Psalm Project

Psalm 124

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Our help is the name of Adonai, maker of heaven and earth. (124:8)

The power of names. I love superheroes and will watch virtually any television series and see virtually any movie featuring characters from Marvel or DC. When I was young, I recall watching a short-lived television series based on a DC comic about Captain Marvel. Billy Batson was a teenage boy who, when he witness injustice, would strike a dramatic pose and transform himself into Captain Marvel by pronouncing the word, “Shazam!”

Then there is the beloved fairy tale collected by the Grimm brothers, in which uttering the name “Rumplestiltskin” causes the title character to stomp his right foot into the ground so hard that he either falls into a chasm or gets stuck and tears his body in two trying to escape, depending on which edition you read.

Jewish tradition asks us not to pronounce the personal name of God, spelled with the Hebrew letters Yod-He-Vav-He. Instead, we substitute the name Adonai (roughly, my Lord) or occasionally Elohim (God). We recognize that part of the power of the use of a personal name is that it implies equality between the user of the name and the owner of the name. Similarly, I would never address my parents as ‘Dale’ and ‘Bob.’ Instead, I use the titles Mom and Dad as a sign of honor.

In ancient times, the names of gods were thought to have had great power. Some mystical traditions attempt to discover the secret name of God. Using it, a person could supposedly control aspects of the physical universe. Other traditions use the name of God as a mantra. A meditation centered on breathing in and out the letters of God’s name will not give you God’s creative power, but may very will calm and center your mind, thus releasing your own creative energy.

Psalm 123

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Too long has our soul been saturated with the ridicule of the complacent, the contempt of the arrogant. (123:4)

Ridicule and contempt wear down our souls. They are weapons used against those who take an unpopular position. Rather than engage in discussion and analysis of the pro’s and con’s, the path of a bully is to use tactics of intimidation by belittling the message or the messenger.

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me” is a child’s magical incantation to ward off the pain of being put down with words. It rarely works, because it is extraordinarily painful to be belittled, even just with words. It hurts not to be taken seriously.

The complacent and the arrogant might believe that things are great just the way they are right now, and no change is needed. They might believe that the status quo is dead and radical change is the only way to survive. It is not their ideas that make them complacent or arrogant, but rather the way they express them, with the certainty that they are right and anyone who opposes them is wrong.

Leadership of an organization, beware! For only so long will your volunteers devote their time and resources if they are not valued. Healthy individuals can handle the fact that not every proposal will survive the test of committee discussion because they know that not every idea is necessarily a good one. But even emotionally stable people will walk away if ridicule and contempt, complacency and arrogance, are the response to every proposal.

Psalm 122

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Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; “May those who love you be in tranquility. (122:6)

It would be difficult to overstate the importance of Jerusalem to Judaism, from the shaping of the Hebrew Bible and Jewish practice, the city is to Jewish history what Rome was to the Romans or what Babylon was to the Babylonians. Except while those ancient empires are no more, the Jewish civilization that grew up around Jerusalem thrives. I think of Jerusalem as the power source for my spiritual battery. Judaism has been powered either by the fact or by the memory of Jerusalem its Capitol city for over 3000 years, and both Judaism and Islam preserve traditions that connect Jerusalem with the site of Abraham’s binding of his son Isaac (or Ishmael, in the Moslem tradition), perhaps 3800 years ago.

The ancient etymology of the name ‘Jerusalem’ is made up of the two words “city of” and “Shalom,” peace. A vital Jerusalem is necessary for the spiritual life of Israel. A Jew who lives connected to Jewish texts and traditions cannot live in tranquility when our most sacred city is not a peace.

In ancient Jewish maps of the world, Jerusalem is in the center. In Jewish maps of the spiritual life, Jerusalem is the center. May we see the day when Isaiah’s vision comes to pass, that “… My House shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples,” and the house of worship on the Temple Mount will be a place where people of all faiths can pray in peace together.

Psalm 121

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Adonai will guard your going and coming now and forever. (121:8)

Travel makes us vulnerable. When we leave the security of our homes, we are at the mercy of a means of transportation which might break down, get stuck in traffic, get in an accident, or be delayed by weather. It is no wonder that the traveler prays that God will protect him from missing connecting flights, losing a passport, being robbed, or getting sick. Even the occasional traveler has been stranded overnight, has had to find a place for emergency auto repairs, or has gotten lost in a strange city.

It seems that God doesn’t so much protect us from inconveniences as much as give us the emotional stability to withstand them and the mental ingenuity to work around them. With the right frame of mind, most travel inconveniences can be seen as adventures. It is the thrill of extending the trip for an extra day, having the chance to see a new part of the city, and embracing the opportunity to focus on the journey rather than the destination.

If the destination is the only thing that matters, how many wonderful things will we miss on the journey? Traveling to Chicago to catch a plane IMG_2197to Minneapolis for my father’s funeral, I saw an amazingly beautiful sunset over Lake Michigan. The sun was a pillar of fires shooting up to the densely clouded sky, like a brightly lit path for my father’s soul on it’s journey upward. It was peaceful and calming. God was with me at that moment, calming my anxiety at the outset of a very long (and delay-plagued) trip.

In the airport, I found a quiet spot to write a tribute to my father. A close friend called. I spoke with my wife. I sent text updates of my delays to my cousin. ‘Pick me up at 11:45 pm.’ ‘Delayed until 12:30 am.’ ‘Mechanical problems … See you at 1:00 am.’ ‘Waiting for a new plane to arrive.’ ‘On the plane ready to take off, scheduled to arrive at 2:00 am!’ I never felt alone or abandoned or panicked because I had complete confidence that one way or another, I would arrive in Minneapolis in time for the funeral.

The journey home had a delay as well, giving me the chance to spend more time with my mother and sisters as well as catch up with some cousins that I had not seen for several years. The hiccups in my travels inconvenienced a number of people, to be sure. But in the end I arrived safely at every destination. Thank God.

Psalm 120

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I am peace; but when I speak, they are for war. (120:7)

Psalm 120 is the first of a series of 15 Psalms with the title “A song of (or for) ascent.” Mishnah Middot 2:5 suggests that the 15 steps ascending to the Temple Mount on the South side were built to correspond to the 15 Psalm, but the full implication of giving this title to this collection is unknown.

Peace is an important value in Judaism and other major religious traditions, but most have an escape clause that allows for defensive wars. Christianity is known to have pacifist denominations. Judaism is less known for this position, but there are some rabbis who find pacifism in Jewish sources.

It is a challenging position to hold, illustrated by this Psalm, because when the Psalmist asserts a position embracing peace at all costs, he says “they” attack. “They” might be fellow Jews who reject pacifism or “they” might be the enemy of Jews who see an opportunity to advance their position without resistance.

There are numerous adages in our American culture encouraging a non-pacifist outlook, such as:

  • The best defense is a good offense.
  • Speak softly and carry a big stick. Theodore Roosevelt.
  • Doveryai no proveryai, Trust but verify. Ronald Reagan used this aphorism, based on a Russian proverb, to defend a massive increase in military spending.

Projecting strength is connected with a willingness to attack while standing for peace is typically seen as a weakness. This is not necessarily the case. Some martial arts, such as aikido, judo, and t’ai chi emphasize defensive moves, embracing a philosophy of non-aggression and harmony.

I can also hear a hesitancy in the Psalmists words. “I am by nature peaceful,” he is saying, “but because they are war-like I have been forced to respond in kind.” Religion might attempt to cultivate softer, gentler attributes (middot) within us. There are, however, selfish people with large egos around us. Unless we cultivate middot of conviction alongside those of giving or compromising, others will take advantage of us. Not every person who speaks or acts in God’s name has fully embraced the humility that ought to go along with doing so.

The best approach is not to prejudge the other, not to assume that he or she is for war, but to put forward one’s peaceful nature and intentions whole-heartedly. At the same time, though, one ought to put forward one’s other fundamental convictions, for fairness, equality, human rights, and security. It is not peace but …. Rather, it is peace and ….