In this part of the psalm, King David transitions from pleading for guidance and instruction to pleading for mercy and forgiveness. He turns to the Holy One, blessed is He, reminding Him of the lovingkindness he received even before he possessed any merit, and on that basis begs Him to continue bestowing goodness upon him today as well, and not to remember his sins and transgressions. We will follow the order of the verses and examine the commentary of the Malbim, alongside the insights of Rashi, Radak, Ibn Ezra, the Rama of Fano, and the Dubno Maggid.
זְכֹר רַחֲמֶיךָ יְהֹוָה וַחֲסָדֶיךָ כִּי מֵעוֹלָם הֵמָּה׃ - Remember Your mercies, Hashem, and Your acts of lovingkindness, for they are from of old.
The Malbim explains: David comes and says, look, when Hashem bestowed goodness upon me at the very beginning of my creation, what was it in return for? In return for nothing at all. After all, one who does not yet exist has not served Hashem, and it cannot be said that I received this as a reward for my deeds, for I did not yet exist. When the Holy One, blessed is He, formed man, nurtured him in his mother's womb, brought him out into the world, and raised him until he acquired mature intellect - where did all of this come from? It is entirely the kindness of Hashem, without man being able to claim, "I did something to earn this." Thus, everything bestowed upon him was an unearned gift of grace. David asks: Please, continue this kindness toward me today as well, even if I am unworthy. Remember the mercies You showed me in those times when it was not even relevant to look for merits in me, and the kindnesses You granted me then - grant them to me now as well.
"Remember Your mercies," says the Malbim, corresponds to the Holy One, blessed is He, perfecting man with all his bodily organs and limbs. This is the ultimate expression of mercy, in every single organ. Indeed, a person should reflect upon each and every organ of his body and observe how much lovingkindness and mercy Hashem has performed for him. Take the eye, for example: imagine if it protruded from the body - how many of us would still have eyes today? Why did Hashem embed it deep within an internal socket? So that any blow would strike the skull rather than the eye. The nose, on the other hand, is made of cartilage rather than bone, so if it takes a blow it bounces back, and it is not as fragile as the eye. And why two eyes? So that we have depth perception.
And consider just the eye itself: it has built-in windshield wipers that constantly clean it, since it is extremely sensitive and vulnerable to dust. It has eyelids, so that if you see something inappropriate you can close them. It has eyelashes that prevent dirt from entering. And it has eyebrows, so that if you sweat, they absorb the perspiration and keep it from running into the eye, as sweat is salty and stings. Anyone who has ever worked out in the sun and gotten sweat in their eyes knows how painful and unpleasant that is; this is why tennis players wear headbands on their foreheads to absorb sweat. The Holy One, blessed is He, took care of you and placed eyebrows above your eyes. In this manner, one can examine each organ one by one and witness Hashem's lovingkindness toward man.
The Chovot HaLevavot brings an idea along these lines. A person was once asked: If you were given an extra eye, where would you place it? He replied: On the nape of the neck, at the back of the head. Another person said to him: No way, that makes no sense; I would place it on a fingertip - if you want to look behind you, you just point your finger backwards; if you want to see what is under the table, you slip your finger underneath; if you want to see what is inside a bag, you put your finger in. It is far more versatile. If so, ostensibly, Hashem created man lacking, since He could have given him an eye on his finger.
Yet imagine what you could actually do with your hand if you had an eye on your finger! Could you lift anything? Could you carry anything? After all, the eye is so delicate - could you get dressed, or button a button? What immense kindness Hashem did by not placing an eye on our finger! And what about on the back of the neck? Are you really so certain you need to see everything? Hashem created a design where, if you do not wish to look, you can turn your back. And if you had an eye on the back of your head and wanted to sleep on your back, what would you do? Not to mention your hair, which you would constantly have to trim away from the eye. In short, what Hashem did is absolute perfection. And this is what David means by "Your mercies" - that You perfected me in all of my limbs.
Consider the human finger: imagine if it were slightly stickier - everything you grasped would stick to your hand; you would pick up a piece of paper and be unable to let go of it. And if it were less sticky - try turning a page, try holding onto something, everything would slip right out of your hand. Hashem created the finger with such a precise level of adhesion that it helps us grasp objects, yet without making it impossible to release them. Look at a lizard: its toes have far greater stickiness because it needs to climb walls. You do not need to climb walls, so you do not possess that level of stickiness. Every creature was formed according to its specific needs.
The same applies to fingernails: what provides us with a firm grip is the fingernails, which act like a rigid backing at the tip of the finger to assist our grasp. Moreover, when a person wants to pick up something extremely delicate and thin, he grasps it with the tips of his fingernails. Not to mention peeling an orange. In short, in every single detail we perceive Hashem's kindness. This is the meaning of "Your mercies" (rachamecha).
What are "Your kindnesses" (chasadim)? The Malbim explains: this refers to the faculties of intellect and understanding. Hashem performed a kindness with us so that we might grasp His greatness and Divinity, that we should have perception and comprehension of Him, blessed be He, and not be "like a horse, like a mule (pered) without understanding." And why is it called "like a mule (pered)"? Because a person must study PaRDeS - Peshat (plain meaning), Remez (allusion), Derash (homiletic interpretation), and Sod (esoteric secret) - so that he may also know the greatness of the Creator. When he fails to grasp the Creator's greatness, he remains a "pered" (P-R-D): he has Peshat, Remez, and Derash, but he has not learned the Sod.
Someone once remarked in jest: Sephardim are deeply connected to Kabbalah, and some begin studying Kabbalah before they even know the basic text; one has already opened Patach Eliyahu, already set up shop, he does not know anything yet but he is already immersed in the sefirot. Ask him: Have you studied Gemara? Have you begun Shas and the Poskim? No, but he is already deep in Kabbalah. Where is this hinted at? In the word Sepharad (S-P-R-D): Sod, Peshat, Remez, Derash! He starts with Sod and only at the very end reaches Peshat. But in truth, it ought to be the reverse: PaRDeS - Peshat, Remez, Derash, and finally one reaches Sod.
In any case, the inner secret is Hashem's kindness in opening our eyes to perceive His Divinity and His truth. This is "Your kindnesses" - the intellect and understanding with which You favored me so that I might grasp Your greatness. The Malbim explains that this parallels the two dimensions David mentioned earlier, both of which are entrusted to Hashem: in material matters - "My God, in You I have trusted," and You provided all my physical needs; and in spiritual matters - "Make Your ways known to me, Hashem," and You granted all my spiritual needs, the privilege of understanding You and knowing You. And regarding all of these - "for they are from eternity," You have granted them to me from the very dawn of creation. Please, continue to bestow these powers upon me moving forward.
Rashi explains "for they are from eternity" - Hashem's kindness spans eternity, reaching back to the days of Adam HaRishon, to whom You said, "On the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die," yet You granted him a day of Your own, which is a thousand years. Seemingly, Adam HaRishon should have died on the very day he ate from the Tree of Knowledge; why did he not die? Our Sages explain that the Holy One, blessed be He, reckoned a day according to His own day, as it is written: "For a thousand years in Your eyes are like yesterday when it passes." A day of the Holy One, blessed be He, is a thousand years; He took pity on him and reckoned the day of "you shall surely die" as My day rather than your day. In the end, he lived nine hundred and thirty years, because he gave seventy years to David - for David shares the soul of Adam HaRishon, and ADaM is an acronym for Adam, David, Mashiach, which are all one soul. Thus, even then You performed kindness, and from the time of Adam HaRishon You acted with such abundant kindness - so remember this on my behalf.
חַטֹּאות נְעוּרַי וּפְשָׁעַי אַל תִּזְכֹּר כְּחַסְדְּךָ זְכׇר לִי אַתָּה לְמַעַן טוּבְךָ יְהֹוָה׃ - Do not remember the sins of my youth and my transgressions; according to Your kindness remember me, for the sake of Your goodness, Hashem.
When I ask that You remember the kindnesses and mercies You have shown me until now, do not remember the sins of my youth and my transgressions against them. Why? Because if You remember one in relation to the other, it will magnify my sins and transgressions. For You might say: Did you ask that We remember kindnesses on your behalf? I remember all the kindnesses I did for you - how, then, could you commit such iniquities? Suddenly, every sin is placed under a magnifying glass and takes on immense weight, for the greater the kindness, the greater the accountability. "According to Your kindness" means in proportion to the measure of the kindness; and if You judge me in proportion to the magnitude of Your kindness, woe to me, what would be left of me? Therefore, David pleads: remember the kindnesses, but do not measure my iniquities against that same standard.
And this is why he says, "For the sake of Your goodness, Hashem" - since You abound in goodness, You naturally remember the good and do not remember the bad, in the sense of "He has not beheld iniquity in Yaakov," where the Holy One, blessed be He, as it were, averts His eyes from looking upon evil. In truth, this request seems almost audacious: remember the kindnesses You performed and grant me more, but do not compare my iniquities against them or evaluate my faults in that same light! You want us to remember this, but not that? To this he replies, "For the sake of Your goodness, Hashem": from anyone else I would never dare ask this, but from You, Who abound in goodness, I allow myself to make such a request.
What is meant by "the sins of my youth and my transgressions" (chatot neurai u'fesha'ai)? The Malbim explains: A cheit (sin) stems from the desires of the physical body. Why? Because a cheit is akin to an inadvertent error - as in "if a person sins inadvertently" (nefesh ki techeta v'shgagah) - rather than deliberate malice. When a person sins out of physical desire, it is closer to the category of an inadvertent act than to deliberate rebellion, in the sense that his evil inclination simply overpowered him. Therefore, "the sins of my youth" corresponds to "Your mercies" mentioned earlier, where You fashioned my physical body with 248 limbs and 365 sinews - and in contrast to this, I ask that You do not remember what I did out of bodily desire.
A pesha (transgression), by contrast, falls into the category of rebellion. Chazal state: Psha'im - these are the rebels. This refers to someone who acts specifically to rebel against Hashem, blessed be He; it is not a momentary lapse or stumble, but a deliberate thought, a conscious intention to rebel. This corresponds to "Your kindnesses," for Hashem's kindness was that He created a soul within me and endowed me with the capacity to recognize Him - namely, the intellect. And what does one do with this intellect? Rebel against Hashem! This is not a sin born of passion, but a deliberate stance and system of rebellion. Therefore, I plead: do not remember my rebellions either. And what is meant by "according to Your kindness remember me, You"? The Malbim explains: Do not remember what I have done in the same manner that You remember what You have done. The lovingkindness You have performed - remember and continue it; but my rebellions, do not remember. Recall only the good and the kindness, and only You - what I have done, do not remember.
The Radak explains: Why are "sins" linked specifically to "my youth"? Because what a person does in his youth is more readily classified as cheit, since his intellect is not yet mature and he cannot be held fully accountable for his actions, as his understanding, discernment, and intellect are still incomplete. Even if you were to say that he intended to rebel - what kind of rebellion could it be? He is merely a child; what does he understand, and how much maturity does he possess? Even his intention to rebel is considered a lack of understanding, and still falls into the category of cheit. By contrast, when a person grows up, passes the age of twenty, and has acquired mature intellect, if he commits a transgression, it is already classified as "my rebellions" (pesha'ai) rather than a mere cheit. You could plead cheit when you were a youth; now you are a mature adult, and what you do is classified as pesha, in the category of one who knows his Master yet willfully rebels against the One Who gave him intellect - and there, the severity is far greater.
And what is the meaning of "and according to Your kindness remember me, You"? The Radak explains: Do not remember against me either the sins of my youth or my rebellions; rather, remember Your lovingkindness toward me, and deal with me according to kindness rather than strict justice. And all of this is "for the sake of Your goodness, Hashem" - for on my own merits I am unworthy, but Your goodness demands this: since You are abundant in kindness, the sheer greatness of Your lovingkindness and goodness makes it fitting to request this of You.
טוֹב וְיָשָׁר יְהֹוָה עַל כֵּן יוֹרֶה חַטָּאִים בַּדָּרֶךְ׃ - Good and upright is Hashem; therefore He guides sinners on the way.
Because Hashem is good and upright, He guides sinners along the way. "Sinners" (chata'im) - as we explained, cheit denotes an inadvertent error, and Hashem shows them the way. Rashi explains that this refers to the path of repentance (teshuvah). The Radak notes that baderech ("on the way") is vocalized with a patach under the bet, functioning as the definite article - just as there is a definite heh, there is a definite bet - meaning it does not refer to just any random road, but to the well-known path. And what is it? The path of repentance. Why is it called "well-known"? Because it has been known since the days of Adam HaRishon, when the Holy One, blessed be He, taught Cain the path of teshuvah, and Adam HaRishon repented as well. Therefore: guide sinners along the path that has been known ever since.
Rashi cites another Midrash: When a person committed unintentional manslaughter, he had to flee swiftly to a city of refuge (ir miklat); if he failed to arrive in time, the blood redeemer (go'el hadam) could strike him and kill him along the way. Therefore, Torah scholars were sent to accompany him, and at every crossroads and fork in the road there was a sign reading "Refuge! Refuge!", so he would know where to go without delay. In those days, people did not have navigation apps, and he might have gotten lost along the way, losing his bearings and not knowing which way to turn - so a sign was needed to direct him: "Here is the city of refuge." This is the meaning of "He guides sinners on the way": one who sinned inadvertently through accidental manslaughter was guided along the way, in fulfillment of "Prepare the road for yourself." And because Hashem is good, explains the Malbim, He directs sinners - those whose failures stem from inadvertence - and points them toward the right path.
יַדְרֵךְ עֲנָוִים בַּמִּשְׁפָּט וִילַמֵּד עֲנָוִים דַּרְכּוֹ׃ - He leads the humble in justice, and teaches the humble His way.
And because Hashem is upright - "He guides the humble in justice, and teaches the humble His way." These are people who know the way, yet they face obstacles and hindrances in doing what is needed: for example, a person has material needs, is preoccupied with earning a livelihood, and his heart is not free to grasp the ways of Hashem. Regarding them, David asks: You guide them so that they walk in the path of justice, meaning the proper path. And likewise, "and teaches the humble His way" - "His way" is a path unique to Him, Blessed be He, along the lines of "the secret of Hashem is for those who fear Him."
The Malbim distinguishes between yoreh (directing), yadrech (guiding), and yelammed (teaching): directing and teaching apply to something you do not know, so someone instructs you and teaches you. Guiding applies to someone who is unable - like a disabled person who limps, whom one must take by the hand and guide along. And teaching is greater than mere instruction. Therefore, here he asks that the Holy One, Blessed be He, teach the humble His way: one who attains the level of humility is taught by the Holy One, Blessed be He, His own private way, which is the path of apprehending Hashem and clinging to Him - as we saw earlier, prophecy. This is the unique path belonging to Hashem, Blessed be He, and whoever is characterized by humility merits to attain it. And the one who was "humbler than all men upon the face of the earth" merited the greatest prophecy of all.
The less space a person occupies, the more room there is for Hashem, Blessed be He, and so he can receive prophecy on a higher plane. Conversely, the more space a person occupies with himself, the less room there is for the Shechinah to cleave to him: "I and he cannot dwell together in the same basket," and "He of haughty eyes and an expansive heart, him I cannot endure." Therefore, to the humble Hashem shows His private path, and this is "He guides the humble in justice" - in contrast to the sinners we learned about earlier.
And why is a sinner called a choteh? The Malbim explains: a choteh is one who misses the mark. How do we describe someone who did not hit the target? Hichti ("he missed"). Hichti means he strayed from the correct path and missed the target. Therefore, chet denotes a deficit or lack, as in "and I and my son Solomon will be lacking [chata'im]" - meaning lacking, or as in "sling stones at a hair and not miss [yachti]," meaning not fall short of the target. A choteh acts out of inadvertence (shegagah), and since he did not reach the right address, Hashem shows him the way. And a derech (road) refers to the main highway, as opposed to orachot (paths), which are branching, narrow paths requiring great discernment. The unintentional sinner is first guided back onto the main road.
כׇּל אׇרְחוֹת יְהֹוָה חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת לְנֹצְרֵי בְרִיתוֹ וְעֵדֹתָיו׃ - All the paths of Hashem are lovingkindness and truth, for those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.
Paths (orachot) appear in the next verse. Even though we sometimes perceive, as it were, that Hashem is not traveling on the main road but along a narrow, private path branching off from the general highway - such as a righteous person suffering while a wicked person prospers, which seemingly contradicts the straightforward path we would expect, crooked paths that do not seem to reflect a governance of justice, law, and uprightness - regarding this he says: "All the paths of Hashem are lovingkindness and truth." Even these paths, which appear crooked to you and seem like deviations from justice and righteousness, know that they are lovingkindness and truth: lovingkindness from Hashem, and truth, for "He does not execute judgment without cause." If a person sees, "I did good and received bad," know that this bad is for your benefit; it settles another account, and through it the Holy One, Blessed be He, spared you from a far greater evil, and Heavenly calculations are endless - and therefore it is also truth: He performed an act of lovingkindness with you, and it is a true and just judgment.
This is why, when a relative passes away, a person is instructed to recite, "Blessed is the true Judge" (Baruch Dayan HaEmet). It is agonizingly difficult, it is a close relative, and sometimes - Heaven protect us - young children and terrible tragedies; yet nevertheless, Hashem is the true Judge. There is no alternative blessing; it is that very same blessing: Hashem judges with true justice. Thus, all the paths of Hashem, not only the overt and obvious highways but also the hidden paths where one sees no way forward, and even where one sees things that appear contrary to Hashem's kindness - everything is in the realm of lovingkindness and truth. Sometimes the righteous person receives a minor punishment in this world to atone and receive his full reward in the World to Come; sometimes, out of truth, Hashem grants the wicked person patience so that he might repent and mend his ways; and sometimes so that his measure of sin becomes full and he forfeits the World to Come.
And to whom is all this known? "For those who keep His covenant and His testimonies." They are the ones who truly know that everything is lovingkindness and truth. One who does not keep His covenant and His testimonies, who does not observe His mitzvot, always has difficulties and questions. But notice: when a person begins to observe mitzvot, suddenly he has no questions. People who come to draw closer to Judaism - at first, you see them filled with questions like a pomegranate full of seeds. Yet if you draw him near and say: come, start keeping a mitzvah, start with something - suddenly he has no questions. Who answered them for him? It is wondrous. Because in truth, most questions do not stem from genuine inquiry; they are an excuse: I want to justify to myself why I am not observing, so I immediately start asking questions.
Like the story of the chareidi Jew who walked past a secular protest. A woman saw him and began shouting: "Go serve in the army!" He pulled out his military ID card and showed her: "I served three years in the IDF, and I even served in the standing army." She said: "Then go to work!" He pulled out another document and showed her that he was a long-time employee at a company. What was left for her to say? "Then go to hell!" He said to her: "Why didn't you just say that from the start? If that is what you really wanted, just say so; why wrap it up in the army and work? The bottom line was 'go to hell,' so why all the pretense?" Likewise, when a person draws closer, suddenly there are no questions. The endless "whys" were just excuses, because it was comfortable to stay where he was. But those who keep His covenant and His testimonies know that all of Hashem's paths are lovingkindness and truth. Begin keeping mitzvot - and you will see all your questions vanish.
לְמַעַן שִׁמְךָ יְהֹוָה וְסָלַחְתָּ לַעֲוֺנִי כִּי רַב הוּא׃ - For Your Name's sake, Hashem, pardon my iniquity, for it is great.
This verse is very perplexing, and each of the commentators attempts in his own way to resolve it. When a person comes to ask forgiveness from his fellow, on the contrary - he tries to minimize what he did rather than magnify it, and that is precisely the basis for receiving forgiveness: since the transgression was not so great, forgive me. But to come and say, "Forgive me because the transgression is great"? That is incomprehensible. "And forgive my iniquity, for it is great" - does the fact that it is great mean I should forgive you? On the contrary, "for it is great" is a reason not to forgive! How can David's request be understood?
The Malbim explains that the verse returns to the prayer, and the word "for the sake of" (lema'an) here relates back to what he requested earlier: "The sins of my youth and my transgressions do not remember." Why do I make such a request? "For the sake of Your Name, Hashem." And his novel insight is that "for it is great" (ki rav hu) does not refer to the iniquity, but rather to "Your Name, Hashem": for the sake of Your Name, Hashem, I ask that You forgive my iniquity, for Your Name is great and immense - and since this is so, it is fitting for You to pardon and forgive. Moreover, not only do I ask that You forgive my intentional sins (pesha'im), but also the iniquity (avon), which is more severe. And why should You pardon? Because Your Name is Mercy and You are full of mercy, and because Your Name is great and exalted - You are abundant in forgiveness.
And what is an avon? The Malbim explains that avon (iniquity), unlike pesha (transgression), is something committed through a distortion of the intellect. When a person commits a chet, it is an unwitting mistake; and when a person commits a pesha deliberately, it is not necessarily out of defiance. But when a person commits an avon, meaning intentionally and out of intellectual distortion, he has already developed an ideology for his sins and found intellectual justifications for them. This is almost a point of no return, for once he begins finding justifications for his deeds, it is extremely difficult to bring him back in repentance. And it is concerning this that he asks, "And forgive" (vesalachta). The term selichah (forgiveness), says the Malbim, is the greatest of all terms that denote the lifting of sin - there is mechilah (pardon), there is kapparah (atonement), and there are other expressions, but the greatest of all is selichah. I ask that You forgive, meaning a complete wiping away, even though this is an iniquity of distorted intellect - because Your Name is great and immense, and You are abundant in lovingkindness.
The Radak explains: "For the sake of Your Name, Hashem" - since Your Name is known as good and forgiving, I ask that You forgive my iniquity. The Radak notes precisely that it does not say "and forgive my iniquities" in the plural, but "my iniquity" in the singular - for this refers to a specific sin, namely the greatest of David's sins, the iniquity of Batsheva. And here David says: Although I asked for pardon and forgiveness from You for my sins and transgressions, I now have a special request regarding a specific iniquity that is greater than all others, and concerning it I ask a second time. If so, "for it is great" is the reason why I am singling out this request separately from the general prayer I already made: because it is a great iniquity, I dedicate a specific request to it.
Ibn Ezra says that "for it is great" does not serve as the reason for forgiveness, but carries the meaning of "even though" or "although" - since the word ki has several different meanings. Forgive my iniquity even though it is great: I ask that You forgive me despite the fact that the iniquity is great and I know that its atonement is difficult. It is not worthy of forgiveness because it is great - on the contrary; rather, forgive me even though the iniquity is great. This is similar to what we find with Moshe Rabbeinu, who pleaded and said, "for they are a stiff-necked people" - forgive them, You know they are a stiff-necked and rebellious people, and nevertheless, forgive them.
The Rama of Fano offers a wonderful and famous insight here. It is well known that the primary element of teshuvah is confession (viduy). Moreover, according to the Rambam, there is no positive commandment in the Torah for teshuvah itself, but rather the mitzvah of viduy - "and they shall confess their sin" is the positive commandment of teshuvah in his view. The admission "I have sinned" is paramount, for before a person confesses, Scripture says, "Behold, I will judge you because you say, 'I have not sinned'" - Hashem says: I will judge you for saying "I have not sinned." Presumably, if she sinned, judge her for her sin, so why for "saying 'I have not sinned'"? Because the worst thing of all is to say "I have not sinned." When a person sins and at least acknowledges his sin, he may yet repent; but when he says "No," he will never return. Thus, viduy is the primary element.
And we have a halachic principle: one who confesses to a fine (modeh b'knas) is exempt. Laws of fines encompass all situations in which one is obligated to pay an amount not based on the actual damage. A thief pays double (kefel) - and this is not according to the damage, for the damage is the principal, while the additional payment is a fine. The fourfold and fivefold payments (arba'ah v'chamishah) are a fine; a rapist and seducer pay fifty silver shekels or one hundred silver shekels, a fixed sum set by the Torah rather than based on the actual damage - a fine; the thirty shekels for an enslaved person - a fine. All fixed amounts in the Torah, or sums that do not correspond to the actual value of the damage, are fines. And if a person stole and rushed to the beit din and said, "Gentlemen, I confess, I stole" - they tell him: pay the principal, for one who confesses to a fine is exempt. This is an agreed-upon halachah, undisputed, in Bava Kamma 74b.
And what is the law if they sued him and he arrived at beit din after already being caught in the net, and only then said, "Yes, I confess, I stole" - with his sole intention being to exempt himself from the fine? They tell him: It is too late. You could confess to the fine before they arrived; now, after witnesses have come testifying against you, your admission is no longer needed.
And now for the more complex question: what is the law if I confessed in Beit Din to stealing, and they told me that one who admits to a fine is exempt (*modeh b'knas patur*), and two minutes later witnesses arrived and said: "Gentlemen, know that so-and-so stole, and we have come to testify about it"? Do we say that your admission is superfluous, since there are witnesses testifying that you stole - and therefore you must also pay the fine? Or do we say: "I arrived before the witnesses came, and confessed to the fine at a time when there were still no witnesses, and they arrived only after me - so I have already been exempted"? This is a dispute between Rav and Shmuel: Rav says that one who admits to a fine and witnesses subsequently arrive is exempt (*modeh b'knas v'achar kach ba'u edim - patur*); while Shmuel says that one who admits to a fine and witnesses subsequently arrive is liable, since his admission has become superfluous and there are witnesses who convict him.
It follows, then, that the entire concept of teshuvah between ourselves and the Omnipresent can only function according to the opinion of Rav, and not according to Shmuel. For when a person comes and says, "I have sinned, I have committed iniquity, I have transgressed" - what happens then? The supernal angels come and testify as well, for the eyes of Hashem roam throughout the entire earth, and there are angels who wander about, observe human deeds, and testify against a person. The angels come and say, "So-and-so committed such-and-such a sin." The Holy One, blessed be He, says to them, "He has already confessed." Witnesses arrived after he had already admitted and confessed - and according to Rav, if one admitted and witnesses subsequently arrived, he is exempt from the fine. But according to Shmuel, what good would the confession do? After all, in the end witnesses arrived, and one who admits to a fine and witnesses subsequently arrive is liable. Thus, the entire concept of confession helps us only according to the view of Rav.
And this is what David HaMelech is saying: "And pardon my iniquity, for it is great (*ki rav hu*)" - Master of the Universe, pardon my iniquity, because the halachah follows Rav! "*Rav hu*" - the halachah follows Rav, and if so, please pardon my iniquity. Truly wondrous!
According to this, we can explain an enigmatic Midrash cited in *Damesek Eliezer*, a Midrash that is as astonishing as its name: "'Woe, who shall live when God establishes this' (*Oi mi yichyeh mi-sumo Kel*) - so Bil'am said - this is what is written, 'And pardon my iniquity, for it is great (*ki rav hu*).'" What is the connection between "Who shall live when God establishes this" and "Pardon my iniquity, for it is great"? Based on what we have explained, this is illuminated beautifully: the word *mi-sumo Kel* (משומו אל) is written without a *vav*, and can be read homiletically as though it said *mi-Shmuel* ("from Shmuel") - who could survive according to the ruling of Shmuel? For whenever I confess, angels come and testify, and through that I would become liable; who could possibly survive that? Regarding this the Midrash says: Woe, who could survive Shmuel - this is what is written, "And pardon my iniquity, for Rav is he" (*ki Rav hu*), for only according to the view of Rav can one survive, since only according to his ruling are teshuvah and vidui effective for me. Even though angels will subsequently arrive and testify to my sins, I have already confessed, and according to Rav, once one has confessed and witnesses arrive later, he can no longer be held liable.
The Maggid of Dubno also addresses the difficulty we raised: is an iniquity deserving of forgiveness simply because it is large? Surely the opposite should be true! To what can this be compared? Sometimes a debtor goes bankrupt under a crushing burden of debts. A meeting of all creditors is convened, and the debtor tries to reach a compromise with them to see what can be done - some will forgive parts of the debt, some will receive partial payments, some take a "haircut," and so on. And if you are a simple, struggling citizen who barely scrapes by and has nothing to eat, you say thank you if you receive anything at all; often from such debtors you are paid forty shekels a month over four hundred years. In the end you will get all your money - if not you, then your grandchild or great-grandchild. The debts are restructured.
Says the Maggid of Dubno: Ordinarily, when a person owes money to someone, he always tries to downplay it - "It's a small debt, don't worry, I'll pay you back, it's nothing, you have nothing to fear." But in that scenario, when all the creditors are convened, the strategy is reversed: "Gentlemen, I want you to understand, the business is facing ruin; it once was a going concern, but it has long been dead. And know that beyond what you are aware of, I have yet more debts hanging over me: thirty years of back property taxes, and this, and that, and the mortgage on the apartment hasn't even been paid." And from a debt that was thought to be five hundred thousand dollars, it turns out to be twenty million. What is he doing? He inflates and inflates the debt so that they will say to him: "Fine, just give whatever you have, pay a hundred and fifty dollars a month, give whatever is possible - as long as we see light at the end of the tunnel, just give something."
And this is precisely what David HaMelech is saying here: Master of the Universe, what can we say before You? Can we do complete teshuvah for all our sins? Our iniquities have multiplied beyond measure; the sin is so great and enormous! If for every sin we had to fast according to the number of fasts prescribed by the holy Ari, a person could live two thousand years and still not have enough time to atone for all his transgressions. Therefore, Master of the Universe, our sin is so vast - be content with minimal repentance, with something we do superficially, to our regret, rather than a full repentance worthy of each and every sin. "For it is great" (*ki rav hu*) - since the sin is so immense, be satisfied even with a modest repentance and let us fulfill our obligation through it. Thus explains the Maggid of Dubno, which is likewise truly wondrous.
David HaMelech recalls before the Holy One, blessed be He, His lovingkindness from the dawn of creation - the mercy evident in perfecting the body with all its limbs, and the kindness of intellect and understanding to recognize one's Creator - and asks that this same unearned kindness continue toward him today. He asks that neither the sins of his youth stemming from bodily desires nor his rebellious transgressions be remembered, and that they not be weighed against the greatness of the kindness, but rather "for the sake of Your goodness, Hashem," which does not gaze upon iniquity. And because Hashem is good and upright, He guides inadvertent sinners in the known path, the path of teshuvah, and guides and teaches the humble His unique way; and all His paths, even those that are concealed and seem crooked, are kindness and truth - as recognized by those who keep His covenant and testimonies. Finally, the puzzling plea, "And pardon my iniquity, for it is great," was explained in several ways: because Your Name is great and renowned (Malbim); because this is a unique sin requiring a separate plea of its own (Radak); even though it is great (Ibn Ezra); because the halachah follows Rav, who holds that one who admits to a fine before witnesses arrive is exempt (Rama mi-Fano); and because due to the sheer size of the debt, we ask that You accept whatever little teshuvah we can offer (the Maggid of Dubno).