Tehillim 119:18
גַּל-עֵינַי וְאַבִּיטָה נִפְלָאוֹת מִתּוֹרָתֶךָ
gal-einai veabita niflaot mitoratecha
Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things from Your Torah.
According to the Midrash, King David said to the Holy One, "Master of the world! It is Your will that I "keep Your word" (v119:17). So, "open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things from Your Torah." If You will not open my eyes, how shall I know? Although my eyes are open now, I know nothing.
Come and see! Although Shmuel was a prophet, he did not know until the Holy One revealed to him; as it says, "Now Hashem has revealed to Shmuel a day before" (Shmuel Alef 9:15). We also find the same thing in the case of Daniel (Daniel 2).
Our Sages have expounded further: Everyone is presumed blind until G-d opens their eyes. For there is outer vision and there is inner vision. To see with the inner eye, it is necessary to remove the partition. That is what David asked for here, "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things from Your Torah."
The Scripture also says elsewhere, "For they will see eye to eye, Hashem returning to Tziyon" (Yeshayahu 52:8). This refers to the eye within the eye.
Regarding outer vision, it says, "And that you do not follow after your own heart and your own eyes" (Bamidbar 15:39); and regarding vision internal to the eyes, it says, "that you may look upon it (Him)" (ibid.). Hence David says here, "Open my eyes, that I may behold" in depth "wondrous things from your Torah."
This indicates that King David wanted to possess all fifty gates of understanding, notwithstanding that Moshe acquired only forty-nine gates. The Mashiach ben David will possess all fifty.
Everything is from the mouth of the Mighty One; everything is the Torah of G-d: whole, pure, holy, [and] true…every letter of the Torah contains wisdom and wonders for him whom G-d has given to understand it. Its ultimate wisdom cannot be perceived as it is said, "Its measure is greater than the earth and broader than the sea" (Iyov 11:9) A man can only follow in the steps of David, the anointed of the G-d of Yaakov, the most pleasant singer of hymns of Yisrael, who prayed, singing, "Open my eyes, thatI may behold wondrous things from Your Torah."
Tehillim 119:1 - Tehillim 119:2 - Tehillim 119:3 - Tehillim 119:4 - Tehillim 119:5 - Tehillim 119:6 - Tehillim 119:7 - Tehillim 119:8 - Tehillim 119:9 - Tehillim 119:10 - Tehillim 119:11 - Tehillim 119:12 - Tehillim 119:13 - Tehillim 119:14 - Tehillim 119:15 - Tehillim 119:16 - Tehillim 119:17
