Psalm 82 warns those judges who feign ignorance of the law, deal unjustly with the beggar or the orphan, and make the rich richer. A person encounters many types of judges in his life. Most are fair and understanding. But there are also judges who can destroy your soul. The most feared judge is the inner voice that refuses to forgive. He has become the tool of yetzer hara (the evil inclination). This leads to depression and relentless bitterness. You are then cut off from G-d’s forgiveness and lost forever.
- Text Psalm 82
- Hebrew text of Psalm 82 – תהילים פב
- Listen to Psalm 82
- Explanation of Psalm 82 by Rabbi Yitzchok Rubin
- Commentary by Rashi on Psalm 82
- Further explanation of the above Jewish comments
- Psalm 1 to 92
Text Psalm 82
A song by Asaph. G-d stands in the church of G-d; He will judge among the judges. How long will you judge unjustly and favor the wicked forever? Judge the poor and the orphan; justify the lowly and the poor. Set the poor and needy free; deliver [them] from the hands of [the] wicked. They knew not, and they understand not, that they shall walk in darkness; all the foundations of the earth will be shaken. I said, “You are angelic beings and you are all angels of the Most High.” As a man you will indeed die and as one of the princes you will fall. Arise, O G‑d, judge the earth, for You inherit all nations.
Hebrew text of Psalm 82 – תהילים פב
{a} A psalm for the collection of God, placed in the congregation of God, in the presence of God, he will judge: Ni Warsh HaTzdiku:
{D} Cast out poverty and destruction from Midr Sha’im HaTzilu: { E
} No They shall know and not understand, they shall walk in darkness, and all the institutions of the earth shall perish. One of the ministers will fall: {8} Rise up, God, let the earth bow down, for you will be scattered among all the nations:
Listen to Psalm 82
Listen to Psalm 82 in Hebrew.
Explanation of Psalm 82 by Rabbi Yitzchok Rubin
Psalm 82 is about corrupt judges. According to Rabbi Rubin, Jews should look at themselves to see if they are not judging themselves in the same way as corrupt judges. HaShem’s judgment on the paths that Jews take is affected by the reality in which they live. There is no greater orphan than one who does not listen to G-d. Jews must continue to listen to HaShem. The moment they no longer hear His voice, they must quickly return to their Source. Jews all have the spark of Holiness that dwells within them. Jews need only be cleansed with salty tears of remorse. No one is beyond the reach of those salty tears. Every Jew can do teshuvah (repent). But if they judge themselves too harshly, the world around them becomes dark. They are then blind to all understanding and vulnerable to negative forces. However, Jews can always find their way home, if only they judge themselves with justice and understanding.
Commentary by Rashi on Psalm 82
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
A song of Asaph. G-d stands in the church of G-d; He will judge among the judges.
G-d stands in the congregation of G-d : to see if they [the judges] judge fairly, and you judge, how long will you judge unjustly?
Verse 3
Judge the poor and orphans; justify the lowly and the poor.
righteous : If he [the poor man] is right in his cause, do not reverse the judgment to condemn him to favor the wicked.
Verse 5
They did not know, neither do they understand, that they shall walk in darkness; all the foundations of the earth will be shaken.
They Didn’t Know : The judges who pervert justice.
and they understand not : that because of this iniquity they shall walk in darkness (in the order of [Exodus 23:8]: ,the blind for bribery, etc.,), and all the foundations of the earth shall be shaken thereby.
Verse 6
I said, “You are angelic beings and you are all angels of the Most High.”
You are angelic beings : Angels. When I gave you the Torah, I gave it to you on the condition that the Angel of Death would not rule over you.
Verse 7
As a man you will indeed die, and as one of the princes you will fall.
As a man you will indeed die : Indeed, as Adam, you will die because you corrupted your actions as he did.
and as one of the princes : the first [princes], who died, so shall you fall. The Midrash Aggadah (Midrash Psalm 82:3) [explains]: As one of the heavenly princes, for it is said (Isaiah 24:21), “the Lord will visit punishment on the multitude of heaven on high. ,
Verse 8
Arise, O G-d, judge the earth, for You inherit all nations.
Arise, O G-d : Asaph begins to pray that He will arise and cut off those corrupt judges from Israel.
for You are the One who inherits the nations, and everyone is in Your hands to judge.
Further explanation of the above Jewish comments
This psalm warns judges who deal unjustly with the beggar or the orphan, while favoring the rich by taking bribes. They act as if they do not know or understand the law.
The legal system is one of the three pillars that support the world (Rabbi Shimon, the son of Gamliel, would say: the world is supported by three things: law, truth and peace). When justice is compromised, civilization begins to be shaken to its core (think of the Nuremberg Race Laws in Nazi Germany). However, when justice is upheld, people are compared to angels and their days are blessed. Other commentaries explain this psalm in reference to a specific episode in King Jehoshaphat’s time when he replaced certain judges whom he admonished by saying, ,You do not judge for man, you judge for G-d., Earthly justice must be synchronized with heavenly justice, otherwise we will have an unjust society.
The bribery of self-love (narcissism) also applies to most of us. The Jewish sages note that a person will forgive himself because of narcissism. Narcissism is a disease in which the sufferer is blind to the undeniable truth of his desperate situation. He loses sight of the straight path. This can also happen to someone who observes the Torah and starts to consider himself important and thus becomes arrogant. He will not see that he is mentally ill and will not seek a remedy and will eventually succumb.
The Yetser Hara (evil inclination) is indeed likened to a judge, as described in chapter 13 on Tanya (the Beinoni (average man) inclinations are described as his ,r howevers,. To sin, his evil inclination must rule him ; in order to do good, his good inclination must prevail.), but does not have the last word. One of the best ways to tame the inner voice of criticism is to have an honest and good mentor who you can trust and consult. When the negative thought comes, you can shine a light on it by sharing it with another person.
Psalm 1 to 92
Would you like to read more Psalms with a Jewish interpretation? Go to: Psalms 1 through 92.