I think we're up to Kapitel Ches Rabosai. Here given the, in this kapitel I think we would do well to maybe read Malbim's entire hakdama to his peirush together here. Po, the Malbim wrote, he wrote poetically, not prosaically. Po ramim yishpot. Dovid HaMelech here is judging and adjudicating, meaning dealing with ממש דברים העומדים ברומו של עולם. Veyispalsef and he is engaging in philosophy נגד הפילוסופים המקטינים ענין האדם מאד, עד שחשבו זאת לשגעון
to the degree that we should say שנאמר כי האדם הוא מבחר היצור that he is the choicest of creation ושהוא נחלת השם בעולמו and he is Hashem's stake in his world, capital H. ובא על זה בטענות and they argue their position with arguments ידמו למופתים חותכים בראשית העיון that appear to be decisive proofs at first glance. Ki im nashkif if we'll look, if we'll gaze upon את המון הכדורים הרבים והעצומים הסובבים את הכדור הקטן האצי משכן האדם.
Kadurim can mean planets, but maybe it also means more broadly various heavenly bodies. כי אם נשקף את המון הכדורים הרבים והעצומים if we'll contemplate, if we'll look upon the multitude of other planets, right, we would say galaxies, which surround the small planet of earth which is the home of man, אשר הוא אך כנקודה קטנה בערכם. It's like a speck, uchemar midli and like a drop from the bucket בתוך מי הנהר העצומים והרבים amongst the multitudinous and vast waters of a river. ואף כי להשקפות התוכנים האחרונים according to the most recent discoveries of astronomers אשר יחזו בכליהם על מגדל הצופה when they look with their telescopes on the top of towers they see המון שמשיות רבים הסובבים את כוכב אוראנוס. They see how many suns circle Uranus, עד שגם השמש שלנו so much so that our sun im hamon kochaveha with its multitude of stars keayin necheshaves is nothing compared נגד השמשים המאירים רעותיה in comparison to the suns which illuminate. which illuminate the other parts of the solar system of the galaxy המלאים כחול הים בנהר דינור היא המסילה החלבית השומה על ראשנו
so you know what hamasila hachalavis is? The Milky Way. masila is a path and chalav is milk. ומי אשר עיניים לו, who is it who has eyes in his head, who has eyes, v'lo yavin lada'as and won't see and conclude ki rachok hu, how far-fetched is it איך נאמר כי כל אלה נבראו בעבור כדור קטן קל הערך הוא הכדור השפל.
How can it be that this vast universe, not only our solar system but all the galaxies? bekitzur, Earth, which is our home, is just a speck in a vast universe. ואף כי בעבור האדם אשר מציאותו בטל נגד הכדור בכלל.
And then even on Earth, Adam is nothing compared to the totality of the planet of Earth. וכבר הרחיבו והאריכו בראיה זו גם מחכמינו. Now this isn't only a position, the position that the Malbim is going to interpret this kapitel as rejecting is not only a position which one finds amongst the gentile philosophers, but you find it gam mechachameinu in the Moreh Nevuchim v'habadrashei in Sefer Bechinas Olam. ובא על זה בכמה טענות. So initially the Malbim just presents it in a general sense of how can one think that the universe in all its vastness was created for the sake of man? Now he's basically gonna break that down and he breaks it down somewhat and also introduces some other tainos and this is summarizing again the position which in the Malbim's, according to the Malbim's understanding, this kapitel is coming to reject and to dismiss. ובא על זה בכמה טענות. א מצד ריבוי הכדורים. Just the sheer number of planets, of heavenly bodies, is just something that has no way to understand how that is in any way part of a scheme where man is the central figure. If man is the central figure, so then it makes sense that everything should somehow or other relate to him, should be of service to him. beis m'tzad godlam. Not just how numerous these other planets and heavenly bodies are, but the sheer number. ג מצד דקות מלאכתם. The fact that the matter of the heavenly bodies is more fine than the and refined than the crude matter which constitutes the human body. ד' מצד מקומם שהם גבוהים ועליונים, with their position, and finally ה' מצד שהם קיימים באיש ולא במין. Right, amongst man in Olam Hazeh, so what's eternal is humanity, is the human race, right, is the min, not the ish, not the individual. The individual lives a lives whatever his lifespan is, yemai shenoseinu bahem, and and then passes away. Mah she'ain kain, mah she'ain kain in in Shamayim is vaya'amidaim la'ad le'olam. So there it's not just that that there are stars, that there are planets, but but it's that the ishim, the individuals exist be'ish. Be'ish velo bemin. Veyomar hamelitz and and the one who's arguing this philosophical position that the Malbim thinks is antithetical to Torah. I mean obviously we'll have to discuss, obviously the Rambam does not think it's antithetical to anything in Torah. ויאמר המליץ הזה פועל חכם? Is this what a wise creator, what a wise actor would do שיכין כלים משקלם עשרת אלפים כיכר כסף כדי לעשות מחט ברזל אחד?
Let's say you're looking to manufacture one one one needle. So are you gonna you're gonna have instruments so the needle weighs a mashehu, so you're gonna have instruments that that weigh the same as 10,000 silver pieces? It's just so disproportionate, right? It's it's so just disproportionate. How can it be that that all of all of the above is here for Adam? Omnam, says the Malbim, עדת המאמינים השלמים עם עצת התורה ודרכיה לא יוכלו להכחיש זאת.
One who's מאמין על פי תורה cannot contradict the following. Zos, meaning not the not the preceding, but the following. כי עדות ה' נאמנה, that Hakadosh Baruch Hu testified to the fact שהכוכבים כולם נבראו בעבור הארץ. It's a pasuk in Chumash, the Malbim says, that yes, contrary to the to this to the philosophical argument, the kochavim are ba'avur ha'aretz. Kemo shekasuv ויתן אותם אלקים ברקיע השמים להאיר על הארץ. And what's more, וכל צבאי הארץ כולם, everything on earth כולם נבראו אך בעבור האדם שנברא אחרון מכולם. Right, the fact that Adam is created last shows, it reflects the fact that he's at the pinnacle of the briah, that everything is there is there is there for him. כי בו ועל ידו, in Adam and through Adam השיג המציאות כולו את השלמות ואת תכליתו האחרון אשר לו,
the completion of the briah and its ultimate goal is attained through Adam. Uva'avuro, and for his sake, he'chacham ha'elyon, Hakadosh Baruch Hu, right, he'chacham ha'elyon, the supreme chochmah saw fit le'hotzia el hayesh, to bring everything into existence was for man. And u'min ha'adam kulo, and humanity. Everything is for humanity and humanity in turn is for one who's oved Hashem. Velo zot bilvad, and not only in a hierarchical sense is everything for Adam, כי טבע המציאות בכללו משועבד אל האדם הלז, nature is subordinate to man. Again, not just subordinate to man in an axiological sense, in the sense of importance, but in terms of its functioning. Nature is subordinate to man. Ya'aleh o yerad, yishtalem o yifchat, o yibatel legamrei, what happens in nature, whether it flourishes or whether it's in decline, whether it's perfected or whether it's diminished, or whether it's destroyed, everything is lefi ma'aseh ha'adam, everything is dictated to, it follows on the heels of man's actions, veshamer mitzvot Hashem, either observing mitzvot Hashem or bemeryo, or in rebelling. Vekatav zeh, this axis, הוא יסוד התורה בכללה. This is the foundation of all of Torah, ויסוד השכר והעונש הברכות והקללות הנמצא בתורה. Im bechukotai telekhu, venatati gishmeikhem be'itam, but ve'im bechukotai tim'asu, so then, vehayeta kinekhoshet, kebarzel, militet matar. עד שהוא מונח אצל התורה ליסוד מוסד, it is an established foundation, כי השלם שבאדם הוא לבדו ולא לזולתו חלק השם בעולמו.
Hakadosh Baruch Hu's portion in this world is the shalem sheba'adam, the Adam who's yode'a Hashem, oved Hashem. And what's more, veher'ah zot befo'al, Hakadosh Baruch Hu demonstrated this, את חשף זרוע קדשו when he revealed literally his holy arm, באותות ומופתים בימי צאתנו מארץ מצרים ואת ירד על הר סיני ואת אוהל שיכן באדם במקדש ומשכן.
Ke'ilu, as though to say, אך פה איווה למושב לו. Dafke here amongst the ovdei Hashem, the yode'ei Hashem, so that's what kivyakhol Hakadosh Baruch Hu desires for his residence. Ve'akh ha'aretz hazot, and dafke this land, ve'am hazeh, and this people, shomrei mitzvotav, hi hasegulah, they're the cherished אשר בעבורם עשה כל מה שעשה. For their sake Hakadosh Baruch Hu created everything that he did. Ve'al ken kera'am, and that's why Hakadosh Baruch Hu refers to them בכל לשון של חיבה, Ben bekhoro, right, beni bekhori yisrael, Va'arusato, ve'erastikh li le'olam, Venachalato, כי לא יטוש השם עמו ונחלתו לא יעזוב. Omnam, איך יצטדק כל זה, but how does one sort of justify what the Torah teaches us, what the Malbim presents as the foundation of the Torah which precludes the philosophical position, עת יעמדו לפנינו מופתי הפילוסופים וטענותיהם, when we're confronted with their logical proofs and their logical arguments. על זה בא המשורר במזמור הזה, that's the background, that's the backdrop to what David Hamelekh sets out in this kapitel, ve'arakh negdam, and he presents. Against the ma'aracha philosophis and he answers them on that level, on the level of philosophical argument, he responds to each of these arguments that the Malbim summarized above. וביטל טענותיהם בדברים הראויים אל האלוקי הזה. And he vanquishes their arguments with arguments that are befitting the Ba'al Ruach Hakodesh. כאשר נבאר תשובתו בביאור המזמור אחת אחת. ויען כי החקירה הזאת מלבד שהיא עיקר ויסוד תורתנו,
besides the fact that it's the foundation of our Torah, גם כן יסוד כל דת בכלל. The basis of any religion, says the Malbim, ki ach baze, only through the Torah position that the Malbim has outlined above, לא יסתר לנו ההשגחה האישית הדבוקה במין האדם. By adam we find this personal hashgacha pratis, something that doesn't exist elsewhere in the briyah. So in order to be able to make sense of that, that only fits with the Torah scheme, it doesn't fit with the philosophical scheme. כי אך בזה לא יסתר לנו, only through the Torah position will we not be confounded by the fact that there's personal hashgacha by people. V'ach baze, and only through the Torah position, naka al kodkodo, literally will hit over the head המכחישים האומרים עזב השם את הארץ וכי על השמים כבודו,
that Hakadosh Baruch Hu, rachmana litzlan, abandoned the earth, אשר זה היה טענת כל הגויים עובדי השמש העושים, I'm not sure what the next word is, ha'osim, I don't know, למלכת השמים לכן יעלה הדרוש הזה כפי יוקר הנושא המדובר בו ומעלתו.
So this kapitel, the subject matter of this kapitel is very elevated because of just the preciousness of the topics which Dovid Hamelech addresses here. So בלי נדר אם ירצה השם, beginning tomorrow we'll try to see the specifics after this introduction.