Psalm 27

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Benjamin Barer

Psalm 27

Calling Out from the Depths: Jewish Approaches to the Psalms King James Version 1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. 4 One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,1 to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. 5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. 6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord. 7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. 8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek. 9 Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. 10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. 11 Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. 12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. 13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. Psalm 27, as translated by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (1924-2014) Yah! You are my light. You are my savior. Whom need I dread? Yah, with you as my strong protector who can make me panic? When hateful bullies gang up on me, wanting to harass me, to oppress and terrorize me They are the ones who stumble and fall. Even if a gang surrounds me my heart is not weakened. If a battle is joined around me my trust in You is firm. Only one thing do I ask of You, Yah: 1

Note similarity to the end of Psalm 23.

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Benjamin Barer

Psalm 27

Just this alone do I seek, I want to be at home with you, Yah, All the days of my life. I want to delight in seeing You. Seeing You when I come to visit You in Your temple. You hide me in your sukkah on a foul day. You conceal me unseen in Your tent. You also raise me beyond anyone's reach And now, as You have held my head high despite the presence of my powerful foes I prepare to celebrate and thrill, singing and making music to You, Yah! Listen, Yah, to the sound of my cry And, being kind, answer me! My heart has said, I turn to seek you. Your presence is what I beg for Don't hide Your face from me. Don't just put me down, You who have been my helper. Don't abandon me, don't forsake me, God my support. Though my father and my mother have left me You, Yah, will hold me securely. Please teach me Your way. Teach me Your way and guide me on the straight path. Discourage those who defame me Because false witnesses stood up against me belching out violence. Don't let me become the victim of my foes. I wouldn't have survived If I hadn't hoped that I would see, yet, Your goodness, God, fully alive on earth. So I tell you, my friends: you too hope to Yah! Be sturdy! And make strong your heart. And most of all, keep hoping to Yah.

.‫)א( לְָדוִד יְהוָה אֹוִרי וְיִשְׁעִי מִּמִי אִיָרא יְהוָה מָעֹוז חַיַּי מִּמִי אֶפְחָד‬ (1) le·da·vid ha·shem* o·ri ve·yish·'i mim·mi i·ra; ha·shem ma·’oz chai·yai mim·mi ef·chad.

Key Hebrew Terms Ori - ‫ אורי‬- My Light v’Yish’i - ‫ וישעי‬- (And) My Savior, etymologically connected to the Hebrew word for Jesus (‫)ישו‬ Luleh - ‫ לולא‬- Were it not that… 2

Benjamin Barer

Psalm 27

Guiding Questions: 1. Why do you think there is a space before verse 5 (Schachter-Shalomi) and verse 7 (KJV) in each of our translations? What might this indicate about the flow of the psalm and the faith journey? 2. When or where do you feel most like you are “dwelling in the house of God” or that you are "at home with” the Divine?

‫)ד( אַחַת שָׁאַלְתִּי מֵאֵת יְהוָה אֹותָּה אֲבֵַקּׁש שִׁבְתִּי ּבְבֵית יְהוָה ּכָל יְמֵי חַיַּי לַחֲזֹות‬ .‫ּבְנֹעַם יְהוָה ּולְבֵַקּר ּבְהֵיכָלֹו‬ (4) a·chat sha·'al·ti me·’et ha·shem o·tah a·vak·kesh shiv·ti be·veit ha·shem kolye·mei chai·yai; la·cha·zo·vt be·no·’am ha·shem u·le·vak·ker be·hei·cha·lo. Liturgical Connections Rosh Hashanah - The Jewish New Year Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement Elul - The Jewish month preceding Rosh Hashanah Our Sages teach regarding Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, “YHVH is my light” on Rosh Hashanah “and my salvation” on Yom Kippur… (Vayikra Rabbah 21:4, ~5th c. CE) “The theme of this psalm, confidence and trust in God, is most appropriate to the holy days. We enter this time of judgement not with fear, but with trust that God's verdict will be positive. The next part of the psalm indicates that nevertheless we feel trepidation and ask that God not hide from us.”                                                                  - Rabbi Reuven Hammer (1933-)

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Benjamin Barer

Psalm 27

Music Le-David by the Madrigals at Or Shalom (Vancouver, BC, Canada) Ahat Sha’alti by Eliyahu Hartman, sung by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach (1925-1994): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzEAFBrxALM

Further Reading My People’s Prayerbook, Vol. 9 pp. 179-188 “Psalm 27” on myjewishlearning.com

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