מִזְמוֹר לְאָסָף אַךְ טוֹב לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אֱלֹהִים לְבָרֵי לֵבָב

A psalm by Asaf. Surely God is good to Israel, to those pure of heart, although often this is not evident at all, as the psalmist goes on to describe.

וַאֲנִי כִּמְעַט נָטָיוּ רַגְלָי כְּאַיִן שֻׁפְּכוּ אֲשֻׁרָי

But as for me, upon pondering this reality, my feet came close to swerving, my steps nearly slipping away. Several factors can lead to a person’s stumbling from the right path, as the following verses point out.

כִּי קִנֵּאתִי בַּהוֹלְלִים שְׁלוֹם רְשָׁעִים אֶרְאֶה

For I was jealous of the revelers; I saw the well-being of the wicked. It seems as if the wicked are enjoying themselves since they experience success.

כִּי אֵין חַרְצֻבּוֹת לְמוֹתָם וּבָרִיא אוּלָם

For there are no chains leading them toward their death. They do not seem to be fettered in chains as they are being led away to their deaths. Indeed, on the contrary, they are quite healthy.

בַּעֲמַל אֱנוֹשׁ אֵינֵמוֹ וְעִם אָדָם לֹא יְנֻגָּעוּ

Theirs is no mortal toil. They are not burdened with hard work like other people. No plagues or illnesses that are normally the lot of man afflict them.

לָכֵן עֲנָקַתְמוֹ גַאֲוָה יַעֲטָף שִׁית חָמָס לָמוֹ

Therefore, since their lives go so smoothly, they carry pride as their necklace. They display their pride as if it were an ornament, and lawlessness envelops them like a mantle.

יָצָא מֵחֵלֶב עֵינֵמוֹ עָבְרוּ מַשְׂכִּיּוֹת לֵבָב

Their eyes bulge from fatness; the chambers of their hearts overflow. They are so healthy and well fed that their eyes seem to be protruding, and their sense of well-being fills their hearts to the extent that it is clearly apparent in their external appearance.

יָמִיקוּ וִידַבְּרוּ בְרָע עֹשֶׁק מִמָּרוֹם יְדַבֵּרוּ

They are foul, speaking of wickedness and wrongdoing toward others and toward God; they speak out from their exalted place. They have become foul, continually speaking ill both of others and of God. Encountering no hardships or obstacles in their lives, they allow themselves to say whatever they wish.

שַׁתּוּ בַשָּׁמַיִם פִּיהֶם וּלְשׁוֹנָם תִּהֲלַךְ בּאָרֶץ

They set their mouth against heaven; their tongue parades across the land, spreading slander and calumny.

לָכֵן יָשׁוּב עַמּוֹ הֲלֹם ומֵי מָלֵא יִמָּצוּ לָמוֹ

Among other evil things, they say: Therefore, His people are in retreat, with only remnants of the waters of abundance. The wicked believe that the righteous, and everyone else except themselves, receive only scraps of the bounty that they, the wicked, have accrued.

וְאָמְרוּ אֵיכָה יָדַע אֵל וְיֵשׁ דֵּעָה בְעֶלְיוֹן

And since they feel free to speak against heaven (see verse 9), they say: How does the Almighty know what happens in the world, since He does not involve Himself with people’s lives? Is there knowledge in the Most High? Their claim is that God neither knows nor cares about what happens in the world.

הִנֵּה אֵלֶּה רְשָׁעִים וְשַׁלְוֵי עוֹלָם הִשְׂגּוּ חָיִל

Behold, they are wicked, at ease in their worldly attainments.

אַךְ רִיק זִכִּיתִי לְבָבִי וָאֶרְחַץ בְּנִקָּיוֹן כַּפָּי

In contrast to the ease and comfort of the wicked, the psalmist feels a sense of despair: Indeed, it seems that it is all in vain that I have purified my heart and washed clean my hands from wrongdoing,

ואֱהִי נָגוּעַ כָּל הַיּוֹם וְתוֹכַחְתִּי לַבְּקָרִים

for though I have followed the righteous path, I have been stricken all day long and chastised with suffering and hardship every morning.

אִם אָמַרְתִּי אֲסַפְּרָה כְמוֹ הִנֵּה דוֹר בָּנֶיךָ בָגָדְתִּי

Had I said: I will speak of this, were I to give a detailed account of the suffering the righteous are made to endure, I would have betrayed generations of Your children, as it would cause children of future generations to stray from the right path.

וָאֲחַשְּׁבָה לָדַעַת זֹאת עָמָל הוּא בְעֵינָי

When I sought to understand this, why there seems to be so much injustice in the world, it seemed futile in my eyes. I have been at a loss when attempting to make sense of why the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer.

עַד אָבוֹא אֶל מִקְדְּשֵׁי אֵל אָבִינָה לְאַחֲרִיתָם

I did not comprehend this until I entered the Temple of God, where I was granted a greater level of understanding of God’s manifestation in the world; then I understood what would be their end. I began to understand the true nature of the success of the wicked and the suffering of the righteous.

אַךְ בַּחֲלָקוֹת תָּשִׁית לָמוֹ הִפַּלְתָּם לְמַשּׁוּאוֹת

Indeed, You set them on smooth paths. God provides the wicked with a smooth path throughout their lives, and they are enticed to continue in their evil ways. But ultimately this path only leads them to disaster, as You cast them down to destruction.

אֵיךְ הָיוּ לְשַׁמָּה כְרָגַע סָפוּ תַמּוּ מִן בַּלָּהוֹת

Upon their downfall I see how, in a moment, they are brought to desolation, swept away, annihilated by terror.

כַּחֲלוֹם מֵהָקִיץ אֲדֹנָי בָּעִיר צַלְמָם תִּבְזֶה

Like a dream after awakening, when the sleeper realizes that all he has experienced is nothing but a dream, Lord, when You reveal Yourself in the city, You make their image despised. As stated often in the Bible, all the wicked’s success and good fortune are temporary and ultimately lead to their undoing.

כִּי יִתְחַמֵּץ לְבָבִי וְכִלְיוֹתַי אֶשְׁתּוֹנָן

Concerning the fate of the righteous, the psalmist reflects: When my heart is embittered, and in my mind I am filled with thoughts, because I do not comprehend their destiny,

וַאֲנִי בַעַר וְלֹא אֵדָע בְּהֵמוֹת הָיִיתִי עִמָּךְ

I remind myself that I am a boor, unknowing of God’s mysterious ways; I am like a beast before You. I follow Him like an animal that is led by its master. Although this sort of blind obedience may seem to be lacking substance, it is in fact a tremendous privilege to be with God, as the psalmist goes on to acknowledge:

ואֲנִי תָמִיד עִמָּךְ אָחַזְתָּ בְּיַד יְמִינִי

Yet I am always with You; You grasp my right hand. The fact that I choose to follow You means that You are leading me and providing me support.

בַּעֲצָתְךָ תַנְחֵנִי וְאַחַר כָּבוֹד תִּקָּחֵנִי

You guide me with Your counsel and lead me into honor. In following God, I am close to Him, as He leads me to the right and worthy path. When a person is occupied with his yearning to draw close to God and to deepen his love of Him, external matters, including deprivation and the suffering of the righteous, lose their significance.

מִי לִי בַשָּׁמָיִם וְעִמְּךָ לֹא חָפַצְתִּי בָאָרֶץ

Whom else do I have in heaven whom I may trust? I recognize only You. I realize that despite all the worldly matters that may be attained with You, such as wealth, honor, and success, I desire nothing on earth. In light of my closeness to God, they are of no real importance to me.

כָּלָה שְׁאֵרִי וּלְבָבִי צוּר לְבָבִי וְחֶלְקִי אֱלֹהִים לְעוֹלָם

My flesh and my heart may fail, but that is inconsequential, for God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

כִּי הִנֵּה רְחֵקֶיךָ יֹאבֵדוּ הִצְמַתָּה כָּל זוֹנֶה מִמֶּךָּ

Behold, those who are distant from You ultimately perish from this world, and certainly from the World to Come; You destroy all who stray from You.

ואֲנִי קִרְבַת אֱלֹהִים לִי טוֹב שַׁתִּי בַּאדֹנָי אלוהים מַחְסִי לְסַפֵּר כָּל מַלְאֲכוֹתֶיךָ

But as for me, nearness to God is good; I put my trust in the Lord God so I may tell of all Your works. This verse expresses the essence of the psalm, namely, the transition from an external perception of the world, in which evil people appear to be successful and on the ascendant, to the more introspective understanding that closeness to God is the greatest good.