December 9, 2018 · 00:03:20
Tehilim Perek 124 Hello everybody, I’m Rabbi Shaya Sussman, covering the entire TANACH one perek at a time. Today we’ll be discussing Tehilim chapter 124, continuing the Shir Hama’alos chapters. This chapter is on time for Chanukah. It’s so nice when what we’re learning lines up with the events of the day. The Shai Lemora says that this perek implies that that we will be saved because we trust that Hashem will save us. And Hashem will actually save us. In other words, we’ll be saved through emes and emunah, truth and faith. Emunah in the final redemption, and the truth of the very fact that we will be saved. On a different note, the Alshich explains that this perek corresponds to the 4th galus. Verse 1 refers to the Babylonian exile and verses 2 through 4 to the Persian exile. Verses 5 through 7 refer to the Greek exile which was during the times of Chanukah, and verse 8 is our present exile of Edom. In this chapter, the author recalls God’s protection throughout our long exile. As the smallest of all the nations, logically we should have been long gone, swept away by the ever-changing tides of life, like waves coming to engulf our national soul. If not for God, we would have been trapped like a bird in a cage. Thank You, Hashem, for allowing us to escape. Our help only comes through You. Verse 7 says: נַפְשֵׁ֗נוּ כְּצִפּ֥וֹר נִמְלְטָה֮ מִפַּ֪ח י֫וֹקְשִׁ֥ים הַפַּ֥ח נִשְׁבָּ֗ר וַאֲנַ֥חְנוּ נִמְלָֽטְנוּ׃ Our soul escaped like a bird from the fowler’s trap; the trap broke and we