Hallel explained – 4

Tehilim 116

The Poet looked with Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Foresight) and saw that because of the length of the Exile the nations will say to Klal Yisrael that it appears that their prayers are not being heard, and it is for that reason that they are not being redeemed. Therefore, he says:

אָהַבְתִּי כִּי יִשְׁמַע ה’ אֶת קוֹלִי תַּחֲנוּנָי-I loved it when Hashem hears the sound of my supplications. That means to say: I love my prayers and supplications to Hashem, for I trust and believe that He will listen to my voice, and the proof of that is כִּי הִטָּה אָזְנוֹ לִי-that He bent His ear towards me and redeemed me. For that reason, even now I will not stop praying and calling to Hashem. וּבְיָמַי אֶקְרָא-And in my days I will call, even if it takes all my days, I will stand and call Him with my prayers. For behold, in this Exile אֲפָפוּנִי חֶבְלֵי מָוֶת-death-throes have surrounded me, through many decrees because of which many members of Klal Yisrael were killed וּמְצָרֵי שְׁאוֹל מְצָאוּנִי-and agonies of the abyss have found me, and even though צָרָה וְיָגוֹן אֶמְצָא-I will encounter oppression and anguish, nevertheless I will not stop praying to Hashem, וּבְשֵׁם ה’אֶקְרָא-and I will call in the name of Hashem, אָנָּה ה’מַלְּטָה נַפְשִׁי-“Please, Hashem, make my soul escape from this Exile,” because חַנּוּן ה’וְצַדִּיק-Hashem favors and is righteous, and even though He is just in his judgements, nevertheless וֵאלֹקֵינוּ מְרַחֵם-our G-d is merciful, and He will deal with us within (more merciful than) the letter of the Law, because שֹׁמֵר פְּתָאיִם ה’-Hashem looks after naïve people. דַּלֹּתִי וְלִי יְהוֹשִׁיעַ-I became poor and He will save me-He will save us from our poverty. And now the Poet speaks directly to Klal Yisrael, שׁוּבִי נַפְשִׁי לִמְנוּחָיְכִי-“Return, my soul, to your tranquility,”-when we perform a complete repentance before Hashem, we will bring ourselves close to the complete Redemption, כִּי ה’ גָּמַל עָלָיְכִי-because Hashem has bestowed (goodness) upon you, just as Hashem redeemed us from the Egyptian Exile,
כִּי חִלַּצְתָּ-when You extracted-in Egypt-נַפְשִׁי מִמָּוֶת-my soul from death, אֶת עֵינִי מִן דִּמְעָה-my eye from tears, אֶת רַגְלִי מִדֶּחִי-my foot from being pushed (to wander in Exile), and Hashem brought us to the Land of Yisrael, therefore we will also trust in Hashem now, that once again אֶתְהַלֵּךְ לִפְנֵי ה’ בְּאַרְצוֹת הַחַיִּים-I will walk before Hashem in the Lands of the Living, in the Land of Yisrael, where we will all be gathered at the time of the future Redemption, and there He will resuscitate the dead in the “Future which is to Come”. The Poet adds in the name of the whole nation, הֶאֱמַנְתִּי כִּי אֲדַבֵּר אֲנִי עָנִיתִי מְאֹד-I had faith when I spoke, (even though) I was very poor, I believe with lasting Faith that we are going to be redeemed in the “Future which is to Come”, and we will then speak about the Exile in which the nations afflicted us, אֲנִיאָמַרְתִּי בְחָפְזִי-I said in my haste, and notwithstanding the oppression and haste which preoccupy us in our Exile, we still constantly say that כָּל הָאָדָם כֹּזֵב-all the people are deceitful; all people who trust in the various beliefs are all being deceitful, for only the Belief of Klal Yisrael is the true one.

Now that the Poet has mentioned the Future Redemption, he continues: מָה אָשִׁיב לַה’כָּל תַּגְמוּלוֹהִי עָלָי-What can I give back to Hashem, for all that he has bestowed on me? What repayment can I give Hashem for all the goodness that He has done to us, when He will redeem us with the Complete Redemption? All the good things that He did for us were due to kindness and not because we deserved them according to the letter of the Law. Until now we can Bless Hashem for one salvation, which is the Egyptian Exodus, but in the “Future which is to Come”, כּוֹס יְשׁוּעוֹת אֶשָּׂא-I will lift the cup of Salvations-I will lift a cup (to celebrate) over many salvations, וּבְשֵׁם ה’אֶקְרָא-and I will call in the name of Hashem, to publicize his kind and philanthropic acts which He has done for us. And then, נְדָרַי לַה’אֲשַׁלֵּם-I will pay (fulfil) my vows to Hashem, not in a closed house as we do on the first night of Pessach at the Seder, but נֶגְדָה נָּא לְכָל עַמּוֹ-opposite all His nation, in the Beis HaMikdash. Even those who die during the Exile will not miss out on this, as יָקָר בְּעֵינֵי ה’הַמָּוְתָה לַחֲסִידָיו-the death of His Pious Ones is precious in the eyes of Hashem-the Pious Ones who die in the Exile acquire preciousness, greatness and importance before the L-rd, and their souls will be tied in the “Bundle of the Living” together with Hashem. After having said the above words with faith and belief in Hashem that this is how it will be, the Poet proceeds to pray to Hashem, אָנָּה ה’כִּי אֲנִי עַבְדֶּךָ-“Please Hashem, for I am Your servant-and not just a servant who has been bought from another person, but אֲנִי עַבְדְּךָ בֶּן אֲמָתֶךָ-I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant, who was born into service, and already once פִּתַּחְתָּ לְמוֹסֵרָי-You released my bonds, when You untied the knots of the bondage of Egypt, therefore may it be Your will to perform the same act again now to free me from the bonds of this Exile. And in the same way as during the Redemption from Egypt Klal Yisrael offered up the Korban Pesach (Passover Sacrifice), so too when we leave this Exile-לְךָ אֶזְבַּח זֶבַח תּוֹדָה וּבְשֵׁםה’אֶקְרָא-I will offer up a Thanksgiving Offering to You and cry out in the Name of Hashem, and in the same way as they offered their Offering and Song in front of a vast assembly, so too נְדָרַי לַה’אֲשַׁלֵּם נֶגְדָה נָּא לְכָל עַמּוֹ-I will pay (fulfil) my vows to Hashem opposite all His nation, and these Offerings and Songs will be even better than those which Klal Yisrael performed in Egypt, for those were performed in Chutz LaAretz (outside the Promised Land), whereas in the Coming Redemption we will bring the Offerings and sing the Songs בְּחַצְרוֹת בֵּית ה’-in the Courtyards of the House of Hashem-in the Beis HaMikdash (our Holy Temple) בְּתוֹכֵכִי יְרוּשָׁלִָם-in the centre of Yerusholayim (Jerusalem).” הַלֲלוּיָ-הּ-“Praise the L-rd!”