Psalm 145 is "Tehillah LeDavid," which we recite three times each day, structured according to the Hebrew alphabet. In this part of the lesson, we examine the verses where King David transitions from describing the honor and kingship of the Holy One, blessed be He, to describing His personal providence over all His creatures: from "They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom" to "You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing."
"They Shall Speak of the Glory of Your Kingdom" - The Pious Publicize His Name in the World
כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתְךָ יֹאמֵרוּ וּגְבוּרָתְךָ יְדַבֵּרוּ׃ - They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, and talk of Your power.
Ibn Ezra connects this verse to the preceding one: how do "Your pious ones bless You"? By speaking of the glory of Your kingdom and talking of Your power. They teach those who do not know Hashem, instructing them in the glory of His kingdom and His might, and thereby sanctify the Name of Heaven and spread the renown of the Creator, blessed be He, in His world. This is what we saw with Avraham Avinu, the paragon of the attribute of Chesed: throughout his life, he exalted and glorified the Name of Hashem, spreading His name across the world. This is the aspect of "Your pious ones bless You" - through what? By speaking of the glory of Your kingdom and recounting Your mighty deeds.
Radak interprets differently: within the very blessings with which they bless Hashem, they mention the glory of His kingdom and His might. How do they bless Hashem? By recalling in their blessing that You are King over all, You are the Creator of all, and through Your might and power You formed all creatures. This is "they shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom and talk of Your power" - the very content of the blessing through which those pious individuals laud and praise Hashem.
Kingship - The Constant Laws of Nature; Might - The Overturning of Nature's Order
The Malbim explains: "They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom" - the pious constantly speak of the glory of His kingdom, blessed be He, referring to the recount of the constant works through which Hashem governs His world: all the wonders within nature itself, rather than the exceptions; the natural order established from the beginning of time. And why is this called "the glory of His kingdom"? Because the honor of a king lies in having fixed laws for the kingdom. When people refer to a "banana republic," they mean a place where everyone does whatever they please, however they please, and laws are constantly shifted according to each person's momentary whims. By contrast, an orderly kingdom is one in which the king establishes set, enduring laws. Such is the glory of the kingdom of the Holy One, blessed be He: the constant laws He set within His world - there is sunrise and sunset, winter and summer, autumn and spring, rain, and the like.
"And talk of Your power" - "power" (gevurah), says the Malbim, refers to Hashem performing signs and wonders beyond the system of nature, when the Holy One, blessed be He, overrides the natural order. In this, His supreme power is expressed, as He, so to speak, overcomes the very natural framework that He Himself instituted.
Brief Statement vs. Extended Speech
What is the difference between amirah (saying) and dibur (speaking)? This distinction has been noted several times in the name of the Malbim, and it is evident in contemporary language as well: amirah is brief, while dibur is lengthy. "Did you say something to him?" - "I told him." What did I say? "Stop." By contrast: "Did you speak with him?" - "Yes, I sat him down for a talk, I spoke with him." Dibur always denotes an extensive conversation. Therefore, regarding Hashem's mighty deeds, it says "they shall talk" (yedaberu), for these warrant elaboration and public renown. The glory of the kingdom, however - the miracles embedded within nature, the daily fixed course of the world - is something we are accustomed to, and there is no need to expound upon it at length, as we witness it every day; a brief statement (amirah) suffices. Where, then, must we speak at length? Regarding the miracles that reflect His might, which transcend nature. This is also the practice among Chassidim to relate many stories of signs and wonders, citing the verse, "I believed, therefore I spoke" - when I speak at length, in accordance with the definition of dibur, I am strengthened in faith; through recounting signs and wonders, one's faith is fortified.
Two Paths in the Service of Hashem
It is well known that the Lithuanian (Litvish) outlook is different. A story is told of the son of the Chafetz Chaim traveling by train when a group of Chassidim boarded, and each began sharing wondrous tales about his own Rebbe. They said to him: "You are the son of the Chafetz Chaim, in whose presence miracles were famously rolled under the table - tell us something about your father, some wonder!" He replied: "My father would always say that far more than being amazed that 'a righteous person decrees and the Holy One, blessed be He, fulfills,' one should be amazed that 'the Holy One, blessed be He, decrees and a righteous person fulfills.' Should one be awestruck by the fact that the Master of the Universe was, so to speak, bent to someone's will? Rather, what is truly awe-inspiring is that the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded, and a mortal being formed from clay overcame his nature and character traits to fulfill the will of Hashem."
These are the Lithuanian stories: you will always see in them the tzaddik's deveikut, his willingness to forfeit what is his, his personal inner work. In Chassidic stories, by contrast, they frequently tell of miracles and wonders. I am not coming to say which path is preferable or which is the right one - these are two paths, and each path suits a certain type of person; but one must certainly know that both are legitimate and worthy paths in the service of Hashem. The Lithuanians say, "Signs and wonders in the land of the children of Cham" - among the children of Cham you tell of signs and wonders, for they are impressed by that; we are not impressed by signs and wonders. For one must know that at times there is a possibility, as the Rambam phrases it, of a sign or wonder performed through sleight of hand or sorcery, and there is certainly nothing to be impressed by in that - although when speaking of tzaddikim, this is certainly not the case.
To Make Known to the Sons of Men - and According to Their Level of Comprehension
לְהוֹדִיעַ לִבְנֵי הָאָדָם גְּבוּרֹתָיו וּכְבוֹד הֲדַר מַלְכוּתוֹ׃ - To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
The Radak explains: just as the pious ones we spoke of in the previous two verses bless and give thanks among themselves, so too must they make known to the sons of men who did not know or recognize His mighty acts and the glorious majesty of His kingdom. This is the theme of the verse - informing others. And as Ibn Ezra explains regarding the previous verse: "They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom and talk of Your power" - to whom do they speak and talk? To make this known to the sons of men, so that they will recognize the glory of His kingdom.
The Malbim juxtaposes the two verses: "They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom" - in order "to make known to the sons of men... and the glorious majesty of His kingdom"; "and talk of Your power" - in order "to make known to the sons of men His mighty acts." Each clause in the second verse is the continuation of a corresponding clause in the first verse.
However, the Malbim emphasizes a fundamental point here: what they say is not because man has the capacity to recount Hashem's might and praise as they truly are. "Who can express the mighty acts of Hashem?" - we do not have the power to recount them. We cannot grasp anything of His kingship or His might, "no thought can grasp Him at all"; we do not have even the beginning of an apprehension of His Essence, may He be blessed. What, then, is possible? "To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts" - the mighty acts as we perceive them, according to what we have seen.
We have already mentioned a parable for this: two people visit a car exhibition. Ask a child what he saw, and he will tell you: the car is shiny, the paint is fantastic, the tires are gleaming. Ask an expert, and he will tell you: a twenty-four-valve engine, such-and-such RPM, and so forth. Each expresses his view according to his expertise and understanding. The one who understands more knows that they came to show things far beyond that; and the superficial observer - what did he see? A shiny car, beautiful paint, glowing tires. The deeper a person delves, the more he sees things in their inner essence and understands what lies beneath the surface. So it is here: the deeper a person delves, the more he will grasp of Hashem's mighty acts. We recount Hashem's mighty acts according to what man can comprehend, and whoever delves deeper will grasp them on a higher level; but to grasp them in their true essence, as they exist within Him according to His unlimited abilities and powers - who could do that? Therefore, we speak only according to the comprehension of human beings regarding His mighty acts: that Hashem suspends the laws of nature, that the Holy One, blessed be He, splits the Sea of Reeds - that we see; but as for what His true power and might really are, we have no comprehension. And "the glorious majesty of His kingdom" refers to the order of nature, that which the Holy One, blessed be He, established as a fixed reality, "this is His great host over which He reigns" - at the creation of the world, Hashem was called King. But as for Himself, it is impossible to describe Him, neither in His guidance of the world through nature nor in His mighty acts.
Kingship and Dominion - Nature and Miracle
מַלְכוּתְךָ מַלְכוּת כׇּל עֹלָמִים וּמֶמְשַׁלְתְּךָ בְּכׇל דּוֹר וָדֹר׃ - Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations.
David immediately continues and says: I cannot describe You even from the perspective of the natural order, which is His kingship. For Your kingship extends over countless worlds, and in all these worlds You have established Your kingship - and if I cannot grasp even the multitude of worlds, how much less can I grasp Your kingship within them. Therefore, we have no way to speak of or recount Hashem's kingship according to its true reality.
The Malbim further explains the difference between kingship and dominion: kingship is with the consent of the people, whereas dominion is by force. Hashem has kingship over the people of Israel, "and He rules over the nations" - over the nations the Holy One, blessed be He, rules with dominion by force, whereas over Israel it is kingship, for we accept Him as King over us. And so it is here: "Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom" - this is the natural order that exists day by day; whereas the miraculous order, Hashem's mighty acts in which the Holy One, blessed be He, upends the systems of nature, is "Your dominion," where Hashem, as it were, demonstrates mastery and dominion over the laws of nature. And note: this does not happen every day, but rather "throughout all generations." I cannot say that every single day there are miracles that upend the natural order - we do not see this every day; but in each and every generation, it is renewed according to that generation's needs. And who can recount all of this? Therefore, we can speak only according to our comprehension, for to state things as they truly are - who among us could possibly grasp them?
The Radak explains that "Your kingdom is a kingdom of all worlds" comes to teach that Your kingship is not like mortal kingship. A mortal king's reign comes to an end eventually: either during his lifetime through a coup, or upon his death, after which there is certainly another king. But Hashem's kingship is a "kingdom of all worlds," meaning of all times - a continuous and eternal kingship that never ceases.
"Hashem Supports All the Fallen" - Wherever You Find His Greatness, There You Find His Humility
סוֹמֵךְ יְהֹוָה לְכׇל הַנֹּפְלִים וְזוֹקֵף לְכׇל הַכְּפוּפִים׃ - Hashem supports all the fallen, and straightens all who are bent down.
Ibn Ezra notes: There are earthly kings who bring one low and raise another up, support one while another falls, for a king cannot support and elevate everyone - how much can a king truly lift? To how many can he give and bestow? Ultimately, he is limited. But Hashem supports all the fallen and straightens all who are bent down, something an ordinary king certainly lacks the power to do. The Radak explains that "the fallen" and "those bent down" are the destitute poor, and Hashem in His mercy supports them and straightens them upright, as it is written: "From the dunghill He lifts the needy, to seat them with nobles."
The holy Alshich follows the commentators who explain that the verses here are speaking of the exile: The Holy One, blessed be He, allowed a reality in which foreign nations parade in His Sanctuary - and why? So that from this very state, "Hashem supports all the fallen and straightens all who are bent down." For reality is such that "God seeks out the pursued," and the Holy One, blessed be He, uplifts and assists specifically the needy and the impoverished. The Holy One, blessed be He, brought about a state of poverty so that precisely from within it would come our elevation and ascent.
The Alshich adds: See how well this aligns with what Rashi says, that the letter Nun is missing from the alphabetical acrostic in this chapter - we moved from "Malkhutecha" (Mem) directly to "Somech" (Samech), and there is no letter Nun, because of the verse "She has fallen, she will not rise again" (Nafela lo tosif kum). Therefore, in its place, the letter Samech says: "Hashem supports all the fallen" (Somech Hashem lechol hanoflim) - countering that very fall, the Holy One, blessed be He, supports us so that such an irreversible fall will not occur. Thus, these verses speak of the exile, where the Holy One, blessed be He, brought about a reality in which we are in the category of the fallen, in order that He may support us and that through this our elevation will come.
Regarding this, he cites the words of the Zohar on "Fallen, she shall rise no more, the maiden of Israel": Heaven forbid that this means a fall from which there is no rising! Rather, it should be read: she will no longer rise on her own. And how will she rise? "Hashem supports all the fallen" - her fall will be supported by Hashem; not on her own, but only the Holy One, blessed be He, will take her by the hand and support her. Therefore, David omitted the letter Nun, so that it would not imply an eternal downfall, and in its place wrote Samech, to teach you that the support will come solely from Him and by His power.
The Malbim explains: "Hashem supports all the fallen" - wherever you find His greatness, there you find His humility. For we have just said, "Your kingdom is a kingdom of all worlds, and Your dominion is throughout all generations," a kingdom without limit and without end - and right there, in the place of greatness, you see the humility, for the providence of the Holy One, blessed be He, extends to the lowly and the downtrodden. "Supports all the fallen" - those who have fallen from their high status through natural fortune or misfortune, Hashem supports them and turns their fortune for the better. "And straightens all who are bent down" - the humble who bend themselves low, Hashem will straighten them so that they walk upright, and "He bore them and carried them all the days of old." This is the very opposite of a mortal king: the more a mortal king rises in stature, the less he pays attention to the lowly and the less interest he takes in the ordinary citizen; whereas the Holy One, blessed be He, rules over endless worlds, yet despite all this, He supports all the fallen and straightens all who are bent down.
"The Eyes of All Look to You with Hope"
עֵינֵי כֹל אֵלֶיךָ יְשַׂבֵּרוּ וְאַתָּה נוֹתֵן לָהֶם אֶת אׇכְלָם בְּעִתּוֹ׃ - The eyes of all look to You with hope, and You give them their food in its proper time.
Ibn Ezra says: The people of a king's realm are the ones who sustain the king. Outwardly, it may seem as if the king sustains the people, but in reality the opposite is true: what maintains the king and the monarchy are taxes - it is the people. Hashem alone is the King Who sustains everyone.
The Radak explains that "look to You with hope" (ye'saberu) is related to the expression "I hope (sibarti) for Your salvation, Hashem" - all earthly creatures place their hope and expectation in the Holy One, blessed be He, waiting for You to provide their food: some eat grass, some eat seeds, and some eat other animals like themselves, and the eyes of all of them are turned to You, hoping for You. "And You give them their food in its proper time" - although this occurs through the chain of natural causes, meaning that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not feed them directly by hand, but rather creates the conditions so that a tree grows, and from the tree fruit emerges, and so forth.
And why does the verse say "in its proper time" (be'ito, singular) rather than "in their proper time" (be'itam, plural)? The Radak explains: Every single species has a specific time when its food becomes available. Thus, "in its proper time" serves to emphasize the greatness of Divine providence - that the Holy One, blessed be He, provides for each and every creature at its own individual time. And if you should ask: How can the term "hope" (ye'saberu) apply to animals, given that they lack intellect? The Radak answers: By their very nature, they look toward and anticipate their allotted sustenance, the food that the Holy One, blessed be He, designated for them; and we, who possess understanding, know to Whom they look and in Whom their hope lies. That is to say, even if a dog does not consciously know that it awaits sustenance from the Master of the Universe, we know that the sustenance of all living creatures and of the entire creation depends on Him, blessed be He. And You are the One Who gives and prepares their food in its proper time, from the eggs of lice to the horns of the wild oxen.
Looking to Him - Not to One's Sustenance
The holy Alshich resolves with this verse a difficulty he raised regarding the previous verse: How can it say, "Hashem supports all who fall and straightens all who are bent," when right before our eyes there are so many fallen, destitute, and wretched people begging at doorways for bread, never eating their fill? To this the verse responds: "The eyes of all look to You with hope" - had all of man's hope been placed in his Creator, the Holy One, blessed be He, would support him properly. Man's problem is that he places his hope in his sustenance, in his own handiwork, in his toil and livelihood, rather than in the Holy One, blessed be He, and in His service. But when "the eyes of all look to You with hope," with their gaze fixed solely upon You, cleaving to You and not relying on their sustenance - when they do their part, You do Yours: "and You give them their food in its proper time."
This is similar to what Chazal say regarding the verse, "My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You": Why are both soul and flesh mentioned? When my soul thirsts for You, not only does my soul thirst, but my flesh as well yearns for You and cleaves to You. By nature, the soul thirsts for Hashem, blessed be He, but here even the flesh thirsts only for You and seeks only You. And where? "In a parched and weary land without water" - he sets aside his physical thirst and fatigue, paying no mind to his bodily needs, yearning only for Hashem, blessed be He. He sets aside the hardship of thirsting for water and thirsts instead to cleave to Him. Then the Holy One, blessed be He, takes care of everything he needs. If one complains, perpetually lodging grievances and relying on material reality, nothing is guaranteed him; but if you trust in Hashem, blessed be He, and set aside the material thirst, you will see that Hashem will quench your thirst and give you above and beyond. And what they yearn for - to be close to You and to cleave to You - that You bestow upon them in abundance. This leads to the next verse: "You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing." The tzaddik is called "living," and the Holy One, blessed be He, satisfies him according to how much he desired to cleave to Him.
Their Food in Its Proper Time Versus the Opening of the Hand
פּוֹתֵחַ אֶת יָדֶךָ וּמַשְׂבִּיעַ לְכׇל חַי רָצוֹן׃ - You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
The Malbim explains that here David comes to detail the Divine providence that extends to sustain all creatures: they look to You with hope, and You give them their food in its proper time, at the time of eating. The Malbim points out an interesting contrast: in Chapter 104 it says, "You give to them, they gather it; You open Your hand, they are sated with good." Sometimes the Holy One, blessed be He, bestows in measure - "You give to them, they gather it," with difficulty, just enough to gather a little; and sometimes "You open Your hand, they are sated with good," where Hashem opens His hand and gives with great abundance and surplus satisfaction. So too here: on the one hand, "and You give them their food in its proper time" - "their food" exactly according to need, in measure, and even that only at the time of eating, as strictly necessary for the moment of consumption. On the other hand, "You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing" - giving in abundance, in the manner of "You open Your hand, they are sated with good," where the opening of the hand brings complete satisfaction.
And what is the "desire" (ratzon) mentioned at the end of the verse? The Malbim explains that ratzon is, as it were, an abstract entity, an incorporeal essence, and it is what opens Hashem's hands: Divine goodwill and favor opens Your hand and satisfies every living thing. Through the Divine Will, the Hand Above is opened to bestow with open hands upon all of creation. When there is an aspect of opening, there is an aspect of ratzon, meaning an et ratzon (a time of goodwill and favor) - not a time of prosecution when sustenance is given sparingly, in the dimension of Gevurot, but of Chassadim, bestowed in abundance. And when there is an et ratzon, it brings about "You open Your hand" and "satisfy every living thing," complete satiety rather than minimal sustenance like "You give to them, they gather it" which is merely enough to gather, but rather giving in great plenty and generous measure.
Rashi explains "and satisfies the desire of every living thing" to mean according to its livelihood - that Hashem abundantly bestows His goodness, His goodwill, and His blessing, granting man full bounty. The Radak says: You give them their food abundantly, until each is satisfied according to his desire - this is "ratzon," that He satisfies every living thing according to its desire, just as it wants. Not only what one needs, but also what one desires. So too our Sages said: "'And satisfies the desire [ratzon] of every living thing' - do not read it as ratzon, but as retzono (his desire)"; Hashem satisfies each according to his individual desire. And as we mentioned, when there is a time of favor, Hashem gives a person both what he desires and what he requests, and even things he never realized were possible to receive: He fills him with new vessels that He created, with grace, lovingkindness, and compassion. That is, not only does Hashem bestow bounty, but He even grants him the desire - knowing what to desire and what to ask for, on a level far higher than he ever imagined existed or thought possible to attain.
In Summary:
In these verses, King David teaches us two modes of Divine conduct: "the glory of Your kingdom" - the fixed laws of nature, which represent the dignity of an orderly kingdom; and "Your might" - the supernatural interventions through which His power is revealed, which call for elaborate praise. The role of the pious (chassidim) is "to make known to the sons of man" - to publicize His Name in the world, though not according to the true essence of His Being, for "no thought can grasp Him," but rather according to human perception, where whoever delves deeper attains more. And though His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and His dominion endures throughout every generation, wherever one finds His greatness, there one finds His humility: He supports all who fall and straightens all who are bent, unlike a flesh-and-blood king who, as he rises higher, distances himself from the lowly. And whoever fixes his eyes on Him rather than on his sustenance and the work of his hands merits not only "their food in its proper time," which is according to bare necessity, but "You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing" - an abundance born of a time of favor, filling a person according to his desire and even beyond what he ever knew to ask for.