Tehilim Perek 143

Hello everybody. Today’s NachDaily will discuss Tehilim chapter 143.

As in the previous chapter, Dovid wrote this when hiding in the cave from Shaul. It continues the theme of being surrounded on all sides by his enemies and asking God to pull him out from the abyss.

Dovid opens by asking Hashem to answer his prayer by not judging him in the moment. Dovid painfully recaps how his enemies want to crush his soul, leaving him dead. Despite his struggles, Dovid recalls the “days of old” when his soul thirsted to come close to God. He begs Hashem to answer his prayer, to quickly reveal Himself before his enemies catch him. Dovid ends by begging God to show him His will, and to wipe out his enemies.

Verse 10 says:

לַמְּדֵ֤נִי ׀ לַֽעֲשׂ֣וֹת רְצוֹנֶךָ֮ כִּֽי־אַתָּ֪ה אֱל֫וֹהָ֥י רוּחֲךָ֥ טוֹבָ֑ה תַּ֝נְחֵ֗נִי בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִישֽׁוֹר׃

Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. Let Your good spirit guide me on level ground.

Reb Nosson explains in Lekutey Halachos, Hilchos Birkas Hashachar, that Dovid asked Hashem many times to merit understanding His will. Despite having the Torah, which is the ratzon, will, of Hashem, a person nonetheless doesn’t always know what to do.

We surely know how to keep the Torah and perform the Mitzvos, to turn towards good and move away from bad. But how do we know what the Ratzon of Hashem is in each moment? How do we know that we will actually have the strength to keep and follow the Torah?

Therefore, Dovid perpetually davened to Hashem he should be able to follow His will, to know exactly what Hashem wanted of him at every moment in life, and for the strength to keep the Torah.

If not for Hashem helping us every day, the impeding negative forces would stop us from keeping His Torah. How much we need to ask and beg Hashem, like Dovid, for strength, determination and an increase of ratzon to follow the Torah and know what God wants of us at every moment of our lives.

Stay tuned to the next episode of NachDaily. We have only 7 perakim left until we finish Tehilim.