Perek Shirah - Wind Says

Saturday, February 13, 2016 · Posted in ,

רוּחַ אוֹמֵר - Wind Says:
Yeshayahu 43:6
 אֹמַר לַצָּפוֹן תֵּנִי וּלְתֵימָן אַל-תִּכְלָאִי הָבִיאִי בָנַי מֵרָחוֹק וּבְנוֹתַי מִקְצֵה הָאָרֶץ
omar latzafon teni uleteiman al-tichlai havii vanai merachok uvenotai miktze haaretz
I shall say to the North, "Give forth!" and to the South, "Hold not back!" 
Bring back My children from afar, My daughters from the ends of the earth!

Fear not that you may lose your status due to the exile, for I shall gather you from all over the earth.  I shall bring back the lost Ten Tribes exiled to the East, and the Judeans exiled to the West.

I will bring back not only those who are distant geographically, at the "ends of the earth," but also those who are distant spiritually, "from afar."  Those who were forced to abandon Jewish practice but kept it secretly in their homes, and even those who had only kept the faith in their hearts.

When G-d spoke to the prophet about the return of the exiles, He said: “…bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth” (Yeshayahu 43:6). According to our Sages (Menachot 110a), “My sons” refers to the exiles in Babylonia, who were like sons, since their minds were settled and composed, while “My daughters” refers to the exiles in other countries, who were like daughters, since their minds were not settled and composed. 

Perek Shirah - Clouds of Glory Say

עַנְנֵי כָבוֹר אוֹמְרִים - Clouds of Glory Say:
Iyov 37:11
אַף-בְּרִי יַטְרִיחַ עָב יָפִיץ עֲנַן אוֹרוֹ
af-beri yatriach av yafitz anan oro
Af Beri burdens the cloud; he scatters His rain cloud

(Af Beri is the name of the angel who is appointed over the clouds, 
and he scatters the Omnipresent’s rain cloud)

Also translated as...


Also He burdens the thick cloud with an overflow; the thin cloud scatters its light


The "clouds of glory" refers to thin clouds that do not rain but instead have only the effect of scattering the sun's light, thereby forming beautiful and glorious patterns in the sky. Even if they only absorb a tiny amount of sunlight, scattering it evenly and thereby appearing to be white, they present a spectacular contrast to the blue skies; when they refract the light unevenly and produce striking shades of red and orange, they are all the more magnificent.

The commentaries on Perek Shirah explain that the lesson contained therein is as follows. The rain contained by the thick clouds, albeit a blessing, blocks out the sunlight. Rain is called geshem in the Torah, the source of the word gashmiyus, physicality. Rain represents the material blessings of this world. Immersion in the material pleasures of this world can obscure the light of the heavens. One can forget about the ultimate source of life and light -- Hashem. (Rabbi Nosson Slifkin)

“And the night will be dark about me” Heb. אור, literally "light." And the night will darken before me. This אוֹר is an expression of darkness, like (Iyov 37:11) “he spreads his clouds of darkness (אור) ” 

During the forty years in the wilderness, Yisrael  was protected and given light by the Clouds of Glory.  The Talmud teaches that they had no need for sunlight because the holiness of the clouds gave them all the light they needed.  Also, when the earth needs rain, G-d thickens the clouds with moisture and gladdens the dry earth. (Tanach; Rabbi Scherman)


Perek Shirah - Thick Clouds Say

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עָבִים אוֹמְרִים - Thick Clouds Say:
Tehillim 18:12
יָשֶׁת חֹשֶׁךְ | סִתְרוֹ סְבִיבוֹתָיו סֻכָּתוֹ חֶשְׁכַת מַיִם עָבֵי שְׁחָקִים
yashet choshech sitro sevivotav sukato cheshchat-mayim avei shechakim
He made darkness His hiding place, His pavillion round about Him; 
darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

Now David describes the fifth form of divine retribution, by water and torrential rain, as happened to the Flood Generation.

"He made darkness... thick clouds of the skies."  G-d put darkness round about His pavilion, to be at hand for use against His enemies.  "Darkness of waters" (cheshchat-mayim) means an accumulation of clouds; "thick clouds of the skies" (avei shechakim) means clouds that cover the sky.

Some explain that the verse refers to David himself.  G-d "made darkness" - placed upon him a cover of darkness - as "his hiding place," that is, to conceal him from his enemies.

Some commentaries emphasize the link between the present verse and what came before.  Because G-d's wrath flamed forth against His enemies, and out of His mouth came burning coals and hailstones that devoured (v18:9), they pierced through the thick clouds.  The "darkness of waters" did not extinguish the coals and lightning bolts that flamed from His mouth.

Here cheshchat is appropriately translated as "darkness."  Elsewhere we find the expression chashrat mayim, which means a gathering of waters.  That is to say, waters gathered from everywhere in the form of vapors to form clouds.  Darkness ensued as a result of the clouds - cheshchat-mayim.

Then again, "He made darkness His Place" alludes to the profound difficulty of knowing G-d, just as it is impossible to know what is inside a dark place.  For our material aspect keeps us separated from knowledge of the Almighty.

The "darkness of waters" that are in the thick clouds of the skies are the darkness that is about Him. Lest you say that within the darkness there is no light, Scripture tells us: From the brightness before Him, and from within His partition, His thick clouds that are about Him are split, and hail and coals of fire pass through them. (Rashi)

"He made darkness His hiding place", referring to the spiritual source of darkness which in truth is loftier even than the revealed light and is therefore (called darkness, for it is) too intense to be perceived by any mortal, seeing creature (Likutei Sichot vol. 11.p.132) 

Concerning this it is stated, “He reveals deep things from the darkness” (Iyov 12:22) The “darkness” is the essential hiddenness of the Ein Sof which is known as “His hidden darkness” (Tehillim 18:12) the level at which He is “hidden from all the hidden.” And out of this darkness is the above point revealed. After the contraction and concealment referred to as “the deep things” of “His hidden darkness” there is a revelation of light; yet this revelation is only a point, and is still concealed in relation to the hishtalshelut of [the development of] the worlds. For even though at this stage the point which remains of the light is still considered concealed in relation to the hishtalshelut of the worlds, its ultimate revelation for the sake of this hishtalshelut can take place only after the point’s expansion. As a “point” it is still beyond revelation. It is called ayin (“nothingness”) relative to both G-d’s essential Being and to the worlds; to Atzmut (Essence) because it is insignificant in comparison, and to the worlds because it is not yet revealed.

The attribute of Netzach is the inner dimension of Keter which is referred to by the phrase: “He made darkness His hidding place [concealment]," [i.e., it is a quality] above revelation.

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