For November 28, 2022
Tehillim - Psalms 23:3
נַפְשִׁ֥י יְשׁוֹבֵ֑ב יַֽנְחֵ֥נִי בְמַעְגְּלֵי־צֶ֝֗דֶק לְמַ֣עַן שְׁמֽוֹ׃
"He restores calm to my soul; He leads me along the paths of rightenousness for the sake of His Name, so that I will not stumble."
Our soul, connected to the Divine, comes down into our body. It wants to connect with God constantly and its ascending light of selflessness flickers upwards. Our body, however, wants to enjoy everything this material world has to offer. The grease of the candle can so drown the wick that it can hardly rise. The desire for the material and the fear of not having enough or being able to enjoy enough can make a person anxious, but it frightens the soul the most. For it knows that the only true happiness can only be found in the material world if it is used to the Glory of His Name. Once the mind understands that true happiness can only be found when the soul can connect with the Divine and complete its task it will have peace of mind and the fear of difficulty or actual experienced difficulties can no longer burden the soul with pain, fear or sorrow.
However at first I read the verse differently.
Instead of "He lets me along the path of righteousness", I read He lets me along the path of righteous ones (note that's not what it says, but that's how I read it). In the past, my soul was restless at a certain time every year. When the time came, He led me to the path of the righteous ones, of His people. This enabled me to drink from the living water of Torah which they gave. On that path my soul feels safe and secure on that path there is only peace - even in the storms of life.
Brought By Angelique Sijbolts
Angelique Sijbolts is one of the main writers for the Noahide Academy. She has been an observant Noahide for many years. She studies Torah with Rabbi Perets every week. Angelique invests much of her time in editing video-lectures for the Rabbis of the Academy and contributes in administrating the Academy's website in English and Dutch. She lives in the north of the Netherlands. Married and mother of two sons. She works as a teacher in a school with students with special needs. And is a Hebrew Teacher for the levels beginners and intermediate. She likes to walk, to read and play the piano.
Sources
Chabadapp: chumash with Rashi
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