Rabbi Avi Baumol

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Mizmor 1
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Mizmor 1 addresses the average person’s challenge of facing the evils of the world. The anti-dote to temptation presented in the Psalm is the desire to keep God’s commandments in the Torah. The humanity of King David is addressed.
Mizmor 2
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Mizmor 2 compliments Mizmor 1. The first aims to dictate to the common man how to live his life, how to repel the evil people in his midst. The second brings the message back to the royal chambers and ultimately to the Nation of God as a whole.
Mizmor 3
A Response to Suffering
Rabbi Avi Baumol
There are various ways of dealing with suffering. In Mizmor 3 David uses a three-pronged approach to suffering that was brought upon him by Avshalom’s rebellion. He describes his suffering, he declares his faith in God and he cries out to God for salvation.
Mizmor 4
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Individual verses from Mizmor 4 are evaluated from the vantage point of the Midrash thereby giving insight into the Midrashic style of interpretations.
Mizmor 5
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Mizmor 5 is a “Morning” Mizmor – a time of hope, expectation and confidence. Evening, in contrast is a time of fear and uncertainty.
Mizmor 6
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Mizmor 6 opens with the word “God” and addresses Him directly. The Mizmor describes great despair and perhaps depression due to a state of sin. David teaches us to express ourselves and our predicaments to God at our time of need.
Mizmor 7
Every Day is Judgement Day
Rabbi Avi Baumol
In Mizmor 7, David recognizes that man will sin and err in judgement. Upon reflection, man must recognize what he did, accept the ramifications of his actions, seek judgement for himself and his enemies, and also justify himself in judgement.
Mizmor 8
The Definition of Man - A Poetic Paradox
Rabbi Avi Baumol

Mizmor 8 presents the paradox of man as insignificant versus man as the pinnacle of creation. The paradox exists in man’s perception of the surrounding universe giving him the confidence to do great things and also the humility to recognize his value.
Mizmor 9
David and His Multi-colored Message
Rabbi Avi Baumol
The ambiguity of the title of Mizmor 9 and the possible inconsistency between the title and the rest of the Mizmor are discussed. The possibility that ambiguity is used as an intended literary toll is presented.
Mizmor 10
The Philosopher Poet - Evil: A View from the Outside
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Mizmor 10 is not a personal plea for salvation from the hands of enemies. Rather it is a lengthy description of the evils of the wicked and a cry out to God to do justice against the wicked and to save the humble and downtrodden.
Mizmor 12
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Rashi interprets Mizmor 12 which discusses the danger of words as a historical reference to David’s life. Radak, noting the lack of a personal plea, believes that this is a general description or prophecy for the future. Malbim changes the focus from using one’s language to cheat to using one’s language to reject God.
Mizmor 13
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Mizmor 13 begins in despair and ends in ecstasy. The Mizmor describes the feeling of despair and abandonment from God. Alternatively, the Mizmor is about believing in God, rejoicing in impending salvation, and being capable of composing a new song to God in the face of the adversity.
Mizmor 14
A Poetic Sermon
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Mizmor 14 carries a complex, almost contradictory message. The first half of Mizmor 14 demands of the individuals to unite with the community at large, and makes them responsible for detachment from the community. The second half of the Mizmor praises distinctness and dissociation.
Mizmor 15
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Mizmor 15, a Mizmor that lists the attributes of one who wants to dwell on God’s mountain, raises the question of the Divine nature of the book of Mizmors. Are the Mizmors God described through the pen of man, or man driven with God as an inspiration?
Mizmor 16
The Past, Present, and Future King
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Mizmor 16, recited at funerals, asks us at the present time - facing peril or death - to look to the past to our trusting relationship with God in order to actualize and maintain a significant relationship with Him in the future.
Mizmor 17
A Tefilla of a(n Un)Repentant Psalmist
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Mizmor 17 invites two separate and almost contradictory approaches: a prayer of a 'ba'al teshuva' having realized his sins, has accepted his punishments and turns to God with hope; a prayer of one who has not sinned, and therefore does not deserve all the troubles that are coming his way.
Mizmor 23
Providence, Guidance, a Rod and a Staff: A Study of Life at a Time of Death
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Mizmor 23 focuses less on death and more on the guidance of the merciful Shepherd, as God nurtures us in green pastures and on peaceful waters. It is a message of wisdom and understanding of the circle of life, recognizing that the pursuit of justice defines the life that we lead for the sake of God.
Mizmor 49
"Blessing One's Soul: "The Formula for a Meaningful Life
Rabbi Avi Baumol
The theme of Mizmor 49 is to impart wisdom about the futility of life when it involves only a desperate hunt for honor. When one takes the time and care to bless one’s soul while still in the land of the living, that person will truly be praiseworthy.
Mizmor 28
Perspective Through the Eyes of the Psalmist
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Mizmor 28 begins with a cry to God to listen, a request and gratitude to God for listening. The request in this Mizmor is unique because David does not ask for God to defeat his enemies but to save him from being pulled in by wicked people who are less obvious enemies.
Mizmor 40
Rabbi Avi Baumol
The first section of Mizmor 40, in which the poet addresses God in third person, is a 'Hymn of Gratitude'. In the second section, the poet addresses God directly with a request for help. In contrast to Mizmor 27, the poet makes his request with a sense of confidence that his prayers will be answered.
Mizmor 145
Tehila U-Berakha: "Ashrei" - Part I
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Mizmor 145 – ‘Ashrei’ - is central in Jewish liturgy. An analysis of the contrast between praise of God - which creates a distance between man and his Maker - and blessing of God which forges closeness between the one giving the blessing and the receiver – is evaluated.
Mizmor 145 (II)
Tehila U-Berakha: "Ashrei" - Part II
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Different levels can exist in our relationship with God. One can always call out and reach God, but achieve a greater closeness if one cries out sincerely. One can begin their relationship with God through a distant praise and eventually achieve closeness when blessing God.
Mizmor 146
"Haleluya!" - Duplicity and Simplicity
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Mizmor 146 – the first of the Halleluya series – calls out to praise God. A precondition for praise is belief. It disregards the haughty leaders who do not acknowledge God and calls out to non-believers to believe in God who cares for the weak.
Mizmorim 146-150
"Haleluya!" - An analysis of the Last Five Mizmorim
Rabbi Avi Baumol
An overview of the Halleluya Mizmorim: Mizmor 146 is an individual praise of God; Mizmor 147 is a public praise touching on God’s great deeds and attention to lowly beings; Mizmor 148 presents a contrasted symmetry between the praise of God of the celestial and earthly beings; Mizmor 149 describes the rejoicing of the devout at the destruction of evil; Mizmor 150 peaks with meta-universal praise of God.
Introduction to Kabalat Shabbat
Kabalat Shabbat (Part 1)
Rabbi Avi Baumol
The dual nature of Shabbat is presented: Universal - stemming from the creation of the world - and national - stemming from the Exodus from Egypt and the covenant between God and the Jewish People. This dual nature will be evaluated throughout the Mizmorim of Kabalat Shabbat.
Mizmorim 96 and 98
Kabbalat Shabbat (Part 2)
Rabbi Avi Baumol
A comparison between Mizmors 96 and 98 mirror the two aspects of Shabbat previously described. Mizmor 96 calls out to the world and to nature to praise God while Mizmor 98 calls out to praise ‘our’ God for the salvation he has brought to the Jewish Nation.
Mizmor 97
Kabalat Shabbat (Part 3)
Rabbi Avi Baumol
The progression of the praising of God is noted: from the universal natural, to the nations of the world and ultimately culminating with the righteous people in the world praising God for the coming of the day of Judgement. God’s victory over the idol gods is evaluated.
Mizmor 99
Kabalat Shabbat (Part 4)
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Mizmor 99 focuses on God’s relationship with the Jewish Nation. The Mizmor is divided into three sections based on the word holiness. Through an analysis of the concept of holiness we can begin to appreciate the reason it acts as the crucial link in this Mizmor.
Mizmor 95
Kabalat Shabbat (Part 5)
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Mizmor 95, the introductory Mizmor to Kabalat Shabbat, combines the universal desire to praise God, with God's demand for reciprocity from His Nation in keeping His commandments. This mirrors the desire for spirituality on Shabbat with the rigorous demands of keeping Shabbat.
Mizmor 92
Kabalat Shabbat (Part 6)
Rabbi Avi Baumol
The first section of Mizmor 92 discusses praising God, and the blossoming of evil. The significance of a brief middle section of four words is discussed. The third section discusses the fleeting nature of the wicked and the eternal righteous as they praise God, and the connection to Shabbat.
Mizmor 121
Shir HaMa'alot (Part 2)
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Mizmor 121 uses drama as a literary tool. As opposed to most Mizmors that involve direct or indirect speech between the poet and God, or between the poet and the Jewish Nation, Mizmor 121 describes a conversation between two people – one looking for help and the second encouraging the first that God will help.
Mizmor 122
Shir HaMa'alot (Part 3)
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Mizmor 122 focuses on Jerusalem as the place where the Beit HaMikdash stands, a place of great social and judicial significance, and a place that represents the peace of the Jewish Nation. David’s special relationship to Jerusalem and the Beit HaMikdash is addressed.
Mizmor 125
Shir HaMa'alot (Part 4)
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Mizmor 125 declares that those who have faith in God will be protected and will not falter. Jerusalem sits surrounded by mountains protecting it from her enemies; her inhabitants are worthy of the divine shelter.
Introduction to Shir HaMa'alot
Shir HaMa'alot (Part 1))
Rabbi Avi Baumol
An introduction to the unit of the fifteen 'Songs of Ascent' in liturgy, history and spirituality.
Mizmor 126
Shir HaMa'alot (Part 5)
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Mizmor 126 is said weekly at the Shabbat table before Birkhat Ha'Mazon. Three interpretations of this Mizmor are analyzed and evaluated: A historical Mizmor incorporating an agricultural metaphor, an agricultural Mizmor, or a synthesis between a historical and agricultural Mizmor.
Mizmor 27
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Mizmor 27 relates the constant struggle between absolute faith in God and uncertainty due to enemies leaving the poet with a "single" multifaceted request: to bestow upon him the glory of God, in all aspects of his life, to certify that his enemies will no longer detract from his uncompromising faith in his savior.
Mizmor 30
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Mizmor 30 while mentioning the “Dedication of the House” actually refers to emotions, feelings, and movements of the soul. Complacency can cause our metaphorical house to atrophy, and sin can turn our fortress into rubble, leaving our souls susceptible to the dangerous elements we encounter every day of our lives.
Mizmor 24 (Part 1)
Shir Shel Yom (Part 1)
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Mizmor 24, which is central to Jewish liturgy, can be divided into three sections that seem unconnected: a declaration that the world and its content belong to God, a list of moral characteristics of one who may go up to God’s mountain and a description of the gates awaiting the arrival of the King – God.
Mizmor 24 (Part 2)
Shir Shel Yom (Part 2)
Rabbi Avi Baumol
The middle section of Mizmor 24 describes a series of moral character traits that stress honestyand guiltlessness that are needed in the worship of God in general and particularly in the Beit HaMikdash. The double question “who will…?” can be understood as two separate questions referring to different stages in striving towards Godliness.
Mizmor 24 (Part 3)
Shir Shel Yom (Part 3)
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Both literal and figurative interpretations exist to the third section of Mizmor 24 that discusses the entrance of the King through the gates. The various messages of the Mizmor make it appropriate to three distinct liturgical situations in which the Mizmor is said.
Mizmor 48
Shir Shel Yom (Part 4)
Rabbi Avi Baumol
The first half of Mizmor 48 focuses exclusively on God and His protection of His holy city. The second half of the Mizmor calls on the Jewish Nation to rejoice in the city, encircle it, and take the steps required for the world to see that God’s city belongs to us.
Mizmor 82
Shir Shel Yom (5)
Rabbi Avi Baumol
The biography of Asaf – the author of Mizmor 82, The Song of the Day for Tuesday – is detailed. The Mizmor deals with the failings of the justice system and the desire for God to take an active part in this process.
Mizmor 94
Shir Shel Yom (Part 6)
Rabbi Avi Baumol
Mizmor 94 – the Song of the Day for Wednesday – deals with revenge. The first section calls out to God to act in vengeance with a lengthy discussion of the inequities of the wicked. Subsequently, the poet rebukes the wicked and points out their foolishness.
The Inconsistent Nature of Man
Rabbi Avi Baumol