by Rabbi Pesach Wolicki | f 6, 2024 | Bible Study, Faith, Psalms
This verse, like many others in the book of Psalms, is a seemingly repetitive poetic couplet. The first half of the verse and the second half of the verse appear to be saying the same thing in slightly different words. Zion is another name for Jerusalem. Exalt and...
by Rabbi Pesach Wolicki | f 5, 2024 | Fear of God, Kindness and Compassion, Psalms
Psalm 147, leading up to this verse, describes how God controls nature and provides for all the needs of His creations. In that context, our verse states that although God looks after the material necessities of all things, His true desire is not merely to sustain a...
by Rabbi Pesach Wolicki | f 5, 2024 | Isaiah, Psalms
What blessings does God need? Psalm 135:21 begins, “Blessed is the LORD from Zion.” The obvious question is, does God really need to be blessed by us? What are we actually doing when we bless God? I understand what it means to bless another person. It...
by Rabbi Pesach Wolicki | f 10, 2024 | Psalms
This verse describes the defense against sin that is provided by the word of God. By remembering the word of God and “treasuring” it in one’s heart, one is protected from sin. The consciousness of God’s word provides a corrective at a moment of weakness that could...
by Rabbi Pesach Wolicki | f 8, 2024 | Psalms
Jerusalem: City of Peace The Hebrew word for “peace”, Shalom, is often misunderstood. Shalom does not mean “peace” in the sense of compromise or a lack of hostilities. This contemporary meaning of “peace” is the farthest thing from Shalom. Shalom comes from the Hebrew...
by Rabbi Pesach Wolicki | f 7, 2024 | Messiah, Psalms, Temple
Psalm 122 is the third in a series of fifteen psalms that begin with the words, A song of ascents. Of these fifteen chapters, only four name David as the author. One chapter names David’s son Solomon (Psalm 127). The remaining ten chapters in this series do not name...
