♦ 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?”
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