Introduction: From Confession to Salvation
In this part of the chapter, we continue along the trajectory outlined by the Malbim: the distress of three years of drought during which no rain fell, the fast and confession that took place at that time, and the salvation that immediately followed. From here, King David continues to teach us profound foundations in the service of Hashem: the power of confession, giving thanks for the good we do not see, how man must guide the horse and rider within him, and trust in Hashem that transforms every pain into lovingkindness.
The Confession That Brought Salvation
חַטָּאתִי אוֹדִיעֲךָ וַעֲוֺנִי לֹא־כִסִּיתִי אָמַרְתִּי אוֹדֶה עֲלֵי פְשָׁעַי לַיהֹוָה וְאַתָּה נָשָׂאתָ עֲוֺן חַטָּאתִי סֶלָה׃ (ה) - "I made known my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not conceal. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to Hashem,' and You forgave the iniquity of my sin, Selah." (5)
The Malbim explains: from the moment I resolved to make known my sin - meaning that I was ready to confess and not conceal it, and my iniquity I did not hide - salvation arrived immediately. "I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to Hashem,'" and at that very moment, "You forgave the iniquity of my sin," and the rain fell. Here is proof that confession is effective and turns away wrath. And the word "Selah," as the Malbim consistently explains, indicates that this topic has concluded, and from here on David transitions to another matter, related to the subject yet distinct from it.
The Sforno explains when precisely this took place: immediately when David said to the prophet Natan, "I have sinned." Unlike Shaul, who tried to cast the blame onto the people and offered excuses - "and the people took... to sacrifice to Hashem your God" - David immediately confessed, "I have sinned," and the prophet immediately responded, "Hashem also has remitted your sin; you shall not die." At that very moment, Hashem bore the iniquity of his sin.
"I Will Confess My Transgressions" - And You Will Bear the Lesser
Another interpretation of the verse: "I said, 'I will confess my transgressions [pesha'ai] to Hashem'" - I said in my heart that I would confess the deliberate rebellions, which are the most severe of all. "And You forgave the iniquity of my sin [avon chatati], Selah" - and I rely upon You to bear the intentional sins and inadvertent faults, which are less severe than outright rebellion. In other words, I have the strength to take action and repent for the gravest wrongs I committed, and regarding the lighter matters, I trust that the Master of the World will forgive me.
In a homiletic vein, the author of Me'am Lo'ez cites the halachic principle of kam leh biderabbah mineih (one is subject to the greater punishment): someone who incurs two punishments is sentenced to the more severe one, thereby being exempt from the lighter. While this principle does not operate this way in Heavenly judgment, by way of an allusion one can say: since I confess to the severe transgressions, You will automatically bear for me both the iniquity and the lighter sins as well. Kam leh biderabbah mineih means: hold him accountable only for the greater of the two.
On this topic, an anecdote is told: The Chazon Ish once tested students at Yeshivat Tiferet Zion and asked one of the boys what kam leh biderabbah mineih means. The student was not among the most diligent; he thought for a few seconds and replied: "It means that when an important person enters, one must stand before him - kam leh, stand up, biderabbah mineih, before someone greater than he." It is told that the Chazon Ish laughed and said to the teacher: "He hasn't learned, but one can see he is very sharp." To invent a novel interpretation of a rabbinic dictum on the spot takes genuine cleverness.
"At a Time of Finding" - The Flood That Saved
עַל־זֹאת יִתְפַּלֵּל כׇּל־חָסִיד אֵלֶיךָ לְעֵת מְצֹא רַק לְשֵׁטֶף מַיִם רַבִּים אֵלָיו לֹא יַגִּיעוּ׃ (ו) - "For this let every pious one pray to You at a time of finding; only that the flood of mighty waters shall not reach him." (6)
The Malbim explains this verse as referring to the rain that fell, which was a flood of mighty waters and a rain of blessing for Israel. Usually, "at a time of finding" - when mighty and rushing waters are found - the pious person prays that the waters should not reach him, for floodwaters sweep everything away. But here, the matter was quite the opposite.
אַתָּה סֵתֶר לִי מִצַּר תִּצְּרֵנִי רׇנֵּי פַלֵּט תְּסוֹבְבֵנִי סֶלָה׃ (ז) - You are a shelter for me; from distress You preserve me; with songs of deliverance You surround me, Selah. (7)
The Malbim explains: Here, on the contrary, salvation came through the flood itself, and therefore the devout man does not need to pray that the flood should not reach him, since this downpour was good for him. Through the flood, "from distress You preserve me" - You protected me from the foe and the enemy, as we saw above, for the torrent of rains prevented the enemies from advancing and reaching me. And through this, "with songs of deliverance You surround me" - as it were, an entire camp of people singing and rejoicing over the rescue and escape from the enemy surrounded me. The waters surrounded me to deliver me from every foe, and here there is singing and rejoicing over having escaped from the hands of the enemies, who, when they saw such immense rain and flooding, did not march out to harm me.
Rashi interprets differently: "At a time of finding" - when You are to be found to accept his prayer, at a time when the Holy One, Blessed is He, is accessible to receive prayer. Indeed, there are particularly auspicious times, as it is written: "Seek Hashem when He may be found, call upon Him when He is near", which Chazal expounded as referring to the Ten Days of Repentance. And what should he pray for? "Only that the flood of mighty waters should not reach him" - and the flood of mighty waters represents the nations. The nations are compared to a churning sea, regarded "like a drop from a bucket" and a drizzle, and water represents materiality. Therefore, the devout person prays that the flood of the nations should not reach him and harm him. And so we find that David prayed: "Let us fall into the hand of Hashem, for His mercies are abundant, but let me not fall into the hand of man" - the flood of the nations is the most dangerous, for they harm without compassion; and if I must suffer harm, it is better that it come from the hand of Hashem and not from the hand of nations that have no mercy.
The Midrash's Homilies on "At a Time of Finding"
Midrash Rabbah expounds "at a time of finding" across many matters regarding which an expression of finding is used, and for all of them the pious person prays: "At the time of the draining of the day" - which can be interpreted as the end of a person's life, or as nighttime, that one should not be harmed during the night; "at the time of the exhaustion of justice" - that a person should pray today that the Holy One, Blessed is He, should not strictly demand full justice from him on High; "at the time of the departure of the soul" - which is the hour of passing; "at the time of the final reckoning" - when the stage arrives to give an accounting. And the Tanchuma says: "At a time of finding" refers to old age. For each of these, the Midrash brings proof from a verse containing an expression of finding.
And the Midrash says: A person must pray for his old age, that his eyes may see, his mouth may eat, and his legs may walk. Why must this be emphasized? Because whatever we already possess, we feel no need to give thanks for, and it seems self-evident to us. Then the Midrash comes and says: No, pray for this! Today you eat without any issues of appetite - perhaps even the opposite, there is an excess - yet there comes a stage when a person dwindles and suffers, has no appetite, and cannot eat. There is a situation where a person cannot walk on his feet and needs a wheelchair, and there is a situation where his eyesight dims. May Hashem protect us - and for all these things one must pray already now, so that when we reach old age, our eyes will see, our mouths will eat, and our legs will walk.
"At a Time of Finding - This Refers to a Wife"
Chazal deliver a well-known homily: "At a time of finding" refers to a wife, as it is stated, "He who has found a wife has found good". Every pious person prays that when his time of finding arrives, he will merit a good wife, for otherwise, Heaven forbid, the wife herself may become a "flood of mighty waters" that one must pray does not reach him.
And "a flood of mighty waters" can be explained in two ways. First: when he finds a virtuous wife, through her "a flood of mighty waters will not reach him" - desires will not sweep him away, for his wife preserves him from sin, as we mentioned at the beginning of the chapter. Second: King Solomon compared a contentious wife to "a continuous dripping on a rainy day". Like a person sitting in his home while a leak drips endlessly on the roof, drip-drip-drip - one can lose one's mind. There is even a Chinese water torture where a person's head is shaved and a bucket is hung above him that drips drop after drop, driving him mad. Therefore Solomon said: "Better to dwell in a corner of a roof than with a contentious woman" - it is better for a person to build himself a corner on the roof and sit there. And concerning this the pious person prays "at a time of finding," that a flood of mighty waters should not reach him.
And I saw in the notes on the responsa Afarkasta D'Anya a beautiful explanation: Why does it say "at a time of finding" rather than simply "upon finding"? One could have said that one must find a wife at the appropriate time - for if you find the best woman when you are forty and she is thirty-nine, that is not quite "at the right time of finding"; it should ideally be when you are young and life lies ahead of you. But he explains differently: A person must set fixed times for Torah study, and "time" refers to the time a person designates for Torah. When one seeks to marry, one of the central criteria must be that she will enable him to learn Torah, send him to the Beit Midrash, and care for all household needs so that he can engage in Torah. And this is "at a time of finding" - that he finds this "time" through his wife. This is also "He who finds a wife finds good," and there is no good other than Torah. For a person might find a wife and say: She is wonderful, but I have no time to learn; all day long it is "I need you" - go shopping, do this, watch the children - and that is not good.
It is told of one of the Gedolei Yisrael, I believe Rav Zusha, that in his youth after he married, he would come home and find that there was no food, the house was untidy, and the laundry was not done. He asked, "What happened?" and saw his wife sitting with a book of Tehillim. She told him, "I had no time. I woke up in the morning, davened Shacharit, then recited the Ma'amadot, then Shir HaShirim, then Tzenah U'Renah, then the daily Tehillim." It turned out she studied Torah the entire day, but the house was overturned like Sodom and Gomorrah. He said: "Now I understand Chazal's exposition on 'I will make him a helper corresponding to him' - if he merits, she is a helper; if he does not merit, she is against him. The simple understanding is that whatever you do, she wants the opposite, always against you. But it can be explained differently: If he merits - you go to kollel and she remains at home organizing, cleaning, and preparing everything that is needed. If he does not merit - she is literally 'corresponding to him': you sit and learn, she also learns; you pray, she also prays. And that is 'he did not merit,' for I need you to prepare the house and keep it organized, and through that I will be able to engage in Torah."
Gratitude for What Never Happened
The Alshich offers a wonderful explanation of the words, "You are a shelter for me; from distress You guard me." There are people who praise Hashem only when distress befalls them and they are rescued from it. Only then do they give thanks, make a seudas hoda'ah (thanksgiving feast), and say: disaster was imminent, and the Holy One, blessed be He, delivered me! For example, if a person travels to a distant land and bandits bearing sword and spear attack him, but he is spared from their sword, he will thank Hashem and fill his mouth with His praise. Yet when he travels along the road and on that day no bandit, no adversary, and no mishap encounters him, and everything goes smoothly - people say to him: "Give thanks to Hashem." He replies: "Thanks? For what? A month ago I gave thanks, for then there were bandits on the road and there was barely a step between me and death; but today the road was clear, traffic flowed, and there was no problem at all."
Yet logic dictates the exact opposite: here of all places you ought to give double thanks! The previous time you were placed in actual danger and stood a step from death, only being saved in the end. Today, however, you were never in a state of danger at all; everything went smoothly and there was not even a threat to your life - for the Holy One, blessed be He, turned the enemies away beforehand and ensured that they would never come in the first place.
Regarding this we say, "Praise Hashem, all nations; laud Him, all peoples... for His lovingkindness has overwhelmed us." Everyone asks: why should the nations praise Him? And what should they praise Him for - that His lovingkindness has overwhelmed Israel? The explanation is wonderful: there are countless disasters and troubles of which we are completely unaware. What was in their plans, what schemes they had, what plots were on the verge of execution - we have no idea. There are plots that security services manage to uncover, which is itself Hashem's kindness, for if Hashem does not desire it - may Hashem have mercy - terror attacks, troubles, and disasters occur, while when He wills it, He enables them to uncover a terror cell. But how many cases were there that security forces never uncovered at all, and yet the plot never materialized? All sorts of "glitches" that befell them, an explosive device that blew up in their own hands - and you know nothing about it. Who knows? Only the enemy. That is why the nation will praise Him, for only the enemy knows what plans he wanted to carry out and how ultimately Hashem saved us.
Thus, for the fact that everything went smoothly and there was no trouble from the outset, a person needs to give far more thanks than for falling into trouble and escaping it. Once, a man around forty years old approached a rabbi with a question: "Honored Rabbi, by the grace of Hashem a daughter was born to me, and people tell me that I should make a kiddush." It is customary among Ashkenazim that when a daughter is born, a kiddush is held on Shabbat morning after Shacharit, with kugel, according to custom. The rabbi asked: "So what is the question?" The man replied: "This is already the eighth child, and it is not an absolute obligation even according to Ashkenazic custom; whoever makes one usually does so for the first child, with great excitement." The rabbi said to him: "I would like to ask you a question. If this daughter were born to you now, at age forty, and she were your first child - would you make a kiddush?" He replied: "What kind of question is that? If a person waits twenty years for a child, of course I would make one, and not just in the synagogue, but in a banquet hall!" The rabbi told him: "If so, how much more so! If the Holy One, blessed be He, has already given you seven children and everything flowed smoothly, and you were blessed with a home full of children - should you not all the more so give thanks? If you would thank Him for the first, do you no longer see a need to thank Him for the eighth? On the contrary, it is all the more reason to thank Him, for Hashem has granted me a home full of sons and daughters, and everything proceeded smoothly without treatments and without obstacles."
And this is what the Alshich is saying: all the more so must one give thanks when one walked along the way and nothing happened. Regarding this it is stated, "To Him Who alone works great wonders," which Chazal expound to mean that the beneficiary of a miracle does not recognize his miracle - like those examples where only the enemy knows what he plotted. Who performed these wonders? Hashem alone, and you will never know of them; the one who was saved knew nothing about them. Therefore David comes and says: Master of the Universe, "You are a shelter for me" (*Atah seter li*) - it is hidden from me, for I do not see the one who oppresses me; therefore I beseech You, "guard me" (*titzreni*), in that second way: preserve me from the foe (*tzar*), that he should not reach me at all and I should never see him. And should you say: "That is worse, for when you do not see the foe and are not actively rescued, you will see no need to give thanks!" - to this David replies: "I have no such concern, for I will render thanks to Hashem: 'with songs of deliverance You will surround me, Selah' (*rannei falet tesoveveni selah*). I will sing as though You rescued and delivered me from a tangible enemy. I will thank You, Master of the Universe, just as if I had struggled with the enemy and survived." Therefore I prefer "guard me from the foe," that I should never see the oppressor and never even know there was a dangerous situation, and yet I will sing praises as though You saved me from an actual distress.
According to this principle, we can apply the same idea to the trials of the evil inclination. Sometimes a person faces a trial and a struggle and overcomes it, and sometimes the Holy One, blessed be He, saves him in advance from the trial and does not bring him into the struggle at all. David says: I prefer this way, that You not bring me to a test - just as we pray every day, "and do not bring us to a test or to disgrace" - and I will thank You just as if You had brought me to a test and I succeeded in being saved from it. Thus the verse applies both to a physical enemy and to a spiritual enemy, which is the yetzer hara.
Better Insight Than Affliction
אַשְׂכִּילְךָ וְאוֹרְךָ בְּדֶרֶךְ־זוּ תֵלֵךְ אִיעֲצָה עָלֶיךָ עֵינִי׃ (ח) - I will enlighten you and instruct you in this way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. (8)
According to the Malbim's approach, where this entire section deals with people realizing that they acted corruptly and concealed their sins, and subsequently repented, David says: if so, it is far better that a person not wait to repent until Hashem strikes him. Does one really need three years of famine to be aroused? It is better for a person to awaken beforehand, rather than being like a horse or a donkey that stray from the path, realizing they have strayed only after receiving several sound lashes, and only then straightening their course. It is far better that "I will enlighten you and instruct you in this way you should go" - that Hashem should guide us through insight to comprehend the proper path, rather than through blows, where we stray from the path and require afflictions to realize that our way is mistaken.
Regarding the phrase "I will guide you with My eye" (*i'atzah alecha eini*), there are two interpretations. The Malbim, as well as Rashi, explain it in the sense of a wink of the eye: like a person who slightly closes his eye to hint to his friend. That is, it is enough for Hashem to awaken me with a mere wink, without my needing to suffer blows to wake up. The Radak, on the other hand, interprets it in the sense of counsel (*eitzah*): I offer you counsel from what I have seen with my own eyes and experienced myself. And who is speaking? David. It is written that David sinned only to teach a path for penitents, and therefore he says: I can counsel you from my own experience, that when a person stumbles and repents, Hashem forgives him - accept this counsel from me.
Do Not Be Like a Horse or a Mule
אַל־תִּהְיוּ כְּסוּס כְּפֶרֶד אֵין הָבִין בְּמֶתֶג־וָרֶסֶן עֶדְיוֹ לִבְלוֹם בַּל קְרֹב אֵלֶיךָ׃ (ט) - Do not be like a horse, like a mule, without understanding, whose mouth must be curbed with bit and bridle, lest it come near to you. (9)
Ibn Ezra explains: Do not be like a horse that requires a bit and bridle, which are pieces of harness attached to its head to restrain it from galloping forward. And edyo, according to his explanation, refers to its cheeks. Others explain edyo as its mouth; others derive it from adi, an ornament; and others explain it as an expression of turning aside or removal, as in "do not turn away from it" (lo ta'adeh mineih), or "one who removes a garment" (ma'adeh beged). Let us now examine these explanations.
Ibn Ezra adds: "Lest it come near to you" - one must restrain the horse so that it does not come close to you and harm you. In a second interpretation: "Lest it come near to you" is a warning to the person himself, that this trait should not be found within you and this matter should not come near you - that you should not behave like a horse.
The Radak explains: Do not be like an animal, for an animal does not know whether it causes harm or does good, possessing no intellect, and therefore it must be curbed with bit and bridle lest it come close to you to bite. And because it lacks understanding, one cannot discipline it with words or rebuke it. But you should not be this way; rather, when you are spoken to, absorb the message and turn away from your evil path. And why specifically a horse and a mule? Because they are animals that can be directed, upon which people ride and guide along the path. See, then: they require external control to restrain them and prevent damage, whereas you have internal self-control, and you are capable of curbing yourself without an outside force restraining you.
The Malbim likewise follows this path: Do not be like a horse or a mule, which require a bit and bridle to be shown the way. The bit and bridle are fastened on both sides of the horse's head and connected to its mouth; when the rider pulls the right rein, the horse veers right, and when he pulls the left, it veers left. That was the "steering wheel" of antiquity. And "curbing its turning aside" (edyo livlom) - according to the Malbim, this is an expression of departure: so that the horse does not stray from the path, one must curb it with bit and bridle, and likewise curb it "lest it come near to you," so that it does not approach to harm you. But for you, a mere glance is enough - "I will counsel you with My eye upon you," "I will enlighten you and teach you." Intellectual insight is sufficient for you, and you do not require afflictions, nor a bit and bridle, to keep you straight.
The Horse and Rider Within Man
The Malbim notes that the example of a horse was not chosen casually, for man himself is a composite, in the phrase of the early thinkers, of a horse and a rider: the corporeal dimension is the animalistic aspect, the horse, while the spiritual dimension is the soul. We have already noted that in the conflict between the horse and the rider, Christianity "solved" the problem by killing the horse. It posits that living in peace and harmony is impossible, and therefore, if you wish to serve God - become a monk, do not marry, do not father children, live isolated in a monastery, and avoid worldly affairs altogether. Yet we all know how well they succeeded at killing the horse: on one side a monastery, on the other side a convent, and in the middle an orphanage, with no one knowing where the children came from.
It turns out that one cannot kill the horse; this horse kicks and bites. What, then, does the Torah do? The Torah hands the reins to the rider. The horse gallops, but in the direction we guide it. The Torah does not say, "Do not marry"; it says, "Marry and live together in holiness." It does not say, "Do not engage in commerce"; it says, "Engage in commerce and even acquire wealth - Rebbi himself possessed great wealth - provided that everything is conducted according to the Shulchan Aruch, according to Halachah, and within proper boundaries." The Torah does not tell man to kill the body. You need to eat. Rav Elyashiv testified about himself that he never missed a meal on time or a night's sleep. A matmid (diligent scholar) is not someone who learns for endless hours without a break, but someone whose schedule is ordered and measured: sixty minutes in an hour he learns, sixty seconds in a minute he learns, but when it is time to eat he eats, and when it is time to sleep he sleeps. Does skipping meals make someone a matmid? The greatest matmid of the generation testified that he never skipped a meal, because right now it is time to eat. One cannot kill the body, and it needs its share - only that one must give it its share as defined by the Torah, so that it does not chase after desires. And even when he ate, he did not eat steaks, but rather what was necessary to eat; not that there is any sin in eating steaks, but one must realize that the body demands its sustenance, and one must provide for its basic needs.
And this is what Scripture tells us: Since man contains these two parts, horse and rider, the rider - the soul - must guide the horse, and the body must act according to its instructions. When the horse defies its rider and the body is drawn after desires, the soul must restrain it with bit and bridle, stopping it from chasing after its cravings. At times, a crack of the whip is needed to stop a horse, and in the same way the body must be disciplined, as it is written: "Discipline your son, and he will give you rest." If you curb the desires of the body, you gain mastery over it. But if you do not curb it, the Gemara states: "There is a small limb in man; satisfy it, and it hungers; starve it, and it is satisfied." The more you pursue desires, the more they pull you in. If you give the horse a little freedom, suddenly the horse gives you a solid kick and takes charge; you have lost control, and the reins are no longer in your hands. Therefore, a person should not be like a horse or a mule, and should never allow the horse to take over; rather, he must control the horse and rule over it.
From here we also understand that if suffering comes, one must recognize that it is for his benefit. Just as the discipline of the horse is designed to allow the rider to gain control, so too when the Holy One, blessed be He, sends affliction, it is the body that He afflicts. The purpose is to elevate the soul, so that the spiritual dimension of man attains atonement for sins, and realizes how transient the body is and how foolish it is to overinvest in worldly matters. All of this leads a person to cling to Him, blessed be He.
Rabbi Chaim ben Attar explains: "Do not be like a horse or a mule" - for the horse and mule believe that the bit and bridle are their edyo, their ornament. "Why did they put this on me? My master must want me to look handsome, so he adorned me with jewelry!" Scripture says: A mistake. The horse is an animal, but you must not be like a horse. You must understand that this is meant to curb, so that it does not come near to harm you. That is to say, everything the Holy One, blessed be He, does to man in this world to hold him back from physical pleasures and desires is intended to help him straighten his ways and conduct, so that the body does not lash out and do whatever it pleases.
The Toldos Yaakov Yosef cites the famous interpretation: "Like a mule (k'fered) devoid of understanding" - the Kabbalists say that this refers to one who studies peshat, remez, and drash, but lacks sod (the mystical secrets). The Torah encompasses PaRDeS: Peshat (plain meaning), Remez (allusion), Drash (homiletics), and Sod (secrets). One who learns only peshat, remez, and drash forms the acronym PeReD (mule), and he is "devoid of understanding," for he does not truly comprehend the inner workings of the Holy One, blessed be He, in His world; only one who delves into the secrets of the Torah can perceive the deeper essence of reality. Someone once quipped: The complete word is Pardes, so why are the communities of the East called Sefarad rather than Pardes? Because some among them begin with Sod before ever studying peshat, remez, and drash - immediately quoting what the Zohar says. You ask him: Have you learned Gemara? Did you complete Shas? Mishnah Berurah? Do you know Halachah? Yet he is already holding by Sod! That is S-P-R-D: first Sod, and only then peshat, remez, and drash.
Many Pains Beset the Wicked
רַבִּים מַכְאוֹבִים לָרָשָׁע וְהַבּוֹטֵחַ בַּיהֹוָה חֶסֶד יְסוֹבְבֶנּוּ׃ (י) - Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but he who trusts in Hashem, lovingkindness shall surround him. (10)
The Ibn Ezra cites in the name of Rabbi Moshe: a person who does not walk on the straight path is called wicked, and therefore "many are his sorrows" - for one who walks on a rough, potholed road stumbles, gets hurt, and suffers injury. And this reflects reality. Observe our world: it often seems that there are people who party, indulge, and have a wonderful time, but this is a very brief window of opportunity, perhaps ten to fifteen years: from age fifteen or seventeen until his early thirties. Afterward, he begins to realize that nothing lasting comes of the partying, and when will he marry? When will he have children? He gets married close to forty, begins having children, and by the time he is sixty, his son is only twenty. When he is sixty-five, the son is just starting to think about marriage - and where are the grandchildren? When will he have time to see them? But when a person lives according to the Torah, even though he might appear to restrict himself and not party or do whatever he pleases, by the time that other person might merit a single grandchild, you are already marrying off grandchildren! You have a home filled with sons and daughters, Yamim Tovim, simchos, and family, while that person is still searching for his match. Thus, one who chases pleasures in this world has ten or fifteen years in which he might imagine he is enjoying life in fleeting bursts of passion; but one who looks at the entirety of life sees who truly enjoys this world. The Holy One, blessed be He, does not allow things to be bad here for one who walks in His ways. The reality is quite the opposite: for one who walks in the way of Hashem, his home is filled with sons and daughters, he receives honor from his children who respect him properly - it is not just one or two kids who treat him like an ATM machine, but there is derech eretz and genuine nachas. Thus, the wicked person thinks he will go his own way and succeed - yet in truth, "many are the sorrows of the wicked."
The Ibn Ezra's Novel Insight Regarding Physicians
Here, the Ibn Ezra presents a novel thought, a truly striking chiddush. It is well known that the Torah states, "and he shall cause him to be thoroughly healed" (verapo yerapeh), from which Chazal derive that permission was granted to the physician to heal. It is also well known what the Ramban writes: that a person who is truly God-fearing has no need for doctors, for what place do physicians have in the home of those who perform the will of Hashem? And for this reason, King Asa was punished, because in his illness he did not seek Hashem, but only physicians. The Ibn Ezra innovates here that the permission given to a physician to heal applies only when a person suffered injury at the hands of another human being; but if the affliction came upon him directly from Hashem, he has no permission to seek medical healing and should not approach doctors. That is to say, according to the Ibn Ezra, one who develops an illness or a medical condition, rather than being struck by someone else, should not seek out physicians.
This is fascinating, because in his commentary on the Torah, the Ibn Ezra drew a different distinction: there he distinguished between external damage and internal damage. If someone was struck on the hand and it broke, that is external damage, and he should go to doctors. But if someone suffers internal damage, such as abdominal pain and the like, he should not turn to doctors, but rather resolve the matter with the Holy One, blessed be He. Nevertheless, we should know that the halachah does not follow the Ibn Ezra. Almost all the Rishonim hold that the permission granted to a physician to heal applies across the board: whether internal or external damage, whether caused by human agency or directly from the Holy One, blessed be He. In any case, a person is obligated to go and seek medical treatment, and if he fails to do so, "Surely of your own blood of your souls will I demand an account" - for he is considered like one who takes his own life, and he will be held accountable for this in Heaven.
The Chassid Who Gave Thanks for the Blow to His Leg
The Shelah HaKadosh explains "Many are the sorrows of the wicked" by recounting a story about a pious man who sustained a severe blow to his leg. A passerby saw him and said, "Oy, I feel so sorry for you that you received such a terrible blow to your leg!" The pious man replied, "You feel sorry for me? I give thanks to Hashem that the blow landed on my leg and not on my eye! Imagine if that club had struck my eye - I would have lost my sight. It is good that it hit my leg!" And this is the meaning of "Many are the sorrows of the wicked" - even if his troubles are few, in his eyes they seem manifold. But "he who trusts in Hashem, lovingkindness shall surround him" - in every single pain, he perceives Hashem's kindness.
The Malbim explains this verse along the very same principle: it is only for the wicked that sorrows are many, because everything that befalls him is experienced as pain - illness, hunger, and all manner of afflictions, and always, "Oy, Master of the Universe, why?" There are constant complaints and constant misery. But one who trusts in Hashem, when people ask him, "I heard that such-and-such happened to you," replies, "Hashem's kindness is upon me." One who trusts in Hashem is surrounded by lovingkindness. And what is that kindness? If Hashem ordained it, it is certainly kindness, for Hashem desires only what is best for me. Everything that the wicked person perceives as affliction is seen by the one who trusts in Hashem as His blessed kindness. Furthermore, pains and tribulations often come to restrain the animalistic nature within man, as we have seen - so that he recognizes that the soul is paramount, enabling him to master his desires and ensure that the animal within does not stray from the path.
As noted previously, this is the central pillar of Judaism: bitachon in Hashem, knowing that everything that happens to you is from Hashem, may He be blessed. One who lives this way enjoys a serene life. But one who does not live this way is truly pitiable, constantly crying, "Oy, what a calamity, what will we do now?" Why worry? Everything is from Hashem, and everything is for the good. As the saying goes, what destroys a person is not what he eats, but what eats away at him - and that is what shortens his days. When a person lives with this trust, he lives with wholeness; knowing that everything Hashem does is for the best, he is never broken, never cowed, and his knees never buckle under fear.
Conclusion: The Joy of the Righteous and the Upright in Heart
שִׂמְחוּ בַיהֹוָה וְגִילוּ צַדִּיקִים וְהַרְנִינוּ כׇּל־יִשְׁרֵי־לֵב׃ (יא) - Be glad in Hashem and rejoice, you righteous, and shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart. (11)
David concludes: Those righteous individuals will rejoice and exult in Hashem, and the upright of heart will sing out, knowing that everything Hashem does is for the good. We have already seen the distinction between simchah (joy) and gilah (exultation), which the Malbim explains several times: simchah is continuous and ongoing, whereas gilah is always over something newly gained or renewed - like a person who suddenly wins a lottery and experiences gilah. Here too, the righteous will exult because Hashem will continually renew salvations for them. "And sing joyfully, all you who are upright in heart" - these are even greater than the righteous (tzaddikim). A tzaddik still possesses an evil inclination and faces inner struggles, yet manages to conquer his urge. The upright in heart (yishrei lev), by contrast, have hearts naturally inclined toward uprightness from the outset, having already refined their character traits so that their entire aspiration is to do what is right and fulfill the will of their Maker, which is a higher level. According to the Ibn Ezra, this refers back to those righteous people mentioned earlier, who do not turn to physicians but rather to Hashem, blessed be He; they rejoice that no illness will befall them, since Hashem is their Healer and their Guardian, and He will remove from them every ailment and harmful thing, making their joy immense and complete.
In summary: This section of the psalm teaches us a unified chain in the service of Hashem: sincere confession immediately brings about the forgiveness of iniquity and salvation; the pious individual prays "at a time of finding" - for the time of judgment, for old age, and for a worthy wife who will enable him to establish regular Torah study; and one must thank Hashem not only when rescued from distress, but all the more so for the troubles that never reached him at all, for "to Him Who alone performs great wonders." It is far better for a person to awaken through understanding and a gentle hint rather than through suffering, and not be like a horse or a mule requiring a bit and bridle, but rather let the rider within him - the soul - master the horse within him, living a balanced Torah life. And one who clings to trust in Hashem - every sorrow is transformed into lovingkindness, and at the end of the road, "Rejoice in Hashem and exult, you righteous, and sing joyfully, all you who are upright in heart."