Tehillim 13–14

Tehillim 13 – "But I have placed my trust in Your loyalty": The first part of this psalm expresses utter despair, repeating four times the question or cry: “for how long?”: "For how long, Lord, will You forget me? Forever? For how long will You hide Your face from me? For how long will I have worries in my mind and sorrow in my heart each day? For how long will my enemy triumph over me?” (13:2–3). The first three cries reflect an emotional state of distance from God, while the fourth addresses a concrete reality where the poet is beset by enemies. In the final verse, the tone shifts completely, the poet expresses renewed confidence in God’s kindness and declares he will sing to the Lord, “for He has been good to me” (13:6). Some commentators explain that the poet is placing his trust in God, while promising that he will sing a song of gratitude once God has shown him kindness. Rav Hanan Porat, in his book “Living Tehilim”, suggests that it is the very trust in God, and the feelings the poet experiences during prayer, that restore to him the sense of closeness to God which he had so deeply missed. That is why, even as he finishes praying, he is already able to thank God who has dealt kindly with him.

Tehillim 14 – "The brute says in his heart": This psalm paints a grim picture. the wicked deny God, behave corruptly, and society descends to a state in which “there is no one who does good, not even one.” (14:3) The absence of belief in divine oversight leads to moral collapse (see Bereishit 20:11). Against this worldview, the poet declares that God will protect the poor and prays for Israel’s salvation. The commentators are divided over whether the depiction in the psalm describes the moral corruption of society within the people of Israel, specifically their oppression of the poor among them, or whether it portrays the nations’ struggle against Israel, who is described here as “poor,” in keeping with the psalm’s closing verse, which expresses the longing: "Oh, that Israel’s salvation might come from Zion! When the Lord restores His people’s fortunes, Yaakov will rejoice; Israel will be glad.” (14:7)

Chazal noted a striking detail in the psalm’s opening verse, emphasizing a broader pattern in Tanakh about the wicked and the righteous:  The wicked are ruled by their hearts: “The brute says in his heart” (14:1), “he (Esav) said to himself” [in Hebrew it could be understood also as "said in his heart"] (Bereishit 27:41), “Yerovam said to himself” [in Hebrew it could be understood also as "said in his heart"] (Melakhim I 12:26),“said Haman to himself” [in Hebrew it could be understood also as "said in his heart"] (Esther 6:6). But the righteous direct their hearts: “Chana was speaking in her heart” [in Hebrew could also be understood as *"to her heart"] (Shmuel I 1:13), “Now David thought to himself” [in Hebrew could also be understood as "said to his heart"]  (Shmuel I 27:1) “Daniel resolved in his heart” [in Hebrew could also be understood as "resolved to his heart"] (Daniel 1:8). They resemble their Creator, of whom it is said: “and (the Lord) said in His heart” [in Hebrew could also be understood as "to His heart"]  (Bereishit 8:21) (Yalkut Shimoni, Shmuel I, 78). The question is who is in control — is a person a slave to his impulses and whims, or does a person lead his heart toward what is right?