line for the student. A student needs guidance, needs someone to direct him, and we set a standard for him so that he grows straight. Children must be guided straight in their youth, and then even when he grows old, he will walk on the upright path.
"Our daughters are like cornerstones, sculpted after the fashion of a palace" - the corners are built with upright precision, and so too are the daughters within the corners of their homes, in modesty. Yet despite being tucked away, they are the ones who give form to the entire palace: the conduct of the entire home reflects their righteousness. Someone once observed that a woman is like the water added to cement for building: if you search for the water afterward, you will never find it, but without it, there is no poured concrete and no building at all. Without water, you merely have dust, and only through mixing concrete with water is the foundation cast. Once the building stands, go looking for the water - you will not find it. Such are the actions of a woman. "A wise son gladdens a father" - the father takes the son everywhere and takes pride in him, while the mother's upbringing and investment remain unseen, as she does not go around parading her son. On the other hand, "a foolish son is the grief of his mother" - for the father is ashamed to be seen with him and leaves him to his mother. But we understand very well who built and who accomplished: the righteous daughters are the ones who build the palace; they dwell modestly in the corner, their deeds unseen, and only the results are witnessed in the end.
מְזָוֵינוּ מְלֵאִים מְפִיקִים מִזַּן אֶל־זַן צֹאונֵנוּ מַאֲלִיפוֹת מְרֻבָּבוֹת בְּחוּצוֹתֵינוּ׃ (יג) - "Our storehouses are full, supplying from kind to kind; our flocks increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our open fields." (13)
Today we are accustomed to the Hebrew word mizveh (pantry), but originally, mezaveinu derives from zaviyot (corners) - the corners of storehouses and granaries, meaning that the corners of our storehouses are filled with every good thing. "Supplying from kind to kind [mizan el zan]" - Rashi explains that there is enough food to sustain from year to year, from one crop season to the next, or from the harvest of one year until the harvest of the following year, as harvest time is the season of sustenance. "Our flocks increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our open fields" - our sheep multiply by thousands and tens of thousands. Here you have glory in harvest and livelihood, and glory in flocks and cattle. This is what Radak noted, that the three blessings are mentioned here: the fruit of your womb - "our sons are like plants"; the fruit of your land - "our storehouses are full, from kind to kind"; and the fruit of your cattle - "our flocks increase by thousands, by tens of thousands."
Radak explains mezaveinu as meaning that in every corner of the house there is a different type of grain, and mizan el zan means from one species to another. Indeed, the Targum translates "according to its kind" [leminehu] as lezanohi, referring to different varieties and species, just as the word is used in modern Hebrew today. And mefikim means bringing forth - that the members of the household bring forth from one variety to another, because the house cannot contain them all due to the sheer abundance of varieties. There are so many kinds and varieties of produce, pointing to great wealth and abundance.
The Malbim explains differently: "Supplying from kind to kind" - the granaries are so full that they distribute from the household's sustenance [mazon] to the poor who come seeking nourishment [nizonim]. Mefikim comes from the root of taking out and providing, as in the Aramaic mifik and nefik. This stands in contrast to a person to whom the Holy One, blessed be He, gives wealth and possessions, but does not grant him the power to enjoy it.
A woman once related that her elderly father would constantly repeat: "And He gives me bread to eat and clothing to wear." Having come from Russia, she did not know the origin of those words until she encountered the verse where Yaakov Avinu prays, "And He gives me bread to eat and clothing to wear." Even then, she wondered: bread is meant to be eaten, so why specify "to eat"? Clothing is meant to be worn, so why specify "to wear"? It became clear only when her father was hospitalized. At home, he had a closet full of suits and a refrigerator full of food, but in the hospital, he had to be fed through a tube and wore a hospital gown. Only then did she realize what he had meant: let Him give me bread - and may I actually be able to eat and enjoy it; let Him give me clothing - and may I be able to wear it, rather than spending my days in hospital garb.
"Does not grant him the power to enjoy it" can take two forms. The first is when a person is in a state where he cannot enjoy what he has: his doctor has forbidden it, this is dangerous for him and that is unhealthy, here high blood pressure and there an ulcer - and out of all the abundance in his home, he can eat nothing. The second is what the Gemara describes as someone who "sleeps on his gold coins": a person who lives frugally and hoards, wearing the plainest clothes and barely eating, not out of poverty but out of stinginess. He cannot bring himself to spend a single penny on himself - "that is expensive," "that costs too much," "who needs it?" - and so he lives like a pauper.
Once, a very wealthy man came before one of the great Torah leaders of Israel, and people told the Rabbi: "This wealthy man is a miser; he does not even treat himself to anything." The Rabbi asked him what he ate, and the man replied: "Honored Rabbi, just a bit of dry black bread and a dip; what does a person really need to take from this world?" The Rabbi said to him: "What are you talking about? You must eat fattened fowl every single day!" He laid out a lavish, gourmet menu for him and rebuked him on the matter. After the man left, the household was astonished: the Rabbi himself was known to be deeply ascetic and completely opposed to worldly pleasures, yet here he was describing such an extravagant menu? He explained to them: "Understand this: if he eats fattened fowl, he will realize that the poor deserve at least black bread; but when he himself eats black bread, he thinks gravel is good enough for the poor. When a person eats well, he can at least be generous toward others. But one to whom Hashem has given wealth, yet does not allow himself to enjoy it, says to himself: 'I do not buy such food for myself, so should I buy it for a poor person?' Of course, a person should not live extravagantly or flaunt his wealth ostentatiously; that is not the way. But if the Holy One, blessed be He, granted someone wealth, let him enjoy it."
אַלּוּפֵינוּ מְסֻבָּלִים אֵין־פֶּרֶץ וְאֵין יוֹצֵאת וְאֵין צְוָחָה בִּרְחֹבֹתֵינוּ׃ (יד) - Our leaders [or oxen] are well laden; there is no breach, no going out into captivity, and no outcry in our streets (14).
Rashi explains: "Alufeinu" (our leaders) refers to the greatest among us; "mesubalim" (borne) means they are borne by the lesser ones, in that the lesser listen to the great and carry them, as it were, upon their hands, by fulfilling their words and accepting their instructions. As a result, "there is no breach among us" - religion is safeguarded and firmly established.
Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef once related here that he visited Putin in Russia. He was warned beforehand how to conduct himself in the meeting: Putin likes to speak, so it is best primarily to remain silent. When they entered, Putin asked him: "Do you know the secret of the Jewish people's survival, how they have survived for thousands of years?" The Rav began to explain, but Putin stopped him with a wave of his hand - it was a rhetorical question. He said: "I will explain it to you. Wherever you had great sages, rabbis, and leaders - there Judaism was preserved. But in places where there were no rabbis and leaders, and the people did not follow the words of their elders and rabbis - there was collapse. What kept you Jews alive was your rabbis." And with this, he pointed precisely to Rashi's idea.
And indeed, when did the breach begin? When they began to dismiss the words of the Sages. Look at Europe: what caused the total collapse? People began publishing books and printing newspapers that degraded the Torah leaders of the generation, mocking them and ridiculing the Torah and the yeshivah students - and this brought about total disintegration. When there is respect for the Torah giants, there is a place where their words are heeded, and it is possible to guide the nation properly. Yet in places where there was collapse, there is no Judaism left at all. Bulgaria: what kind of rabbis did they have there over the last few decades? And you saw a collapse across all areas of Judaism. Russia, who could even mention it - there they erased every trace of Judaism, and only underground, in absolute secrecy, was anything preserved; Jews were left who knew nothing of their Judaism and had never heard a word of it. In places where there were Gedolim and leadership - there Judaism remained and was preserved.
Rashi continues: "There is no breach" - no breach is made among us; there are no spiritual ruptures. "And no going out" - no bad rumor spreads far and wide. "And no outcry" - no sound of the turmoil of war. There is divine protection and shelter when one heeds the voice of the Torah giants.
These things call to mind the COVID era, when everyone had their own opinions: this person said vaccines were unnecessary, a rabbi from the north said one thing and a rabbi from the south said another, and all were pitted against the leading Torah authorities of the generation. And when the Gedolim said that people must be vaccinated, there were always those who were wise in their own eyes, believing they knew better. Just this past Shabbat, a story was told of a talmid chacham - whose name will not be mentioned, since there are people who know him - who, in his second marriage, married a very fine woman, but she was a fierce opponent of the vaccines, and consequently he did not get vaccinated either. A short time later, he contracted COVID and passed away within days. A great talmid chacham! Whom do you listen to - your wife, or your Torah giants? The leaders of the generation said to get vaccinated; do you understand better than them? Were they misled? Do they not understand? Are all the Gedolei HaDor mistaken? And if someone were to say, "But he is also a rabbi" - the response is: the elders of the generation and local rabbis are two entirely different matters, and they must not be conflated. There are great sages who are the elders of the generation, and regarding them the Torah commands us to listen; and there are many distinguished rabbis - which is all well and good - but their view is not equal in authority to the view of the elders of the generation, into whose hands the leadership was entrusted. When "our leaders are borne" and we listen to the voice of the Gedolim, there is no breach, no going out, and no outcry: no outcry of illness, no bad reports, and no troubles; rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, protects the nation when they fulfill the will of the Torah giants and are guided by leadership rooted in the fear of Heaven.
Radak explains "alufeinu" not in the sense of leaders, but as a continuation of the livestock: "Tzonenu" refers to the sheep, and "alufeinu" refers to the cattle. Proof of this is found in the verse, "The offspring of your cattle (alafecha) and the increase of your flock," and likewise, "like a docile lamb (ke-cheves aluf)" in Yirmiyahu. "Mesubalim" means that our oxen are strong and robust, capable of bearing the burden of labor, as they were used for plowing and pulling wagons. Another interpretation: laden with flesh, full-bodied - fat oxen rather than scrawny ones, which is praiseworthy. "There is no breach and no going out" - neither among us nor among our animals. "Breach" (peretz) denotes bereavement, meaning that none among them miscarries her young, as in the verse, "because the Lord had broken out with a breach (paratz peretz) upon Uzzah" - where bereavement and death are called a breach. "And no going out" - not a single soul goes out into captivity, neither of our people nor of our livestock. "And no outcry" - no cry of the ravages of war is heard in our streets, for throughout the reign of King David, Israel was never defeated before its enemies, but was consistently victorious in battle.
The Malbim explains: "Our oxen are laden" - the oxen trained to plow are laden with the work of the field. This is not only an expression of their strength, but also of the abundance of work: their hands are full of labor, meaning that, thank God, there is bountiful produce, an abundant harvest, and many loads to bear. "There is no breach" - this relates back to "our sons are like saplings," who walk in the ways of justice, with none among them breaching boundaries. "And no going out" - this relates back to "our daughters are like cornerstones," who remain within the corners of the home and do not go out into corrupt ways, for they are entirely modest. "And no outcry" - this relates back to "our storehouses are full," so that no one cries out from lack of food. All this portrays an ideal reality of tremendous abundance: economically, in domestic peace, and in the education of sons and daughters.
אַשְׁרֵי הָעָם שֶׁכָּכָה לּוֹ אַשְׁרֵי הָעָם שֱׁיְהֹוָה אֱלֹהָיו׃ (טו) - Praiseworthy is the people for whom it is thus; praiseworthy is the people whose God is Hashem (15).
Radak explains: "Praiseworthy is the people for whom it is thus" - who enjoy such success. And why do they have such success? It is not coincidental, but rather because Hashem is their God. And as the Malbim notes, the expression "their God" always points to unique individual Providence (hashgachah pratit): Hashem walks in our midst; He is our God, and we are His people and the flock of His pasture.
Rabbeinu Saadia Gaon explains that the psalm was spoken regarding the Messianic era: "Of David: Blessed is Hashem, my Rock" - these are the words of King Messiah; and "Who rescues David His servant" - this is King Messiah, as it is written, "and My servant David shall be their prince forever." At that time, all matters will be good; there will be no breach, no going out, and no outcry in our streets. This aligns with what we find in the words of the Prophets: "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain," and "The suckling child shall play over the asp's hole" - a reality in which everything will be purely for the good.
The Malbim explains that "Happy is the people for whom it is so" refers back to everything enumerated from "For our sons are like saplings" onward: because our sons are like saplings, we possess all of these virtues - happy is the people for whom it is so. Yet with all this, know what is truly essential: "Happy is the people whose God is Hashem" - that the Holy One, blessed be He, walks among us.
In this part of the psalm, David introduces a new song upon a ten-stringed harp - a song of supernatural salvation - and gives thanks both for collective salvation, "He Who gives salvation to kings," and for individual salvation, "Who rescues David His servant," which is of an even higher level. From there, he depicts a nation blessed in every way: sons raised upright from their youth like saplings aligned with a plumb line; modest daughters who dwell within the inner corners, who shape the structure of the entire palace; full storehouses providing generously for the poor as well; cattle burdened with labor; and leaders to whom the youth readily listen - so that there is no breach, no going out to captivity, and no cry of distress. And although all of these are immense blessings, the concluding seal teaches what is paramount: "Happy is the people whose God is Hashem" - that all this abundance is nothing other than the fruit of the Divine Providence of the Holy One, blessed be He, Who walks in our midst. And with this, we conclude Psalm 144.