Rashi on Psalms Chapter 141
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מַשְׂאַת כַּפַּי. מַה שֶּׁאֲנִי נוֹשֵׂא כַּפַּי אֵלֶיךָ:
the lifting of my hands What I lift up my hands to You.
שִׁיתָה ה׳ שָׁמְרָה לְפִי. בְּהִתְפַּלְּלִי לְפָנֶיךָ, לִהְיוֹתִי מְדַבֵּר צַחוֹת, שֶׁיִּהְיוּ לְרָצוֹן:
O Lord, place a guard for my mouth when I pray before You, that I should speak poetically, that it should be acceptable.
דַּל שְׂפָתָי. הִיא שָׂפָה הָעֶלְיוֹנָה (כְּמוֹ דְּלָתוֹת שִׂפְתֵי):
the portal of my lips That is the upper lip (like portals of my lips).
אַל תַּט לִבִּי. אַל יִהְיֶה נוֹטֶה לָרָע:
Do not incline my heart May my heart not be inclined toward evil.
אֶת אִישִׁים. עִם אֲנָשִׁים (מצאתי):
וּבַל אֶלְחַם בְּמַנְעַמֵּיהֶם. וְלֹא אֶהְיֶה מֵסֵב בִּסְעוּדָתָם:
and may I not partake of their feasts And I shall not sit at their feasts.
יֶהֶלְמֵנִי צַדִּיק חֶסֶד וְיוֹכִיחֵנִי. טוֹב לִי שֶׁיּוֹכִיחֵנִי וִייַסְּרֵנִי נָבִיא אֱמֶת וְצֶדֶק, שֶׁכָּל מַהֲלוּמָיו וְתוֹכַחְתּוֹ חֶסֶד:
May a righteous man strike me with kindness and reprove me It is better that a true and righteous prophet reprove me and chastise me, for all his blows and his reproof are kindness.
שֶׁמֶן רֹאשׁ אַל יָנִי רֹאשִׁי. שֶׁמֶן מַלְכוּת שֶׁהוּצַק עַל רֹאשִׁי, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״דִּשַּׁנְתָּ בַשֶּׁמֶן רֹאשִׁי״ (תהלים כג:ה), אַל יָסִיר אֶת רֹאשִׁי מִתּוֹכַחַת הַצַּדִּיק לָלֶכֶת וְלִלְחֹם אֶת פּוֹעֲלֵי אָוֶן:
may the oil of the anointment of my head not turn my head away The royal oil that was poured onto my head, as it is said (above 23:5): “You anointed my head with oil,” should not turn my head away from the reproof of the righteous man, to go and eat bread with the workers of iniquity.
כִּי עוֹד. כִּי כָּל עוֹד וּתְפִלָּתִי בְּפִי, הֲרֵי הִיא בִּשְׁבִיל רָעוֹתֵיהֶם שֶׁל פּוֹעֲלֵי אָוֶן, שֶׁלֹּא אֶכָּשֵׁל בָּהֶם:
for as long as For as long as my prayer is in my mouth, it is about the evils of the workers of iniquity, that I should not stumble on them.
נִשְׁמְטוּ בִידֵי סֶלַע שׁוֹפְטֵיהֶם. כִּי דַיָּנֵיהֶם וּמַנְהִיגֵיהֶם שֶׁל אֵלּוּ נִשְׁמְטוּ מִדֶּרֶךְ הַטּוֹב בְּיַד יֵצֶר הָרָע וְלֵב הָאֶבֶן וְקָשֶׁה כַּסֶּלַע:
Their judges were led astray by [their hearts of] stone For the judges and leaders of these [people] have been led astray from the good way by the evil inclination and the heart of stone, and it is as hard as a rock.
וְשָׁמְעוּ אֲמָרַי. הַנְּעִימִים שֶׁאֲנִי מְדַבֵּר בְּמִצְוֹתָיו שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, וְאֵינָם שָׁבִים מִדַּרְכָּם הָרָעָה. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ בִּבְרַיְתָא דְּסִפְרָא דְּרָשׁוּהוּ (ספרי דברים כו) בְּמֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן שֶׁמֵּתוּ עַל יְדֵי הַסֶּלַע (במדבר כ:יב), אֲבָל אֵינִי יָכוֹל לְיַשֵּׁב הַמִּקְרָא סוֹפוֹ לְרֹאשׁוֹ. וְיֵשׁ לְיַשְּׁבוֹ וְלוֹמַר: דּוֹמִין אֵלּוּ לְעִקְּשׁוּת לְאוֹתָן שֶׁמֵּתוּ מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן עַל יְדֵי הַסֶּלַע עַל יְדֵיהֶם, כִּי אַף אֵלּוּ שָׁמְעוּ אֲמָרַי נְעִימִים וְאֵינָם שָׁבִים:
although they heard my words [my] pleasant [words], which I speak of the commandments, and they do not repent of their evil way. Our Rabbis in the Baraitha of Sifrei (Deut. 3: 23) interpreted it concerning Moses and Aaron, but I cannot reconcile the end of the verse with its beginning. I can perhaps reconcile it and say that in stubbornness, these people equal the stubbornness of those through whom Moses and Aaron died through the rock, for these too heard the pleasant words but do not repent.
כְּמוֹ פוֹלֵחַ. עֵצִים:
As one who chops wood.
וּבוֹקֵעַ בָּאָרֶץ. כֵּן נִפְזְרוּ עֲצָמֵינוּ לְהַגִּיעַ לְפֶתַח הַמָּוֶת בִּשְׁבִיל רָעוֹתֵיהֶם שֶׁל עוֹבְרֵי עֲבֵרָה:
and splits on the ground So were our bones scattered to reach the entrance of death because of the evils of the transgressors.
פּוֹלֵחַ. לְשׁוֹן בִּקּוּעַ, כְּמוֹ ״יְפַלַּח כִּלְיוֹתָי״ (איוב טז:יג):
Chops Heb. פלח, an expression of splitting, as (Job 16:13): “He splits my kidneys.”
כִּי אֵלֶיךָ ה׳ אֲדֹנָי עֵינָי. מוּסָב לַמִּקְרָאוֹת שֶׁל מַעְלָה שִׁיתָה שָׁמְרָה לְפִי וְאַל תַּט, כִּי עָלֶיךָ עֵינָי וְגוֹ׳:
For to You, etc., are my eyes This goes back to the above verses (3f.): Place a guard for my mouth...Do not incline...for to You...are my eyes, etc.
אַל תְּעַר נַפְשִׁי. אַל תְּשַׁלַּח נַפְשִׁי מִלְּפָנֶיךָ, כְּמוֹ ״וַתְּעַר כַּדָּהּ אֶל הַשֹּׁקֶת״ (בראשית כד:כ):
do not cast out my soul Heb. אל תער. Do not cast me from before You, like (Gen. 24:20): “and emptied (ותער) her pitcher into the watering trough.”
יִפְּלוּ בְמַכְמוֹרָיו רְשָׁעִים. יִפּוֹל הָרָשָׁע עַצְמוֹ בְּמַכְמוֹרָיו שֶׁהוּא פּוֹרֵשׂ לְרַגְלִי:
May the wicked fall...into his nets May the wicked man himself fall into his nets that he spreads at my feet.