Strength and Peace (Eikev 08/24/24)

Strength and Peace

As in years before, I asked congregants to speak on Shabbat during these weeks leading up to the High Holidays. This break allows me to focus on my upcoming speeches while learning new ideas from our members. This past Shabbat (Parshat Eikev), Paul Konigstein presented the D’var Torah. I think you find his insights elucidating and meaningful.

As we returned the Torah to the ark this morning, we sang, as we do every Shabbat morning, the 29th Psalm. In the synagogue where I grew up, Congregation Beth Shalom in Valley Stream, our rabbi, Rabbi Hack, recited the last line of this Psalm as his benediction at the end of every service:

ה’ עֹז לְעַמּוֹ יִתֵּן; ה’ יְבָרֵךְ אֶת-עַמּוֹ בַשָּׁלוֹם

The LORD will give strength unto His people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.

Rabbi Hack was not the only rabbi who found this Psalm and this verse especially meaningful. The Kabbalists who created the Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat service 500 years ago chose Psalm 29 as the springboard to the high point of the service, Lecha Dodi. The rabbis who created the modern siddur inserted G-d’s blessings of strength and peace at the beginning of the Torah service just before we open the ark. You will also find these blessings in the Hakafot recited on Simchat Torah and at the very end of the Birkat Hamazon, the blessings after a meal. The oldest use of this Psalm dates back to Temple times. Back then, the Levites sang it throughout Sukkot during morning prayers.

Why would one Psalm be used in so many different contexts? Rabbi Dr. Yaakov Jaffe, Director of Tanakh Studies at the Maimonides School, suggests that each use of Psalm 29 is related to different interpretations of the Psalm by our classical commentators, Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and Radak.

Rashi interprets the Psalm as a reflection on the moment of the giving of the Torah. He focuses on the references to the “Voice of the LORD” and the depiction of fire, both of which were central to the Sinai experience. Reciting this Psalm upon the return of the Torah aligns with Rashi’s view. As the Torah was given by tradition on Shabbat, the Torah reading each Shabbat recreates the giving of the Torah, and the Psalm that celebrates that moment is recited when the Torah scroll is returned to the Ark.

Ibn Ezra focuses on the role of water in the song, which is central at the start and end of the Psalm. To him, the focus of the Psalm is the emotional response of the Psalmist to a rainstorm with wind, thunder, and lightning. Thus, the use of this Psalm on Sukkot, the holiday on which we pray for rain.

The commentator Radak offers a third view, understanding this Psalm as referring to the Messianic future. The Psalm ends with the lines: “The LORD sits enthroned, King forever. The LORD will give strength unto His people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.” At that Messianic moment, G-d’s rule will finally be recognized for eternity, and the people of Israel will achieve true, everlasting peace. This would explain the inclusion of the Psalm in Kabbalat Shabbat since all the Psalms sung on Friday night speak of the future, Messianic, redemptive period.

Growing up in Congregation Beth Shalom, I was unaware of these three interpretations of Psalm 29 and instead made my own personal interpretation. Like Rabbi Hack, I focused on the last line, “The LORD will give strength unto His people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.” I noticed the order of G-d’s blessings. First, G-d gave us strength, and then we received peace. From this order, I inferred that personal strength is a prerequisite to inner peace. In other words, you must have the determination to shut out the negative influences in your life and work on improving yourself before you can achieve the peace that comes from being happy with the life you lead. Strength of character is necessary for acceptance of one’s lot in life.

I once explained to our son Harry, an avid poker fan, G-d’s role in our lives by saying that G-d deals the cards, but we play the hand. The most successful poker players are the ones who have the strength to shut out the distractions around them and focus on getting the most out of their hand. An accomplishment such as winning a poker tournament provides a feeling of happiness and peace.

I wish you all the strength to achieve what means peacefulness to you.

Paul Konigstein 8/24/24