ב"ה
The Meaning of קבלת שבת: An Analysis of תהלים פרקים צ-ק
The majority of the chapters of תהלים that we recite in קבלת שבת are taken from the first section of the 4th book of Psalms, namely chapters 90-100. Examining those chapters as a unit will help us to better understand the message of our תפילות of ערב שבת.
The subtext of the previous Sefer in תהלים is פרשת האזינו, as we’ve discussed at length elsewhere. We would therefore expect this next section to make use of וזאת הברכה . This is in fact the case. The אבן עזרא ( 90:1 ) suggests that this is, in fact, true:
תפלה למשה איש האלקים - לפי דעתי שמשה אדונינו חבר זאת התפלה כי היא על לשון רבים ואין דברי דוד ככה ועוד שהחל ה' מעון אתה ובתורה מעונה אלקי קדם …
This relationship to וזאת הברכה is evident, as well, in the fact that these two texts uniquely refer to משה רבינו as איש האלקים. This theory is a very powerful one in shedding light on many aspects of these פרקים. Whether he authored these chapters or not is not crucial, that he is at the heart of these chapters is. So too, understanding that there exists a connection to וזאת הברכה is very important, however one interprets the nature of that connection. It is also interesting to note that the author refers to himself as עבדיך ( 90:16 ) - the other description of משה רבינו that we find in וזאת הברכה.
The first part of chapter 90 paints a terrifying picture of human existence: brief and filled with pain and uncertainty. This section ( 90:1-11 ) describes a world that reflects God’s wrath, a world of דין. The chapter closes with a prayer ( 90:12-17 ) that God relate to us with רחמים rather than דין. In this section the hope is for שבענו בבקר חסדך ונרננה ונשמחה בכל ימינו ( 90:14 ). The next chapter depicts the response.
The following chapter presents a contrasting image: a vision of the world as it is run in the mode of רחמים. The description in the previous chapter is remolded to form this opposing vision. Thus, the wrath of God, כל ימינו פנו בעברתיך ( 90:9 ) is transformed into the protecting limbs of the Divine, באברתו יסך לך ( 91:4 ). The request that we saw in the previous chapter is answered here ( 91:16 ) אורך ימים אשביעהו ואראהו בישועתי. This entire chapter is the answer to the prayer of the preceding one.
In chapter 91 there is a fascinating image that lurks just below the surface. The description of being sheltered by god’s wings is supplemented in the continuation of the chapter by reference to being protected by his כפים ( 91:12 ). The key to this protection is כי ידע שמי ( 91:14 ). All of this calls to mind the events of כי תשא ( e.g. 33:12,22 ). The threat of facing God’s wrath, to the point of extinction ( here represented in chapter 90 ), is averted as דין is replaced by רחמים ( as described here in chapter 91 ). The events involving משה איש האלקים are center stage in these verses! It his encounter with God’s דין and רחמים that serves as the backdrop for our chapters.
It should also be noted that throughout this section there is an undercurrent of negation of the threats of האזינו ( this is natural, of course, for a section that is based on וזאת הברכה ). Some examples of this include לא תירא … מקטב ישוד צהרים ( 91:5-6 ) and על שחל ופתן תדרוך תרמס כפיר ותנין ( 91:13 ).
The next chapter is the song of שבח in response to this מידת הרחמים oriented world. Here we find thanksgiving for the affirmative response to the prayer in the latter part of chapter 90. There ( 90:14 ) the משורר pleads שבענו בבוקר חסדך ורננה ונשמחה בכל ימינו. Here ( 92:5 ) that prayer has been answered and the reaction is כי שמחתני ה’ בפועלך במעשה ידיך ארנן.
Before we analyze this chapter further, we must look at the overall structure of chapters 90-99. There are essentially two types of chapters in this series, both based on וזאת הברכה. There are those chapters, such as the triad that we have just looked at, that may be referred to as מעון chapters. They deal with the concept of God as protected and shelter. The second category is that of the מלך chapters- those that deal with the sovereignty of God.
If we look at the sequence of chapters through the prism of these two categories, we will notice an interesting pattern. The מעון series consists of chapters 90, 91, 92 and 94. The מלך chapters consist of chapters 93, 95, 96, 97, 98 and 99. That is to say that they are nearly perfectly organized by the division into these two categories. The only exception is that 93 and 94 are transposed. This creates the effect of interweaving the two strands into one continuous whole. As in וזאת הברכה, the point here is that the idyllic vision of God as מעון is a function of our acceptance of him as מלך. This is borne out by the content of the chapters, as well.
Realizing that there are two strands allows for greater insight into the chapters themselves and their relationship to each other. Chapter 92 and 94 are consecutive in the flow of מעון chapters, though not in the sequence of chapters in תהלים. In light of this it is fascinating that they deal with the same basic question: the apparently unjust success of the wicked. More so, the language used is incredibly similar. In the former chapter it is stated as איש בער לא ידע וכסיל לא יבין את זאת ( 92:7 ). This is echoed in the parallel chapter as בינו בוערים בעם וכסילים מתי תשכילו ( 94:8 ). This is the backdrop for the Midrash ( see ילקוט שמעוני ) that sees the latter text as a response to the former. The conclusion of the two chapters are also similar:צורי כי ישר ה’ ( 92:16 ) and ואלקי לצור מחסי ( 94:22 ).
Chapters 93 and 95 are also to be read as if they were consecutive. Chapter 93 is clearly based on אז ישיר. It opens with ה' מלך גאות לבש לבש ה' עז התאזר. This obviously echoes the language of אז ישיר. The same is true of many phrases in this chapter, such as נכון כסאך מאז ( 93:2 ); מקולות מים רבים אדירים ( 93:4 ) and לביתך נאוה קודש ( 93:5 ). The entire chapter speaks of how the waters declare God’s kingdom. This too is consistent with its connection to אז ישיר.
If we now look at the first segment of chapter 95, we will see that the same is true of that section. It too clearly echoes the words of אז ישיר. The chapter opens with נריעה לצור ישענו and בזמירות נריע לו ( 95:1-2 ), reflecting the beginning of אז ישיר ( 15:2 ). It continues with the idea of God’s control of ים and יבשה ( 95:5 ), which clearly describes קריעת ים סוף.
The point of the splitting of the sea was to pave the way for מלכות ה’, as described in אז ישיר ( and as we’ve discussed in the Parshah Shiurim ). The road of גאולה was blocked by the sins of the Jewish People, as we explained in the Shiur on פרשת חקת. This is reflected in the end of this chapter ( 95:8-11 ).
It is noteworthy that the problem is described as והם לא ידעו דרכי. This is, of course, the antithesis of the י"ג מדות of רחמים that are the basis of the idyllic picture of יושב בסתר עליון. These are the response to משה רבינו’s request of הודעני נא את דרכך [ שמות ( 33:13 ) ].
Once the path of אז ישיר is blocked, we are forced to go back and start again with a new אז ישיר, as we saw in our discussion of Parshat חקת ( 21:4,17 ). This is echoed here, as well. The next chapter opens with a reflection of that second אז ישיר, namely שירו לה’ שיר חדש ( 96:1 )!
The dream- articulated in אז ישיר- of building the ultimate Temple is returned to here. Some examples of this are the following:
הוד והדר לפניו עז ותפארת במקדשו ( 96:6 ).
הבו לה' כבוד שמו שאו מנחה ובאו לחצרותיו ( 96:8 ).
This brings us to the next chapter and its relationship to this one.
Chapter 97 paints an portrait of מעמד הר סיני using a very interesting set of images. In the beginning of the chapter ( 97:2-5 ) it is presented this way:
ענן וערפל סביביו צדק ומשפט מכון כסאו:
אש לפניו תלך ותלהט סביב צריו:
האירו ברקיו תבל ראתה ותחל הארץ:
הרים כדונג נמסו מלפני ה' מלפני אדון כל הארץ:
The specific image of the mountains melting is apparently borrowed from the description in שירת דבורה [ שופטים ( 5:4-5 ) ]. This is interesting because the general description of מעמד הר סיני in שירת דבורה is apparently based on the recounting in וזאת הברכה; hence we have come full circle!
There is another way in which מעמד הר סיני is alluded to. The attack on idolatry in this chapter ( 97:7 ) closely follows the wording in the עשרת הדברות.
The fact that מעמד הר סיני is inserted here is significant for two reasons: First, it reflects the structure in the Torah. Parshat בשלח is followed by יתרו, that is to say the Revelation. We will see that this flow of Parshiyot are echoed throughout these chapters. Secondly, the רמב"ן explains that there is a powerful connection between the Revelation and the משכן- as we’ve discussed in the Shiurim on the Parshiyot.
It is similarly interesting that this chapter includes the theme of משפט ( 97:8 ). This is of course the focus of the following Parshah, משפטים. In addition, we have explained ( in Parshat משפטים ) that there is an inherent relationship between Revelation and משפט.
In chapter 98 the משורר returns to the theme of קריעת ים סוף and the שיר חדש. It is interesting to note that the גמרא in ראש השנה ( 27a ) explains the term “ לפני המלך ה’ “ ( 98:6 ) as meaning in the Temple.
In chapter 99 the blueprint for the future Temple is completed. The chapter opens by referring to God as ישב כרובים ( 99:1 ), that is the Divine Presence at the heart of the Temple- appearing to us from the top of the ארון. The chapter concludes with the call to serve him on the holy mountain, הר הבית ( 99:9 ). The body of the chapter discusses the כהנים, those that give life to the Temple. In the description of the concept of the future Temple it is natural that the ultimate כהנים of our history ( and in the days of Resurrection, our future ) are named: משה ואהרן בכהניו ושמואל בקראי שמו ( 99:6 ).
The last stage is chapter 100. After outlining the blueprint of the Temple, the final component needs to be mentioned is the קרבן. At this point the choice of the type of sacrifice is obvious. It is easy enough to understand why chapter 100 is מזמור לתודה!
In conclusion, these chapters are built on the foundation of וזאת הברכה as we’ve seen. The basic message of these chapters echoes the theme of וזאת הברכה: The promise of מעון is tied to the condition of our acceptance of God’s מלכות. The laws of Sinai are the basis for ושכנתי בתוכם.
At this point we should pause and consider the structure of קבלת שבת. קבלת שבת consists of 8 chapters of Tehillim. מזמור שיר ליום השבת is the seventh. The chapters are clearly meant to represent the 6 days culminating in the 7th, the שבת. There is then an 8th, for reasons that will soon become clear.
The chapters of קבלת שבת share one element, the concept of מלכות ה’. The only chapter that doesn’t mention this theme is מזמור שיר ליום השבת. Of course, the שבת itself is מלכות. It itself alludes to מלכות ה’.
For this reason, it is no coincidence that nearly all of the chapters of קבלת שבת are taken from the מלכות section of the chapters we are discussing here. The exception is chapter 29. If one examines that chapter carefully, they will see that it is cut from the same cloth as our chapters. It also fits in with the מלכות ה’ and אז ישיר themes.
The order of the chapters in קבלת שבת is also not haphazard. As we mentioned, מזמור שיר ליום השבת is placed 7th. The order in our chapters is altered slightly. What this accomplishes is that קבלת שבת opens with the explanation of the need for a second blueprint to take us back to the plan of אז ישיר and מלכות ה’. The conclusion of קבלת שבת is that very return to the original אז ישיר!
It is this focus of קבלת שבת that flows from the essence of the שבת and the dreams that it evokes. This is what חז"ל tell us in תמיד ( לג: ):
השיר שהיו הלוים אומרים במקדש: ביום הראשון היו אומרים לה' הארץ ומלואה תבל ויושבי בה, בשני היו אומרים גדול ה' ומהולל מאד בעיר אלקינו הר קדשו, בשלישי היו אומרים אלקים נצב בעדת אל בקרב אלקים ישפוט. ברביעי היו אומרים אל נקמות ה' אל נקמות הופיע, בחמישי היו אומרים הרנינו לאלקים עוזנו הריעו לאלקי יעקב, בששי היו אומרים ה' מלך גאות לבש לבש וגומר, בשבת היו אומרים מזמור שיר ליום השבת - מזמור שיר לעתיד לבוא, ליום שכולו שבת ומנוחה לחיי העולמים.