אַשְׁרֵי הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָלַךְ בַּעֲצַת רְשָׁעִים וּבְדֶרֶךְ חַטָּאִים לֹא עָמָד וּבְמוֹשַׁב לֵצִים לֹא יָשָׁב

Happy [ashrei] is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the wicked, has not stood in the path of sinners. A person who shuns evil leads a fortunate, happy life. The phrase atzat resha’im, “counsel of the wicked,” refers to bad advice given by wicked people. The happy man described here has not accepted or followed that advice. Since in other places the word atzat can be defined as “company” as well as “counsel,” this verse can also be interpreted to mean that a good man does not associate with wicked people, refusing to be considered part of their society. And has not sat in the company of scoffers. In modern Hebrew, letzim, translated here as “scoffers,” are clowns or jokers. But in Psalms, as in Proverbs and other sources, the word has a darker, more pejorative meaning. Scoffers are characterized by their frivolity and their breezy attitude toward that which is good. Even if they have no evil intent and do not actually behave in an evil manner, their mode of thinking and speaking opens the door to all manner of forbidden actions. The phrase “has not sat in the company of scoffers” emphasizes that even if one is not an active participant in such a group, and merely sits among them, he is exposing himself to wrongdoing.

כִּי אִם בְּתוֹרַת ה'חֶפְצוֹ וּבְתוֹרָתוֹ יֶהְגֶּה יוֹמָם וָלָיְלָה

But whose desire is the Torah of the Lord. The good and happy person desires God’s Torah, which is a guidebook for a way of life. He meditates on His Torah day and night. The pronoun “His” can also be said to be referring to the person studying the Torah rather than to God. This phrase, then, emphasizes each specific individual’s understanding of Torah, what he knows of it in his mind and heart. The term yehgeh, translated here as “meditates,” can also mean “utters.” When one chooses to spend all his time thinking and speaking of God’s Torah, he distances himself from evil and clings to good, and for this he is rewarded as described in the following verse.

וְהָיָה כְּעֵץ שָׁתוּל עַל פַּלְגֵי מָיִם אֲשֶׁר פִּרְיוֹ יִתֵּן בְּעִתּוֹ וְעָלֵהוּ לֹא יִבּוֹל וכֹל אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה יַצְלִיחַ

He is like a tree planted by streams of water. The tree described here lacks nothing, as even without rain it has sufficient water. It is a tree which brings forth its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Trees that lack water often bear their fruit late, and their leaves shrivel and fall, but this tree is eternally fresh and thriving. This image is not merely one of blessing but also a concrete promise of ongoing fruitfulness in all its manifestations. The fruit of the righteous person’s Torah, as well as that of his everyday labors, will ripen at the right time, bringing benefit both to himself and to others. He will not suffer from premature decline or withering, and whatever he does will prosper.

לֹא כֵן הָרְשָׁעִים כִּי אִם כַּמֹּץ אְַשֶׁר תִּדְּפֶנּוּ רוּחַ

By contrast, not so the wicked, who are not at all like well-rooted trees but instead are like chaff that wind blows away. Chaff is incapable of growth, and lacking a secure place of its own, is scattered by the wind in all directions. The wicked have a similar fate. They have no real place and no plan, but simply conform to shifting influences.

עַל כֵּן לֹא יָקֻמוּ רְשָׁעִים בַּמִּשְׁפָּט וְחַטָּאִים בַּעֲדַת צַדִּיקִים

Therefore the wicked will not stand up in judgment. When the time of judgment comes, the wicked will have no standing, nor evildoers among the righteous. Not only will evildoers not be acquitted, but they will not even be able to join the company of the righteous.

כִּי יוֹדֵעַ ה' דֶּרֶךְ צַדִּיקִים וְדֶרֶךְ רְשָׁעִים תֹּאבֵד

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous. Here, as elsewhere, yode’a, translated as “knows,” specifically implies connectedness and love. God loves the righteous, and He therefore guides and assists them on their journey through life. But by contrast, the way of the wicked will perish. The way of the wicked results not only in the loss of eternal existence but also in an inability to withstand the vicissitudes of this life. Their path inevitably ends in ruin.