19.2.07

wanting what we want

From Sfas Emes blog:
This is also the meaning of the pasuk in Tehillim, “ה' רֹעי לא אחסר/God is my shepherd I shall not lack.” Proportionate to my belief that God is my shepherd, I will merit an awareness of His providence and I shall not lack. Similarly, according to the Rav of Neschiz, David HaMelech is praying that he not lack saying that God is his shepherd.
The Noam Elimelech understands this passuk a little differently. [Based on what we mentioned in the past here.] A Tzaddik is unaware of the world's needs and cannot relate to the world when he is in a state of utter cleaving to God. Normally, a Tzaddik disconnects from God's presence in order to take care of the world and all its needs. In this passuk David is praying, ה' רעי - God, be my shepherd - meaning, God, please take care of the world for me, לא אחסר - So that I won't lack, so that I won't have to leave your presence. [wow!]

To me it seems that the reason why David HaMelech merited to be the Moshiah is because he wanted to have his cake and eat it too. He wanted to be with HaShem so much, that he begged HaShem to give us all directly--with no intermediary--so that he wouldn't have to experience any lack of God's presence. This is actually quite a crafty request from God, not only does it achieve David's apparent desire of wanting always to be one with God, but it also ensures they we get to experience it as well, for if the Tzaddik is asking God to be his own intermediary, it means we all get to experience God as the Tzaddik experiences God.

This reminds me of my grandmother. Whenever she tells my grandfather she's in the mood for chicken tonight, it probably means that she thinks I (or one of the other grandchildren) only want chicken tonight, a request that my grandfather wouldn't necesarily grant on our behalf, (to be fair, it's a pain for my grandfather as he doesn't eat meat) but if the request comes from my grandmother, how could he do anything else?

The midah of David HaMelech is to make our needs his own needs.

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