![]() ![]() You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: a symbol of authority and ‘tribe.’ The root inside ‘your staff’ mish’antekha (מִשְׁעַנְתֶּךָ) also means ‘support.’ The root inside ‘Your rod’ shivtekha (שִׁבְטְךָ) also means ‘sceptre,’ i.e. ![]() I will fear no evil: for You are with me Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of Death, The root inside ‘paths’ ma’glei (מַעְגְּלֵי) also carries the meaning ‘circles.’ He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. He makes me lie down in green pastures: The root inside yarbitzeni (יַרְבִּיצֵנִי) ‘lie down’ (רבץ) also means ‘to stretch oneself out.’ ‘My shepherd’ (רֹעִי), ro’i, is connected to the root rea’ (רֵעַ) meaning ‘friend, companion. And serving God also means committing oneself to nothing else–to no other cause or master–quite as strongly or sincerely or passionately as one dedicates one’s life to the sacred service of the Divine.YHVH is my shepherd I shall not want. Serving God means wanting to live forever in God’s sacred House–yet knowing at the same time that no sheep ever offers anything of value to God in that holy place other than its life. Serving God means being a servant, with all the good and bad that status entails. Serving God means not serving other masters, some of whom pay very well. It is, after all, quite easy to wish to serve God because of the great blessings that come from currying favor with the divine realm, but it is another thing entirely to face the darker side of yearning for God and accept that there will be enormous challenges as a result of choosing to life a life in God. Modern readers who feel similarly ambivalent about their own role in the service of God will find it easy to identify with the lamb’s dilemma. An ongoing regimen of healthy exercise under the watchful eye of a Guardian whose staff is there to fight off wolves, not to strike the sheep when the darkness of a mountain pass temporarily immobilizes them with fear or when the contemplation of their destiny unnerves them and fills them with feelings of crippling anxiety. Endless tracts of grassy pastureland in which to meander and graze. Yet what can the poet do if no praise God? His life as a lamb, at least so far, has been good, and he feels deeply beholden to his Shepherd for all the blessings he enjoys, blessings that encompass everything a lamb could possibly need.Īnd what are these blessings precisely? Plenty of cool water to drink. The poet lies down to sleep and dreams of himself as a lamb grappling with the exquisite ambivalence inherent in wanting to serve in God’s holy Temple, yet knowing that the lambs who serve God in that place usually do so by being slaughtered, by having their blood poured out as divinely ordained libations, and by having their lifeless carcasses burnt to ash. (6) Nothing but goodness and mercy pursue me all the days of my life indeed, I feel certain that I shall dwell in the House of Adonai for days without end. ![]() (5) You set a table for me in the presence of my enemies You have anointed my head with so much fine oil that I feel like an overflowing cup. (4) Even though I must sometimes pass through dark valleys, I fear no harm for You are with me indeed, Your crook and Your walking stick are sources of constant comfort for me. (3) to restore my spirit, who walks me in level pastures as befits a shepherd of sounds reputation. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |