Song of ascents – There is within this song a wondrous cornerstone to the foundations of faith. This is that the supernal source, whose waters never fail, is blessed and increased through the actions of those below because the Lord pours out good to the good and abundance to those who are prepared. When the generation is not fit to receive this, then the spring is muddied, the source is ruined and the channels will not pour out their blessings, this is the notion of the blessing with which Israel blesses the Lord. Through their good deeds and prayers the supernal pool is filled, the river of God is filled with the waters of loving kindness, goodness and mercy, and it pours out upon the land. And when their actions are evil the streams of water dry up and the river becomes dry and desolate, as the Sages taught ‘Israel adds strength to the power above.’ Blessing is for the sake of the One above, as is written in the book The Lands of the Living (in the Land of Yehudah, 5) in explanation of the word ‘blessed’ with many proofs. This is what is written “Behold, bless the Lord,” that is to say – give Him blessing, exiles above and exiles below, through your good deeds. You “all servants of the Lord who stand in the house of the Lord at night,” like faithful servants who labor day and night and never leave their post for a moment, bless the Lord and give might unto God.

May the Lord bless you – It is explaining in what way you bless the Lord. That is, that you give Him strength and might in order that He be able to bless you, because this depends on your actions. You should bless Him, that is - fill Him with blessing in order that He can pour it out on you. What does ‘May the Lord bless you from Zion’ mean? That your blessing will not come from the structure and orders of the workings of the heavens, but rather from Zion. It will come through the delicate vapors and the drops of dew which rise up from below, from the acts of Zion and their service. From ‘He Who made heaven and earth,’ which is the blessing that does not derive from the heavens or the earth, but rather from the Lord above who made them both and pours out miraculous, providential blessing upon them.