אַ֭שְׁרֵי מַשְׂכִּ֣יל אֶל־דָּ֑ל בְּי֥וֹם רָ֝עָ֗ה יְֽמַלְּטֵ֥הוּ יְהוָֽה׃
Happy is he who is thoughtful of the wretched; in bad times may the LORD keep him from harm.

In my audio I consider just one verse in the chapter, and how it relates to one of the great luminaries who left the world this week, Rav Dovid Feinstein: אַ֭שְׁרֵי מַשְׂכִּ֣יל אֶל־דָּ֑ל בְּי֥וֹם רָ֝עָ֗ה יְֽמַלְּטֵ֥הוּ יְהוָֽה׃
Happy is he who is thoughtful of the wretched; in bad times may the LORD keep him from harm.
And if you don't have time to listen to the audio, then at least take on board this beautiful midrash:
אומר אשרי משכיל אל דל (תהלים מא ב), נותן לדל לא נאמר, אלא משכיל היאך ליתן לו שלא לביישו.
The verse does not say, happy is one who gives to the poor, but rather happy is one who considers the poor. Who considers how to give in a way that does not embarrass.

www.sefaria.org/Psalms.50, www.sefaria.org/Psalms.51

Text here: www.sefaria.org/Psalms.49

The intersection of many Biblical themes. Celebrating the eternity of a great city after a tremendous victory... yet sowing the seeds for future calamity.

Text here: www.sefaria.org/Psalms.48

You'll quite possibly recognise this chapter from one of the most intense moments of the calendar - the blowing of the shofar on Rosh Hashana. Nations acknowledge as God arises and is made great to the sound of the shofar. Sharing her thoughts, on the beautiful insight of the chapter and of Rosh Hashana that the Jewish people have their own God but at the same time delight in sharing their God with the world. Honorable mention made too of The Crown! Text here: www.sefaria.org/Psalms.47

An attack on Jerusalem, mountains melt, rivers flow, and universal peace is ushered in. Text here: www.sefaria.org/Psalms.46

This chapter concludes on a very different note than the previous:
אַזְכִּירָה שִׁמְךָ בְּכׇל־דֹּר וָדֹר עַל־כֵּן עַמִּים יְהוֹדוּךָ לְעֹלָם וָעֶד

Calev Ben Dor shares Torah on Ch.45 with a reflection on a midrash beloved of Rabbi Sacks. Text here: www.sefaria.org/Psalms.45

One which urges God to be as faithful to the covenant as Israel is, as Israel are killed for his name every day. The very next chapter concludes on a very different note:
אַזְכִּירָה שִׁמְךָ בְּכׇל־דֹּר וָדֹר עַל־כֵּן עַמִּים יְהוֹדוּךָ לְעֹלָם וָעֶד I commemorate your fame for all generations, so peoples will praise you forever and ever.I provide thoughts on Ch.44. Text here: www.sefaria.org/Psalms.44

Rabbi Sacks' Favourite Song and Epitaph
Many many times has the 929 corresponded eerily with other events happening. But I have not had one like this before.
In 1991, Dr Jonathan Sacks, then chief rabbi elect of the United Kingdom was the guest on a deeply beloved British radio show, Desert Island Disks, in which guests are asked to select the songs they would take with them to a desert island. One of Rabbi Sacks' choices was the famous niggun צמאה נפשי לאלהים my soul years for you, the living God which is taken from today's 929. These words come from Tehillim 63 but are pre-empted in today's chapter
When at the end of the interview, he was asked which one would he pick if he had to choose just one, he said, it would be צמאה נפשי - for he hopes that one day such a line would be his epitaph - that it could be said of him when he died that his soul yearned for God.
צָמְאָ֬ה נַפְשִׁ֨י ׀ לֵאלֹהִים֮ לְאֵ֪ל חָ֥י מָתַ֥י אָב֑וֹא וְ֝אֵרָאֶ֗ה פְּנֵ֣י אֱלֹהִֽים׃
my soul thirsts for God, the living God; O when will I come to appear before God
The whole interview of R Sacks' favourite songs can be listened to at https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0093z8b
This is Berry Sacharov and Yonatan Razal's rendering of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgxGVmYJ5pw

Ilana Stein shares her wisdom on both ch.42 and 43 which are considered by many to be a single unit. Text here: www.sefaria.org/Psalms.42, www.sefaria.org/Psalms.43

אַ֭שְׁרֵי מַשְׂכִּ֣יל אֶל־דָּ֑ל בְּי֥וֹם רָ֝עָ֗ה יְֽמַלְּטֵ֥הוּ יְהוָֽה

And if you don't have time to listen to the audio, then at least take on board this beautiful midrash:
אומר אשרי משכיל אל דל (תהלים מא ב), נותן לדל לא נאמר, אלא משכיל היאך ליתן לו שלא לביישו.
The verse does not say, happy is one who gives to the poor, but rather happy is one who considers the poor. Who considers how to give in a way that does not embarrass.

Text here:
www.sefaria.org/Psalms.41

As Rabbi Sacks is on the minds of so many of us , Tehillim 39 and 40, are eerily appropriate for thinking about him. The words that David said, could have been said by him.
וַיִּתֵּ֬ן בְּפִ֨י ׀ שִׁ֥יר חָדָשׁ֮ תְּהִלָּ֪ה לֵֽאלֹ֫הֵ֥ינוּ יִרְא֣וּ רַבִּ֣ים וְיִירָ֑אוּ וְ֝יִבְטְח֗וּ בַּיהוָֽה׃
He put a new song into my mouth, a hymn to our God. May many see it and stand in awe, and trust in the LORD

I hope that my recording captures something of this moment. The tragic shortness of his life, combined with his astonishing achievement - Hevel. His ability to be both particular and universal - ger v'toshav. His letter in the scroll - megillat sefer katuv alai. Text here: www.sefaria.org/Psalms.39, www.sefaria.org/Psalms.40