The psalms begin with the word אַשְׁרֵי/ashrei/happy. In Psalm 1:1, “Happy is the one who has not walked in the advice of the wicked.” The happy one has not fallen for the distractions of the wicked, but stands grounded in holiness in the congregation of the Lord without guilt or shame, because of His graceful forgiveness (Ps. 32:1, which also begins: אַשְׁרֵי אָדָם/Happy is the man.).

In psalm 84:5 we read:

‎אַשְׁרֵי, יוֹשְׁבֵי בֵיתֶךָ–עוֹד, יְהַלְלוּךָ סֶּלָה

“Happy are they who dwell in Your house – they are ever praising you. Selah.”

The psalms, in which we find the broad scope of human emotion and experience, open with a simple word, happy. Why?

‎אַשְׁרֵי/ashrei/happy denotes something much deeper than is expressed in English. It is a condition of spiritual and physical health and well-being, the feeling of relief from a load being lifted, of finding what you have been looking for, it is that feeling of rest on Shabbat. אַשְׁרֵי/ashrei/happy teaches the body and soul the meaning of rest in the midst of the hectic week.

We are happy before the Lord because we have been accepted, welcomed in, and not shut out. We do not assemble in shame, but in peace. As Paul writes, “Whoever trusts in Him will not be put to shame” (Ro. 10:11). Who is the Him? Messiah, Romans 10:9-10.

The psalms open with happy for a simple reason: with all of the hills and valleys, joy and pain in life, we know that we will dwell in His house forever (Ps. 23:6); and that is a great relief. Happy.

Meditate on: Psalm 145; Matthew 11:28-30.

Be well. Shalom.

שויתי ה׳ לנגדי תמיד
“Shiviti Adonai le’negdi tamid.”
Psalm 16:8

Meditation has become very popular in the last 20 years. Millions of people seeking to learn eastern wisdom for emptying the mind to find peace. Emptiness of mind is thought to be the bridge to detachment, and ultimately happiness.

Biblical meditation is not emptiness, it is fullness, as the Hebrew word for meditation means to be full and ruminating. What are we full of? God’s Word.

Psalm 122:1 says, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” I rejoiced? Rejoicing when entering the house of God is from drawing near to the One we have meditated on, as Psalm 16:8, in Hebrew above, says, “I set God before me always.”

Setting the Father before us always is contrary to meditation practices popularized today, as setting Him before us places us in His fullness, and as we read in Psalm 16:11, “in your presence there is fullness of joy.”

So joy and happiness is not from attempting to become empty, but full in the presence of the Lord.

Be well. Shalom.

There is a rabbinic teaching, based on the Torah, that animals cannot carry the burdens of their masters on Shabbat. They can, however, be led or drawn around the property by a collar.

The word translated as “collar” in this ruling is the Hebrew word “shir.” Some sages argued that the ruling should have used the word “sher,” a rarely used Hebrew word meaning collar or bracelet, related to the word “shir.” Nevertheless, the word in the ruling, translated as collar, is “shir,” usually rendered as “song.” If you have ever worked with domesticated farm animals, then you might have learned that they do respond to singing, and can be led by song – I’ve done it to lead sheep.

While the plain meaning of the ruling concerns barnyard animals, a deeper appreciation of the use of “shir,” song, helps us to understand the importance of music and song.

Zephaniah 3:17 says that the Lord will rejoice over us “בְּרִנָּה” “with singing.” Not only does the Lord lead us with song, the melody of His voice, but song causes us to reach out for Him.

Be sure to include song, and singing – especially wordless melodies from the heart – in your day. He will lead you with it, and you will connect to Him more readily by it.

Be well. Shalom.