An awesome prayer pleading with G-d to draw near to the Jews as in days of old. In Psalm 80, the psalmist touches on everything Jews experience and creates a spirit of heartfelt intensity that only can give strength and hope. No matter how hopeless some situations seem, Jews continue to trust in G-d, knowing that He will help. Torah Jews remain faithful to G-d and that in itself is an answer to the prayers they say. Loyalty to G-d is called ‘bitachon’ in Hebrew. This means that Jews trust that G-d does everything for the good. Even bad things they experience will eventually turn for the better.
- Text Psalm 80
- Hebrew text of Psalm 80 – תהילים פ
- Listen to Psalm 80
- Explanation of Psalm 80 by Rabbi Yitzchok Rubin
- Commentary by Rashi on Psalm 80
- Further explanation of the above Jewish comments
- Psalm 1 to 92
Text Psalm 80
For the conductor, to the roses, a testimony, from Asaph a song. O Shepherd of Israel, hear, He who leads Joseph like the flocks, He who dwells between the cherubim, appears. Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up Your power, and it is Yours to save us. O G-d, return us; let Your face shine and we will be saved.
….Burnt with fire [and] cut off; through the rebuke of Thy countenance they perish. May Your hand be on the man of Your right hand, on the son of man whom You have strengthened for Yourself. And let us not retreat; grant us life and we will cry out in Your name. O Lord G-d of Hosts, return us; let Your face shine and we will be saved.
Hebrew text of Psalm 80 – תהילים פ
{a} To win to Shoshanim, witness to add a psalm:
{b} Shepherd of Israel who listens, leads like a shepherd, Joseph sits, the cherubim appeared: {c} before the children of Ephraim and between Yeman and Manasseh aroused your prowess and went to save us:
{4} O God, answer us and let your face shine and save us: {e} Yahweh God of hosts, how long have you smoked in the prayer of your people: {f} You have eaten bread with tears and you have restored it with
tears: They will mock him. {1} You turned before her and her roots took root and filled the earth:
{11} Cover the mountains with her shade and her boughs with cedars to God: {12} Send her harvest to the sea and to the river her sucklings: } Why did you break open its fences and shelter everyone who passes by ? The breasts of Yireana:
{to} God of hosts, look again from heaven and see and command this vine: Your face will be destroyed like a rag in the fire . You have adopted a man for yourself:
{19} and he has not withdrawn from you, we will live and in your name it is called:
Listen to Psalm 80
Listen to Psalm 80 in Hebrew.
Explanation of Psalm 80 by Rabbi Yitzchok Rubin
Rabbi Rubin reports that Psalm 80 was written by the members of the Sanhedrin in honor of the sons of Israel, who are called roses. It is a song because despite all the difficulties Jews face, they never lose the sense of joy. Jews remain loyal to HaShem. They want to be His sheep and wait for His light. While other nations feel that their strength comes from within themselves, Jews know that their strength comes from G-d. That is why they are also called am HaShem, the people of G-d.
Jews have faith in G-d. This is called ‘bitachon’ in Hebrew. Bitachon is faith and trust in G-d; this is not the belief in G-d as such, rather it is the belief that everything that G-d does, everything that happens (including the bad) will be for the good.
Jews beg G-d to accept their prayers, even if the prayers are not completely pure. The lives of Jews seem drenched in tears. They want to be rescued from exile , just as G-d freed them from slavery in Egypt and brought them to Eretz Yisrael to perform the mitzvos.
Jews wonder why the wildest enemies have taken their place. The Psalmist says that the chaos is not due to the sins of Jews. It’s about the pain that Jews have at their most basic level. They want to be delivered because they are the children of Jacob. Jews want to revive so that they can proclaim the name of G-d. They ask G-d for strength to overcome everything that happens, even the things they do not understand. Jewish young people without a religious background also turn to rabbis and ask how they can pray to G-d.
Commentary by Rashi on Psalm 80
Per verse the commentary of Rashi, the Jewish Bible commentator who lived from 1040-1105. Rashi is considered the teacher of teachers. All traditional Jews regard Rashi as an authority on the Jewish Bible and Talmud. Hence it is important to record his commentary on the Psalms. Rashi uses new Hebrew supplemented with Old French words. His language is sometimes somewhat oracularly short. For further explanation it is wise to consult an orthodox Jewish rabbi.
Verse 1
For the conductor, to the roses, a testimony, from Asaph a song.
for the roses : To Israel.
a testimony, from Asaph a song : A testimony song in which he referred to the three exiles and prayed over them. For it is mentioned three times in this psalm, “Return to us, cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved,” and in it he referred to the troubles that were destined to befall them in the days of the house of Jehu , of the kings of Aram. For it is said (II Kings 13:7), ,for the king of Aram had destroyed them, and made them as dust to be trodden under foot.,
Verse 2
O Shepherd of Israel, listen, He who leads Joseph like the flocks, He who dwells between the cherubim, appears.
O Shepherd of Israel : Their leader and supporter.
Joseph : All Israel is called Joseph because he sustained and supported them in times of famine.
He who dwells among the cherubims : As said (Exodus 25:22): ,There I will meet you at appointed times, etc.,
appears : Show Your power.
Verse 3
Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up Your power, and it is Yours to save us.
Before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh : when they need Your salvation. Though they are wicked and unworthy, stir up Your power for them. But why? Because it’s up to You to save us. It suits You and it is Yours to save, guilty or innocent, as it was said to Moses in Egypt (Exodus 3:7): ,I have seen the affliction of My people., Why is the word to be seen repeated? I see that they are destined to provoke Me. Nevertheless, I have seen their misery because of the oath I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Ephraim : in the war with Aram, when he besieged Samaria and sent messengers to Ahab (1 Kings 20:3): Your silver and gold are mine; your beautiful wives and children are mine. ‘
Benjamin : in the days of Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, as it is said (II Kings 13:4,7): for He saw the oppression of Israel, etc., for the king of Aram had destroyed them, and trodden them down as the dust . ,And he smote him three times in war, as it is said (II Kings 13:25): ,Joash overcame him three times and restored the cities of Israel.,
Manasseh : in the time of Ahasuerus, when Mordecai and Esther were in danger and all Israel depended on it.
and it is Yours to save us : Hebrew ולכה. This is not an expression of going, but is like לְ, and so it is in the Masorah of (Genesis 27:37): , and to you (ולכה) then, from Jacob; (II Samuel 18:22) ,because to you (ולכה) there is no [reward] given for news,; (Isaiah 3:6): You have (לכה) a garment ; be an officer for us, etc.,
Verse 4
O G-d, return; let Your face shine and we will be saved.
return us : from the Babylonian captivity, where Mordecai was.
Verse 5
O Lord, G-d of Hosts, how long have You been angry with the prayer of Your people?
how long have you been angry : [This refers to] the troubles caused by the Greek kings, who have significantly harmed Israel.
Verse 6
You have given them the bread of tears, and You have given them to drink in abundance.
You have given them the bread of tears : in Egypt
, and You have made them drink in abundance : Hebrew שליש. In Babylon, where they were seventy years old, a third (שליש) of the two hundred and ten of Egypt. I learned this from the work of Rabbi Moshe Hadarshan. It can also be interpreted in relation to the Kingdom of Greece, which represents the third problem. If you ask, that is [not] the fourth, because Persia and Media came before, then all seventy years of the Babylonian captivity are but one captivity. Menachem (p. 175) interprets שליש as the name of a drinking vessel. So he explained (Isaiah 40:12): “and he measured with a “shalish” the dust of the earth.” Our sages interpreted it (Midrash Psalm 80:4) as referring to the three tears shed by Esau, of whom it is said (Genesis 27:34), ,and he cried with a cry., That’s one. ,A great., That’s two. “And a bitter one.” That’s three. Because of them he deserved to live by his sword, as it is said (Genesis 27:40): “and it shall come to pass when you complain, etc.”
Verse 7
You have made us a target of battle for our neighbors, and our enemies mock themselves.
You have made us the target of battle : You have made us the target of battle for all our neighbors, for the Greeks have quarreled with us.
Verse 8
O G-d of Hosts, return to us; let Your face shine and we will be saved.
return to us… and we will be saved : from the Greeks.
Verse 9
You uprooted a vine out of Egypt; You drove out nations and planted them.
You uprooted a vine from Egypt : He went back and referred to the exile of the Romans. The vine of Israel, which You uprooted from Egypt. You have uprooted them from it, as (Job 19:10), “He has rooted up my hope like a tree.” Then you drove out the seven nations and planted Israel in their land.
Verse 10
You have prepared [a place] for it; it took root and filled the land.
You have made free for them those who live there.
Verse 11
The mountains were covered by its shadow, and its branches were great cedars.
and its branches were great cedars : Hebrew ארזי אל, like strong cedars, i.e. mighty kings.
Verse 12
It sends out its branches even to the sea, and its branches reach out to the river.
It sent forth its branches : Hebrew קצירה. It sent forth its branches, as (Job 14:9): ,and it shall bring forth a branch (קציר).,
up to the sea : The border was up to the Mediterranean Sea.
and its branches grow toward the river : The breadth of Eretz Israel is from the wilderness to the river Euphrates.
Verse 13
Why have you broken its gates, so that all travelers have picked its fruits?
Why : now?
Have you broken the fences of that vineyard?
so that all travelers have reaped its fruits : וארוה. All who came gathered it, as (Song of Songs 5:1): “I gathered (אריתי) my myrrh with my herbs.” Likewise in the language of the Mishnah (Shevi’ith 1:2): ,as much space as is required by a picker (אורה) and his basket.,
Verse 14
The boar of the forest gnaws it and the creeping things of the field graze on top?
The boar of the forest gnaws it : Hebrew יכרסמנה, ash (Peah 2:7): ,A field where the ants have nibbled (קרסמוה),, an expression of plucking out.
from the forest : Hebrew מיער. The ,ayin, is suspended (as if written with an ,aleph,). If Israel is worthy, the enemies are like the beasts of the river, which have no strength to climb up onto the dry land; but when retribution is ordered upon them, he (sic) becomes strong as the beast of the forest, which destroys and kills. The boar of the forest is Esau, as it is written (Daniel 7:7): “It devoured and broke in pieces, and the rest it trampled under its feet.” And it (the boar) shows some signs of purity. Esau also has the merit of his fathers.
and the creeping things of the field : Hebrew זיז, all the creeping things of the field. The expression זיז means anything that is constantly moving from its place.
graze on it : Graze on it and its branches and eat them.
Verse 16
And of the foundation which Your right hand has planted, and of the son whom You have strengthened for Yourself.
And of the foundation which Your right hand has planted : It is established and established, which Your right hand has planted, an expression of (Genesis 40:13): ,and to restore you to your office (כנך).,
and about the son whom You have strengthened for Yourself : And about Esau, who was a beloved son of this father, who would call him ‘my son’. You strengthened the vine of Jacob for Yourself, as it is said (Genesis 27:40): ‘and You will serve your brother. ‘Now it is…
Verse 17
Burned with fire [and] cut off; through the rebuke of Your countenance they perish.
Burned with fire [and] cut off : Hebrew כסוחה, an expression of (Leviticus 25:4): ,You shall not prune (תזמר), which Onkelos renders: לא תכסח.
they perish : continually; they perish continually through the rebuke of Your face and Your wrath.
Verse 18
May Your hand be on the man of Your right hand, on the son of man whom You have strengthened for Yourself.
May Your hand be on the man of Your right hand : Deliver Your blows on the man, Esau, who is destined to receive recompense from Your right hand
upon the Son of man , whom You fortified for Yourself, that His habitation would be the fat places of the earth.
Verse 19
And let us not turn back: grant us life, and we will cry out in Your name.
And let us not turn away : See that we do not turn back from You.
grant us life : from exile, and we will name Your goodness and Your power, and then we will cry in Your name.
Verse 20
O Lord G‑d of Hosts, turn us again: let Your face shine, and we shall be saved.
O Lord God of Hosts : Here three holy names are mentioned, but in the middle case two names and in the first case one name. All this is in accordance with the intensity of the exile, the trouble and the redemption (which will surely come).
Further explanation of the above Jewish comments
As mentioned above, bitachon means ‘trust’. It is based on emoenah which means ‘faith’. Emunah is the belief that G-d determines everything in Creation and that He is good. You have no fears. With bitachon, as a Torah Jew, you trust that things will be good because you believe they are good. So you always look at the positive experiences in life. The good is the underlying reality that exists. So the Torah Jew does not manipulate the cosmos. But through his faith, good can emerge.
There are different degrees of bitachon. There are people who first experience the bad but realize that in the end everything will work out for the best. There are also people who immediately see the good in everything, even though it seems terrible.
Bitachon is not uniform. It is often the case that the Torah does its best with full confidence that G-d will bless its work. So he is not responsible for his own success, but G-d determines that. There are also situations where the Torah Jew cannot seem to get out of and then he calls on G-d to ask for help.
A Torah Jew knows that a good doctor can provide healing, but realizes that the doctor is only a channel for G-d’s blessing. Therefore, the Torah Jew will first pay attention to spiritual matters by checking his tefillin (phylacteries) and mezuzahs, giving money to charity, studying Torah, etc. and only then will he address the channels.
Bitachon brings peace and happiness to life. There are Torah Jews who read the story of the manna in the desert every day (Exodus 16) to strengthen their trust in G-d. Manna taught a great lesson in faith. With no reserves, the Israelites had to rely completely on G-d to provide for their needs every day. It is also advisable to listen to stories of people who have faith in G-d. But it works best by meditating on the relationship with G-d that every person has.
Psalm 1 to 92
Would you like to read more Psalms with a Jewish interpretation? Go to: Psalms 1 through 92.
read more
- Hebrew – Ivriet: words and phrases – pronunciation
- What is the time difference between the Netherlands and other countries?
- Jewish humor / Jewish jokes – de witz (including Sam and Moos)