Chassidut on Tehillim — Where the Name of the Rashbi Is Hidden in Tehillim
Tehillim 68:19
- "Alita la-marom shavita shevi lakachta matanot ba-adam, ve-af sorerim lishkon Yah Elohim" - (You ascended on high, took captives, and received gifts for man).
This verse hints that the soul of the Rashbi is a part of the soul of Moshe. The Sages reveal that the word “captives” — (שבי - shevi) - is an acronym for the name Shimon Bar Yochai.
(Rabbi Nachman of Breslov)
Tehillim 63:2 - «Tzame'a lecha nafshi, kama lecha vesari» - (My soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You). Rabbi Aharon of Karlin says that the highest level in the entire Book of David's Psalms is found in this verse from Tehillim — “My soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You” — when even the body, the flesh, is transformed into a soul. When even the body no longer feels any materiality or physical desires. The body, the flesh, burns in the flames of an immense love for the Creator. And this level: “My flesh longs for You” can be attained through the Rashbi, through the flame of the Rashbi, the blazing fire that burns around him day and night. For the name Rashbi, רשבי, contains the same letters as בשרי — “my flesh.” (Rabbi Aharon of Karlin)
