Refraining From Evil is not Enough By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
מִי יִתֵּן מִצִּיּוֹן יְשׁוּעַת יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּשׁוּב יְהֹוָה שְׁבוּת עַמּוֹ יָגֵל יַעֲקֹב יִשְׂמַח יִשְׂרָאֵל׃
O that the deliverance of Yisrael might come from Tzion! When Hashem restores the fortunes of His people, Yaakov will exult, Yisrael will rejoice.
Psalms 14:7
The internet reveals so much, making me wonder if there were always so many horrible people in the world. But when I read the Psalms, I realize that there was never any lack of evil. David writes at the beginning of Psalm 14:
The benighted man thinks, “Hashem does not care.” Man’s deeds are corrupt and loathsome; no one does good. Psalms 14:1
Really, David? No one does good?
The psalmist paints a dim picture of humanity with corruption in command and desire reigning. God peers from the heavens and wonders if anyone still contemplates and seek out the Creator. Maybe David exaggerated, but not by much. And he also gave an important lesson about how evil works. It begins by taking God out of the equation, assuming that God does not care. Once you remove God from your world, evil begins to creep in.
After lamenting how the world is evil, David notes that this belief in an uncaring God inevitably leads to one thing; a hatred of Israel. History has shown time after time that evil people always hate Israel. This is not because Israel is so good or so righteous. But the Jewish people have always served as a divine litmus test. Anyone who hates God can’t stand the Jews, because the Jews represent God in this world. And usually people who love God express this love through loving Israel.
The psalm concludes with the hope of the ultimate redemption, as the salvation of Israel will come when the nation of God returns to the land. Then, Jacob will rejoice and Israel will be happy.
O that the deliverance of Yisrael might come from Tzion! When Hashem restores the fortunes of His people, Yaakov will exult, Yisrael will rejoice. Psalms 14:7
We are approaching the end, the time of deliverance when all things will be revealed, hearts will be tested and God will call to those who love Him. Now is the time to look inside ourselves and ask ourselves honestly, “am I really a good person?”
It is not enough to be okay; a person has to be actively good. Let all those who love God, all those who can say “Yes, I am good!”, gather in Jerusalem to rejoice and sing His praises.
Comments