Introduction
Psalm 146 is one of the "Halleluyah" psalms at the end of the Book of Tehillim, and its core theme is a major foundation of faith and trust: upon whom should a person rely. King David sets two polar opposites against each other: on the one hand, relying on flesh and blood - on nobles, the wealthy, and rulers - and on the other hand, trusting in the Holy One, blessed be He. In this part, we will explore the verses from the warning "Do not trust in princes" through the end of the psalm, "The Lord shall reign forever."
Do Not Trust in Princes - In a Son of Man Who Has No Salvation
אַל־תִּבְטְחוּ בִנְדִיבִים בְּבֶן־אָדָם שֶׁאֵין לוֹ תְשׁוּעָה׃ - Do not trust in princes, in a son of man who has no salvation.
תֵּצֵא רוּחוֹ יָשֻׁב לְאַדְמָתוֹ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא אָבְדוּ עֶשְׁתֹּנֹתָיו׃ - His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; on that day his plans perish.
"His spirit departs" - how can salvation spring forth for a person from another human being, when no man has mastery over the spirit to restrain the spirit? When the Angel of Death comes to take a person's soul, he cannot delay it for even a single moment. If so, how can he save others? Suddenly, his spirit departs and he returns to his earth, and whatever he planned to do he can no longer perform - the breath of life that sustained him is gone. And in the words of the Radak: "Eshtonotav" means his thoughts, as in the Aramaic "u-malka ashit" - that he thinks. And how can someone who cannot even save himself save others?
Seemingly, the words "on that day" are superfluous: it would have been enough to say, "His spirit departs, he returns to his earth, his plans perish." Rav Biderman offered a wonderful insight into this. Sometimes a person turns to a benefactor, asks for his assistance, and relies upon him. In the end, it turns out that this benefactor is a broken reed: he made promises but did not help, and furthermore, the petitioner suffered a loss on his account - for had he known in advance that there was no one to rely on, he might have pursued other avenues. To this King David responds: know that your sense did not perish on the day you were disappointed, but rather "on that day" - on the very day you placed your trust in him, your senses had already perished. Anyone in their right mind does not place their trust in flesh and blood.
The conclusion: a person should not be wise only in hindsight. It is not only after seeing that no hope will come from that person that he should realize his mistake; rather, the moment he begins to trust in flesh and blood, he must understand that somewhere along the way he lost his senses. From the outset, one should rely on the Holy One, blessed be He, for that is where salvation will truly come from.
Praiseworthy Is He Whose Help Is the God of Yaakov
אַשְׁרֵי שֶׁאֵל יַעֲקֹב בְּעֶזְרוֹ שִׂבְרוֹ עַל־ה' אֱלֹהָיו׃ - Praiseworthy is he whose help is the God of Yaakov, whose hope is in the Lord his God.
"Praiseworthy is he whose help is the God of Yaakov" - the Holy One, blessed be He, promised Yaakov, "Behold, I am with you and will guard you and bring you back." And why is he praiseworthy? Rashi explains: because He is the Maker of heaven and earth and the sea, and since everything is His, He has the power to protect him on both sea and land; whereas a mortal king, even if he protects him on land, cannot protect him at sea. How much can a king of flesh and blood truly protect you? But one whose help is the God of Yaakov, whom the Holy One, blessed be He, assists - the Maker of heaven and earth can protect him anywhere.
The Radak asks: why is Yaakov specifically mentioned here? Because Yaakov placed his trust in God. His brother plotted to kill him, and he fled from him - and where did he flee, and who would guard him? Lavan? He did not trust in Lavan to provide his livelihood, even though he went to him, but solely in Hashem, blessed be He, as he said: "And He will give me bread to eat and a garment to wear." So too with the people of Israel: when they trusted in Hashem, He delivered them from exile.
The Malbim explains: Yaakov trusted in Hashem after he was promised, "And behold, I am with you and will guard you wherever you go." Therefore, "his hope" (shivro) - his hope and trust - is placed in Hashem, Who alone possesses the power to bring salvation.
A Story of Rabbi Yosef Yedid
There is a story told of the Gaon Rabbi Yosef Yedid, one of the great sages of Israel, who lived in extreme poverty and hardship and refused to benefit from others. Once, three wealthy philanthropists arrived in Eretz Yisrael from America, and those close to him decided to try speaking with them to undertake his support. Indeed, they approached them, and the men committed to help, support, and sustain this great sage. They came and told the Rav, "Here, three wealthy men are gladly prepared to support you." The matter did not please him. He said to them, "I do not wish to benefit from flesh and blood; I do not want support from mortal man, who has no salvation. What Hashem gives me is enough for me." After much pleading, he reluctantly agreed, but thought to himself: We will see how this matter unfolds.
A few days later, before the end of the month in which they were supposed to send their support, one of the wealthy men passed away; the second returned abroad; and the third lost his sanity. When they told this to Rabbi Yosef Yedid, he was initially pained by their misfortune, yet glad that he had not relied on flesh and blood. He said: This is what is written, "Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal man in whom there is no salvation" - one man's "breath departs" (he passed away); the second "returns to his earth" (he returned abroad); and for the third, "on that day his plans perish" (he lost his mind). And what ultimately endures? "He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him." Fortunate is he whose help is the God of Yaakov, who does not rely on flesh and blood, but rather "his hope is in Hashem his God." When one trusts in man - suddenly it dissipates, it evaporates, one is no longer among us, and another is no longer in his right mind. Rely only on the Holy One, blessed be He, the living and enduring King, Whose promise is ever steadfast and faithful.
"Shivro" - From the Language of Breaking and Heartbreak
In the book Haktuv L'Chaim, it is cited that shivro means his hope, but in the holy Zohar it is explained differently: related to shever, brokenness. He explains this based on the words of Rabbeinu Yonah in Sha'arei Teshuvah, that a humble person receives divine assistance, whereas an arrogant person does not receive divine assistance. Why? Because to the arrogant person, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: Manage on your own. But the humble person leans on the Holy One, blessed be He - who am I and what am I, I have no strength, only You can save me - and therefore the help of the Holy One, blessed be He, accompanies him. Similarly, the disciples of the Arizal wrote that if someone is humble, the Name of Havayah assists and protects him, but if someone is haughty, this Name exacts retribution from him.
And this is what the verse states: "Fortunate is he whose help is the God of Yaakov" - does this apply to everyone? The verse teaches: "whose hope [shivro] is in Hashem his God" - those who are brokenhearted. And who truly knows who is genuinely humble? Concerning this, the verse says, "in Hashem his God" - only the Holy One, blessed be He, can recognize if a person truly possesses genuine humility. For with humility, one can deceive: a person can say outwardly, "Who am I and what am I?" - and say this specifically when being praised, so that people will further praise him for his humility as well. Humility is something one can fake, and haughtiness of heart is something deep within the heart - and only the Holy One, blessed be He, knows.
Here lies the vast difference between secular convention and the Torah approach: secular culture addresses only external behavior - thank you, excuse me, please, etiquette, do not raise your voice. There are guidelines for how to behave politely in external interactions. In Judaism, the work is inward: not only do not scream, but do not even harbor anger in your heart; not only in outward conduct, but also in your heart do not be haughty, do not walk around thinking "I am better than him." Where among the nations of the world do we find such internal inner work - grappling with hatred, jealousy, bearing a grudge, and vengeance deep inside the heart? Only in Judaism. The Torah seeks to transform a person from within.
And so says the Zohar: "Shivro" - it is pleasing to the righteous to break themselves and to be broken with fracture upon fracture, all "for Hashem his God." In the sense of, "For Your sake we are killed all the day," "For Your sake I have borne reproach": he is willing to bear reproach and be broken for the honor of the Creator, blessed be He. This is like what is written, "Behold, there is grain [shever, also meaning brokenness] in Egypt" - Yaakov saw the fracture of exile in Egypt, and nevertheless placed his trust in the Holy One, blessed be He; and the children of Yaakov, who endured the fracture of exile, cleaved to Yaakov's Torah. Is it necessary to descend to Egypt? Thus Hashem commands, and though there will be brokenness there, nevertheless I go down to be broken in Egypt, because this is the will of the Creator. If it is His will that I undergo this fracture, I will undergo it. This is "his brokenness is for Hashem his God."
And as we mentioned, there is no special wisdom in accepting only the good. Even when life is difficult, a person must know that he is ready to accept the hardship and cope with it, because this is the will of the Creator, and through this he fulfills His will, knowing clearly that whatever the Merciful One does is for the best. After all, through that very brokenness they merited miracles, redemption, and the Giving of the Torah - and that entire fracture was subsequently revealed to be the springboard by which they reached lofty and immense spiritual heights.
Maker of Heaven and Earth - Who Keeps Truth Forever
עֹשֶׂה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ אֶת־הַיָּם וְאֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־בָּם הַשֹּׁמֵר אֱמֶת לְעוֹלָם׃ - Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, Who keeps truth forever.
Hashem can do as He wills, for He makes heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them. The Ibn Ezra explains: "Heaven" refers to the angels, the great host, the seven serving planets; "on earth" refers to birds, beasts, and man; "in the sea" refers to the great creatures of the sea.
"Who keeps truth forever" - that He sustains them forever. Yet seemingly, man does not live here forever, nor do animals live forever. The Ibn Ezra is precise in his wording: "These are the general species that are on the land and in the sea." And as we have explained previously, the Holy One, blessed be He, preserves the species rather than the individuals: no individual lives forever, but the human species as a whole endures forever. Only in heaven are even the individuals preserved forever, where the angels also endure forever. But here on earth, individuals are not preserved, only the species, for man ultimately goes to his eternal home.
From here the sequence continues: do not fear a person who might oppress you, for Hashem, may He be blessed, provides your daily bread and releases your prisoners - "He executes justice for the oppressed, gives bread to the hungry." The Holy One, blessed be He, made heaven and earth, and everything is in His hands; if so, why should you fear flesh and blood? Trust only in Him.
Rashi explains "Who keeps truth forever" to mean that Hashem fulfills His promise over many generations. Even though He promised Avraham that He would give him the land, nonetheless, when Avraham came to purchase Me'arat HaMachpelah, he bought it for four hundred shekels of silver, negotiable currency, and Yaakov bought a plot for a hundred kesitah. What does this come to teach you? He promised - but He did not say when; and the "when" would come later, when the iniquity of the Emori was complete. This is "Who keeps truth forever": there is no possibility that Hashem's promise will not be fulfilled; there is merely no promise that it will happen immediately. Hashem preserves the truth of His promise to the end of many generations - and this can only be said of Hashem, may He be blessed, Who exists eternally.
We always want to see things immediately, because we live within the confines of time. But the Gemara says that when the Holy One, blessed be He, acts quickly, it may take eight hundred and fifty years - learning this from the verse, "and you shall perish quickly from off the good land," where they were exiled after eight hundred and fifty years. And if "quickly" is eight hundred and fifty years, how much more so when He acts slowly. It is simply that we are impatient and want to see results immediately.
Yet the Chafetz Chaim remembered and filed things away. Once he witnessed an event and remarked: Do you think this just happened out of nowhere? Ten years ago, this man evicted a widow from the home he had rented to her; he removed the roof from over her head because he did not receive the rent on time. Do you think the Holy One, blessed be He, forgot? "If he cries out to Me, I will surely hear his cry," the Father of orphans and Judge of widows. Ten years later - He remembered. Similarly, when the Spanish Civil War broke out and claimed nearly a million lives, they told him about it, and he said: Do you think the Holy One, blessed be He, forgot the Spanish Expulsion from four hundred years ago? Behold, the Holy One, blessed be He, is exacting retribution. The Chafetz Chaim saw the divine reckonings; we, even across much shorter spans, are unable to discern what happened on account of what. But one who lives with awareness of Godliness and divine providence knows that for everything there is a judgment and there is a Judge. Therefore, he is certain that Hashem keeps truth forever, will fulfill His promise, and will bring His salvation - and we will not despair even when a long time passes.
The Radak explains: "Who makes heaven and earth" comes to teach that it is fitting to trust only in Hashem, for He made everything, and He who made everything has the power to abase and exalt, and to do with His creations as He wills. "Earth" refers to dry land; since the sea was mentioned, the land had to be mentioned separately, lest you think that the earth also encompasses the sea. "And all that is in them" - everything in the sea, on dry land, and in heaven: in heaven the angels and the great host, on earth beasts, birds, and man, in the sea the great sea creatures and every creeping living soul - and in all of them He does as He desires. And "Who keeps truth forever" - He keeps His promise for a prolonged time: He promised to take them out of exile, and even though they had already despaired, He nonetheless redeemed them. If so, in our time as well, after two thousand years of exile, it is forbidden to despair; rather, we must know that ultimately the Holy One, blessed be He, will redeem us: "As in the days of your coming out of the land of Egypt, I will show him wondrous things."
The sefer Tehillot Maharitz offers a marvelous explanation: when a flesh-and-blood person performs an action today, he is certain that this is the absolute truth, that this is the proper and right thing to do according to truth and integrity. The next morning he reconsiders and says: No, that was not truly the right course; it would have been better to act differently. And now he is certain that this new way is correct. Then, many years later, he says once more: What I did back then was not right; I should have acted otherwise. It turns out that for man, truth changes from time to time: what is certain and clear to you today is not at all certain tomorrow or a decade from now. But the Holy One, blessed be He - "Who keeps truth forever" - His seal is truth, and His truth never changes; it is eternal and absolute.
Executes Justice for the Oppressed
עֹשֶׂה מִשְׁפָּט לָעֲשׁוּקִים נֹתֵן לֶחֶם לָרְעֵבִים ה' מַתִּיר אֲסוּרִים׃ - He executes justice for the oppressed; He gives bread to the hungry; Hashem releases the bound.
The Radak states: In every generation, Hashem executes justice for the oppressed, which means taking vengeance against the oppressors. So He did on behalf of Israel when they were in exile, as written in Yirmeyahu, chapter 50: "The children of Israel and the children of Yehudah are oppressed together; all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go" - just like the news broadcasts of our own days. And so will the Holy One, blessed be He, execute justice for the oppressed of this exile. "He gives bread to the hungry" - in every generation, just as He did for Israel when He led them through the wildernesses: "They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall heat nor sun smite them." "Hashem releases the bound" - in every generation, just as He did for Israel when He brought them out from the imprisonment of the Egyptian exile and released them from their bonds.
The Malbim adds: If a mortal king releases a prisoner from his incarceration, that alone is already a great kindness on his part. Just as we saw in our time, when the President of the United States released Rubashkin from prison after he had been sentenced to decades, and it was known that the charges against him were brought with bias - what great joy that was, and a true kindness of Hashem. When a ruler frees a person from prison, people laud and praise him, and rightfully so. Yet he did not subsequently provide him with a pension, did not secure his livelihood, and did not grant him life; he merely set him free. With the Holy One, blessed be He, it is not so: Hashem releases the bound and then attends to all their needs - executing justice upon those who wish to oppress them, punishing those who imprisoned them without cause, and giving bread to the hungry so that they do not perish of hunger after their release. With Him, blessed be He, it is a "complete package": He releases the bound and provides for everything they need.
Opens the Eyes of the Blind, Straightens the Bent, Loves the Righteous
ה' פֹּקֵחַ עִוְרִים ה' זֹקֵף כְּפוּפִים ה' אֹהֵב צַדִּיקִים׃ - Hashem opens the eyes of the blind; Hashem straightens the bent; Hashem loves the righteous.
"Opens the eyes of the blind" - Radak explains that this refers to those who are blind due to an illness of the eye, whom Hashem heals. And why specifically mention the blind? Because a blind person is like a prisoner in confinement, unable to move freely from his place. Alternatively, the blindness here stems from intense distress, for distress is compared to darkness and salvation is likened to light: "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light." Similarly, the verse states: "We grope along a wall like the blind, and like those without eyes we grope; we stumble at noontime as if in twilight" - just as a blind person feels along the wall as he walks so that he will not fall. Thus, "opens the eyes of the blind" is also said in the sense of blindness of the mind, not only physical sight.
"Hashem straightens the bent" - the bent are the poor. "Hashem loves the righteous" - He loves Israel, who are righteous in comparison to the nations. And the Malbim explains: because Hashem loves the righteous, He watches over them with special divine providence, keeping an eye on all that happens to them - both in terms of intellectual insight and physical sight. He also straightens their bent posture, whether they are bent over out of humility or out of poverty, for Hashem raises them up to walk upright with strengthened physical vigor and the added advantage of wisdom, granting them understanding and elevating them.
A Tzaddik Who Knows He Is a Tzaddik
The sefer Tehillot Shmuel cites from Mikkol Mevaser a question posed by the Rebbe Reb Bunim of Peshischa: Why is "loves the righteous" included among a group of people with afflictions and blemishes - the blind, the bent, the prisoners? How did the verse group tzaddikim together with all of these? He answered: a tzaddik who knows he is a tzaddik - there is no greater blemish than this! The tzaddikim spoken of here are those who know that they are tzaddikim; nonetheless, Hashem loves them according to their level, for ultimately they have rejected evil and chosen good. Even such blemished tzaddikim, the Holy One, blessed be He, loves.
One of the Gedolim once said: "I prefer a wicked person who knows he is wicked over a tzaddik who knows he is a tzaddik." A piercing statement. The wicked person who knows he is wicked may yet do teshuvah, for he senses that he is not in the right and is unsettled with himself. But a tzaddik who knows he is a tzaddik thinks: "Do I need teshuvah? I only came into this world to bring others closer; what do I myself need to rectify?" He already lives in higher spheres. One cannot say of him that he commits sins or fails to fulfill mitzvot; he does everything properly - but he also knows it and feels good about it, and that is a flawed path. A person must always feel that he has not yet begun to fulfill even the slightest fraction of what is demanded of him. That is the feeling that must accompany him at all times.
Hashem Protects Strangers
ה' שֹׁמֵר אֶת־גֵּרִים יָתוֹם וְאַלְמָנָה יְעוֹדֵד וְדֶרֶךְ רְשָׁעִים יְעַוֵּת׃ - Hashem protects strangers; He encourages the orphan and the widow, but He twists the way of the wicked.
The convert, the orphan, and the widow have no helpers and no supporters, which is why the Torah warns in several places to be scrupulous about their dignity and not to wrong them - and Hashem protects them. This also includes the Jewish people, who were strangers among the nations and weak like an orphan and a widow. "He encourages the orphan and the widow" - Radak explains that this means He elevates them, related to uplifting and bearing aloft. Rashi explains it from the perspective of strength, infusing them with fortitude and might, as in "and we have risen and gained strength (v'nit'oded)" - we have risen with renewed strength. "But He twists the way of the wicked" - Hashem uplifts the weak, and the way of the wicked He subverts, bringing about their downfall in their corrupted ways.
The Malbim explains: the Holy One, blessed be He, specifically watches over those who ostensibly appear to have less providence, those who need Him most - converts, orphans, and widows. Hashem protects the converts, elevates the orphans and widows, and thwarts the path of the wicked who seek to harm and mistreat those who are naturally vulnerable.
It is told of the Chazon Ish that on Simchat Torah he was once walking home and encountered a righteous convert (ger tzedek), a lonely man, who burst into tears and lamented before him: "'And you shall love the stranger' - yet no one loves me, no one appreciates me!" The Chazon Ish said to him: "I appreciate you and respect you! Sing me a niggun; I want to hear a niggun from you." The convert was overjoyed and began singing a melody for him, and the Chazon Ish danced opposite him right in the city street, in the middle of Chazon Ish Street. Once the convert's spirit was calmed, the Chazon Ish bid him farewell while he was joyous and smiling, seeing that someone truly valued him and was willing to listen to his melody. "And you shall love the stranger" - to see how a great leader was willing to lower and humble himself to bring joy to a fellow Jew.
And "the orphan and widow He sustains" - a story is told of an orphan who was embarrassed to recite Kaddish. Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach noticed this and asked the boy, "Do you say Kaddish?" The boy admitted that sometimes he felt shy and uncomfortable. Rabbi Shlomo Zalman said to him, "What do you have to be embarrassed about? After all, it says, 'the orphan and widow He sustains' - Hashem loves orphans! You are closer to the Holy One, blessed be He, than I am! If so, what do you have to fear?" He then taught him exactly how to say the Kaddish, explained its meaning to him, and from then on, the boy recited Kaddish regularly.
By way of homiletic allusion, it can be noted: a person is tested specifically where it is hard for him, precisely where there is a challenge, where he is required to struggle, and not in the easy places. A person will not be asked in Heaven whether he fulfilled the mitzvah of Oneg Shabbat by eating cholent - no one suspects him of failing in that! He will be asked about other things: how much did you grapple, how much difficulty did you endure, how hard did you struggle, and how much did you overcome? "Hashem preserves the strangers (geirim)" - homiletically, Hashem preserves the challenges (etgarim). How many challenges you faced and how well you stood up to them - these Hashem remembers for you for all generations, and for every challenge you withstand, the Holy One, blessed be He, grants an eternal reward. The challenges, the difficult matters - these are what truly need to be treasured and guarded.
Hashem Shall Reign Forever
יִמְלֹךְ ה' לְעוֹלָם אֱלֹהַיִךְ צִיּוֹן לְדֹר וָדֹר הַלְלוּ־יָהּ׃ - "Hashem shall reign forever, your God, O Zion, from generation to generation. Halleluyah!"
Rashi explains: "Hashem shall reign forever" - He will establish His sovereignty by protecting His children. Radak clarifies when all this will come to pass: all the promises mentioned here - that Hashem protects the stranger, sustains the orphan and widow, thwarts the way of the wicked, opens the eyes of the blind, straightens the bowed, and loves the righteous - will fully materialize when Hashem reigns forever. Presently, we live in a reality of darkness and hardship where divine providence is obscured. But when Hashem reigns forever, He will exact retribution from the wicked, bestow good reward upon the righteous, and pour forth all good bounty. And this is "your God, O Zion" - "And Hashem shall be King over all the earth"; the entire world will be under His sovereignty, and from Zion Torah instruction will go out to the whole world, and then everyone will proclaim that Hashem reigns over all the universe. This will occur after He executes judgment upon the wicked at the time of redemption in the Valley of Yehoshaphat, when the Holy One, blessed be He, will judge all the nations for all the suffering they inflicted upon Israel.
Two Names and Two Modes of Providence - The Malbim's Commentary
The Malbim notes a precise distinction in the verse: on the one hand, it employs the Tetragrammaton, the Name Havayah - "Hashem shall reign" - and on the other hand, "your God, O Zion"; on the one hand "forever" (le'olam), and on the other hand "from generation to generation" (ledor vador). What is the difference between them? As is his approach in many places, he explains that there is a difference between the Name Havayah and the Name Elokim when conjugated with an appellation referring to the Jewish people. The Name Havayah represents the One Who brings all worlds into existence, His constant sovereignty over the entire universe, over us as well as the nations, operating through the natural order - "He Who brings all existence into being." By contrast, "your God, O Zion," the God designated specifically to you, Zion, conjugated with a possessive suffix, refers to the personal, intimate relationship He shares with Zion, the specific providence through which Hashem performs signs and wonders.
Likewise with the distinction between "forever" (le'olam) and "from generation to generation" (ledor vador): le'olam denotes uninterrupted, indivisible time, an eternity that is not compartmentalized into years and eras; ledor vador is also eternal time, but it is divided into distinct generations, one generation following another. Therefore, when referring to the Holy One, blessed be He, through the Name Havayah, Who oversees general providence according to the celestial order and the fixed laws of nature, it is said: "Hashem shall reign forever" - in the heavens He established His throne, and His kingdom rules over all, representing a constant, unalterable governance.
This is in line with the Chazon Ish's statement that nature is simply the Master of the World's more continuous, enduring will. The Ramban writes at the end of Parashat Bo that we have no portion in the Torah of Hashem unless we believe and know that all our matters and occurrences are entirely miracles, with no inherent nature or ordinary course of the world whatsoever. It follows that even nature is not truly independent nature, but His blessed will: there is a constant will, which is the natural governance, and there is a changing will, which is the miraculous governance, where the Holy One, blessed be He, wills that waters suddenly stand as a wall, that manna descend from the sky, or that great hailstones rain down from heaven - an ad hoc intervention according to the need of the moment.
On the other hand, as "your God, O Zion," our personal God, this denotes individual providence, the unique bond He has with us, the miraculous governance through which He performs miracles for us. This mode of governance is not fixed, for miracles differ in every generation according to its particular circumstances. Therefore, specifically in that context it says "from generation to generation": in each and every generation He is "your God, O Zion," watching over us with individual providence and performing miracles according to the generation's needs. The miraculous governance shifts in accordance with the need of the generation, their righteousness, their spiritual readiness, and their merit - and accordingly, the Holy One, blessed be He, modifies His conduct from generation to generation.
In Summary:
The psalm is structured around one great contrast: "Do not trust in princes" versus "Praiseworthy is he whose help is the God of Yaakov." Flesh and blood - his spirit departs, he returns to his dust, and on that very day you trusted in him, all your plans perish. In contrast, the Holy One, blessed be He, is the Maker of heaven and earth, Who keeps truth forever and fulfills His promise even if generations elapse. He executes justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry, and releases the bound - and not only releases them, but subsequently attends to all their needs; He opens the eyes of the blind, straightens the bowed, loves the righteous, protects the stranger, and sustains the orphan and widow. And who merits this divine aid? One whose "hope (shivro) is in Hashem his God" - the brokenhearted (nishberei lev) and the humble, whom only the Holy One, blessed be He, truly knows, for Jewish service is internal. And finally, "Hashem shall reign forever, your God, O Zion, from generation to generation": His constant sovereignty through the unchanging natural order, and His intimate bond with us through the miraculous governance renewed in every generation according to its need - Halleluyah.