Partners In Prayer - Siddur

  “Bless God, O my soul! God, my Lord, You are very great, You have donned majesty and splendor, cloaked in light, as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a curtain.” (Psalm 104: 1-2) The sweet singer of Israel, as he poured his soul before God, wanted us to stand with him in the light of Torah, which illuminates the entire world, the light we merit to absorb each time we immerse ourselves in Torah. Hod, or majesty, describes the essence of something or someone.  Hadar, or splendor, refers to that which embellishes and enhances the person, such as beautiful clothing. Torah reflects both the Hod and Hadar, the majesty and splendor of God: It is the expression of God’s essence and Being, and it is also considered a garment, as each story, law, word and letter, actually serves as a layer above a deeper level of truth. Only the person who approaches Torah with an appreciation of its Hod and Hadar, internal and external beauty, can merit standing in its light and absorbi...

In Psalm 103 David voiced the call, “Bless God, my soul,” because of the debt that he owed God as a human soul, as a Jew, and in communion with all other creatures. It was essentially   a Todah – Thanksgiving Offering – an acknowledgement of gratitude and tribute. Psalm 104 repeats the call, but this time David is motivated by considerations quite apart from his personal relationship to God and the mercies that He has shown him in both past and present. This time David calls upon his soul to “Bless God,” simply because of His greatness and glory, His goodness and wisdom, which are demonstrated in all His world that He has created and preserved in life. Psalm 104 is primarily a Tehillah – a song in praise of the ways in which God reveals Himself by His mighty acts. “God, my Lord, Whom I have already recognized as my own God,” (as stated in Psalm 103). “You are very great.” We have already noted that God desires to reveal His greatness not be destructive tyranny, but by the creative...