“Now you yourself know what Yoav son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Yeter. He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle, and with that blood he stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet. Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace (I Kings 2:5-6).”

We have studied the confrontation between Yoav and Avner over the issue of balance that David is addressing in his charge to Solomon. We now begin to examine why Yoav’s assassination of Amasa belongs in this opening paragraph of “Balance.”

Who was Amasa?

• David’s nephew and Yoav’s cousin,


• He was the person who successfully defended David’s lineage by quoting Samuel’s ruling. (Yevamot 77a)


• He is described, together with his cousin Avishai, as a “Lion in Torah.” (Yerushalmi, Peiah 1:1)


• Refused, with Avishai to murder the Kohanim of Nov at Saul’s order (Midrash Tehillim 52:5).


• Had a history of standing up against the king when he felt halachically justified (Midrash HaGadol).


• Brought all of Israel to invite David back as king, just as Avner had done See: Abner I (Kadmoniyot HaYehudim II 159).


• Yoav considered him to have the halachic status of one who rebelled against the king for having led Avshalom’s armies (II Samuel 17:25), and he was justified in killing him (Sanhedrin 49a).

Historical Background: A Time of Instability

Avshalom, David’s oldest son, plots a conspiracy, forming an army and winning the hearts of the Israel through displays of warmth and kindness. Supported by David’s chief counselor, Avshalom goes to Hebron where his followers pronounce him king. Informed of this event, David flees from Jerusalem with his men, and the people of the countryside weep as he marches by.

One of Saul’s relatives, Shimi ben Geira, a relative of King Saul, however, curses and throws stones at the band, gloating over David’s demise. David forbids his attendants, including Yoav’s brother, Avishai, to punish the man.

Yoav ignores David’s instructions to treat Avshalom gently and drives three spears into Avshalom’s hanging body (something David does not mention in his instructions to Solomon).

When David is notified of Avshalom’s death, he weeps, screaming repeatedly, “O my son Avshalom, O Avshalom, my son, my son (19:4)!” Yoav is furious with David for mourning the son who rebelled against him.

Shimi ben Geira knows that he’s in danger and meets David and begs forgiveness. Avishai insists on killing him, to which David replies: “What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? What right do you have to interfere? Should anyone be put to death in Israel today? Don’t I know that today I am king over Israel (II Samuel 19:23).”

To the frustration of his officials, David shows mercy to all of Avshalom’s supporters who approach him for forgiveness, especially Avshalom’s commander Amasa. David sends messengers to the leaders of Judah, and the tribe welcomes him back to Jerusalem. The remaining tribes—Avshalom’s chief supporters—fear that David will be angry at them. An uprising ensues.

Text: David Takes Immediate and Decisive Action

“Then the king said to Amasa, ‘Summon the men of Judah to come to me within three days, and be here yourself.’ But when Amasa went to summon Judah, he took longer than the time the king had set for him.

David said to Avishai, ‘Now Sheva ben Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your master’s men and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and escape from us.’ So Yoav’s men and the Kereti and Peleti and all the mighty warriors went out under the command of Avishai. They marched out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheva ben Bichri.

While they were at the great rock in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Yoav was wearing his military tunic, and strapped over it at his waist was a belt with a dagger in its sheath. As he stepped forward, it dropped out of its sheath.

Yoav said to Amasa, ‘How are you, my brother?’ Then Yoav took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. Amasa was not on his guard against the dagger in Yoav’s hand, and Yoav plunged it into his belly, and his intestines spilled out on the ground. Without being stabbed again, Amasa died. Then Yoav and his brother Avishai pursued Sheva ben Bichri.

One of Yoav’s men stood beside Amasa and said, ‘Whoever favors Yoav, and whoever is for David, let him follow Yoav!’ Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the road, and the man saw that all the troops came to a halt there. When he realized that everyone who came up to Amasa stopped, he dragged him from the road into a field and threw a garment over him. After Amasa had been removed from the road, everyone went on with Yoav to pursue Sheva ben Bichri (II Samuel 20:4-13).”

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In our journey of “Balance,” “David, Yoav & Abner I,” “Part Two,” and, “Part Three,” we’ve been studying David’s opening charge to Solomon urging him to balance his dual roles as person and king (Be a Man). We have watched as Joab battles the king’s sense of balance, and how he was willing to place his desires above the stability of the kingdom and God’s expressed will. We left off with David refusing to allow himself to stop Joab, because he is struggling to maintain balance between his drive for action and God’s Providence, especially when it is clear that it is God Who is guiding these major events.

Let’s return to the Abner-Joab story to discover what David learns about this issue:

Now when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into an inner chamber, as if to speak with him privately. And there, to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel, Joab stabbed him in the stomach, and he died.

Later, when David heard about this, he said, ‘I and my kingdom are forever innocent before God concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. May his blood fall on the head of Joab and on his whole family! May Joab’s family never be without someone who has a running sore or leprosy or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food. (22-29)

“Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon (30).”

Why is David not angry with Abishai?

“Then the king said to his men, ‘Do you not realize that a commander and a great man has fallen in Israel this day? And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May God repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds’ (38-39).”

As Abner had done to Ish-Bosheth, Joab did to David: Ish-Bosheth, “did not dare to say another word to Abner, because he was afraid of him,” he was so weak that, not only did he not dare to say another word, he actually helps Abner’s plan to support David; “So Ish-Bosheth gave orders and had her taken away from her husband Paltiel son of Laish!”

David makes a public declaration, even after saying, “I and my kingdom are forever innocent before God concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. May his blood fall on the head of Joab and on his whole family! May Joab’s family never be without someone who has a running sore or leprosy or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food,” that, “today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May God repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds,” I am weak!

Joab made David appear weak, so much so, that even when David publicly curses Joab, “May his blood fall on the head of Joab and on his whole family! May Joab’s family never be without someone who has a running sore or leprosy or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food,” and, “May God repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds,” David’s reliance on God to exact retribution is perceived as a sign of weakness. Was that balance?

If the issue was David’s political weakness; no. However, David is not speaking of his inability to directly deal with Joab; he is speaking, in deep and honest self-reflection, of his self-doubt: Did he hesitate to confront Joab because he believed that God would deal with things, or, did his political weakness cause him to use the Divine Providence argument as an excuse to avoid a confrontation?

There is no balance without such honest introspection, and, it is only the balanced David who can be so honest.

This is one of the most important lessons he can convey to his son, Solomon, one that Solomon will repeat in the fourth chapter of Proverbs. See: “Receiving the Transmission,” and “Judgment Calls.”

We can now turn to the next assassination mentioned by David to Solomon, that of Amasa:

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It is clear in “Balance,” “David, Yoav & Abner I,” and “Part Two,” that David’s opening charge to Solomon is to urge him to balance his dual roles as person and king (Be a Man). We’ve begun to see how Joab is anti-balance, and why David includes his instructions regarding Joab in his opening charge. Let’s now see the balance in David’s immediate and long term responses to his powerful and essential general:

“Then he went to Hebron to tell David everything that Israel and the whole tribe of Benjamin wanted to do.

When Abner, who had twenty men with him, came to David at Hebron, David prepared a feast for him and his men. Then Abner said to David, ‘Let me go at once and assemble all Israel for my lord the king, so that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may rule over all that your heart desires.’ So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace (17-21).”

Abner speaks to David of, “Everything that Israel and the whole tribe of Benjamin wanted to do.” He does not speak of what he had convinced them to do. Abner does not mention his role. He is coming to David as the representative of the tribes that have yet to publicly support David as their new king. Abner has successfully learned from David how to place his own concerns to those secondary of the nation.

I would expect Abner to come to David with a huge contingent of leaders, soldiers, and common people; probably, a significant representation of the tribe of Benjamin as well. However, for this epochal meeting, Abner brings only twenty men with him. It is clear from the rest of the paragraph that Abner did not intend this as the final meeting, but only his opening gambit: “let me go at once and dissemble all Israel for my lord the king.” What was the purpose of this initial meeting?

“David prepared a feast for him,” for this was a meeting between David and Abner as men, not as powers. This was Abner’s way of conveying to David the message that he had heard, understood, and reified David’s message of balance.

“Just then David’s men and Joab returned from a raid and brought with them a great deal of plunder.

But Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, because David had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. When Joab and all the soldiers with him arrived, he was told that Abner son of Ner had come to the king and that the king had sent him away and that he had gone in peace.

So Joab went to the king and said, ‘What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Now he is gone! You know Abner son of Ner; he came to deceive you and observe your movements and find out everything you are doing.’ Joab then left David and sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern at Sirah. But David did not know it.”

At that moment, Joab “returns from a raid with a great deal of plunder,” proving his importance to David. Yet, the verse stresses that the soldiers who accompanied Joab were “David’s men,” not Joab’s! In fact, while we would certainly expect the verse to say that ‘Joab and David’s men returned,’ placing the leader of the raiding party, the powerful general, Joab, first, the verse places David’s men before Joab; as if to say that the return to David with substantial plunder was not necessarily Joab’s preference. He, as opposed to Abner, has not decided to make his personal concerns secondary to those of his king.

Joab criticizes David for having allowed Abner to leave in peace. He accuses David of being naïve and not realizing that Abner’s approach was a pretense simply to allow him to “observe your movements and find out everything you are doing.”

It is difficult for a person who has no sense of balance to believe that David is anything but naïve. Joab became not understand the subtleties of the communication between David and his new ally. He sees things only from his perspective of power: Abner is a threat.

Joab makes his feelings clear, and with out articulating his intentions, he leaves David. He fully expects David to figure out his deadly intentions. Joab not only rebukes the King, he sends David the message that he, Joab, the mature general, will deal with this matter. There is an inherent challenge to David’s power in Joab’s message: “Try and stop me!” Abner had come to solidify David’s reign; Joab is placing everything at risk!

David, the balanced Man, has throughout his life steadily maintained a far more essential sense of balance; that of his desire to take action directed by God’s Divine Providence. Abner had clearly stated to all that his decision to support David was part of the fulfillment of God’s promise. David felt that these events were being directly provided by the Almighty.

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In “Balance,” and “David, Yoav & Abner I,” we began to explain David’s opening charge to Solomon from his deathbed, urging him to balance his dual roles as person and king (Be a Man). We’ve seen how David dealt with Abner, but we still must explain his reaction to, and his instructions regarding, Joab.

We continue with the story of Abner, David, and Joab:

“Abner conferred with the elders of Israel and said, ‘For some time you have wanted to make David your king. Now do it! For God promised David, ‘By my servant David I will rescue my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.’

Abner also spoke to the Benjamites in person.”

Abner had already sent a message to David promising to bring all of Israel over to his side, and yet, it is only now that, “Abner conferred with the elders of Israel!”

“For some time you have wanted to make David your King. Now do it! For God promised David.” Clearly, Abner knew that the elders of Israel wanted to make David the king. There was only one thing stopping them all along; Abner!

When Abner approaches them, he is admitting that he had put his drive for power over the desires of the elders of Israel, and over God’s promise! What happened to allow this man so driven for power to make such a humiliating admission?

David’s balanced response to Abner. If the new King himself struggles with remaining a “normal” man even while assuming the reins of power, and is willing to convey that message to the man who can bring all of Israel to his side, then he is a man who understands Abner’s own internal struggle. Abner is now willing to confront the people he has been stopping from making David their king and admit his mistake.

Whereas Abner “conferred with the elders of Israel,” he, “spoke to the Benjamites in person.” Benjamin was the tribe of Saul and the current King, Ish-Bosheth. They would be forfeiting the power of being the tribe of the King. It is only Abner, who understands the quest for power, the nature of power, and, who is willing to his drive for power sublimate in order to fulfill God’s oath, and, to publicly make his humiliating admission, who can speak to the tribe of Benjamin. It is Abner’s “person,” that convinces Benjamin.

Perhaps Abner did not directly speak of David’s sense of balance, but the message transmitted in his conferring with the elders and ‘personally’ speaking to Benjamin, conveyed David’s message:

David’s reign would be one of great balance, something that had been painfully lacking when Saul was king. Abner is not only supporting David, the king, he is supporting David’s message.

This is the message of Abner that would be so damaged when he is assassinated by David’s general, Joab. Joab was the disturber of balance, again, an essential part of David’s opening message to Solomon.

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We concluded Part One wondering how David’s opening message of balance to Solomon bears on all the instructions that follow. We pay close attention to the way the prophet formats the text, where he places an open space, indicating a new topic, or a closed space, indicating a related topic. The following verses are included in the same paragraph as David’s opening message, clearly indicating that they are part of the same message!

“Now you yourself know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle, and with that blood he stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet. Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace (I Kings 2:5-6).

“What he did to me!” Was Joab’s sin directed at David and not at the “commanders of Israel’s armies?” Does David need to mention the method Joab used to murder Abner and Amasa, “with that blood he sustained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet.” Why had David not dealt with Joab?

“During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner had been strengthening his own position in the house of Saul. Now Saul had had a concubine named Rizpah daughter of Aiah. And Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, ‘Why did you sleep with my father’s concubine?’

Abner was very angry because of what Ish-Bosheth said. So he answered, ‘Am I a dog’s head—on Judah’s side? This very day I am loyal to the house of your father Saul and to his family and friends. I haven’t handed you over to David. Yet now you accuse me of an offense involving this woman! May God deal with Abner, be it ever so severely, if I do not do for David what God promised him on oath and transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish David’s throne over Israel and Judah from Dan to Beersheba.’ Ish-Bosheth did not dare to say another word to Abner, because he was afraid of him (II Samuel 3:6-11).”

We must begin with the powerful contrast between Joab and Abner: Both are men in positions of great power and attempting to strengthen their positions. Abner clearly knew of God’s oath to David, as he says, “If I do not do for David what God promised him on both and transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish David’s throne over Israel and Judah.” Abner knew of the oath, and yet, still focused on supporting Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth because he was focused on, “strengthening his own position in the house of Saul.”

This man, so focused on his power despite God’s oath, when he understands what he is doing, changes from focusing on his power to strengthening David. Abner’s bottom line was to overcome his own drives and support David, the recipient of God’s promise.

We have David’s enemy coming to his senses. We have one of David’s most important supporters placing his concerns above his king’s.

“Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to say to David, ‘Whose land is it? Make an agreement with me, and I will help you bring all Israel over to you.’

‘Good,’ said David. ‘I will make an agreement with you. But I demand one thing of you: Do not come into my presence unless you bring Michal daughter of Saul when you come to see me.’ Then David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, demanding, ‘Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for the price of a hundred Philistine foreskins.’

“So Ish-Bosheth gave orders and had her taken away from her husband Paltiel son of Laish. Her husband, however, went with her, weeping behind her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, ‘Go back home!’ So he went back (12-16).”

David’s response to Abner is to demand his wife. Before Abner agrees to David’s demand, “David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth demanding,” that he return David’s wife, Michal, to, “whom I betrothed myself for the price of a hundred Philistine foreskins.” David wants his wife. David is functioning as a human being, not a king, at least, when he raises the issue with Abner. He then approaches Ish-Bosheth, King to King, demanding the wife to whom he betrothed himself by fighting for Ish-Bosheth’s father, Saul, the first King of Israel. David is definitely balancing his dual roles as king and a man.

Abner, whose support is necessary to make David king over all of Israel, must deal with a David functioning as a man: “Her husband, however, went with her, weeping behind her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, ‘Go back home!’ So he went back.” Did David do not think that he would benefit from dealing with Abner from his position of power, rather than that of a man pining for his wife?

David, the “balanced” King, clearly understands that although Abner is offering support to fulfill God’s promise to David, Abner is still the same man who, just a short while ago, was focused on strengthening his position in the house of Saul. The balanced King knows how to deal with Abner the loyal follower of God, and Abner the man focused on his own power. This, is the magnificence of a king who is able to maintain his own sense of balance; he is able to use that balance in his dealings with other people. This part of the Joab story must be in the same paragraph as David’s opening charge to Solomon: It is a lesson in the balanced wisdom in using power.

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When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son. “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, become a man, and observe what God your Lord requires: Walk in His ways, and guard preciously His decrees and commands, His laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moshe. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go, and that God may keep His promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’ (I Kings 2:1-4)”

In, “Be a Man,” and “The Power of Softness,” we spoke of fathers addressing children in positions of power about remaining connected to “normal” life. When we carefully examine David’s final words to Solomon, we find that it is more than urging the young king to retain his “normalcy.” David is actually addressing balance:

“I am about to go the way of all the earth,” I am just as are all the people of the earth. David speaks of himself as just another man even as he says that God promised him, “you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.” David is speaking to Solomon as a link in an eternal chain. (“Strength from Brokenness”) David’s greatness, the message he is conveying to Solomon in these words, is his ability to balance his power as King, the first link in an eternal chain with his basic humanity.

I suspect that it is only with this sense of balance that a king will be able to remember to “Walk in His ways, and guard preciously His decrees and commands.” David is not saying, “Do this,” referring to obedience, but, “Do this,” to live with this sense of balance.

This message of balance becomes even more essential as David continues his final instructions to Solomon.

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“Judge me, Lord, and plead my cause against a nation without passion. Rescue me from those who are deceitful and wicked. You are my Lord, my stronghold.

Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?

Send Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; let them bring me to the mountain of Your holy sanctuary, to the places where You dwell.

Then I will go to the altar of the Lord, to the Power, my joy and my delight. I will praise You with the lyre, O Lord, my Lord.

Why, my soul, are you downcast?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in the Lord,

for I will yet thank Him,

for He is my deliverance,

the light of my countenance,

and my Lord (Psalms 43).”

David is requesting that God judge him and plead his case! How can the Judge plead the case of the servant?

After his request, David challenges God, “Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?”

David experiences the taunting of those who do not understand his passion as God not advocating for him; he feels that when God does not advocate, He is rejecting David.

David desires God’s light and truth as his guides to finding God, and he is insisting that God’s light and truth will be his advocates.

Rather than respond to the accusations of his enemies as an indication that he is mistaken in his choices, David insists that he is vulnerable because God is not pleading David’s case that all his choices are intended to find God’s light and truth.

King David sees the Judgment as an opportunity for God to vindicate him, plead for him, and allow him to discover God’s light and truth. David surely trembled when placed in judgment, but he was confident that even if he had made serious mistakes, that God would clearly see David’s intentions and desires as part of his search for closeness to God.

King David is confident that the judgment will result in his being able to see God’s light and truth and promises, “Then I will go to the altar of the Lord, to the Power, my joy and my delight. I will praise You with the lyre, O Lord, my Lord.”

Once David will experience his Joy in Trembling, he will address his soul and say, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in the Lord, for I will yet thank Him, for He is my deliverance, the light of my countenance, and my Lord.”

This is not a Rosh Hashanah or Teshuvah of tears and mourning, but of rejoicing, a time of discovery and vindication. King David sees the judgment of Rosh Hashanah ending with God as his advocate. This is the, “Serve God with fear, and rejoice with trembling (Psalms 2:11),” of Rosh Hashanah.

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by Rabbi Avi Baumol of the VBM:

I. “Le-David: God is my light, my salvation; from whom shall I fear? God is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?” (27:1)

II. “One thing I ask from God, it, shall I beseech of Him: that I may dwell in the house of God all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of God and to inquire in His Temple.” (27:4)

III. “Hide not Your face from me [God]; do not withhold Your help in anger … cast me not off, nor forsake me, O God of my salvation. Deliver me not unto the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen up against me, and breathe out cruelty.” (27:9,12)

Psalm 27 can be split into three units. Verses 1 to 3 might be entitled “Hymn of Confidence.” This section reflects David in his most trusting state towards his Creator. Verses 4 to 6 have David requesting “one” seemingly multifaceted thing of God. The last section of the poem (from 7 to 14) exhibits a temperament contradictory to the first section: fear leading to despair.

Several questions arise after reading this psalm: Structurally, how can we resolve the seeming contradiction between the first section and last section? What is the link between King David’s trust in God, his fear of man and his uncertainty about God’s salvation?

Additionally, how does the middle segment, the request from God, fit into any aspect of the psalm?

A third question is a grammatical one: verse 12, which reads, “Were it not for …, I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” appears to be incomplete. Additionally, this verse is interesting because the word “lulei” (were it not) has a set of dots over and under it. The interpretation of this word might be the key to understanding this sentence, even the psalm as a whole.

As stated, the first and last sections of the psalm reflect David’s contradictory stance towards God. On the one hand, he says “…my light, my salvation…;” on the other hand he begs, “Hide not Your face from me, Do not withhold Your help in anger….”. How can the psalm posit such inconsistent feelings by a man towards his God?

The answer is clear. Poetry can be defined as the ability to transmit to paper that which one feels at any given moment. The beauty of the Psalms lies within the poetic medium through which King David allows us to experience his thought processes. This permits us to feel the emotions which reverberated in his soul. This principle is a guide to understanding many of David’s psalms.

Man, by his very nature, is inconsistent. Perfection, absolute consistency, is left for God and His angels. The tension which exists between the sublime faith in God as one’s salvation versus the harsh reality of life (where one might sometimes feel abandoned by God) leads to a complex set of emotions regarding faith in religion.

The drastic change in tone between the sections of this psalm has led some scholars to suggest that the two halves of this psalm were originally two separate songs put together by an editor. According to our understanding of this psalm, this is far from the truth. It is precisely this tension which King David intended to convey through the different tones of this psalm.

Precisely when King David feels implicit trust that God will ultimately save him, he looks around in this world and sees his enemies, his misfortune and his uncertainty, all of which lead him close to despair. Often our relationship with God wavers between blind faith and the practicality of a troubling present. The struggle lies in trying to overcome our fear of reality and simultaneously bringing our faith to the forefront of our lives.

King David lived through many trials and much loneliness, where it seemed as though he was abandoned by everyone who loved him. In this psalm we witness David’s endeavor to rise above his apprehensions and integrate his faith into the real world. Perhaps this is the message which emerges from this psalm. We cannot deny our humanity, which includes inconsistent feelings towards God. Instead, we should harness our energy to overcome these fears and ask for God’s help in accomplishing this.

The second question we asked challenges the relevance of the middle section in light of the rest of this psalm. It is here that David requests “to sit in the house of God all my life.” This section functions as the transition between the former and latter segments of the poem. In the first part, David pledges his unbending confidence and trust in God. This confidence could be described as David’s “other-worldly” faith in God. The latter half reflects his “this-worldly,” practical feelings of his tribulations and afflictions, which prevent him from undying trust in God. The middle paragraph, the supplication of David to his God, comes to bridge the gap that exists between his ironclad confidence in God and his uncertainty in life. The appeal is that if God allows him to “sit in the house of God” (21:4) – possibly a metaphor for having the glory of God as a constant in his life – he will no longer fear his enemies and doubt God’s guidance. From this request stems all the other components of his plea: “to witness the beauty of God, and inquire in the holiest of places;” “to be guarded against the evils in the tent of God;” “to raise myself up against my adversaries,” and ultimately: “to sing and praise God consistently throughout my life.”

However, we still have not resolved the grammatical problems posed by verse 12. To understand it better, let us first look at the surrounding verses. Perhaps the context will give us some insight:

“Deliver me not unto the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen up against me, and breathe out cruelty.” (27:11) “Were it not for …, I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” (27:12) “Wait for the Lord, be of good courage and He will strengthen your heart; wait for the Lord.” (27:13)

Many commentators explain verse 12 as a sentence fragment, saying that it really should have read, “Were it not for the fact that I had believed in God, I would have fainted.” Or, as Rashi states, “If I had not believed in God, the evildoers would have breathed out cruelty to destroy me…”

Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch reads the passage differently. According to him, the strange dots over “lulei” inform the reader that this word is referring to the previous sentence. According to Hirsch, the verse reads as follows:

“Were it not for the fact that these false witnesses are rising up against me causing me harm, I would be able to [consistently] believe that I would see the revealed good of God already in this world, the world of the reality, and not only after my death (in the world to come). But it is those suspicions and the slander that they speak against me which pain me, and therefore, against them, I ask You God, for Your help.”

Rav Hirsch recognized that until the very end of the psalm, David was pained by the harsh reality of his world, and turned to God in supplication to effect his destiny. The last line has David encouraging himself not to give up hope, to continue to wait for God to grant him salvation. “Wait and hope for God [to alter your predicament]; be strong, and God will strengthen your heart…wait for God.”

Psalm 27 relates to us the deepest emotions the King of Israel felt at a troubling time in his life. His constant struggle between absolute faith in God and uncertainty due to his enemies left him with a “single” multifaceted request: to bestow upon him the glory of God, in all aspects of his life, to certify that his enemies will no longer detract from his uncompromising faith in his savior.

Through this understanding of David’s poetry, we can relate his message to our elives. We also struggle between faith in God’s active role in our lives and the seeming lack of God’s presence when we hear of tragedies or misfortune. Our goal, like King David’s, is to pray and hope that with God’s help we can overcome our mundane feelings and sing and praise God in the house of God, consistently, in “the land of life.”

1. There is a difference between ‘sacrificing” what I want in order to please someone else and loving someone so much that I desire whatever he or she wants. The former is the usual ingredient of compromise in a relationship: Compromise implying that each party that compromises gives up part of what he or she wants. Neither is happy. This approach describes parents who sacrifice what they want for the sake of their children. I have never sacrificed for my children: I chose them and their needs over me and mine.

2. The Mitzvah/Concept of love demands that we love God so much that we desire whatever He wants. It is not a relationship of giving up my desires or sacrificing my needs: Attachment to God is what I want more than anything else. I want whatever He wants.

3. The Ohaiv Yisrael (Re’ei) based on Tanchuma Re’ei #3, Devarim Rabbah 4:3, Lamentations 3:38: “It is not from the mouth of the Most High that evil and good emanate.” Only good emanates from God. God is “Kulo Tov” – completely and perfectly good. God desires to send only blessing.

4. We love God so much; especially during this month of intense love – Elul – that we only desire what He wants. We approach Rosh Hashana with only the desire for what God wants to give us.

5. We do not come as supplicants trying to convince God to grant our wishes. We enter Rosh Hashana with the pure desire simply to receive all the perfect good that God desires to give.

6. Most of us hesitate at this point. Will we be able to live up to such infinite blessings? We feel undeserving. We feel inadequate.

7. Elul is the time when we are able to overcome our hesitance in order to receive all that God desires to give us.

8. We compared this to Naval and Abigail in Samuel I Chapter 25: Abigail senses the infinite potential of the moment. She even alludes to the infinite connection between the future king and her. Naval, has his own agenda and refuses to acknowledge how he has benefited from David. He focuses on all the negative things he can find in David even after Saul has publicly acknowledged that David will be king! (See end of chapter 24)

9. The first hours of Rosh Hashana day correspond to the first hours of the sixth day of creation, when all was perfect and Adam had not sinned. This is how God sees us, and our unsullied souls during these hours. There is nothing blocking infinite shefa – abundance of blessings – but our ability to receive them and to believe that God wants only that.

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

People have been asking me about my Twitter Tweets about the connections between the David and Batsheva story and the Flood. The end of Bereishit describes how powerful men took the wives of other men for themselves.

The Midrash (Midrash Shmuel 26) and Talmud (Sotah) connect David and the Flood when he was digging the foundation for the Altar.

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.