Coffee & Begneit - Psalm 27

(1) Of David. The LORD is my light and my help [alt. salvation]; whom should I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life, whom should I dread? (2) When evil people assail me to devour my flesh— it is they, my foes and my enemies, who stumble and fall. (3) Should an army besiege me, my heart would have no fear; should war beset me, still would I be confident. (4) One thing I ask of the LORD, only that do I seek: to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD, to frequent His temple. (5) God will shelter me in God’s pavilion on an evil day, grant me the protection of God’s tent, raise me high upon a rock. (6) Now is my head high over my enemies roundabout; I sacrifice in God’s tent with shouts of joy, singing and chanting a hymn to the LORD. (7) Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud; have mercy on me, answer me. (8) In Your behalf my heart says: “Seek My face!” O LORD, I seek Your face. (9) Do not hide Your face from me; do not thrust aside Your servant in anger; You have ever been my help. Do not forsake me, do not abandon me, O God, my deliverer. (10) Though my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will take me in. (11) Show me Your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path because of my watchful foes. (12) Do not subject me to the will of my foes, for false witnesses and unjust accusers have appeared against me. (13) Had I not the assurance that I would enjoy the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living… (14) Look to the LORD; be strong and of good courage! O look to the LORD!

To David...In this psalm it will be explained that Hashgacha results from cleaving to Hashem, and the one who cleaves to Him will have Constant Hashgacha which will protect him from all harm, and therefore the individual could rest assured and not fear from any evil thing, for "nothing evil befalls a tzadik", except at the moment he severs the thread of dvekut and turns away from the service of Hashem, as the Moreh Nevuchim expained (3:53). Therefore from the multitude of requests which a man can make, it is fitting that he focus on the single request in which he will find all that he desires; that is [to request] that he cleaves to Hashem constantly. Therefore [David] prays that Hashem assists him in achieving this dvekut and removes all obstacles that prevent this great thing which is the pinnacle of his happiness and his request.

How important He is to us, David tells us in the verse: The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? (Ps. 27:1). When did David utter this verse? While fighting against the Amalekite bands. He fought against them at night and slew them, as it is said: And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening (I Sam. 30:17). Who indeed lit the shooting stars and sent the lightning for them? R. Eleazar the son of Pedat was of the opinion that this verse refers to the war waged against the Egyptians after they pursued the Israelites. Observe what is written there: And there was the cloud and the darkness here, yet it gave light by night there (Exod. 14:20). R. Oshaya declared: When the Israelites saw the light they cried out: The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: If you light lamps before Me, I will illumine the world in your behalf with a great light, as it is said: But the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory (Isa. 16:19).

And, because he is on the level of truth, the light of God Himself, whose seal is truth, is then, so to speak, enclothed in him. Then it is said of him (Psalms 27:1), “God is my light and my help.” And, because God is his light, he is able to find many openings from which to depart the darkness and exile in which he is enclosed. For the truth is that there are many openings there, as our Sages teach (Menachot 29b): “When someone comes to defile himself, they open up for him”—there are many openings for him.

kotel.” That is, the knocking down of the door is by means of> the concept of the kotel — ko, tel. Ko corresponds to the Holy Name, which is the concept of Colors. As it is written (Psalms 27:1), “YHVH is my light”—the lights of the Colors; “and yish’i (my salvation)”—the garments of yesha. And He is “the tel (mound) to which everyone turns” and craves to look at.

Rabbi Yosi said, Jacob's beauty was the beauty of Adam. How could this be? We learned that the apple of Adam's heel eclipsed the orb of the sun. Could you say that for Jacob? Rabbi Elazar replied, assuredly before Adam sinned no creature could behold his beauty. But after he sinned, his beauty changed, his stature diminished, and he was a hundred cubits high. Come and behold, Adam's beauty is a mystery on which supernal faith stems. Of this, the scripture says "And let the beauty of Adonai our Elohim be upon us" (Tehilim 90:17). It is also written, "to behold the beauty of Hashem" (Tehilim 27:4). This is, assuredly, the beauty of Jacob. And all is in the supernal mystery.