The Secret Code of the Entire Book of Tehillim

The Secret Code of the Entire Book of Tehillim

Jewish tradition teaches that the beginning contains the potential of everything that follows. David HaMelech begins the Book of Tehillim with the words: אשרי האיש אשר – “Ashrei Ha-ish Asher” — “fortunate is the person who.” The roshei teivot (initial letters) of the first three words — האא — form HaShem’s Holy Name, the 26th of the 72 Names: the Name that brings all forms of blessing down into our world. David HaMelech begins the Book of Tehillim with this Name for a reason. It is precisely this Name that determines the full power of the Book of Tehillim. Throughout the generations, during the most difficult moments of suffering and deprivation, our people have turned to the Book of Tehillim and found help and protection in it. The 26th Name of the Creator (of the 72) neutralizes negative energies, problems, and harmful thoughts, and protects against destructive and harmful forces. It is no coincidence that during the morning prayer of Shacharit, the recitation of Tehillim precedes the main prayer, the Amidah. The Sages explain that Tehillim acts like a sword that cuts away all the thorns and removes all oppressors and accusers, allowing the prayer to ascend to the Creator without hindrance. A person is considered מוגן “mugan” — protected from the ayin hara — when he or she has the proper kavanah for this Name. The Torah contains examples of how two of our matriarchs — Sarah and Leah — used this Name to protect their children from the ayin hara. 1. The Code of Sarah Imeinu against the ayin hara: “Va-yomer HaShem el Avraham: lama zeh tzachakah Sarah lemor ha'af umnam eled va'ani zakanti.” (Bereishit 18:13) During the mitzvah of “hachnasat orchim”, the angels told Avraham Avinu that a year later he and Sarah would have a son, and Sarah laughed, wondering how she could give birth at her age. The Sages ask: How could the righteous prophetess Sarah have doubted the abilities of the Almighty? The Midrash reveals that Yishmael was standing behind Sarah at that moment, and, so that the angel’s prophecy would not be exposed to the ayin hara, she laughed. She did not merely laugh; she also had kavanah for this Name of HaShem. “And G-d said to Avraham: ‘Why did Sarah laugh, saying, (ha'af umnam eled), since I have grown old?’” In Hebrew, “will I indeed give birth?” — (ha'af umnam eled) — האף אמנם אלד — האא — forms the 26th Name of the 72. In this way, Sarah prevented the ayin hara from Yishmael. 2. The Code of Leah Imeinu against the ayin hara: “Va-tehar od va-teled ben va-tomer ha-pa'am odeh et-HaShem al ken karah shemo Yehudah va-ta'amod miledet.” (Bereishit 29:35) When Leah gave birth to her fourth son, she named him Yehudah, from the word “odeh,” meaning gratitude: “This time I will thank G-d.” The Talmud says that Leah was the first person on earth to thank the Almighty. Through prophetic insight, Leah saw that Yaakov was destined to have 12 children — three children from each of his two wives and two maidservants. When she gave birth to her fourth son, more than was allotted, she decided to protect him from the ayin hara. Moreover, it was revealed to her that the royal line — the dynasty of David HaMelech — would descend from this fourth son. Like a loving mother, Leah protected Yehudah from the ayin hara with the words: “ha-pa'am odeh et-HaShem” — “This time I will thank G-d.” In Hebrew, the initial letters of this phrase, הפעם אודה את-יהוה — form the 26th of HaShem’s 72 Names: האא. David HaMelech begins the Book of Tehillim with this very Holy Name of HaShem, encoding it in the first three words, as if indicating to us that through the recitation of Tehillim we can remove all negativity, the ayin hara, and all the hardships we encounter in life. For this reason, it is important to have kavanah for the first three words of Tehillim 1: אשרי האיש אשר. This Name also possesses another quality — “Kirvat HaShem” — it facilitates a connection with HaShem, the ability to draw closer to Him and feel His presence along all our paths.   (Based on a lesson by Rav Yisrael Yakovov, “The Secret Meaning of Tehillim 1,” for “Silatehilim”)