Tehillim 91 – Salvation from Hashem or from angels
When salvation comes from Hashem, and when it comes from angels
Tehillim 91:11
כִּ֣י מַ֭לְאָכָיו יְצַוֶּה־לָּ֑ךְ לִ֝שְׁמָרְךָ֗ בְּכָל־דְּרָכֶֽיךָ׃
- “Ki mal'achav yetzaveh lach, lishmorcha bechol derachecha” - (for He will command His angels to protect you on all your ways).
The Malbim explains that there is a difference between when the Almighty sends angels to protect us and when He protects us Himself.
When He sends angels, they keep us away from suffering.
The Malbim writes: “When the Almighty commands His angels to protect you, they carry you in their arms. They do not let you walk on the ground, for fear that you might hurt your feet even slightly. Therefore, they carry you in their arms, far from anything that could harm you.”
But when a person is saved by angels, he may sometimes feel that it is merely a coincidence, that things simply “worked out,” and he does not see the Almighty in the picture. This is hinted at in Tehillim (91:11): “For He will command His angels to protect you on all your ways.”
But when the Almighty saves a person Himself, He brings him close to danger and saves him from that very place.
This is a greater miracle, because when we are so close to danger and He saves us, it is an incredible feeling. When the Almighty protects a person, everything is different. We walk into danger, but nothing can harm us, as it says in Tehillim (91:14): “You will tread upon the lion and the viper; you will trample the young lion and the serpent.”
The Almighty does this so that people will see Him and His miracles.
The Malbim explains: “The angels carry you in accordance with the laws of nature, keeping you away from danger. But I protect you beyond nature. I do not carry you in My arms away from danger. You will walk on the ground, danger will surround you, but nothing bad will happen to you. You will be saved through great miracles. You will tread upon the lion and the serpent, and I Myself will watch over you.”
The Malbim concludes:
“Why does He allow a person to walk among lions and snakes? If a person is not in danger, he will not cry out to Me, nor will he realize that I am with him. He will say that all this is simply the laws of nature... But when he prays to Me, I will certainly answer him, because I am with him in his suffering. I will save him and grant him great honor.”
(Based on The Well of Torah “Vayishlach” by Rabbi Elimelech Biderman (shlita)
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Tags: Tehillim 91, Tehillim 91 – Salvation from Ha-Shem or from Angels, Salvation from the Al-mighty, Deliverance from Angels
