K’vod malchus’cha yomeiru, u’g’vuras’cha y’dabeiru
Of the glory of Your kingdom they will speak, and of Your power they will tell;
L’hodia livnei ha’adam g’vurosav, u’ch’vod hadar malchuso
To inform human beings of His mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of His kingdom.
Most people, even those who are Torah observant, often do not recognize (or do not recognize enough) – and certainly do not contemplate – the hand of Hashem in nature and in all that happens in our personal lives. We become accustomed to nature and to “natural events” that occur constantly and, unless something occurs that is out of the ordinary, we do not really feel Hashem directing the “ordinary” in our lives and in the world.
The chasidim like David HaMelech, and those he spoke about at the end of the previous pasuk, see all of nature and everything that happens in the world and in their personal lives as coming directly from Hashem. They ask Hashem for help before looking for a parking spot and thank Him when they receive one. They attribute every breath, moment, occurrence, and event to Hashem.
This pasuk picks up where the last one left off, discussing the chasidim. They will speak (yomeiru) about k’vod malchus’cha, which represents Hashem’s control over nature and all that happens that appears to us as ordinary. U’g’vuras’cha y’dabeiru means that they will speak to others about Hashem’s actions that are extraordinary. These include miracles and outstanding unnatural events. They will tell others about these extraordinary events, L’hodia livnei ha’adam g’vurosav, to make known to others Hashem’s power through recognizing these miraculous and unnatural events brought about by Hashem. U’ch’vod hadar malchuso – Recognizing Hashem through His power in causing miracles and extraordinary events, the people who are not on the level of chasidim will now understand that the natural events and all that happens constantly is from Hashem, as well.
How often do we contemplate or even think about the constant gifts Hashem blesses us with? A healthy heart, even one “normally” functioning healthy kidney, liver, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, brain, knees, back, and every one of our organs and limbs, as well as all the other parts of our minds and bodies, are enormous gifts most of us enjoy every second of our lives. Unfortunately, we usually begin thinking about these gifts when we are having difficulties with one of them.
HaRav Avigdor Miller zt”l created a list, which he kept near him. It contained a list of all his working organs and limbs, a list of items Hashem had gifted him with, and a long list of various illnesses and troubles suffered by others, from which he was spared.
This is in fact what the Ramban says in his last piece at the end of Parshas Bo. Hashem does not perform open miracles in every generation. We therefore need to learn from Y’tzias Mitzrayim and other open miracles that ALL that appears to be natural and mundane is controlled completely by Hashem. The Ramban goes as far as to say that one who does not believe this does not have a share in the Torah. Without realizing that everything is created by Hashem, for the service of Hashem, a person will not feel the responsibility to study and understand the Torah – the “instruction manual” for life (i.e., successful living) on this earth.
When we say this second pasuk (L’hodia), we should accept upon ourselves to teach this to our children and to others around us. We can do this by attributing all of our successes – “natural,” mundane, extraordinary – to Hashem, in the presence of others.
To access print versions of previous Tefilah segments, please visit OU Torah’s Search portal, select the Topic of “Tefillah,” and then select “Weekly Tefilah Focus” from the Series list.
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Rabbi Shraga Freedman is the author of Living Kiddush Hashem, A Life Worth Living, and M’kadshei Sh’mecha. Rabbi Freedman has made spreading Kiddush Hashem awareness his life goal, and authored a biweekly column in Yated Ne’eman for several years. Rabbi Freedman has been in education and school administration for the last 20 years in both high school and elementary levels. More information can be found at www.LivingKiddushHashem.org.
