Rabbi's Blog

Dear OZ family,

Last week I listed a number of Biblical verses that encapsulate the essential message of the Mitzvot of the Torah.  These verses speak of love, justice, mercy, humility, empathy and kindness. They speak of doing the right thing, living up to our Godly potential, and being consistent in pursuing these ideals. Today I’d like to share a list of paraphrased Biblical verses, many of which appear in our daily liturgies.

• He heals the broken-hearted and cures their wounds
• Happy are those who seek out God
• May God fulfill all your requests
• God the King saves and answers us the day we call Him
• The humble shall inherit the earth
• Have faith in God and do what is right
• The faithful shall inherit the earth
• God presses the case of the humble
• He satisfies the thirsty soul, and fills the hungry with all good things
• Praise the Lord for His steadfast love
• Every soul shall praise God
• God strengthens the bent over
• They cry out and God hears, and saves them from all their travails
• He shows us a direct way to a settled place
• The righteous shall inherit the earth
• Even when you are angry with us remember to be merciful
• God is close to all who call to Him in truth
• God loosens the bound
• He has pity on all creatures
• Every one of my bones says, “God, who  is like you?”
• In your hands is the strength and might
• God is good to all
• Happy is the one who has faith in you
• Today, if only we would listen
• Place hope in God, be strong and of good courage, and place hope in God

These are all very idealistic verses, and every one of them but one is from the book of Tehillim or a speech that King David gave when preparing for the building of the Temple, in Divrei Hayamim, that appears towards the beginning and the end of Pesukei D’Zimra in Ashkenazic liturgy.

Tehillim tends to be highly idealistic, but also contains some realistic recognition that some righteous, humble and faithful people have not inherited anything at all. One very famous verse in Tehillim speaks of the guardian of Israel that neither sleeps nor slumbers, while another verse begs God to wake up from His slumber to save those who are suffering. Kohelles is mostly a pessimistic book about all the things that wrong with life, and all the disappointments before us. Mishle, the book of Proverbs, is the opposite. It is practically 100% optimistic, because that is the way of the proverb. Good, industrious, honest, and faithful behavior is rewarded, while laziness, arrogance, and evil are punished. One lone verse in Mishle bemoans the fact that some people die before their time.

Tehillim is a combination of these two books and balances the vicissitudes of life and all its challenges. Let the faithful take to heart the hopes and opportunities of every day, and if necessary, with the help of the 150 chapters of Tehillim, rely on God’s supportive hand.  

I leave with a question: Can you tell which is the only verse above that was not said by King David in the Bible?

Be well. Stay safe.  Be excellent.

Rabbi Allen Schwartz

Rabbi Allen Schwartz

Congregation Ohab Zedek

118 West 95^th Street | New York, NY  10025-6604

Phone 212.749-5150, ext 200 | Fax 212.663-3635

E-mail ras@ozny.org

Website:  www.ozny.org