Psalm Project

Psalm 63

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“The mouth of liars will be stopped up.” (63:12)

We might tell a lie to avoid making ourselves look bad. A successful lie is an ego boost, causing the spotlight of adoration to swing our way. Lying becomes habitual when we feed our ego a series of little lies. The now overfed ego can no longer survive on a normal humble diet, but demands constant stroking and feeding. At this point, bending the truth is a way of life and we no longer notice whether people believe us or not; we thrive on the volume of their attention. The solution — close up the mouth, turn off the lies, and starve the ego into submission.

Psalm 62

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“Like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?” (62:4)

Placing a fence around the Torah protects and honors the Torah by not getting too close to a violation of its restrictions. An example — light Shabbat candles 18 minutes before sunset, so even if you are a few minutes late, you have not kindled fire on the Sabbath.

A poorly maintained fence or one which is routinely breached does not honor the property which it surrounds. The solution is not to build a wider fence or higher wall, but rather to repair the current boundary marker and make sure people understand why it is there.

Psalm 61

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“Add days to the days of the king; may his years be from generation to generation.” (61:7)

The argument for term limits is that after a certain period of time, elected officials become difficult to remove because the thoughtless inertia of voters keeps them in office. Such officials no longer feel beholden to their constituents and the only way to remove them is to limit the number of terms of office they are allowed to hold.

The counter-argument is that learning how to be an effective leader takes time and experience, and thus we are best represented by long-term elected officials. Better the experienced leader we know than the unseasoned novice we don’t.

Psalm 60

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Heal its fractures because it is shaking. (60:4)

When there are fractures in a structure and it is agitated, the fractures grow. This is true of both a piece of land and a community. Here is the Psalmist’s theology: A fractured community which behaves badly and ignores its obligations to God degrades the environment around it. Or perhaps, the community’s mistreatment of the environment destabilizes the land, angering God, and as a result the community suffers and fractures. Either way, Torah teaches that a harmonious environment and a harmonious community are inextricably connected.

Psalm 59

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“They come back each evening howling like dogs.” (59:7)

A dog barks when it feels threatened or is protecting its pack. A small dog barks more than a large dog, whose growl alone is enough to frighten away potential threats. A small dog is more likely to bite precisely because its bark is not taken seriously. We can draw two lessons from this: First, when someone makes threats, take them seriously, no matter how much you believe that the individual is not serious. Second, just as under the right circumstances it is possible to make friends with most barking dogs, never forget that under the right conditions, most enemies can become friends.