Tehillim 146 | "The Lord Shall Reign Forever"

Psalm 145 presented David's vision – to include others with him in praising God, until "all creatures shall bless His holy name forever and all time" (145:21). Psalms 146 through 150 fulfill this vision through ever-expanding circles of praise and glory: Psalm 146 opens with "Halleluya! Praise the Lord, my soul" (v. 1), and the progression will continue until Psalm 150, which concludes with "Let all that breathe praise the Lord. Halleluya!" (150:6). This entire section was chosen to serve us in our daily praise of God, in Pesukei Dezimra.

The Psalm contrasts human beings, who cannot be relied upon due to their transient nature, with the eternal God. Even if a strong and kind-hearted person promises you things, you cannot build upon it, for "his breath expires; he returns to the earth" (v. 4). In contrast, God "keeps faith forever" (v. 6), executes justice, provides for the hungry, and protects the weak.

The verse that concludes the Psalm is one of the most famous verses in the Book of Tehillim and is recited daily in the Kedusha: "The Lord shall reign forever – He is your God, Zion, for all generations. Halleluya!" (v. 10). In its original context, it serves as another example of the eternal nature of God's kindness—the Lord will reign in Zion forever. Even within the framework of reciting the Kedusha, the idea is similar and about the eternity of God's Kingship. However, the concept gains deeper meaning when we recall the significance of the two other verses in the Kedusha in their original contexts in the books of the Prophets. The two verses: "Holy, holy, holy – the Lord of Hosts – all the world's fullness His glory" (Yeshayahu 6:3) and "Blessed is the Lord's glory from its place (=in Hebrew could also be understood as "His place")" (Yechezkel 3:12) were originally spoken at the departure of the Divine Presence (=shekhina). In Yeshayahu's prophecy, God leaves the Temple: as God's throne rises above the Temple, departs from it and comes to dwell over "all the world" instead of in the Temple. And also in Yechezkel's prophecy, which precedes the destruction: God ascends the chariot and departs from the Temple. If this is the meaning, then why do we recite these verses in the Kedusha?

Because we seek to reverse the picture. Prophecy tells us that God left the Temple and moved to "His place" in the heavens, but in our prayers, from the Psalms to the prayers of every generation, we ask Him to return, and this time forever. And as the Kedusha in the Shacharit prayer of Shabbat in the Ashkenazi nusach explains: "Reveal Yourself from Your place, O our King, and reign over us, for we are waiting for You. When will You reign in Zion? May it be soon in our days, and may You dwell there forever and all time. May you be exalted and sanctified in the midst of Jerusalem, your city, from generation to generation for evermore. May our eyes see Your kingdom, as is said in the songs of Your splendor by David Your righteous anointed one: The Lord shall reign forever. He is your God, Zion, from generation to generation. Halleluya!"