Tehillim 104 | A Psalm of Creation, ‘Barkhi Nafshi’

In a brief piece, Rav Yehuda Brandes (https://www.inn.co.il/news/580533) highlights the distinction between Bereishit Chapters 1 and 2: Chapter 1 presents an orderly and patterned creation, unfolding step by step in a structured manner. On one hand, Chapter 1 depicts a scientific, systematic world, but on the other, it lacks a dynamic relationship between God, the world, and humanity. In contrast, Chapter 2 presents a less orderly world — for example, vegetation has not yet grown because there is no human to till the soil and God has not yet caused it to rain. The world is incomplete and requires human labor, and later, moral complexity will emerge when the human sins. Yet this chapter is rich with dynamic interaction between God, the world, and the human—such as when God creates the woman in response to the existential need expressed by the man.

Rav Brandes suggests that Psalm 104, known as 'ברכי נפשי', integrates both perspectives on creation. In terms of structure, Psalm 104 follows the order of the days of creation — and portrays the creation of the world systematically and wondrously by God. But in terms of dynamism, the psalm reflects the atmosphere of Bereishit 2: whereas Bereishit 1 presents the creative acts as technical and detached from God, our psalm uses poetic language to portray the patterns of creation as part of the grandeur and splendor of the Creator. For example: “He wraps Himself in light as with a garment; He stretches out the heavens like a curtain” (104:2) — light here is not simply something created on the first day; it is described as a kind of divine robe, metaphorically worn by the Creator. The descriptions of creation and the maintenance of the world’s components are also presented as part of a living, ongoing dynamic, such as the vivid imagery of separating sea from land: “You covered it with the deep like a cloak; the waters stood above the mountains. At Your onslaught they fled; at the sound of Your thunder they rushed away” (104:6–7).

The food of the young lions comes to them as part of their relationship with the Creator: “The young lions roar for prey; they seek their food from God” (104:21), and the entire creation maintains with God a relationship that includes both concealment and crisis: “When You hide Your face, they grow terrified. When You take away their breath, they die and return to dust” (104:29), and also compassion and renewal: “When You emit Your breath, they are created, bringing new life to the face of the earth.” The psalm closes with a hope that despite the complexity and hardship of the dynamic living world, it will be able to advance toward repair: “May sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, my soul. Halleluya!” (104:35). In a brief video (https://youtu.be/_ex-W1ROuJs), Rav Elchanan Samet points out that the human being has a unique place in the psalm: while all other creatures are described passively, the human is mentioned as one who must labor in order to advance and obtain their needs. This connects with the description in Bereishit 2 — where the human is required to work. And perhaps it connects with the conclusion of the psalm — the hope that the world will reach a state of repair may rest on the working shoulders of the human.

Notice how the creation is portrayed as God's splendor on one hand, and as a relationship with God involving both concealment and salvation on the other — this connects with the deep questions raised by the third book of Tehillim regarding God’s place in the world and His providence over the righteous. And perhaps above all, the responsibility placed on the human as the one who must repair the world—echoes yet another perspective on those same questions.