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Have no fear; what can a man do to me?”

 

♦ God is with me, I have no fear; what can a man do to me?

            Psalms 118:6

 

            The “man” mentioned in this verse represents exile.

            In his dream of the ladder, Jacob saw this “man” in the form of an angel that ascended the ladder and seemingly did not come back down (Chapters of Rabbi Eliezer 35). Jacob was terrified until God assured him, “Behold, I am with you” (Genesis 28:15).

            And the prophet Obadiah quoted God as addressing this man with the words, “Even if you raise your nest like an eagle or place your nest among the stars, I will bring you down from there” (Obadiah 1:4). Rabbi Yitzchak Eizek Chaver states that the verse from Hallel, “God is with me, I have no fear; what can a man do to me?” is a reminder of this verse (Yad Mitzarim).

            As we approach the end of the Jewish year, we see that the exile has not yet ended. But we sing this verse with joy as we celebrate David’s words and Obadiah’s prophecy. As long as we feel that “God is with me,” especially during this month of our intense relationship with God, we “have no fear; what can a man do to me?”

 By:  Rabbi Simcha Weinberg

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