(16) Seven times the righteous fall and get up, While the wicked are tripped by one misfortune.
זָקֵן אֵין טוֹב כִּי צָרִיךְ רַק לְהִתְחַדֵּשׁ בְּכָל יוֹם לְהַתְחִיל בְּכָל עֵת מֵחָדָשׁ.
It is not good to be old. One needs to renew themselves by beginning fresh every day.
מד. אִם אַתָּה מַאֲמִין שֶׁיְּכוֹלִים לְקַלְקֵל, תַּאֲמִין שֶׁיְּכוֹלִין לְתַקֵּן.
If you believe it is possible to destroy, believe it is possible to repair!
But they who trust in G1!d shall renew their strength
As eagles grow new plumes:
They shall run and not grow weary,
They shall march and not grow faint.
(5) G!d satisfies you with good things in the prime of life, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
תתחדש כנשר נעוריכי. כנשר הזה שמחדש כנפיו ונוצה משנה לשנה, ויש מדרש אגדה על מין נשר שכשמזקין חוזר לנערותו:
That your youth renews itself like the eagle Like this eagle, which renews its wings and feathers from year to year. There is a Midrash Aggadah about a kind of eagle that returns to its youth when it becomes old.
We have received quite a few e-mails regarding the “Eagle Rebirth” story recently. The story is quite far from what an eagle’s life truly consists of, but we would be happy to share with you the natural history of the Bald Eagle. Eagles would not typically “lose” their beak or talons, unless it was the result of a traumatic injury. The talons and beak are two of the three best defining features of what makes these birds “raptors”. Without the sharp talons for catching prey and the strong, sharp beak for tearing food, the raptor would certainly die of starvation. An eagle hatches with both a beak and talons and these will continue to grow throughout the bird’s life. The beak and talons are composed of hard keratin and are somewhat similar to human fingernails. The talons of the eagle are not flexible as the story claims. New layers of keratin growth build onto the old layers ensuring a strong structure for the raptor. The raptor keeps the beak in good condition naturally in the wild by eating tough prey and rubbing the beak clean on stones or other hard surfaces (feaking) after eating.
וַעֲצָתוֹ – שֶׁיַּתְחִיל מֵחָדָשׁ לִכָּנֵס בַּעֲבוֹדַת הַשֵּׁם, כְּאִלּוּ לֹא הִתְחִיל עֲדַיִן כְּלָל מֵעוֹלָם. וְזֶה כְּלָל גָּדוֹל בַּעֲבוֹדַת הַשֵּׁם, שֶׁצְּרִיכִין מַמָּשׁ בְּכָל יוֹם לְהַתְחִיל מֵחָדָשׁ:
The advice for her [that falls from her spiritual level] is to start anew, to enter the service of God as if she had never begun before. This is a very important rule in the service of God: Literally every day, people need to begin anew.
(ג) נִמְצָא שֶׁעִקַּר כֹּחַ הָעֲבוֹדָה שֶׁל כָּל הַיָּמִים אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא הַהַתְחָלָה כַּנַּ"ל, עַיֵּן שָׁם, וּכְפִי הַכֹּחַ וְהַהִתְלַהֲבוּת שֶׁל הַהַתְחָלָה כֵּן הוֹלֵךְ וּמִתְנַהֵג בַּעֲבוֹדָתוֹ, כִּי עִקָּר הִיא הַהַתְחָלָה כַּנַּ"ל. עַל כֵּן צָרִיךְ לְהַתְחִיל בְּכָל פַּעַם מֵחָדָשׁ, כִּי פֶּן וְאוּלַי לֹא הָיְתָה הַתְחָלָתוֹ כָּרָאוּי, וְאִם כֵּן גַּם כָּל עֲבוֹדָתוֹ אֵינָהּ בִּשְׁלֵמוּת כָּרָאוּי, כִּי הַכֹּל מִתְנַהֵג כְּפִי הַהַתְחָלָה.
(3) A person will progress in and perform her avodah ['work' physical, or spiritual] commensurate with the energy and enthusiasm of the beginning... This is why it is necessary to each time begin anew, for it is very possible that her beginning was not as it should have been.
וְזֶהוּ בְּחִינַת אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם לְצַדִּיקִים וְלִרְשָׁעִים (ב"ק נ') ...דְּהַיְנוּ שֶׁלֹּא לִפֹּל לְזִקְנָה דְּסִטְרָא אַחֲרָא ח"ו, שֶׁלֹּא תִּהְיֶה עֲבוֹדָתוֹ זְקֵנָה וַחֲלוּשָׁה אֶצְלוֹ, רַק לְחַדֵּשׁ כַּנֶּשֶׁר נְעוּרָיו בְּכָל פַּעַם, וּבְכָל יוֹם יַתְחִיל מֵחָדָשׁ בְּתוֹסֶפֶת קְדֻשָּׁה וַעֲבוֹדָה וְלֹא יִעַף וְלֹא יִגַּע לְעוֹלָם, וְלֹא יִתְבַּלְבֵּל מִשּׁוּם דָּבָר, שֶׁזֶּהוּ בְּחִינַת אֲרִיכַת אַפַּיִם, כִּי לִפְעָמִים נִתְיַגַּע הָעוֹבֵד אֶת יקוק מֵחֲמַת שֶׁכְּבָר סָבַל כַּמָּה יִסּוּרִים וְכוּ', וְעַל-יְדֵי זֶה יָכוֹל לִפֹּל לִבְחִינַת זִקְנָה דְּסִטְרָא אַחֲרָא וּתְשׁוּת כֹּחַ ח"ו, עַל-כֵּן צָרִיךְ לְהִתְחַזֵּק מְאֹד בְּמִדַּת אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם הַנַּ"ל כָּל יְמֵי חַיָּיו לְהַאֲרִיךְ אַפּוֹ וְרוּחוֹ עַל כָּל הַיְּגִיעוֹת וְהַכְּבֵדוּת וּלְהַתְחִיל בְּכָל פַּעַם מֵחָדָשׁ.
And this is the aspect of “Erech Apayim Long-Tempered... That is, to not fall in the oldness of the Sitra Achra [Lit. The Other Side, unconsciousness, negative habituation], God forbid, that her service should not be old and weak for her, but just “renew his youth like an eagle” all the time, and every day begin new with additional sanctity and service, and never get tired or weary, and not be confused by anything, and this is the aspect of Erekh Apayim. For, sometimes one gets weary on account of having suffered so many trials etc., and thereby she could fall into oldness of the Sitra Achra and exhaustion, God forbid. Therefore she needs to strengthen herself a great deal with the trait of Erekh Apayim, all her days, extending her temper and spirit for all the toils and burdens, beginning new every time.
It means, “Renew our lives, as you renewed our lives after we were exiled from the Garden of Eden.” Hadesh yameinu ke-kedem is then not a plea for restoration of a formerly perfect condition, but rather it is a plea for resilience, a plea for the ability to renew ourselves after future crises and dislocations, just as our lives have been renewed before. As Elie Wiesel said, “God gave Adam a secret — and that secret was not how to begin, but how to begin again.”
תתחדש כנשר נעוריכי. עם הבריאות מתחדש ומתחלף: ואמר כנשר. אומרים כי הנשר מתחלף לעשר שנים ויעלה מאד על פני רקיע השמים ויקרב לחום האש היסודי ויפיל עצמו בים מרוב חום וימות, ויתחדש ויעלה אבר וישוב לימי עלומיו וכן כל עשר שנים עד מאה וכשיגיע למאה יעלה כמנהגו ויפול בים וימות שם.
Your youth is renewed like the eagle’s: With health renewed and transformed. Like the eagle: It is said that when a eagle turns ten years old, it flies up very high in the sky and approaches the elemental heat of fire [the sun?] and falls into the sea from the overwhelming heat and dies. And it is renewed and rises up again and returns the days of its youth. And it does this every decade until it turns a hundred years old when it flies up, as is its practice, and falls into the sea and dies there.
Getzel's Teaching and Counseling https://www.zivugtogether.org/
(ט) נָפְקָא (כיון) דִּיוּקְנָא דְּאָדָם דְּכָלִיל כָּל דִּיוּקְנִין. כְּדֵין כְּתִיב עֵץ פְּרִי עוֹשֶׂה פְּרִי לְמִינוֹ. אֲשֶׁר זַרְעוֹ בוֹ עַל הָאָרֶץ. לָא אַפִּיק זַרְעָא אֶלָּא לְתוֹעַלְתָּא. עַל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר זַרְעוֹ בוֹ דַּיְיקָא. מִכָּאן דְּלֵית רְשׁוּ לְבַר נָשׁ לְאַפָּקָא זַרְעָא מִנֵּיהּ לְבַטָּלָא. חָצִּיר (נ''א דשא) (רזא) דְּהָכָא לָאו אִיהוּ מַזְרִיעַ זֶרַע. וּבְגִין כָּךְ אִתְבַּטַּל וְלָא קַיְימָא בְּקִיּוּמָא (י''ט ב', מ''א) כְּהָנֵי אַחֲרָנִין, דְּלֵית לֵיה דִּיוּקְנָא לְאִצְטַיְירָא וּלְאִתְגְּלָפָא בְּדִיּוּקְנָא וְצִיּוּרָא כְּלָל. אֶלָּא אִתְחַזּוּן וְלָא אִתְחַזּוּן. כָּל אִנּוּן דְּלָא אִצְטַיְירוּ בְּצִיּוּרָא וְדִיּוּקְנָא לֵית לוֹן קִיּוּמָא. קַיְימֵי לְפוּם שַׁעֲתָא וְאִתְאֲכִילוּ בְּאֶשָׁא דְּאָכְלָא אֶשָׁא וּמִהַדְּרִין כְּמִדִלְּקַדְּמִין וְכֵן בְּכָל יוֹמָא. (ויחי רט''ו) בַּר נָשׁ לְתַתָּא אִית לֵיהּ דִּיוּקְנָא וְצִיּוּרָא, וְלָא אִיהוּ בְּקִיּוּמָא כְּגַוְונָא דְּהָנֵי דִלְעֵילָא. צִיּוּרָא וְדִיּוּקְנָא דִּלְעֵיל (דלעלא). מִצְטַיְירִין בְּצִיּוּרֵיהוֹן כְּמָה דְּהַוְיָין בְּלָא מַלְבּוּשָׁא אָחֳרָא לְאִצְטַיְירָא. וּבְגִין כָּךְ אִנּוּן בְּקִיּוּמָא תָּדִיר. צִיּוּרָא דְּאָדָם לְתַתָּא מִצְטַיְירִין בְּצִיּוּרַיְיהוּ בְּמַלְבּוּשָׁא וְלָא כְּגַוְונָא (בגוונא) אָחֳרָא, וּבְגִין כָּךְ קָיְּימִין בְּקִיּוּמָא זְמַן וְעִדָּן. וּבְכָל לֵילְיָא וְלֵילְיָא מִתְפַּשַּׁט רוּחָא מֵהַאי מַלְבּוּשָׁא וְסָלְקָא (לעלא). וְהַהוּא אֶשָׁא דְּאָכְלָא אָכִיל לֵיהּ. וּבָתַר אִתְהַדַּר כְּמִלְקַדְּמִין וּמִצְטַיְירִין בִּלְבוּשַׁיְיהוּ. וּבְגִין כָּךְ לֵית לוֹן קִיּוּמָא כְּאִנּוּן דִּיוּקְנִין דִּלְעֵיל. וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב, (איכה ג) חֲדָשִׁים לַבְּקָרִים. בְּנֵי נְשָׁא דְּאִנּוּן חֲדָשִׁים בְּכָל יוֹמָא וְיוֹמָא.
(א) מַאי טַעְמָא, רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶךָ, רַבָּה אִיהוּ וְלָא זְעֵירָא.
(ב) רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶךָ וַדַּאי רַבָּה דְּיָכְלָא לְנַטְלָא כָּל בְּנֵי עַלְמָא וּלְאַכְלָלָא לוֹן בְּגַוָּוהּ עִלָּאָה וְתַתָּאָה. אֲתַר רַב וְסַגֵּי אִיהוּ דְּכָלִיל כֹּלָּא וְלֹא אִתְמַלְיָיא יַתִּיר. וְרָזָא דָא (קהלת א׳:ז׳) כָּל הַנְּחָלִים הוֹלְכִים אֶל הַיָּם וְהַיָּם אֵינֶנּוּ מָלֵא וְגו' אָזְלֵי לְגַבֵּי יַמָּא וְיַמָּא נָטִיל לוֹן וְאָכִיל לוֹן בְּגַוֵּיהּ וְלָא אִתְמַלְיָיא. וּבָתַר אַפִּיק לוֹן כְּמִלְקַדְּמִין וְאָזְלֵי. וּבְגִין דָּא רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶךָ.
(9) 9. When the image of a man, which includes all the other images, issues forth, it is described as "fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind" (Gen. 1:11). Because man is both male and female, "the fruit tree" is the female and "yielding fruit" applies to the male. The phrase: "Whose seed is in itself, upon the earth" (Ibid.) teaches us that he emitted his seed for the benefit of the earth alone. So the phrase: "Whose seed is in itself" is purposely said to teach us that man should not emit his seed in vain. The "herb" which appears in the verse: "Let the earth bring forth grass, herb yielding seed" does not yield seed. Because of this, it has no permanency and does not last like the others. This is because it has no image to be shaped and engraved into any sort of likeness or form. Instead, they are seen and not seen. All those that have not been shaped into a form or an image have no permanency. They are created and last only for a certain time and are immediately consumed by the fire that devours fire, as already explained. Then they are again created and are immediately consumed by the fire that consumes fire. This is repeated again and again every day. A human being below, in this world has an image and a form, but he does not last forever, as do those of the angels above. The form and image of the angels above are formed in their shape without any other covering. Because of this, they are everlasting. The image of man in this world below referring to the Nefesh, Ruach and Neshamah is shaped into its form only by a covering. Because of this, man lasts only for a certain, limited period. Every night when a man sleeps, his spirit removes the covering and ascends. This fire that consumes fire, namely the Female principle of Zeir Anpin, consumes and burns this spirit. Later, the spirits are resurrected and reshaped in their coverings as before. Because of this, the spirits have no permanent existence, as do the images above, which is a reference to the angels of the "herb," but are burned and then renewed as before. About this, it is written: "They are new every morning" (Lam. 3:23), which refers to the spirits of human beings, which are renewed daily.
(1) 1. What is the purpose of this renewal? The verse concludes: "Great is Your faithfulness" (Ibid.), so it is great and not small.
(2) 2. The phrase: "Great is your faithfulness" means that it is for certain that the faithfulness or Faith, which is the Female principle, is great. She is able to receive all the souls of the world and include them, the upper and the lower souls, in herself. The Female principle is a great and large space that includes everything and is never full. This is the secret of the verse: "All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full" (Kohelet 1:7). The Female principle is called the "Sea" and the "rivers" are the souls. So the verse actually means that all the souls flow into the Female principle, yet she is not full. And the reason she is not yet full is because the souls run into the sea, which receives them and burns them inside it. Because of this, the sea is not yet full. Afterward, the sea restores the souls to their former state and they come into this world. This is why the verse reads: "Great is Your faithfulness."