Tefillah 024

54:
P^esuké d^eZimra now continues with Psalm 148 [Siddur Sim Shalom page 99; Siddur Va'ani Tefillati page 51]. This psalm is pre-eminently a 'nature' psalm, a paean of pure praise to the God of Nature. The psalm consists of two parts. The first part is introduced by the invocation [verse 1] that everything that is ultramundane praise God:

The psalmist now addresses everything that is not part of his world, requiring them to praise God: angels, sun, moon, stars, the sky and the 'waters that are above the sky'. All this reflects the 'physics' of the psalmist's world, as does also Genesis 1: 1-10 in the first creation story. This envisaged a flat earth suspended on pillars above the waters which were under the earth (waters which found their way upwards to provide fountains and so forth). Above the earth, supported by pillars, was the sky (firmament) in which were 'courses' in which the sun and moon travelled and in which were placed the fixed stars. Above the sky were the waters which are above the sky, which drop down to earth as rain through 'windows' in the sky.

All these elements of creation are required to praise God –

55:
In contrast to the ultramundane, which is permanent and unchganging to all eternity, is the world which we know, and verse 7 introduces the second part of the psalm with an invocation to "praise God from the earth". Of course, our world is in constant flux, changing, developing and evolving to all eternity. The psalmist here addresses everything that he knows to be a part of his world: sea monsters, fire, hail, snow, steam, wind, storm, mountains, hills, trees, animals, reptiles and birds. Note here, too, the rather close connection between the description of the natural world and that given in the middle section of the first creation story, Gensis 1:11-25.

56:
But, of course, earth is also the home of us mortals [verses 11-12]:

Human beings, too, are required to praise their God.

As the psalm approaches its peroration [verses 13-14] one people is singled out from all other human beings as enjoying God's special providence:

To be continued.

In Tefillah 023 I wrote: Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan z"l (and others) have seen in verse 4 (of Psalm 146) an indication that in biblical times there was no belief in life after death. I cannot agree that this is necessarily so: all that the psalmist says is that man dies and is buried and that is the end of his earthly activities; it speaks only of the physical side of man, not of any spiritual aspect that man may have..

Derek Fields takes issue with me. He writes:

I wonder then, how you explain the Psalmist when he (or she) says in Psalm 115 (which we recite in Hallel): "The dead do not praise God, nor those who go down (to the grave) in silence." I think that this is pretty clear preference for what we can accomplish in our earthly existence.

I respond:

My comment was only related to the specific verse under discussion: Psalm 146:4. Derek is quite right that other verses in scripture can be quoted that give a much firmer support to Kaplan's contention that death is the end of life, both physical and spiritual. Of course, other verses can be adduced from scripture that might possibly suggest otherwise: for example, Saul's encounter with the dead Samuel [1Samuel 28:7-25]. Israel's concepts concerning what happens after physical death seems to have undergone development. We discussed this at some length as part of our study of Tractate Avot. Those interested can access the discussion in Avot 021 and the following shiurim. (We shall be returning to that topic later on in our study of Avot.)

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Also in Tefillah 023 we quoted from Psalm 147: God lays down snow like fleece, scatters frost like ashes. He tosses down hail like crumbs – who can endure His icy cold?

Bayla Singer has send me this wonderful insight:

There seems to me extra depth in the line God lays down snow like fleece, scatters frost like ashes. Fleece protects against the cold of snow; ashes both improve one's footing in icy/frosted paths and implies fire which also protects against cold. Thus, even when contemplating uncomfortable conditions created by God, we are reminded that God has also given us the wherewithal to alleviate them.