Tehillim 24 and Clean Hands

Tehillim 24 and Clean Hands

It is written in Tehillim 24:3 “Who may ascend the mountain of the L-rd, and who may stand in His holy place? - (One whose hands are clean and whose heart is righteous, whose soul does not pursue vanity and who does not swear falsely.) The Vilna Gaon (may his merit protect us) explains that in order for a person's prayer to ascend (to be heard), two conditions are necessary: 1) There must be no “opposing forces”—“kelipot” that demand that debts be repaid (the yetzer hara—for wrongful deeds); 2) The prayer must be pure—“one whose hands are clean” - (clean of sin). It is important to observe: 1. The prohibition of “gezel” (theft); 2. Performing a mitzvah not “lishmah” (not for the sake of Hashem, but for one's own kavod (honor)); 3. Violating the commandment: “Love your fellow as yourself”; 4. Violating the commandment: “Do not encroach upon the boundary of your fellow, your acquaintance—do not appropriate someone else's work.” A few days ago, a lesson by the beloved Rabanit Esther Offengenden was held on Zoom—a Rabanit in every sense of the word. At the beginning of the lesson, the organizer asked that, because of the epidemic, the lesson be dedicated to the sick (she wanted to mention their names). What the Rabanit said shocked everyone: “I have no right to do this according to halakha, because the lesson was sponsored by a particular person, and therefore we cannot do this without his permission.” The fact that the Rabanit is afraid to violate halakha even when the matter concerns something holy (a person's healing) demonstrates the importance of the mitzvah—not using what belongs to someone else without the owner's permission. Chazal teach that the word “gezel” (theft, robbery) is synonymous with the word “hamas” (violence). The Talmud says that the generation of the Flood violated every prohibition, but their sentence was not sealed until they engaged in robbery (“gezel”), as it is written: “The earth was filled with violence because of them, and behold, I will destroy them along with the earth.” (Sanhedrin 108a) Draw your own conclusions. (silatehilim.com website)