Perek Shirah - Sea Says

Saturday, February 13, 2016 · Posted in ,

יַמִּים אוֹמְרִים - Sea Says:
Tehillim 93:4
מִקֹּלוֹת מַיִם רַבִּים אַדִּירִים מִשְׁבְּרֵי-יָם אַדִּיר בַּמָּרוֹם יְהוָה
mikolot mayim rabim adirim mishbereiyam adir bamarom HASHEM
Above the voices of many waters, the mighty breakers of the sea, HaShem on high is mighty.

G-d dwells "above," beyond human perception, in a lofty realm that is higher than man's comprehension.  However, due to the "voices of many waters, the mighty breakers of the sea," it is made known to everyone that "HaShem on high is mighty."  G-d is overwhelmingly powerful in His realm on high.

A story is told about the Roman emperor Hadrian who wanted to know the secret of the ocean.  He cast ropes into the water for three years, and then he heard an echo-voice proclaim, "Cease, Hadrian!"  He also wanted to know how the waters praise G-d.  He made glass chambers, placed hem in them, and lowered them into the ocean.  They reported hearing the ocean sing in praise, "HaShem is mighty on high."
This also alludes to the nations generally, who are likened to an immense quantity of "mighty waters."  From their roaring it becomes clear to all that You are "mighty on high," and You can annihilate them in an instant.  Yet You show forbearance and let them be.  Thus our Sages have taught: Those things, yes, those very things are His mighty acts and His wondrous deeds.

Adir BaMarom Hashem - the sea reveals the power of HaShem, whose word cannot be denied.

This is the Sea's song: "O mortal man, always remember the only True Source of power, HKB"H!"

Perek Shirah - Waters Say

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מַיִם אוֹמְרִים - Waters Say:
Yirmeyahu 51:16
לְקוֹל תִּתּוֹ הֲמוֹן מַיִם בַּשָּׁמַיִם וַיַּעַל נְשִׂאִים מִקְצֵה-אָרֶץ 
lekovl titov hamovn mayim bashamayim vayaal nesiim miktze-aretz
When His voice sounds with great masses of water in the heavens, 
and He raises vapors from the ends of the earth;

The Daat Sofrim states that this prayer is related to the emotions aroused in Yisrael by the sight of the many bodies of water which they saw in Babylon.  Water is the symbol of life and of Torah, too.  For Torah, like the clouds, combines earthly effort with Heavenly largess to give spiritual life and nourishment to Creation.

Perek Shirah - Fields Say

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שָׂדוֹת אוֹמְִים - Fields Say:
Mishlei 3:19
יְהוָה בְּחָכְמָה יָסַד-אָרֶץ כּוֹנֵן שָׁמַיִם בִּתְבוּנָה
HASHEM bechachma yasad-aretz konen shamayim bitvuna

HASHEM founded the earth by wisdom; He established the heavens by understanding.

The Sage begins in praise of wisdom.  How great is her excellence!  For behold: "HaShem founded the earth by wisdom," and He "established the heavens by understanding."

G-d called upon wisdom by imbuing it with the power to create heaven and earth.  By understanding "He created the heavens," for, behold, the heavenly bodies have not strayed from their paths since the day they were created.  When a man erects an edifice, after a time it is in need of repair.  But their function remains unimpaired.

Wisdom is mentioned first, for it pertains to the beginning stage.  Then comes understanding, which is set forth by inferring one thing from another.  "Knowledge" (v3:20) is established through careful thought which involves holiness, the fear of G-d and familiarity with the knowledge taught by the Sages.  Those three aspects go together.  For when there is no knowledge, there is no understanding; and when there is no understanding, there is no knowledge.

Wisdom - compare it to a drowning man who is thrown a piece of wood to grab a hold of.  The present verses pertain to people who have fallen down and require a "tree" to hold them up (cf. 3:18).  Principally it means to repent and turn back to G-d through the power of the Torah that is called "a tree of life" (ibid.).

Just as a tree brings life into the world, so does the Torah.  Just as a tree undergoes changes yet does not cease to live, so the person who devotes himself to Torah study is not cut off even after departing from this world.  In the World to Come he continues to live an external life.

When G-d created the world, He first consulted the Torah; as it says, "HaShem founded the earth by wisdom."  Accordingly, commenting on "In the beginning G-d created (Bereishit 1:11), the Targum Yerushalayim says: G-d created with wisdom.

The field is metaphor for man.  If untapped, wisdom remains wasted potential. Our mission is to nurture the G-d-given spark of wisdom and to make of it a crop that will gladden the heavens.



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