Close To Torah

The words of this psalm are assumed to have been the ones sung when the holy ark traveled from Oved Edom to Jerusalem in the time of David in preparation for its inauguration in the Temple (although King Shlomo would be the one to finish the inauguration years later). The words speak about the honor and mightiness of Hashem and have daily relevance as shall be explained.

Davening

The Gemara (Megillah 17b) learns from this psalm that the first three berachos of Shmoneh Esrei are avos, gevuros and kedushos. The first two verses exclaim, “A song of David, prepare for Hashem, sons of the powerful (avos, forefathers), honor and might (gevuros, strength for making things grow including the resurrection of the dead)… prostrate yourself in sacred (kedushos) splendor (verse 1-2).” It is interesting to note that the first words refer to preparation. This shows that one must prepare before standing in front of Hashem in prayer. This is why we take time to say introductory psalms before praying the Shemoneh Esrei. Indeed, the early righteous people used to prepare one hour before reciting their prayers (Berachos 30b).

Shabbos Special

Interestingly, the Gemara (Berachos 29a) states that one Shabbos one prays the Mussaf Shemoneh Esrei which contains seven blessings. The seven blessings emanate from none other than this present psalm. This psalm uses the word “kol, voice (of Hashem)” seven times. Why is this so? The seven voices referred to in this psalm describe the giving of the Torah. The Bach (Orach Chaim 284) states that since the Mussaf prayer comes right after the congregation returned the Sefer Torah to the ark, it is most apropos that the psalm read when returning the Torah to the ark and which describes the giving of the Torah should be the source for the seven blessing Mussaf format. What is the depth here?

Shabbos Opportunity

Shabbos is a time to connect with Hashem. For six days man is busy with his physical pursuits. Once a week he is told to set his bearings straight and to dedicate time to seeking Hashem and that which is important to him in life. Shabbos is given to us as a great gift in which one connects with his family and the Torah. Shabbos is a special day for learning Torah. The voice of Hashem mentioned seven times represents the power of Torah in the world. We wish to listen to that voice, to grab onto the inspiration and to add holiness to our lives. Mussaf means addition. We add more Torah and spirituality to our lives that sanctifies the week to follow.

Daily Reminder

This is exactly why this psalm is also the foundation for the first three berachos of Shemoneh Esrei. Each day we have the opportunity to imbue our lives with holiness. We stand before Hashem in total submission and in recognition that only He can sustain and support us. Only He can fulfill our heart’s desires. This is what davening is all about. In this psalm David shows us that the power of Torah is that it brings us closer to Hashem and teaches us how to elevate our lives and connect with Him.

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