BS’D
Today’s daily dose of emuna is dedicate to the refuah shleimah of Yaakov Yohonatan Levi ben Chaiya. May Hashem shower him with a complete healing among all of those sick and suffering in Klal Yisrael b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen.
There is one particular request that Dovid HaMelech seeks and emphasizes in perek 27. Dovid makes numerous pleas, however this one encompasses the rest. Verse four: “Echad sha’alti me’et Hashem, Otah Avakesh… (One thing I ask of Hashem, this I seek…)” The Hebrew word used for ‘ask’ is sha’alti as opposed to bee’kashti (to seek). Why?
The word she’elah refers to the idea of a loan while the word bakashah denotes a request that does not need to be returned. Dovid HaMelech pleads with Hashem that He consider giving him a ‘loan’ of compassion and allow him the quietude of sitting in Hashem’s house and embracing His love. Amazingly, Dovid HaMelech, the King of Israel, feels inadequate to make a request but rather feels as though he is only entitled to a loan of Hashem’s compassion. What are we to say?
Elul, the month of repentance and a propitious time of closeness to Borei Olam, is the time for taking advantage of the theme that is echoed in Perek 27, which we are encouraged to recite daily (as in daily dose ;)) until Hoshanah Raba. We must never despair or lose hope that we have gone so far adrift that we cannot return to Hashem Who loves us dearly. We pray for His protection and to be consoled by His Fatherly love, even if we need to take it as a ‘loan.’ Even if we are undeserving we trust that Hashem will ‘lend’ us this chance to experience His endless love no matter where we are.
We seek, we beg and we ‘borrow’ but never lose hope in the loving care of our Aba who ‘wishes’ to shower us with His love and protection more than we can imagine. Hope and trust is the message of this perek and of the month of Elul, as indeed the final closing words are, “Place your hope in Hashem. Be strong! He will strengthen your heart and can place your hope in Hashem.”
