Tehillim 119 — Opening the Eyes

Hasidic teachings on Tehillim — Opening the Eyes

Tehillim 119:18 — “Gal einai ve'abita, nifla'ot miToratecha” — (Open my eyes, that I may behold the wonders of Your Torah). One day, at the table of Rabbi Uri of Strelisk, known as the Saraf (fiery angel), he passionately recited these words from the Psalm: “Open my eyes, that I may behold the wonders of Your Torah” and explained them as follows: “We know that the L-rd created a great Light, so that a person would be able to see from one end of the world to the other, and so that no veil could obscure his vision. But afterward, the L-rd concealed this Light. That is why David prayed: ‘Open my eyes.’ For in truth, it is not the eye, with its pupil and white, that sees; the eye is capable of seeing only because the Divine power grants it the power of sight. But a veil prevents the eye from seeing what is far away as clearly as what is nearby. David prayed to God to remove this veil, so that he could behold all the wonders. That is why he says, ‘in Your Torah,’ meaning that, according to His teaching, nothing should obscure one’s vision.” (“Hasidic Tales: Later Masters.” Martin Buber)

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Tags: The Hidden Meaning of Tehillim, Chassidut on Tehillim, Tehillim 119, Rabbi Uri of Strelisk

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Tehillim 119 — Opening the Eyes

Hasidic teachings on Tehillim — Opening the Eyes

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