Perek Shirah - CHAPTER THREE: Trees of the Field Say

Monday, April 18, 2016 · Posted in ,

Chapter Three

Song of Plant Life

 אִילָנוֹת שֶׁבַּשָׂרֶה אוֺמְרִים - Trees of the Field Say:

[Olive Trees in Yisrael]

Divrei HaYamim Alef 16:33
 אָז יְרַנְּנוּ, עֲצֵי הַיָּעַר: מִלִּפְנֵי יְהוָה כִּי-בָא, לִשְׁפּוֹט אֶת-הָאָרֶץ
Az yerannu atzei haya'ar milifnei HASHEM ki-va lishpot et-ha'aretz
Then all the trees of the forest will sing with joy, before Hashem - 
for He will have come to judge the earth.


All of nature – including the sea, the fields, and the trees of the forest – will rejoice in the messianic age, for Hashem will dispense justice to the earth which has been oppressed by human beings who imagined that they were the sovereigns of the earth. Through the universal recognition of the Divine sovereignty, the earth will no longer be exploited for the selfish gratification of human beings. Instead, all human beings will rededicate themselves to the original Divine mandate regarding the earth: “to serve it and to guard it” (Bereishit 2:15). In such an age, “the earth will rejoice, the sea and its fullness will roar; the field and everything in it will exult; then all the trees of the forest will sing with joy.” (Yosef Ben Shlomo Hakohen)


Rav Acha says: 'the forest and the trees of the forest' – the forest refers to the trees which bear fruits, while the trees of the forest refer to trees which do not bear fruit. Before whom will they sing with joy? Before Hashem. Why?  '… For He will have arrived' - on Rosh Hashana and Yom HaKippurim. What will He do?  '… He will have arrived to judge the earth, He will judge the world with righteousness and peoples with his truth'" 


Rabbi Nosson Scherman, in the ArtScroll edition of Perek Shirah, offers the following commentary on this song of the trees:

"Where there has been disarray, a judge must restore order and replace chaos with justice. When the world is in turmoil, and justice is perverted, even the trees of the wild suffer, for the earth’s resources are abused and depleted. When the rule of the Ultimate Judge is acknowledged and accepted, even the trees will express their joy by waving their branches ecstatically, because the health of nature will be restored."


An older fellow once explained to me that newspapers are probably here to stay. They are a wonderful medium to publicize news and certainly in the times of Mashiach there will be important information to disseminate. The main difference between today's newspapers and those in the days of Mashiach's is that in the days of Mashiach newspapers will be much thinner. Why? When you take out of the newspaper the Lashon Hara, the lies, and the Shtuyot (nonsense) there isn't much left to it. Since under Mashiach's watchful eye none of these things will make past the editor we will have very small newspapers.

Who will be the big winner from this drastic downsizing of the daily paper? The trees of course. 250 million trees are cut every year just to print newspapers in the United States. One leading newspaper uses an astounding 75,000 trees a week for its Sunday paper alone.

Ilanos ShebaSadeh Oimrim "Az Yerannu Kol Atzei Hayar Milifnei Hashem Ki Va Lishpot Ha'Aretz"; Then (in the time of Mashiach) the trees of the forest will sing before Hashem who will come to judge the land... and you thought that only you wanted Mashiach now! (Revach)



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Perek Shirah - Rain Says

Saturday, February 13, 2016 · Posted in ,

גְּשָׁמִים אוֹמְרִים - Rain Says:
Tehillim 68:10
גֶּשֶׁם נְדָבוֹת תָּנִיף אלוקים נַחֲלָתְךָ וְנִלְאָה אַתָּה כוֹנַנְתָּהּ
geshem nedavot tanif Elokim nachalatcha venila atah chonanta
A generous rain did You pour down, O G-d; when Your inheritance was weary, You did establish it strongly.
Some explain that the entire verse pertains to Matan Torah. At Sinai, when the Benei Yisra'el grew faint in the Presence of G-d, "a generous rain did You pour down, O G-d." Like one spraying water on a person who has fainted, it was if You had poured down a generous rain upon them to revive them.

"When Your inheritance" - Your people Yisra'el - "was weary" to exhaustion from the bondage of the Egyptian exile; when they were fainting in terror at the trembling and shaking of the earth and the thunderous sounds at Sinai; "You did establish it strongly" and revived their souls.

Rashi explains: This, too, You did for us. Whenever we needed rain, You would always send us rains of generosity and blessing. When the Land of Your inheritance was weary with thirsting for water, You established it firmly.



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Perek Shirah - Dew Says

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טַל אוֹמֵר - Dew Says:
Hoshe'a 14:6
אֶהְיֶה כַטַּל לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, יִפְרַח כַּשּׁוֹשַׁנָּה; וְיַךְ שָׁרָשָׁיו, כַּלְּבָנוֹן
ehyeh chatal leYisra'el yifrach kashoshana veyach sharashav kaLvanon
I will be to Yisra'el like the dew; he will flower (blossom) like the lily, 
and strike his roots like the (as) Levanon.

Because the Jewish people, collectively and individually, will have repented, their source will not become dry and their spring will not be dried up. On the contrary, "I will be to Yisrael as dew."

Even as the dew does not cease coming down every morning, so My benevolence towards the Jewish people will not cease. As a result, "he will blossom like the lily." The lily blossoms, not during a fierce rain, but when moistened by the dew at night. Yisrael is likened to a lilly, and it will merit the "dew" of G-d's blessing.

Yisra'el is likened to the lily, as it says, "a lily among thorns" (Shir HaShirim 2:2). The comparison is not fully adequate. The lily has no roots, but Yisra'el's roots are "like the Levanon." The cedars of Levanon have extensive roots below ground. Rain tends to destroy the lily, but the dew causes it to blossom. Nor does it harm its fragrance.  The lily opens upward, and even so the little moisture provided by dew is helpful. Regarding the Jewish people, similarly, the Sages teach that whoever gazes upward will in the end come to the path of life. As it says, "They looked to Him, and are radiant" (Tehillim 34:6).

The Jewish people have no roots in exile. Eventually, however, they who are now rootless will strike roots, and "his roots" will be "as Levanon." Future generations of the Jewish people - "his branches" - will be living in the Land of Yisra'el, and these branches "will spread out far." Then "his beauty will be as the olive tree, and his gragrance as Levanon" (v14:7).

This will take place in the End of Days. Even as the olive tree gives rise to olive oil, which then provides light, their fruit will also give light. At that time, the Holy Spirit and the spirit of purity will rest upon Yisra'el in the Land of Yisra'el - place of purity and holiness.


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