The theme of Psalm 129 is the travail of the exile and the
joy of the redemption. This is its text.
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רַבַּת צְרָרוּנִי מִנְּעוּרַי
יֹאמַר נָא יִשְׂרָאֵל.
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1. A
song of ascents.
Much
have they distressed me from my youth,
Let
Israel say.
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ב. רַבַּת צְרָרוּנִי
מִנְּעוּרָי
גַּם לֹא יָכְלוּ לִי.
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2.
Much have they distressed me from my youth,
However,
they have not prevailed against me.
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ג. עַל גַּבִּי חָרְשׁוּ
חֹרְשִׁים
הֶאֱרִיכוּ למענותם לְמַעֲנִיתָם].
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3.
On my back, the plowmen plowed;
they
lengthened their furrow.
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ד. ה' צַדִּיק
קִצֵּץ עֲבוֹת רְשָׁעִים.
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4.
The Lord is righteous;
He
has cut the ropes of the wicked.
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ה. יֵבֹשׁוּ וְיִסֹּגוּ
אָחוֹר
כֹּל שֹׂנְאֵי צִיּוֹן.
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5.
They will be ashamed and withdraw
all
those who hate Zion
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ו. יִהְיוּ כַּחֲצִיר
גַּגּוֹת
שֶׁקַּדְמַת שָׁלַף יָבֵשׁ.
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6.
They will be like the grass on the roofs,
before
it is plucked, it is withered.
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ז. שֶׁלֹּא מִלֵּא כַפּוֹ
קוֹצֵר
וְחִצְנוֹ מְעַמֵּר.
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7.
Which does not fill the hand of the reaper,
and
the bundle of the binder.
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ח. וְלֹא אָמְרוּ הָעֹבְרִים
בִּרְכַּת יְהוָה אֲלֵיכֶם
בֵּרַכְנוּ אֶתְכֶם בְּשֵׁם
ה'.
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8.
And passers-by do not say,
"the
blessing of the Lord is upon you;
we
blessed you in the name of the Lord."
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The Psalm starts when Israel is in its youth and the nation is in exile.
The Malbim, (Rabbi Meïr Leibush ben Yehiel Michel Wisser) comments that it is
called a song of ascents because it speaks about the providence and protection
of Hashem upon Israel from all of their enemies. He continues that Israel
should say and recount that from their youth they were under siege but were
like a fortified city from the day of establishment and for the next 2000
years.
The Ibn Ezra notes that the phrase, “much have they distressed me from
my youth”, is repeated and remarks that it comes to emphasize that in spite of
the all the trouble they did not succeed in destroying all memory of them. The Meiri
notes the phrase and explains that it means troubles, many and large. He
continues that in spite of this they could not stop the propagation of the Jewish
people and brings a quote found in Passover Haggadah that in each and every age
they attempted to annihilate us but the Holy One Blessed be He rescues us from
their hand. The Malbim adds that even with all of the charlatans, Israel never
suffered any harm.
The Ibn Ezra explains, the ploughing long furrows on my back, as
disgrace and degradation. In a slight variation the Meiri sees it as work
without rest and Israel as the ox. The cutting of the cords refers to the end
of persecution. The Ibn Ezra understands the cutting of the cords as Hashem
removing the burden from the shoulder of Israel when they recognize the kingdom
of heaven. The idea of, “Hashem is righteous”, implies that from the standpoint
of nature, Israel would never get out of this situation. However there is an
aspect of righteousness in the world, and this is the vehicle for their
deliverance.
The Midrash Socher Tov brings an allegory of a man who borrows an ox
from his neighbor. After he has finished ploughing with the ox, he allows his
ten children to plough with the ox until it is so weary that it refuses to
work. The neighbor than takes care of all of his livestock but neglects the one
he borrowed. The owner of the ox does not accept any apologies rather he simply
cuts the reins from the poor animal. The metaphor is Israel in the exile. The
passers-by are the idolatrous nations that that are passing from the world.
They will not say to Israel, “the blessing of Hashem is on you”, and Israel
will not respond, “We have blessed you in the name of Hashem”. Rather Israel
will say to them it was not enough for you all of the good that has come to you
on our merit. Rather you worsened our share, working conditions, head taxes,
and property taxes and in the end reprisals have come upon you.
The psalm then turns to the persecutors who are called those who hate
Zion. The Ibn Ezra says that Zion means the congregation of Israel. The Meiri
says that it means the religion of Zion. The Malbim says it is those that hate
the sanctity of Israel and its fortress, which is hinted by the word Zion,
which is the place of sanctity and the manifestation of the presence of G-d.
The psalm prophesies that the bad will go away in embarrassment. They
are described as plants that are withered before the time of harvest, meaning
that in the end they have no value or permanence. The idea of not filing the
hand of the harvester or being in the bundle of the binder means that they do
not fulfill a higher purpose or advance to a new and better world. This is
because they do not consider it a praise that they have Torah and faith in
their hearts, and the new world will be one in which people pray to G-d on
behalf of others and bless them in His name.
לע"נ הדוד שמואל בן יואל לייב
ז"ל נלב"ע א בכסלו תשמ"ד
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