B"H
Book 6
Ultimately,
it is important to have standards that apply to all. King Solomon was incredibly wise righteous, yet he
mistakenly thought that the message in Devarim
regarding kings having too many wives did not apply to him. This was a
grave mistake, which ultimately led to his downfall. We have to internalize
that everything in the Torah is eternal, and that no one is above its laws. These
general standards also help us not deviate from the True Path: neither in the
way of “elevating the world” (like King Solomon), nor in the way of separating
oneself from it (like the nazirite, the Nazir).
Even if some
general decrees seem inconvenient, we have to make them fit in our lives, and
observe them in a manner that beautifies the mitzvoth and beautifies our lives.
This is the
essence of the Book of Deuteronomy (Devarim):
setting up general guidelines applicable to all. Devarim is also called Mishneh
Torah (a repetition of the Torah), a review and summary of the rest of the
Torah. Book 5 is an attempt to reflect these themes. The sets of 52 included in
this book are as follows:
The Book of
Psalms is King David’s “general” prayer book, as it contains the emotions of
every person. King David is the ultimate general soul (Neshamah Klali), his life
being given to him by Adam himself, whose name stands for Adam-David-Mashiach. Perek
Shirah incorporates not only man, but all of Creation.
The Book of
Psalms is a read as a general Tikkun (spiritual
correction), especially during the month of Elul
for sins committed throughout the entire year. In fact, the Ba’al Shem Tov instituted that three
psalms should read each day of this month, and that the entire book should be
read by Yom Kippur. The Mishnah Berurah also sets forth the
custom of reading the entire book of Psalms (twice) during this time period. The
Book of Psalms along with Perek Shirah
contain 156 chapters, fifty-two divided by three.
Rebbe
Nachman’s Tikkun HaKlali works as
kind of “summary” of the book of Psalms. It contains the ten kinds of song
contained in the Book of Psalms. Without counting the introductory verses of
its Psalms, it contains 156 verses. Psalm 88 and 89 appear to be a summary of Tikkun Klali itself. (One of the hints to this idea, is the fact that according to the Baal Shem Tov's instructions, these Psalms are read on Rosh Hashanah) Without counting its
introductory verse, Psalm 89 contains 52 verses. Its 33rd verse
appears to be a summary of the entire Book, similar to the way in which Tzadik B’Emunatoh Yichieh (the righteous
lives by his/her faith) is the summary of the entire Torah. The 33rd
verse is, “But I shall not cancel My kindness from him, and I shall not betray
My faith,” “VeChasdi Lo Afir M’Imoh, VeLo
Ashaker B’Emunati.”
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