Divine Protection

Found 4 Search results

  1. Yaakov and the Ladder - Standing Firmly and Resiliently

    Rabbi David Silverberg

  2. The "Song to Counter Evil" - Psalm 91

    Part 3

    Rabbi Elchanan Samet

    It was previously noted that principal dialogue is repeated twice. The similarity between these two exclamations is clear. In both cases the words are spoken in the first person; both testify to the speaker’s faith in God, and both feature the phrase, “hashem machsi” (God is my refuge).

    However, the most significant difference between the two exclamations by the disciple is that the first is not a direct appeal to God while the second one is. Thus, the direct exclamation is a result and development of the dialogue between the teacher and the student in the first half of the psalm.

    As the student comes closer to God, so too do the words of the teacher adapt to this new stage. In the first half the teacher tells the student how he will be protected from various dangers, while in the second half there are no dangers about which to worry due to an intimate relationship with God.

    The salvation of the person who trusts in God, from all of the various enemies and dangers described in the first half, is a passive matter, while in the second half, we find an active victory of the man who trusts in God.

  3. The "Song to Counter Evil" - Psalm 91

    Part 4

    Rabbi Elchanan Samet

    Other chapters of Tehillim that speak of trust and deliverance usually address a present danger, and the worshipper’s trust in God’s deliverance stands him in good stead and brings about his salvation.  What makes our psalm unique is that it does not speak of present, immediate threats; rather, it describes the various types of dangers that attack a person in this world. How can one develop an awareness that can deal with the perpetual danger facing him at every step and at every moment of his life?

    A person must be aware of the existential dangers that surround him; he should not live under the false illusion that the world is a tranquil, safe place. On the other hand, this awareness should not embitter him or cause him to live in constant fear. Admittedly, the world is full of all sorts of dangers, but it is not ownerless: God watches over His creatures and treats each according to its needs. A person who trusts in God and makes Him his abode and his refuge will enjoy His protection from all of the dangers in the world. As his trust in God and closeness to Him grow, so God’s Divine patronage in his regard will assume deeper and broader significance.

    To learn all of this, the disciple needs the guidance of his teacher – the other character in this drama, who is older and more experienced, who is familiar with the world and its threats, and who recognizes the Divine protection enjoyed by the disciple.

    This confirmation of the teacher’s words is provided, for the benefit of the reader, in the form of God’s word in support and elaboration of what the teacher has said.

  4. The Deaths in the Plague of Baal Peor - Hesed in the Midst of Din

    Rabbi Ezra Bick | 12 minutes

    After the sin of Ba'al Pe'or, there is a plague that kills many of Bnei Yisrael.  In the pasuk about the number of those who died in the plague, the Torah's phrasing is unusual. This brings us to examine the concept of a plague in the Torah. We look at the principles of Divine intervention in cases of plagues in the Torah, including that of Pesach Mitzrayim and Makkat Bekhorot. We find that even when there's din- strict judgment, there is also Divine hessed - lovingkindness.