1. Opening Question
What does (my) religion have to do with society as a whole?
2. Rabbi Loew and Golem by Mikoláš Aleš, 1899
By Mikoláš Aleš - http://www.zwoje-scrolls.com/zwoje31/text06p.htm, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2210897
From Wikipedia, "Golem"
The most famous golem narrative involves Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the late 16th-century rabbi of Prague, also known as the Maharal, who reportedly "created a golem out of clay from the banks of the Vltava River and brought it to life through rituals and Hebrew incantations to defend the Prague ghetto from anti-Semitic attacks and pogroms".[16][17] Depending on the version of the legend, the Jews in Prague were to be either expelled or killed under the rule of Rudolf II, the Holy Roman Emperor. The Golem was called Josef and was known as Yossele. He was said to be able to make himself invisible and summon spirits from the dead.[17] Rabbi Loew deactivated the Golem on Friday evenings by removing the shem before the Sabbath (Saturday) began,[7] so as to let it rest on Sabbath.[7]
3. Introductions to Psalm 139
(א) למנצח לדוד מזמור ה' חקרתני - זה המזמור נכבד מאוד בדרכי השם ואין באלה החמשה ספרים מזמור כמוהו, וכפי בינת אדם בדרכי השם ודרכי הנשמה יתבונן בטעמיו.
Introduction to Psalm 139
(Translation from Al HaTorah.org)
This is a very precious psalm. It relates to the ways of God. There is no [other] psalm in the five Books of Psalms that is like it. A person will understand the meaning of this psalm in accordance with his understanding of the ways of God and the ways of the soul.
(ז) עַֽל־דַּ֭עְתְּךָ כִּי־לֹ֣א אֶרְשָׁ֑ע וְאֵ֖ין מִיָּדְךָ֣ מַצִּֽיל׃ (ח) יָדֶ֣יךָ עִ֭צְּבוּנִי וַֽיַּעֲשׂ֑וּנִי יַ֥חַד סָ֝בִ֗יב וַֽתְּבַלְּעֵֽנִי׃ (ט) זְכׇר־נָ֭א כִּֽי־כַחֹ֣מֶר עֲשִׂיתָ֑נִי וְֽאֶל־עָפָ֥ר תְּשִׁיבֵֽנִי׃ (י) הֲלֹ֣א כֶ֭חָלָב תַּתִּיכֵ֑נִי וְ֝כַגְּבִנָּ֗ה תַּקְפִּיאֵֽנִי׃ (יא) ע֣וֹר וּ֭בָשָׂר תַּלְבִּישֵׁ֑נִי וּֽבַעֲצָמ֥וֹת וְ֝גִידִ֗ים תְּשֹׂכְכֵֽנִי׃ (יב) חַיִּ֣ים וָ֭חֶסֶד עָשִׂ֣יתָ עִמָּדִ֑י וּ֝פְקֻדָּתְךָ֗ שָֽׁמְרָ֥ה רוּחִֽי׃ (יג) וְ֭אֵלֶּה צָפַ֣נְתָּ בִלְבָבֶ֑ךָ יָ֝דַ֗עְתִּי כִּי־זֹ֥את עִמָּֽךְ׃ (יד) אִם־חָטָ֥אתִי וּשְׁמַרְתָּ֑נִי וּ֝מֵעֲוֺנִ֗י לֹ֣א תְנַקֵּֽנִי׃ (טו) אִם־רָשַׁ֡עְתִּי אַלְלַ֬י לִ֗י וְ֭צָדַקְתִּי לֹא־אֶשָּׂ֣א רֹאשִׁ֑י שְׂבַ֥ע קָ֝ל֗וֹן וּרְאֵ֥ה עׇנְיִֽי׃
(7) You know that I am not guilty,And that there is none to deliver from Your hand. (8) “Your hands shaped and fashioned me,Then destroyed every part of me. (9) Consider that You fashioned me like clay;Will You then turn me back into dust? (10) You poured me out like milk,Congealed me like cheese; (11) You clothed me with skin and fleshAnd wove me of bones and sinews; (12) You bestowed on me life and care;Your providence watched over my spirit. (13) Yet these things You hid in Your heart;I know that You had this in mind: (14) To watch me when I sinnedAnd not clear me of my iniquity; (15) Should I be guilty—the worse for me!And even when innocent, I cannot lift my head;So sated am I with shame,And drenched in my misery.
4. Our Text: Psalm 139
To ponder:
- What does this psalm teach us about being a human being in God’s creation?
- Please pay careful connection to the artistry of this psalm.
- How does this psalm think of human society?
(א) לַ֭מְנַצֵּחַ לְדָוִ֣ד מִזְמ֑וֹר יְהֹוָ֥ה חֲ֝קַרְתַּ֗נִי וַתֵּדָֽע׃ (ב) אַתָּ֣ה יָ֭דַעְתָּ שִׁבְתִּ֣י וְקוּמִ֑י בַּ֥נְתָּה לְ֝רֵעִ֗י מֵרָחֽוֹק׃ (ג) אׇרְחִ֣י וְרִבְעִ֣י זֵרִ֑יתָ וְֽכׇל־דְּרָכַ֥י הִסְכַּֽנְתָּה׃ (ד) כִּ֤י אֵ֣ין מִ֭לָּה בִּלְשׁוֹנִ֑י הֵ֥ן יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה יָדַ֥עְתָּ כֻלָּֽהּ׃ (ה) אָח֣וֹר וָקֶ֣דֶם צַרְתָּ֑נִי וַתָּ֖שֶׁת עָלַ֣י כַּפֶּֽכָה׃ (ו) (פלאיה) [פְּלִ֣יאָֽה] דַ֣עַת מִמֶּ֑נִּי נִ֝שְׂגְּבָ֗ה לֹא־א֥וּכַֽל לָֽהּ׃
(1) For the leader. Of David. A psalm.O LORD, You have examined me and know me. (2) When I sit down or stand up You know it;You discern my thoughts from afar. (3) You observe-a my walking and reclining,and are familiar with all my ways. (4) There is not a word on my tonguebut that You, O LORD, know it well. (5) You hedge me before and behind;You lay Your hand upon me. (6) It is beyond my knowledge;it is a mystery; I cannot fathom it.
(ז) אָ֭נָ֥ה אֵלֵ֣ךְ מֵרוּחֶ֑ךָ וְ֝אָ֗נָה מִפָּנֶ֥יךָ אֶבְרָֽח׃ (ח) אִם־אֶסַּ֣ק שָׁ֭מַיִם שָׁ֣ם אָ֑תָּה וְאַצִּ֖יעָה שְּׁא֣וֹל הִנֶּֽךָּ׃ (ט) אֶשָּׂ֥א כַנְפֵי־שָׁ֑חַר אֶ֝שְׁכְּנָ֗ה בְּאַחֲרִ֥ית יָֽם׃ (י) גַּם־שָׁ֭ם יָדְךָ֣ תַנְחֵ֑נִי וְֽתֹאחֲזֵ֥נִי יְמִינֶֽךָ׃ (יא) וָ֭אֹמַר אַךְ־חֹ֣שֶׁךְ יְשׁוּפֵ֑נִי וְ֝לַ֗יְלָה א֣וֹר בַּעֲדֵֽנִי׃ (יב) גַּם־חֹשֶׁךְ֮ לֹא־יַחְשִׁ֢יךְ מִ֫מֶּ֥ךָּ וְ֭לַיְלָה כַּיּ֣וֹם יָאִ֑יר כַּ֝חֲשֵׁיכָ֗ה כָּאוֹרָֽה׃
(7) Where can I escape from Your spirit?Where can I flee from Your presence? (8) If I ascend to heaven, You are there;if I descend to Sheol, You are there too. (9) If I take wing with the dawnto come to rest on the western horizon, (10) even there Your hand will be guiding me,Your right hand will be holding me fast. (11) If I say, “Surely darkness will conceal me,night will provide me with cover,”-b (12) darkness is not dark for You;night is as light as day;darkness and light are the same.
(יג) כִּֽי־אַ֭תָּה קָנִ֣יתָ כִלְיֹתָ֑י תְּ֝סֻכֵּ֗נִי בְּבֶ֣טֶן אִמִּֽי׃ (יד) אוֹדְךָ֗ עַ֤ל כִּ֥י נֽוֹרָא֗וֹת נִ֫פְלֵ֥יתִי נִפְלָאִ֥ים מַעֲשֶׂ֑יךָ וְ֝נַפְשִׁ֗י יֹדַ֥עַת מְאֹֽד׃ (טו) לֹֽא־נִכְחַ֥ד עׇצְמִ֗י מִ֫מֶּ֥ךָּ אֲשֶׁר־עֻשֵּׂ֥יתִי בַסֵּ֑תֶר רֻ֝קַּ֗מְתִּי בְּֽתַחְתִּיּ֥וֹת אָֽרֶץ׃ (טז) גׇּלְמִ֤י ׀ רָ֘א֤וּ עֵינֶ֗יךָ וְעַֽל־סִפְרְךָ֮ כֻּלָּ֢ם יִכָּ֫תֵ֥בוּ יָמִ֥ים יֻצָּ֑רוּ (ולא) [וְל֖וֹ] אֶחָ֣ד בָּהֶֽם׃ (יז) וְלִ֗י מַה־יָּקְר֣וּ רֵעֶ֣יךָ אֵ֑ל מֶ֥ה עָ֝צְמ֗וּ רָאשֵׁיהֶֽם׃ (יח) אֶ֭סְפְּרֵם מֵח֣וֹל יִרְבּ֑וּן הֱ֝קִיצֹ֗תִי וְעוֹדִ֥י עִמָּֽךְ׃
(13) It was You who created my conscience;You fashioned me in my mother’s womb. (14) I praise You,for I am awesomely, wondrously made;Your work is wonderful;I know it very well. (15) My frame was not concealed from Youwhen I was shaped in a hidden place,knit together in the recesses of the earth. (16) Your eyes saw my unformed limbs / golmi (my 'golem');they were all recorded in Your book;in due time they were formed,to the very last one of them.-a (17) How weighty Your thoughts seem to me, O God,how great their number! (18) I count them—they exceed the grains of sand;I end—but am still with You.
(יט) אִם־תִּקְטֹ֖ל אֱל֥וֹהַּ ׀ רָשָׁ֑ע וְאַנְשֵׁ֥י דָ֝מִ֗ים ס֣וּרוּ מֶֽנִּי׃ (כ) אֲשֶׁ֣ר יֹ֭מְרוּךָ לִמְזִמָּ֑ה נָשׂ֖וּא לַשָּׁ֣וְא עָרֶֽיךָ׃ (כא) הֲלֽוֹא־מְשַׂנְאֶ֖יךָ יְהֹוָ֥ה ׀ אֶשְׂנָ֑א וּ֝בִתְקוֹמְמֶ֗יךָ אֶתְקוֹטָֽט׃ (כב) תַּכְלִ֣ית שִׂנְאָ֣ה שְׂנֵאתִ֑ים לְ֝אוֹיְבִ֗ים הָ֣יוּ לִֽי׃ (כג) חׇקְרֵ֣נִי אֵ֭ל וְדַ֣ע לְבָבִ֑י בְּ֝חָנֵ֗נִי וְדַ֣ע שַׂרְעַפָּֽי׃ (כד) וּרְאֵ֗ה אִם־דֶּֽרֶךְ־עֹ֥צֶב בִּ֑י וּ֝נְחֵ֗נִי בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ עוֹלָֽם׃ {פ}
(19) O God, if You would only slay the wicked—you murderers, away from me!— (20) who invoke You for intrigue,Your enemies who swear by You falsely.-a (21) O LORD, You know I hate those who hate You,and loathe Your adversaries. (22) I feel a perfect hatred toward them;I count them my enemies.(23) Examine me, O God, and know my mind;probe me and know my thoughts. (24) See if I have vexatious ways,and guide me in ways everlasting.
Commentaries
5. Commentary: Overview
Devorah Steinmetz, "Darkness Will Envelop Me: A Meditation on Hanukkah"
Dec. 10, 2018, Lehrhaus
The human being in this psalm is portrayed as worthy of God’s notice and, at the same time, fragile and vulnerable in relation to God. The speaker talks about the impossibility of escaping from God’s presence in verses that have been read both as suggesting an attempt to flee from God and as conveying the awesome assurance of finding God everywhere.
From Lehrhaus article: Dr. Devora Steinmetz serves on the faculty of Drisha Institute in the United States and Israel and on the leadership team of Drisha's new yeshiva in Israel.
6. Commentary: Creating means Knowing (v. 13)
(יג) כִּֽי־אַ֭תָּה קָנִ֣יתָ כִלְיֹתָ֑י תְּ֝סֻכֵּ֗נִי בְּבֶ֣טֶן אִמִּֽי׃
(13) It was You who created my conscience/kilyotai/kidneys;You fashioned me in my mother’s womb.
Mitchell Dahood, Commentary on Psalms, comment on v. 13
[Dahood's translation of verse 13, beginning:] "Yes, you created my inmost self..."
...creation implies full knowledge of the person created. Hence [God] should know the inmost thoughts of the psalmist. Other texts illustrating the 'creation connotes cognition' motif include Psalm 33: 15...
(טו) הַיֹּצֵ֣ר יַ֣חַד לִבָּ֑ם הַ֝מֵּבִ֗ין אֶל־כׇּל־מַעֲשֵׂיהֶֽם׃
(15) He who fashions the hearts of them all,who discerns all their doings.
(י) אֲנִי מַאֲמִין בֶּאֱמוּנָה שְׁלֵמָה שֶׁהַבּוֹרֵא יִתְבָּרַךְ שְׁמוֹ יוֹדֵֽעַ כָּל מַעֲשֵׂה בְנֵי אָדָם וְכָל מַחְשְׁ֒בוֹתָם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר הַיֹּצֵר יַֽחַד לִבָּם הַמֵּבִין אֶל כָּל מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם:
(10) 10. I believe with complete faith that the Creator, blessed is His Name, knows all the deeds of men and all their thoughts, as it is said, "He Who forms all their hearts as one, Who comprehends all their deeds." (Psalms 33:15)
7. Commentary: Earthling / Golem (vv. 15-16)
(טו) לֹֽא־נִכְחַ֥ד עׇצְמִ֗י מִ֫מֶּ֥ךָּ אֲשֶׁר־עֻשֵּׂ֥יתִי בַסֵּ֑תֶר רֻ֝קַּ֗מְתִּי בְּֽתַחְתִּיּ֥וֹת אָֽרֶץ׃
(15) My frame was not concealed from Youwhen I was shaped in a hidden place,knit together in the recesses of the earth.
עמוס חכם, דעת מקרא, הארה 20 לפסוק 15
פירוש אחר: רומז ליצירת אדם הראשון, שנוצר מעפר שניטל מן האדמה ונילוש כעיסה... ושמא היתה בידי המשורר מסורת אגדה, שנוצר אדם ׳בתחתית הארץ׳, במעמקי גופה של אמו - האדמה, כדוגמת העובר הנוצר ברחם אמו.
Amos Hakham, Commentary, Note 20 to v. 15
Another interpretation: This alludes to the formation of Adam, who was formed from dust taken from the ground and kneaded like dough... The Psalmist may have had an Aggadic (midrashic) tradition, that Adam was formed "in the bottom of the earth," in the depths of the body of his mother - the earth - like the formation of the fetus in the womb of its mother.
(יט) בְּזֵעַ֤ת אַפֶּ֙יךָ֙ תֹּ֣אכַל לֶ֔חֶם עַ֤ד שֽׁוּבְךָ֙ אֶל־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה כִּ֥י מִמֶּ֖נָּה לֻקָּ֑חְתָּ כִּֽי־עָפָ֣ר אַ֔תָּה וְאֶל־עָפָ֖ר תָּשֽׁוּב׃
(19) By the sweat of your browShall you get bread to eat,Until you return to the ground—For from it you were taken.For dust you are,And to dust you shall return.”
(טז) גׇּלְמִ֤י ׀ רָ֘א֤וּ עֵינֶ֗יךָ וְעַֽל־סִפְרְךָ֮ כֻּלָּ֢ם יִכָּ֫תֵ֥בוּ יָמִ֥ים יֻצָּ֑רוּ (ולא) [וְל֖וֹ] אֶחָ֣ד בָּהֶֽם׃
(16) Your eyes saw my unformed limbs/golmi 'my golem';they were all recorded in Your book;in due time they were formed,to the very last one of them.-a
(ו) אַרְבָּעָה דְּבָרִים רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל מְטַמֵּא, וַחֲכָמִים מְטַהֲרִין. כִּסּוּי טֶנִי שֶׁל מַתֶּכֶת שֶׁל בַּעֲלֵי בָתִּים, וּתְלוֹי הַמַּגְרֵדוֹת, וְגֹלְמֵי כְלֵי מַתָּכוֹת, וְטַבְלָה שֶׁנֶּחְלְקָה לִשְׁנָיִם. ...
(6) There are four things which Rabban Gamaliel says are susceptible to impurity, and the sages say are not susceptible to impurity.The covering of a metal basket, if it belongs to householders; And the hanger of a strigil; And metal vessels which are still unshaped; / 'golems' of metal vessels. And a plate that is divided into two [equal] parts. ...
8. Commentary: Your Book (v. 16)
(ב) וטעם ועל ספרך – כולם על איבריו כאילו צורתו כתובה על ספר והיא יוצאה בלא תוספת ובלא מגרעת.
[they were all recorded] in Your book: "all" refers to the psalmist's limbs. It is as if his form had been written in a book. It developed without addition or deletion.
(ד) וטעם ולא אחד בהם – בדרך אל"ף, כי על ספרך כל איברי ומתכונתם נכתבו באותם הימים שיוצרו ולא היה אחד מהם נכר ונבדל, כי בכח התולדת להיות צורת העין והאוזן והלב בטיפה הראשונה ואם אין שם אבר נבדל.
to the very last one of them: This is written לא with a letter א (which can be read as 'not') [i.e., the phrase can be read as 'even when none of them (was present)']. In Your book all of my limbs and their properties were written, indicating when they would be formed, even at the point when none of them was distinct and separated. It is part of the power of generation that the form of the eye, ear, and heart are present in the first drop (i.e. conceptus) even though no body parts are yet distinct.
9. Commentary: Utter Hatred? (vv. 21-22)
(כא) הֲלֽוֹא־מְשַׂנְאֶ֖יךָ יְהֹוָ֥ה ׀ אֶשְׂנָ֑א וּ֝בִתְקוֹמְמֶ֗יךָ אֶתְקוֹטָֽט׃ (כב) תַּכְלִ֣ית שִׂנְאָ֣ה שְׂנֵאתִ֑ים לְ֝אוֹיְבִ֗ים הָ֣יוּ לִֽי׃
(21) O LORD, You know I hate those who hate You,and loathe Your adversaries. (22) I feel a perfect hatred toward them (or: I hate them with a perfect hatred);I count them my enemies.
(יד) הַשּׂוֹנֵא שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בַּתּוֹרָה לֹא מֵאֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם הוּא אֶלָּא מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל.
וְהֵיאַךְ יִהְיֶה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל שׂוֹנֵא מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל וְהַכָּתוּב אוֹמֵר (ויקרא יט יז) "לֹא תִשְׂנָא אֶת אָחִיךָ בִּלְבָבֶךָ".
אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים כְּגוֹן שֶׁרָאָהוּ לְבַדּוֹ שֶׁעָבַר עֲבֵרָה וְהִתְרָה בּוֹ וְלֹא חָזַר הֲרֵי זֶה מִצְוָה לְשָׂנְאוֹ עַד שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה תְּשׁוּבָה וְיָשׁוּב מֵרִשְׁעוֹ.
(14) The enemy mentioned in the Torah is not a gentile, but rather a Jew.One might ask: How is it possible for one Jew to hate another? Is it not written Leviticus 19:17: "Do not hate your brother in your heart"?
"ודווקא שהוא רעך בתורה ובמצוות; אבל אדם רשע, שאינו מקבל תוכחה, מצווה לשנאתו, שנאמר 'יראת ה' שנאת רע', ואומר 'הלא משנאיך ה' אשנא' " (הג"מ דעות ו', אות א).
Hagahot Maimoniot on Maimonides, Laws of Ethical Dispositions (De'ot) chapter 6, note 1
...[in the case of] a wicked person, who does not accept rebuke, there is a mitzva to hate him, as it is stated: "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil" (Mishlei 8:13). And it says: "Do I not hate, O Lord, those who hate You" (Tehilim 139:21). (Hagahot Maimuniyot 6, letter 1)
DR: From Wikipedia:
Haggahot Maimuniyyot (Hebrew: הגהות מיימוניות) is a 13th-century halakhic work authored by Meir HaKohen. It is one of the most important sources for the halakhic rulings of the scholars of Germany and France...
החזון איש (שחיטה ב', כח) כתב בשם החפץ חיים שבתקופתנו מצווה לאהוב את הרשעים, כי בימינו נחשבים כקודם תוכחה, כיוון שאין בינינו מי שיודע להוכיח. ...
Chaim Navon, "The Status of 'Chilonim' (Secular Israelis) in Halakha (Part 2)"
Yeshivat Har Etzion, Gush Etzion, Dec. 25, 2016
https://www.etzion.org.il/en/halakha/studies-halakha/laws-state-and-society/status-chilonim-halakha-2
The Chazon Ish (Shechita 2, 28) writes in the name of the Chafetz Chayyim that in our day there is a mitzva to love the wicked, because in our day they are regarded as being in the state of pre-rebuke, because there is nobody who knows how to offer rebuke in proper manner.
DR: From Wikipedia:
Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz (7 November 1878 – 24 October 1953), also known as the Chazon Ish(Hebrew: החזון איש) after his magnum opus, was a Belarusian-born Orthodox rabbi who later became one of the leaders of Haredi Judaism in Israel, where he spent his final 20 years, from 1933 to 1953.
Rabbi Yisrael Meir ha-Kohen Kagan (January 26, 1838 – September 15, 1933), known popularly as theChofetz Chaim[a ...was an influential Lithuanian Jewish rabbi...whose works continue to be widely influential in Orthodox Jewish life.
ר׳ יואל בן נון
"תַּכְלִית שִׂנְאָה שְׂנֵאתִים"
אנשים רבים מתאמצים מאד להיחלץ ולהתרחק בכל כוחם מאמונה דתית ומחיים דתיים שמקיפים מכל עבר, ושאינם מותירים מרחב נשימה וחופש מחשבה ומעשה; זו אחת הסיבות העיקריות לגלי החילוּן, שעולים במיוחד ממעמקי החברה הדתית...
מזמור פלאי הבריאה מציג את כל שאיפות החילוּן האלה כאשליה ודמיון - כי אין באמת לאן לברוח מפני ה'! ... אין באמת 'מרחבי חופש', כי הכל בא ממנו, והכל גלוי וידוע לפניו - המאמין, שמסרב להטעות ולהשלות את עצמו, בוחר להתפעל ולשיר על נפלאות הבריאה האופפים אותו, ולהתמכר להם בהתלהבות מוחלטת.
כאן אנו מגיעים למחיר:
אבל המחיר של ההתמכרות הדתית הוא השנאה, במיוחד לכל שונאי יהוה הפוחדים ובורחים ממנו. "תַּכְלִית שִׂנְאָה" ממש כמו השנאה ל"אַנְשֵׁי דָמִים" ומִרמה, כי החילוּן מאיים ומפחיד את הדתיים, במיוחד את המתמכרים לאמונה מוחלטת, כוללת כל; ואכן, המזמור מוביל את רגשות המאמין אל השנאה, עד תום.
חז"ל (ברכות י ע"א), ובעקבותיהם רבים מגדולי הדורות, הציבו כיוון שונה של שנאה לחֲטָאים, ולא לחוטאים, לרוע ולא לאנשים, ועל דרך זו דרשו גם את פסוקי השנאה - אבל רבים מהמאמינים קוראים את פשטי המקראות בתהלים, ומושפעים מהם יותר מהסברי חז"ל, ומהדרכה חינוכית של צדיקים וחסידים, שמבקשים לעבוד את יהוה רק באהבה.
Yoel Bin-Nun, "I feel a perfect hatred toward them" (Psalm 139:22)
9/1/2017, at 929 (Hebrew)
https://www.929.org.il/page/706/post/17777
Many people strive hard to free themselves and to distance themselves as far as they can from religious faith and from a religious life that surrounds them on all sides and does not leave them room to breathe and freedom of thought and action. This is one of the principal reasons for the waves of secularization which have arisen from the depths of religious (dati) society in particular. ...
A psalm about the wonders of creation presents all the yearning for secularization as deception and illusion - for in truth there is nowhere to flee from God! ... In truth there are no 'free spaces,' for all comes from Him, and all is revealed to Him. The believer, who refuses to mislead and deceive himself, chooses to sing excitedly about the wonders of the Creation that encompass him and to surrender to them with unbridled enthusiasm.
Here we come to the cost:
The cost of secularization is self-deception, as if there were really any 'freedom' from the One who formed us along with all that surrounds us.
However, the cost of religious surrender is hatred, especially to those enemies of God who are afraid of and flee from Him. "Utter hatred," just like hatred for "murderers" and fraudsters, because secularization threatens and scares the religious, and especially those who surrender to absolute, all-inclusive faith. Indeed, the Psalm leads the feelings of the believer to hatred to the nth degree.
The talmudic Sages (Talmud Berakhot 10a:2-4) (DR: note, see our discussion of Beruriah and Rabbi Meir in our class on Psalm 104, https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/457610?lang=bi) and, following them, many of the great scholars over the generations, have presented a different application of hatred: directed at sins, not sinners; at evil, not people. In this way they have interpreted verses that refer to hatred. Nevertheless, many believers read the verses in Psalms, and are more influenced by them than by the explanations of the Sages or by the instruction of great rabbis, who seek to serve God only from love.
[Transl: David Rosenberg]
From Wikipedia: Yoel Bin-Nun (Hebrew: יואל בן נון; born May 9, 1946, 8 Iyar 5766) is an Israeli religious Zionist rabbi and one of the founders of Yeshivat Har Etzion, Gush Emunim, Michlelet Herzog and the settlements of Alon Shevutand Ofra. ...