The Tanakh Podcast

God helps those who help others!

When one is saved by God, how does one respond? Sing God's praises? offer sacrifices? Or dedicate our lives and our lifestyles to God's laws and ideals? That is the topic of our chapter.

This is a chapter of terrible suffering. What is the point of the short lifespan of our lives if it is filled with pain and torment. That is the question asked by our chapter.

This chapter presents a sense of guilt and remorse for (an unidentified) sin. And yet, the sinner is suffering at the hands of violent enemies. Should past mistakes justify the violence perpetrated against him?? Should one perennially be a victim because one has erred? Or might one appeal to God to appreciate ultimately who is on teh side of good, and who on the side of harm and evil?

Our alphabetical Psalm is a meditation on divine justice - that evil will wane and disappear, and the righteous "will inherit the earth". "Don't envy the evil!" it preaches. In the long term, the virtuous will endure and prevail.

There is good and bad. And our heart has to make a choice.

This is a Psalm in 3 stanzas. David is being pursued, betrayed by his friends, and falsely accused. Each segment ends in words of praise to God. One of these features in our prayer "Nishmat" and reads "All my bones say - L-rd, who is like You?" Opening Music. Joey Weisenberg - Nishat Kol Chai Closing Music: Hanan Ben Ari. Kol Atzmotai (Habad Niggun)

This chapter praises God for always assisting teh righteous and saving them from their pursuers and enemies. In the centre of the chapter though, David speaks of "guard your tongue from evil and your lips from falsehood - seek peace and pursue it!" How does this fit in?

Justice rather than war, kindness rather than power, truth, the creativity of language, trust - this is the world-order that is called "yashar" - straight, or upstanding. It is for these values that God created His world.

How do we make amends for our crimes and misdemeanours? How do we deal with guilt and remorse?