Psalm 91 inspires the hearts of people to seek shelter under the wings of the Divine Presence. It also speaks of the four seasons of the year and their respective operating powers, instructing those who protect their souls to avoid them. Moses wrote this Psalm in honor of the tribe of Levi. This tribe has a special connection with G-d. And the Levites play an important role in Klal Yisraeel (the community of Israel). Since the destruction of the Temple, every Jew has been considered a Levite according to the Jewish philosopher Maimonides.
- Text Psalm 91
- Hebrew text of Psalm 91 – תהילים צא
- Listen to Psalm 91
- Explanation of Psalm 91 by Rabbi Yitzchok Rubin
- Commentary by Rashi on Psalm 91
- Further explanation of the above Jewish comments
- Psalm 1 to 92
Text Psalm 91
He who dwells in the secret of the Most High will dwell in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord [that He] is my refuge and my fortress, my G‑d in whom I trust. For He will deliver you from the snare that holds the devastating pestilence. With His wing He will cover you, and under His wings you will take refuge; His truth is an all-encompassing shield.
… .
On a young lion and a cobra you will tread; you will trample the young lion and the serpent. For he longs for Me, and I will save him; I will strengthen him because he knows My name. He will call Me and I will answer him; I am with him in distress; I will save him and I will honor him. With long days I will satisfy him, and I will shew him my salvation.
Hebrew text of Psalm 91 – תהילים צא
{a} He will sit in the secret place above in the shadow of my chest that will complain:
{b} I said to the Lord, my protection and my fortress , my God, I will trust in him:
{c} for he will save you from the curse of the wilderness: {d} } With his limbs he will protect you, and under his wings you will hide cold and trade, his truth: {E} No Be afraid by night of an arrow that flies by day: {and} from the desert of Opal he will go from a small place in the middle of the night
. 8) Only with your eyes will you look and the salvation of the wicked will you see: {1} No evil shall befall thee, and no pestilence shall come near thy tent :
{1} For his angels will command thee to guard thee in all thy ways: {12} He shall rest thee upon thy feet lest thou perish On the stone of your foot: {13} On a camel and a field you will tread a thermos, a kafir and a crocodile: {hand} For he desired me, and I turned him away, because he knew my name
. Come and see him in my salvation:
Listen to Psalm 91
Listen to Psalm 91 in Hebrew.
Explanation of Psalm 91 by Rabbi Yitzchok Rubin
The Levites in Biblical times lived in close proximity to the essence of G-d. They worked in the Temple and lived in a sacred environment. Today’s Torah-observant Jews, like the Levites, work in an environment of holiness. They experience protection from G-d. They know that their ancestors endured trials and sought support from G-d.
Should Jews vaguely accept support from G-d or actually live by it? According to Rabbi Rubin, this is crystal clear: Jews must truly live by accepting that only G-d exists. So Jews can only seek support from G-d. Rubin refers to Jews who lived through the Holocaust and experienced the most terrible things. Yet they remained nice and sweet people. Where do they get the strength to overcome such pain? By continuing to serve G-d and accepting His Oneness.
Commentary by Rashi on Psalm 91
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
He who dwells in the secret of the Most High will dwell in the shadow of the Almighty.
He who dwells in the secret of the Most High : He who shelters under the wings of the Shechinah will dwell in His shadow, for the Holy One, blessed be He, protects him. Moses, our teacher, hereby convinces people to take shelter under the wings of the Shechinah.
the Most High : Heb. שדי, an expression of strength. “He who dwells in the secret of the Most High” is like (Song of Songs 2:3), “in His shade I longed and sat down.”
Verse 2
I will say of the Lord [that He] is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.
I will say of the Lord [that He is] my refuge and my fortress : and all shall learn of me. Why am I saying this?
Verse 3
For He will deliver you from the snare that holds the devastating pestilence.
For He will deliver you from the snare, etc. : To everyone He says, ‘He who dwells in the secret of the Most High.’
Verse 4
He will cover you with His wing, and under His wings you will take refuge; His truth is an all-encompassing shield.
With His wing He will cover you, and under His wings you will take refuge : You are covered.
an all-encompassing shield : Heb. ה וסחרה. This is a shield that closely encloses a man on his four sides. וסֹחֵרָה is an expression of סְחוֹר סְחוֹר, round.
Verse 5
You shall not fear the fear of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day;
You will not be afraid : if you trust Him.
the arrow that flies by day : the demon that flies like an arrow.
Verse 6
Pestilence that stalks in the darkness, destruction that ravages at noon.
Pestilence that creeps in the darkness, destruction : These are names of demons; one destroys at night and one destroys at noon.
afflicts : Hebrew יָשוּד, [equal to] יְשוֹדֵד.
Verse 7
A thousand will be at your side and ten thousand at your right hand; but it won’t approach you.
There will be a thousand at your side : Hebrew יפל, an expression of encamping, as (Genesis 25:18): ,in the presence of all his brothers he settled (נפל).,
be by your side : To your left a thousand demons will be stationed, and they will not approach you to harm.
Verse 8
You will only stare with your eyes and you will see the destruction of the wicked.
[U]and…. the destruction : Hebrew ושלמת, complete destruction. And why?
Verse 9
For you [said], “The Lord is my refuge”; you have made the Most High your dwelling place.
For you : You said, “The Lord is my refuge.” This is an elliptical verse.
you have made the Most High your dwelling place : you have made the Holy One, blessed be He, the seat of your trust.
Verse 10
No evil will happen to you, nor will any plague come near your tent.
No evil shall happen to you : Hebrew לא תאנה, shall not happen. Likewise (Exodus 21:13): “and G‑d allowed it to happen (אנה) in his hand.”
Verse 12
They will bear you up in [their] hands, so that your foot does not stumble on a stone.
lest….. stumble : Hebrew תגף, lest it [your foot] stumble, and thus every expression of נְגִפָה, acupir, azoper, to strike, to strike against.
Further explanation of the above Jewish comments
Psalm 91 was written by Moses in honor of the tribe of Levi. Gutte Yidden (Jews who embody subconscious goodness) have said that after the churban (destruction of the Temple), every Jew is a shtikale Levi, ‘a part of Levi’. Every Jew bears a part of the bond of the tribe of Levi with HaShem. This does entail more responsibility.
Who were the Levites? What is the relationship between the Levites and the other Jews? And why does every Jew bear a part of the bond of the tribe of Levi with HaShem?
Levi was a son of Jacob. His descendants are called Levites. These were given the special task of serving G-d in the Temple. Most of them had ‘ordinary’ tasks such as playing music, opening the gates and keeping watch. They also arranged everything around the Tabernacle (which preceded the Temple). The most sacred duties, such as offering sacrifices, were reserved for the priests (kohanim). They were descended from Aharon (who, like his brother Moses, was also a Levite).
Why were the Levites given this special task? Because the tribe of Levites was the only one that did not participate in the sin of the Golden Calf. Yet the Levites were already special during the time of slavery in Egypt. They were the only Jews who were not slaves.
The priests, as mentioned, the descendants of Aharon, give the people of Israel the priestly blessing (Birkat Kohanim). This still happens today in the synagogues. The priest says the blessing with raised hands. It is one of the most sublime moments during the synagogue service because the entire congregation is, as it were, embraced in a divine hug.
Numbers 6:23 says: Speak to Aharon and his sons and say, This is how you shall bless the children of Israel: “May the Lord bless you and watch over you. May the Lord make His face shine upon you and favor you. May the Lord lift up His face toward you and grant you peace.” They shall give My name to the children of Israel, that I may bless them.
In addition to the ‘ordinary’ priest, there was also a High Priest. On Yom Kippur he was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies in the Temple where the Holy Ark stood. Aaron was the first High Priest.
The tribe of Levi was the only one without an area of its own in Ancient Israel. The Levites lived spread across the land in different cities. They did not work and were supported by a system of tithes and other ‘gifts’ from the other Jews as described in the Torah.
Nowadays you can recognize the Levites by their surname (following a direct line of men), such as Levi, Levine, Segal, Horowitz, etc. Priests can be recognized by the surname Cohen, Kagan, Katz and Azulay. Because there is no longer a Temple today and the Levites simply have to earn their own living, they no longer differ much from the other Jews. However, they must take a number of things into account: the priest is called first for the Torah reading in the synagogue, the Levite second; they are not allowed to come into contact with a dead person (so they cannot go to a funeral or cemetery unless they are family); the priests still pronounce the priestly blessing; a priest may not marry a Ge’rusha (divorced woman), Chalalah (woman with defective Kohen status), Zonah (woman who has previously violated certain sexual prohibitions), Giyoret (convert), or Chalutzah (a Levite widow) .
As stated above by Gutte Yidden, in fact every Jew, spiritually speaking, has been a Levite since the churban (destruction of the Temple). Although the Levite is chosen by G-d, all Jews are equal. In the words of the famous Jewish philosopher Maimonides: Not only the tribe of Levi [was chosen by G‑d], but every human being, man or woman, who is spiritually motivated and has the intellectual understanding to set himself aside and for G‑d to serve Him and to know G-d, in a righteous manner as G-d has done to him, removing from his neck the burden of the many schemes that men pursue, is sanctified as holy of saints and will G‑d forever be His portion and inheritance…
Psalm 1 to 92
Would you like to read more Psalms with a Jewish interpretation? Go to: Psalms 1 through 92.