August 26, 2025 • 35 mins
In the conclusion to our mini-series on Tehillim 27, we finally answer the question: did David's parent's really abandon him?
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
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(00:39):
Welcome back to another episode of Tell Him Unveiled.
I'm of Jeremy. And I'm Ari.
We're excited to dig even a little deeper.
Episode #3 to Hillim, Cuff, Zion, Psalm 27.
Ladavi. Every time we think we've dug
deep, it just gets deeper and deeper.
Is there a bottom? It seems now it goes all the way
(01:00):
to the top. So just a recap of what we've
been doing. We started in the first episode
looking at the general structureof this mismar, noticing how
David starts off really confidently boasting about how
God is protecting him in war andhe has nothing to be afraid
about. And we said that once he reaches
that confidence in war and once this physical threats are no
(01:22):
longer on his mind, no longer a problem, it creates this
opportunity actually to not justhide and shelter himself in
God's temple at this point in God's Mishkan, but to actually
use that as a place to draw close to God.
And then it comes this line at panache Hashem Avakesh, right?
He's really seeking out God's face.
(01:43):
In episode 2, we dug really deepinto one particular period of
Daviet's life, the moment where he asks A Hatcha, ultimate
Hashem, there's one thing I asked from God to build the
temple, to dwell not in his own palace, but in God's temple.
And this is a really pivotal moment in Daviet's life where
God actually denies his request to build the temple.
(02:04):
But along with that denial also comes a promise of you're not
going to do this, but your son Shlomo is going to build the
temple. And at first that seems good.
But in the version of the story when David is recounting at the
end of his own life to his son Shlomo in in Divya Yamim, God
doesn't just say, that's a nice request, but no thank you.
God actually tells him the reason you're not going to build
(02:26):
the temple is because of your involvement in war.
And that really seems to be a struggle for Davi.
And we said that maybe that's where the turn towards is this
lack of confident, this despair in the mismore is Debbie's
realization that his involvementof war has actually taken this
toll on his soul. But at the end, there's this
moment of hope, this moment of hope that parallels God's
(02:49):
promise to him that although he isn't going to build the temple,
his son Shlomo is going to buildthe temple.
And the line when he says the lay Hamanti, the Ropa 2 of
Hashem, Barrett's Haimi. I had not had hoped to see the
good of Hashem in the land of the living.
That good of Hashem perhaps we argued as a reference to his son
Shlomo himself. And even in naming his son
Shlomo literally peace, it reflects this aspiration that
(03:13):
even if he can't achieve peace in his own lifetime, that the
next generation will achieve peace.
And through that we'll be able to build God's temple.
There was one line, though, thatwe've kind of avoided addressing
head on this entire time. It's a line that's always
bothered me with this mismar Ki vivi miazavuni because my father
and my mother have abandoned me,and it's never really made sense
(03:35):
to me. First of all, I've never felt it
relatable in the slightest. It's also something narratively
that doesn't seem to make so much sense to us.
David's parents are present in his life when he's originally
found by Shmuel. They're involved in the process.
We don't get a clear sense that David ascends to the kingship,
goes out to fight with Goliath with a feeling of vivi Mia
(03:58):
zavuni. It's not an obvious reading of
what's going on with David. So in today's episode, we're
going to try to answer what the heck is going on with that verse
there. What is Gavi talking about when
(04:23):
he talks about his parents abandoning him?
It seems like it just doesn't fit the story at all.
But there is one person in Tanakh who this line does seem
to fit much better than David, whose parents actually did
abandoned him. And Jeremy, you were actually
mentioned this in the very firstepisode in a line that we cut
out and said we would save for later.
(04:45):
So you've been holding your breath this entire time?
I haven't been. What do you think?
Who is this talking about? It's so fascinating because it's
even something that we don't speak about that much when we
speak about this character, but it's a moment at the very
beginning of their life that defines their life and ends up
defining the entire really Tanakh, the entire text that we
(05:05):
have in front of us. The most famous and perhaps
first adopted character in Tanakh, Moshe.
Moshe, who is born in Egypt at atime when all the Jewish male
babies are being thrown into thesea, is put into a basket by his
parents, sent down the Nile River, and is found by none
(05:27):
other than Pharaoh's daughter, brought into the palace, raised
in Pharaoh's palace, which sets up the entire Exodus story.
It's not just the fact that Moshe has been saved and ends up
growing up and having a whole life.
Moshe's not only abandoned by his actual parents, but he also
ends up running away from home after he kills this Egyptian,
(05:49):
and then he ends up deserted, basically left outside of Egypt.
So, so it's his biological parents just abandoned him on
the shore of the Nile and then his adopted father tries to kill
him, right. So he he really experiences this
twice. Right.
And really, with hindsight, of course, it's both times,
(06:12):
Varshemiyasfini, that God came and saved me.
So, you know, I'll grant that line does describe Moshe really
well, and I can't think of anybody in Tanakh whose parents
abandoned him not just once, buttwice and has this kind of
experience. But why in the world would this
line all of a sudden be talking about Moshe?
And is there anything else in this Mizmour that would suggest
(06:35):
that this has anything to do with Moshev, when of course WD
is the one speaking here? Yeah, I'm glad you asked that,
because at first I was just like, oh, Ivimi Azavuni sounds
like Moshev. But then you start to examine
some of these other lines and even some of the progressions
that are going on in the Mizmour, and I became like a
conspiracy theorist. Now it's like, now I'm all in on
(06:58):
it. The Daveed.
Is you thought this was a Tanakhpodcast?
Right. I, I became convinced and we'll
have to figure out, is it homage?
Is it identification? Is it as a foil?
But it's almost like Daveed is not just corresponding with
Moshe, but almost speaking through Moshe's life, seeing his
(07:19):
experiences as we've described them, especially these past few
weeks, through the lens of Moshe's life.
Wow. Alright, show me.
One of the first things that jumped out to me about it, and
we'll see where this takes us, is in these lines about asking
to see God. And these are some of the lines
that we've already dug into and we dug into them especially
(07:41):
earlier on in the Mizmore with the dynamic of ottava kesh Shrek
vet Hashem la hazopa Noam Hashem, this desire to to see
God. And it really comes to a head
when you get to Pasukret. David says at Panera, Hashem
avakesh, oh Lord, I seek your face, and then says, altaster
Panera memani, don't hide your face from me.
Altat alpha dekha ezrati haita, I'll teach you about Tasvenia
(08:05):
location. Don't thrust aside your servant
in anger. You've ever been my help.
Do not forsake me or abandoned me.
Now there's a famous story whereMoshe asks to see God's face
when Moshe is on the mountain onher Sinai, going to get the
lukot, the tablets. Moshe has an interaction with
God. God is angry at the Jewish
people. God is saying to Moshe, maybe I
(08:26):
should just start over. I'm done with this nation, maybe
I should just go with you. Moshe is trying to convince God
not to do so, to stay God's hand, and the conversation
actually starts to shift, to speak really from Moshe's
perspective about his relationship with God.
Moshe holds the conversation in this direction and he says, God,
I have been a faithful servant to you.
(08:47):
I've only ever wanted you. And Motion makes 2 requests.
First he says I want to know your ways.
Then he says I want to, I want to see you.
Now Moshe isn't granted both of these requests, but both of
these requests do appear in armies more and we just read the
first one at Panetta Hashema Vakesh.
(09:08):
And then David continues AltastaPanetta Mimeni, right?
Not just show me your face, but don't hide your face from me.
And a few sukim later says Davidinstead, after this line of kivi
IMI vimi azavuni says Horeni Hashemdaraka, show me your way
and show me a level path. So in this mismore, you see that
(09:28):
we have these two requests, right, David, just like Moshe
asking to see God's face, to seesomething true about God and
also to learn something right, to learn God's ways.
Both of them make these two requests.
And it's interesting also that in this means more David first
says I want to see your face, concludes this chunk by saying I
(09:49):
want to learn your ways and what's sandwiched right in
between Kia vivi Miazavoni, thisline that comes back to Moshe's
experience. So we've seen Moshe asking find
favour in me, which is also Moshe asks God if I have found
even at Sati chain by NECA God, if I have found favour in your
eyes and then talks about seeingGod's face, God not hiding his
(10:11):
face from him, which both happened, right?
He almost sees God's face, but it's hidden and he only sees the
back of God's face. And then this requests Harini
Hashem at Darkaka, teach me God your way, which is so similar to
what Moshe says. He says hareni na ET khodaka,
right, which is show me your honor and let it be known to me
(10:32):
your way. Those kind of get blurred
together and changed a little bit into this very similar
request of Ho Reni Hashem ET Dhaka.
Right. And this line, right, Altaster
Panachemi Meni also itself seemsto be a callback, right?
Because first he says, Houdini nataraja, I want to know your
ways. And Hashem says cool.
(10:52):
And then Moshe gets a little bitbolder.
Then he says, Haren Nath Khodaka, show me your glory.
I don't just want to understand you, I want to see you.
And God says you can't see my face, right?
Kilo, your Aniha Dambachai, no person can see my face, right?
And so then Hashem says, but what I will do is I will show
you my back. And the text actually says
explicitly, right, you'll see myback and you won't see my face.
(11:18):
And so this exact moment is almost seems to be what David is
also Mahavintu again, not just Iwant to see your face, but also
don't. I don't want to hear that
answer. Don't tell me no.
Yeah, just like Moshe was told. No to that one explicitly.
In this second-half of the Mizmo, which we said before was
WD's reaction to his rejected requests to build the temple,
(11:41):
but which came with a consolation, right?
God said I'm not going to let you build the temple, but I am
going to establish your throne forever and your son Shlomo is
going to build the temple. Is then recalling this request
of Moshe where he asked this thing of God, He says, God, can
I see your face? It's a very similar thing that
David was asking for, to have this specially special
(12:02):
relationship with God. God says no, I can't do that,
but I'll give you something close to that or I'll give you
the next best thing, which is tosee the back of my face.
Interesting. Yeah, I love that.
You're already pulling it now into not just armies more, but
part of what we've been seeing contextually, which is David's
life. And this is where I almost feel
(12:22):
like we have to dig a little bitdeeper into what's going on here
because David himself experiences this amazing high
followed by this amazing low, right?
Yeah. David is at the peak of his
game. He's defeated his enemies.
And that's when he says, but I have to think about Hashem, I
want to build that palace, right?
(12:42):
And God says, it's not going to be you, it's going to be your
son, right? And this mismore captures a lot
of that feeling, that emotive place, right?
Something of the loftiness of that experience, but also of the
unsure T, right? Which again, we know David will
later fill in as understanding that, no, because of his
conduct, because of how he got there in the 1st place.
And immediately after that, we see David at his lowest, the
(13:05):
whole story with but Sheva, right?
Really abusing the power that hespent so much time trying to
earn and trying to dedicate to something holy.
But it's not exactly how it goesfor Moshe in our parallel yet.
And so there's a little bit morework that we have to do to
uncover what does David see in this moment?
Is it just Moshe at his highest or do we also have to look at
(13:27):
Moshe at his lowest as a leader to understand fully the
connection? Yeah, and.
You know, for David, this was the thing that would have been
(13:50):
his crowning achievement and hislegacy for all time building the
temple. But this, this episode doesn't
really feel like the most important part of Moshe's life.
Maybe it's his spiritual high, but when you think about Moshe's
legacy, what he's going to leavebehind in the world, it seems
like there is there is somethingelse there, or maybe a different
(14:11):
request that Moshe asked later on that was even more important.
And it turns out to be similar to David.
The very thing that Moshe wants is exactly the thing he won't
get. What is the thing that Moshe
wants more than anything else? I feel like the answer is it's
obvious. And who reads the Torah?
The one thing that Moshe wants when anything else, The thing
(14:32):
that he pleased God for and refuses to take no for an
answer, is to be able to see theland of Israel, to be able to
lead the people of Israel into their land.
Everything that he worked up to this whole time, the natural
conclusion of everything that hehas done.
And God says no. Moshe goes through so many
(14:53):
trials, so many difficulties forthe people, right?
The amount of times that God says to Moshe, maybe I should
just start over with you and I'll make you a nation, right?
And Moshe, over and over, he puts himself on the line.
He tells God that God is wrong, right?
He is the most daring character in a certain sense, with the
ability to turn to God and say you have it wrong.
(15:14):
You haven't thought this through, right?
And time after time, he wins outand God gives in to his
argument. God says, all right, motion, I'm
going to listen to you. I listen to your prayers.
And with all of that, it's a little bit ironic that he can
never really get forgiveness forhis one mistake.
And what is that mistake? Much later on after this whole
(15:34):
episode on Mount Sinai, after the Jews leave Mount Sinai,
right. This is actually a routine thing
that happens a few times in the Tanakh wandering in the desert.
Obviously they have no water, nofood.
So the people are thirsty and Moshe is supposed to go to this
rock and miraculously to make water come out of it.
God says to Moshe speak to the rock.
The people, as they often are complaining a lot really is
(15:57):
working Moshe up. And it's not exactly clear, but
it seems almost from the text like almost in this like fit of
rage or in this sort of moment of passion, in the heat of the
moment. Moshe stands up and he says,
listen up, you rebels. Don't you see that we can bring
water out of the rock, that Hashem can bring water out of
the rock? And he hits it instead of
talking to it, and water comes forth and the people drink, and
(16:18):
the people are satisfied. And the language of Vayakhta
Salapa Mahim, he hits the rock twice.
And in those five words the entire course of Moshe's life
has changed. And although it works and the
water does come from the rock, and Moshe is able to give Benais
soil water to drink, God turns to Moshe and to our own and
(16:39):
says, Yan lo hamantenbi lakhdi sheni lei beni Israel, since you
did not have faith in you, you do not believe in me in order to
sanctify me in the eyes of all of Israel, the Hain loads of you
at Kahal Hazel Arts, Ashrina tati Laham.
Therefore you are not going to bring this nation into the land
that I'm giving them. And that's it.
(17:03):
In those two verses, everything changes.
Fascinatingly, we don't get a response and the narrative just
moves on. They move to the next place.
That's the end. Moshe's response, though, is
given much later, but it's not given an argument.
It's given in prayer, in sacred Dvarim in Deuteronomy, where
(17:26):
Moshe is retelling some of the stories of what happened in the
desert, some of the lessons thathe learned along the way, some
of his charges to the Jewish people as they go into the Land
of Israel without him. Moshe takes a moment and does
something for himself. He turns to God and he prays,
says, I know that I'm not supposed to go in, but please
(17:46):
Hashem, I want to go in. I want to be in that land.
And so Moshe prays, he says, God, please let me in.
And God doesn't just say no, Godis angry at Moshe for continuing
to ask right And wrathfully God says, don't keep asking me this
question. I don't want to hear about this
again. My decision is final.
(18:09):
Essentially an enter the motion never gets.
And so when I look back at our mismore into Hillen, it's
interesting that after this first line that we already spoke
about a little bit Altastar panachimi, don't turn your face
away from me. We see David expands Al tatbaf
abdesha ezrati haita, right? Don't thrust me aside in anger.
(18:31):
You have ever been my help. So I wonder if this is part of
also what's operating under the surface, especially here.
It's not just the turning away of the face in Moshe's highest
moment. It's also a turning away of
God's face and anger at sort of Moshe's lowest moment, and these
two narratives become woven together in Moshe's life.
(18:54):
It's the contrast between these two that make the second story
so powerful and so heartbreaking, right?
Because this isn't just one person who is asking something
of God and is having the requestdenied.
It's the person who's always been able to change God's mind.
And by weaving together and combining those two stories,
it's highlighting just how hard that was for Moshe, right?
(19:17):
This is the greatest prophet of all time and he's asking God for
for the one thing that'll be thecrowning achievement of his
career. And God is saying no.
And it it makes sense then for David, who is just going through
his his own heartbreaking experience of having his request
denied by God, he might relate to Moshe, who had a really
(19:38):
similar request that God denied.So it gets me thinking about
motion, David, in general. You think about these two
figures who both start out theirreligious journey as lowly
shepherds, who take on what's supposed to be an impossible
(19:58):
enemy and with God's help come to victory.
Who come to be elevated leaders of the nation and who ultimately
reach a place of not only physical heights, but also
spiritual. Heights, right?
And in those moments of success,they turn to God, right?
They make these requests right where they try to carry forward
(20:19):
this mission. And yet, in one fateful moment,
with one wrong move, they both lose it all.
And so for most of that, wrong move was hitting the rock.
And interestingly for David, that wrong move was quite
similar. We said in in the version of
(20:39):
this story in the book of Samuel, it doesn't really give a
reason. In Chronicles, Dubby says
explicitly, I didn't get to build the temple because of my
involvement in war. It was about violence, just like
Moshe's involvement in violence.It was violence against the
rock, but that also kept him from getting the one thing that
he wanted. Here's something really cool.
(21:01):
Remember the language that it used to describe Moshe hitting
the rock? Yeah.
Vayak Atasala Rahman, he hit therock Vayak.
So in Samuel, it doesn't explicitly say why David wasn't
allowed to build the temple, butI think that there's a hint to
it. If you look at the very next
verses right after that narrative wraps up.
(21:23):
This is chapter 8 in Second Samuel.
Look at the very first thing it says.
Vayak, Hurricane. Vayak, David.
David. Wow, David strikes the
Philistines and look at the nextverse.
And. Look at the verse after that,
(21:44):
and then later on, Wow, He strikes this nation and he
strikes them and he strikes them.
It's that same word of Moshe, right?
Striking the rock. Amazing.
And although we don't really seethis until later, it seems to be
a hint here that this is really why God said no, right?
It was what was going on behind the scenes here of all this,
(22:07):
this fighting and striking and war that David is involved in.
Wow. Well, amazing.
And so when David says Lalaye Hamanti, the language of had I
not had faith? It's interesting then, because
that language also recalls Moshe.
In Bamidbar, right? Moshe was not allowed in to land
(22:28):
because he didn't have faith forwhatever that means.
But now David is saying good thing that I had faith.
I don't know exactly what to make of that.
So I agree that this pus are very clearly corresponding with
Moshe's journey, right? This idea of taking quite
literally right? If I had believed, if I had for
(22:51):
Moshe like I didn't in Bamidbar,believed, then I could have seen
your goodness Hashem where Beratrain AKA in Eretisrao.
It really is a line out of Moshe's mouth, out of Moshe's
book, seemingly. Yeah, the the eretz tova, the
good. The good is often, so often
associated with the Land of Israel itself.
It's a word that's just like almost synonymous with the land
(23:11):
of Israel. I wonder if Davi maybe is
comforting himself and saying I didn't get to build a temple,
but Moshe was the greatest prophet of all time.
He just wanted to go into the Land of Israel and he didn't
even get to do that. So W just like, you know, I
didn't get to build the temple, but I got to not just live in
(23:32):
Israel. I got to be the first king of
Israel. I got to help establish us as a,
as an independent nation here. Maybe, like Zakiti, you know I
have a lot to be thankful for. And I think also about that sort
of identification with Moshe's journey, right, which it comes
through in so many of these parallels.
And there is a feeling, of course, of disappointment that
(23:55):
comes with them, especially withsome of the lines we've seen
that hearken back to Moshe's lowest moments.
But there's something reflectiveabout being able to hold the
highest moments in the lowest moments together.
And I wonder if there's an element of David, like you're
saying, not only reassuring himself, but actually also
trying to comfort himself and tolook at his life, where for us
(24:15):
in the text, his biggest time and his biggest law are right
next to each other. Yeah.
And to recap, what we've seen isthat in the second-half of this
Myths more, the part that's really about David grappling
with this denied request to build the temple, he's making
all of these subtle references to the story of Moshe.
Each one by itself is subtle, but one verse after another
(24:39):
really does seem to be playing off of these things of of
Moshe's life. To me.
It's really powerful that David,as you pointed out, there was a
lot of similarities in their their life stories starting from
the shepherd and becoming the leader of Israel, reaching these
spiritual heights with God. That WD relating to the story of
Moshe will be able to look at Moshe's story and draw strength
from it and say, you know what, I was really upset that God
(25:02):
denied my request, but God also denied Moshe requests and Moshe
is like the greatest prophet of all time.
If Moshe was able to move on past that and then so can I.
It's not just me. This is this is the way things
work. We can't always have everything
we want. Even Moshe couldn't have
everything he wanted. And what's really interesting is
I wonder if it wasn't David himself who had the idea to to
(25:26):
compare his own story to Moshe's.
But I wonder if it wasn't God who actually planted that idea
in David's mind. I just want to take out a few
lines from that story in the book of Samuel when God
basically passes on this messagethrough the prophet Natan to
David. He's trying to explain why he's
(25:46):
not going to be able to build the temple.
He starts off by saying right kilo Yashavtiba bite le Miyom,
how the teeth Binay Sami mitzai vadhayam.
Is that right? From the days that I took Binay
Israel out of Egypt until today,I have not dwelt in a house.
So already a little bit of a nodto the Exodus into motion and
motion leadership there, but he was really where I think it
really sharpens in focus. He says that in that entire
(26:09):
time, in the €400 sent, I've hadall of these leaders come, all
of these people I shared, CVT Liwrote at AMI.
The people who I've commanded literally to shepherd my people.
I got a nod to both Moshe and David being shepherds mean hana
VE Mein akhar hatsun the youth Nagid right?
(26:31):
I have taken you from being right in the navadi.
It's the place where the sheep are, but it's also double
entendre because it can also be referring to to God's abode.
But I've taken you from the place of the sheep.
I've taken you from being the shepherd to being the leader of
Israel. And then he continues, and I'm
going to be with you. You're fair, right?
(26:52):
All of this, the language that he says to Moshe at the burning
Bush, when he's taking Moshe, plucking him from being a
shepherd, says, I'm going to make you the leader of Israel.
And he says, I'm going to be with you.
And then he promises Davi that he's going to establish his
phone forever and he's and his son's going to build the temple.
And he finishes by saying Vin Amman betray Mamah Khad Alam.
(27:14):
And your house is going to be isgoing to be steadfast.
It's going to be faithful for forever.
And that language of emunah of of steadfastness of faith is
something that we actually see afew times describing David.
But there's also one other person who's described as
faithful, which is. Moshe.
(27:34):
He is Bichol Beit de Neman Beto.He is my steadfast, my faithful
one. And this is actually the moniker
in the world of Jewish mysticism.
When they refer to Moshe, they refer to him as the Raya
Mahemna, the faithful shepherd. The faithful shepherd.
These are the two qualities of Moshe that stick out the most,
and yet they also fit very well for David, as you're saying.
Have you heard of David being referred to as the Faithful
(27:56):
Shepherd? That's an interesting question.
Because there's a song by Rezal about David that calls him the
Rowena Aman, the Faithful Shepherd.
And I thought I I was. I had trouble finding an actual
source for that. I'm not.
Sure. I'm not sure anything comes to
mind that's interesting. We have to look into it.
That's everybody's homework. Yeah, yeah.
But both of them are these faithful shepherds.
(28:18):
And I wonder if even in this story in Samuel they are David
picks up on those hints that Godis dropping because when David
responds to God, vivo amelak davidia shavely thing Hashem.
So David goes and he sits beforeGod.
Vayomer MI anokhi adonai elohim umi baiti kiheviatani adhalome.
(28:40):
First of all, that language of who am I?
They were calling Moshe as response to God.
MI anokhi akhi al para. Who am I to go to Pharaoh and
then make kiyaviatani adhaviatani adhalome, because
you have brought me adhalome to here, which is that language.
Also from the burning brush I'lltake krav.
Hello Mike, don't come too closethat language of approach that
(29:01):
God brings Moshe in. Wow, wow, wow.
And so in God's response to David, where he's explaining to
David, I'm not going to give youwhat you wanted, he's
referencing Moshe and the other person who is such a similar
life to David, who also didn't get that one thing he wanted.
And I wonder if he's part of theway he's comforting David.
And look, it's not you. The best of us have to face
(29:24):
disappointment. And then David seems to to pick
up on that. And then maybe in the Mizmore
itself, David continues that theme and he carries that
comfort that God gave him and hetakes that with them, and he's
just continues to identify with Moshe through that experience.
(30:08):
For me, it brings us to the verylast Pasak Kavel Hashem Kazakhvi
Amit Sibeka, the Kavel Hashem David, in this moment of
uncertainty, of pain, of self doubt, he looks to the greatest
figure of Jewish history and says, Moshe, I, I really feel
(30:29):
you. I really get where you were at.
I know that feeling now more than anything.
And this last line, kavela shem,kavela shem, interestingly, is
actually not a reference to Moshe at all.
Yeah, but there is something it is a reference to.
And I think it fits so well withnot only everything you said of
David needing to look to Moshe'slife as a source of
(30:51):
understanding, but also to Moshe's life potentially as a
source of answers. Because there's one last
parallel between David and Moshethat we didn't mention before,
which is that both David and Moshe do see their mission
realized, but by their successor.
And for David, it's the Mluka, of course, it's Shlomo Hamela,
right? And God says it's your son who's
(31:12):
going to to do this. And for Moshe, it's his star
pupil, it's his second in command, it's his mentee, it's
Yeshua, right? And that's the language of
Kazakh Viamatz. Be strong and be courageous is
the language that Moshe says to Yoshua over and over again.
That's his parting message to Yoshua is Kazakh Viamatz.
(31:33):
Be strong and be courageous. And you can imagine for David
looking to Moshe, and not only for comfort, but also looking to
Moshe for answers. What do you do when your whole
life is devoted to serving God? You're sure you have this one
mission and then you're told youwon't get it.
It's not for you to do. David's answer seems to be for
(31:54):
Moshe. Turn to your legacy, turn to
those who are going to carry it forward for you.
Think about that way, that it's being passed down.
And that's the perfect continuity from this whole Moshe
homage to bring it into Yeshua. And so too for David.
If I know I'm not going to buildthis, if I know that this is
something that's been taken fromme, where should I look?
(32:14):
I should look to Shlomo. Yeah, and we suggested last time
that second to last verse, the Leha Monty.
Good thing I hoped I had faith to to see the good of God in the
land of living. We said that Tuf Hashem, the
good of God may actually be a reference to Shlomov.
Go back to last week's episode for that.
That may actually be David looking forward to Shlomo and
saying I have faith that even ifmy dreams don't come true in my
(32:38):
own lifetime, that they'll come true in Shlomo, that he will
continue what I started, right? The real challenge both for
Moshe and for David is this sense of I am not going to be
able to accomplish the thing that I want to accomplish.
But the consolation and the, theanswers for them are about
(33:00):
zooming out and seeing the bigger picture and realizing
that I'm part of something much,much bigger than myself.
Like when God says to David, he starts telling the story of all
these leaders ever since the Exodus, right?
I wonder if also what he's telling the David is, look, I
get it for you. Your life seems like everything,
right? It's, it's hard to imagine past
(33:21):
the, the limited days of my own life.
But God's like, look, Jewish history is really, really long.
And even if you don't accomplishwhat you wanted to, you helped
push the ball forward, right? And trust me, someone's going to
continue it. He's going to take those reins
and continue where you started. And it's a little bit funny even
(33:44):
how these stories themselves become part of their legacy.
Every year when we enter Lol, when we come into chuva, who is
it who accompanies us? It's David and Moshe.
It's La David and it's Moshe. They're the two figures symbolic
of this experience, of this chuva, of having to look more
broadly at everything, to look beyond themselves.
(34:06):
And is that perspective that becomes central to how we look
at our time of Chuva, our time of reflection and growth?
Yeah, the message of being able to see our own lives in the
broad scope of Jewish history, Ithink is it's really important
one, and it can be really comforting, especially in
challenging times and especiallyin times where we go through
(34:27):
experiences that take a toll on us.
In the last couple weeks, we've talked about how David, how we
experience his war and the toll that takes on him.
And one of the things that bothered me about that is let's
not fair, right? Because we'd had to fight these
wars just like we have to fight these wars.
This was his job. They had enemies like what
(34:47):
you're supposed to say he was just going to be a pacifist.
But part of the Nahama here is David fought those wars in order
to create the space for a futuregeneration that wouldn't have
them. And sometimes some of the
hardest things that we have to go through, we go through to be
(35:08):
able to create a brighter future.
Don't forget to pick one person to share this episode with, and
stay tuned for a special High Holiday episode coming soon.
Before we begin, if you're enjoying this miniseries, if
it's helped you connect more deeply this lol, please think of
just one person who might appreciate it too.
Hit the share button in your appand send it their way.
It could really make a difference for them.
(00:39):
Welcome back to another episode of Tell Him Unveiled.
I'm of Jeremy. And I'm Ari.
We're excited to dig even a little deeper.
Episode #3 to Hillim, Cuff, Zion, Psalm 27.
Ladavi. Every time we think we've dug
deep, it just gets deeper and deeper.
Is there a bottom? It seems now it goes all the way
(01:00):
to the top. So just a recap of what we've
been doing. We started in the first episode
looking at the general structureof this mismar, noticing how
David starts off really confidently boasting about how
God is protecting him in war andhe has nothing to be afraid
about. And we said that once he reaches
that confidence in war and once this physical threats are no
(01:22):
longer on his mind, no longer a problem, it creates this
opportunity actually to not justhide and shelter himself in
God's temple at this point in God's Mishkan, but to actually
use that as a place to draw close to God.
And then it comes this line at panache Hashem Avakesh, right?
He's really seeking out God's face.
(01:43):
In episode 2, we dug really deepinto one particular period of
Daviet's life, the moment where he asks A Hatcha, ultimate
Hashem, there's one thing I asked from God to build the
temple, to dwell not in his own palace, but in God's temple.
And this is a really pivotal moment in Daviet's life where
God actually denies his request to build the temple.
(02:04):
But along with that denial also comes a promise of you're not
going to do this, but your son Shlomo is going to build the
temple. And at first that seems good.
But in the version of the story when David is recounting at the
end of his own life to his son Shlomo in in Divya Yamim, God
doesn't just say, that's a nice request, but no thank you.
God actually tells him the reason you're not going to build
(02:26):
the temple is because of your involvement in war.
And that really seems to be a struggle for Davi.
And we said that maybe that's where the turn towards is this
lack of confident, this despair in the mismore is Debbie's
realization that his involvementof war has actually taken this
toll on his soul. But at the end, there's this
moment of hope, this moment of hope that parallels God's
(02:49):
promise to him that although he isn't going to build the temple,
his son Shlomo is going to buildthe temple.
And the line when he says the lay Hamanti, the Ropa 2 of
Hashem, Barrett's Haimi. I had not had hoped to see the
good of Hashem in the land of the living.
That good of Hashem perhaps we argued as a reference to his son
Shlomo himself. And even in naming his son
Shlomo literally peace, it reflects this aspiration that
(03:13):
even if he can't achieve peace in his own lifetime, that the
next generation will achieve peace.
And through that we'll be able to build God's temple.
There was one line, though, thatwe've kind of avoided addressing
head on this entire time. It's a line that's always
bothered me with this mismar Ki vivi miazavuni because my father
and my mother have abandoned me,and it's never really made sense
(03:35):
to me. First of all, I've never felt it
relatable in the slightest. It's also something narratively
that doesn't seem to make so much sense to us.
David's parents are present in his life when he's originally
found by Shmuel. They're involved in the process.
We don't get a clear sense that David ascends to the kingship,
goes out to fight with Goliath with a feeling of vivi Mia
(03:58):
zavuni. It's not an obvious reading of
what's going on with David. So in today's episode, we're
going to try to answer what the heck is going on with that verse
there. What is Gavi talking about when
(04:23):
he talks about his parents abandoning him?
It seems like it just doesn't fit the story at all.
But there is one person in Tanakh who this line does seem
to fit much better than David, whose parents actually did
abandoned him. And Jeremy, you were actually
mentioned this in the very firstepisode in a line that we cut
out and said we would save for later.
(04:45):
So you've been holding your breath this entire time?
I haven't been. What do you think?
Who is this talking about? It's so fascinating because it's
even something that we don't speak about that much when we
speak about this character, but it's a moment at the very
beginning of their life that defines their life and ends up
defining the entire really Tanakh, the entire text that we
(05:05):
have in front of us. The most famous and perhaps
first adopted character in Tanakh, Moshe.
Moshe, who is born in Egypt at atime when all the Jewish male
babies are being thrown into thesea, is put into a basket by his
parents, sent down the Nile River, and is found by none
(05:27):
other than Pharaoh's daughter, brought into the palace, raised
in Pharaoh's palace, which sets up the entire Exodus story.
It's not just the fact that Moshe has been saved and ends up
growing up and having a whole life.
Moshe's not only abandoned by his actual parents, but he also
ends up running away from home after he kills this Egyptian,
(05:49):
and then he ends up deserted, basically left outside of Egypt.
So, so it's his biological parents just abandoned him on
the shore of the Nile and then his adopted father tries to kill
him, right. So he he really experiences this
twice. Right.
And really, with hindsight, of course, it's both times,
(06:12):
Varshemiyasfini, that God came and saved me.
So, you know, I'll grant that line does describe Moshe really
well, and I can't think of anybody in Tanakh whose parents
abandoned him not just once, buttwice and has this kind of
experience. But why in the world would this
line all of a sudden be talking about Moshe?
And is there anything else in this Mizmour that would suggest
(06:35):
that this has anything to do with Moshev, when of course WD
is the one speaking here? Yeah, I'm glad you asked that,
because at first I was just like, oh, Ivimi Azavuni sounds
like Moshev. But then you start to examine
some of these other lines and even some of the progressions
that are going on in the Mizmour, and I became like a
conspiracy theorist. Now it's like, now I'm all in on
(06:58):
it. The Daveed.
Is you thought this was a Tanakhpodcast?
Right. I, I became convinced and we'll
have to figure out, is it homage?
Is it identification? Is it as a foil?
But it's almost like Daveed is not just corresponding with
Moshe, but almost speaking through Moshe's life, seeing his
(07:19):
experiences as we've described them, especially these past few
weeks, through the lens of Moshe's life.
Wow. Alright, show me.
One of the first things that jumped out to me about it, and
we'll see where this takes us, is in these lines about asking
to see God. And these are some of the lines
that we've already dug into and we dug into them especially
(07:41):
earlier on in the Mizmore with the dynamic of ottava kesh Shrek
vet Hashem la hazopa Noam Hashem, this desire to to see
God. And it really comes to a head
when you get to Pasukret. David says at Panera, Hashem
avakesh, oh Lord, I seek your face, and then says, altaster
Panera memani, don't hide your face from me.
Altat alpha dekha ezrati haita, I'll teach you about Tasvenia
(08:05):
location. Don't thrust aside your servant
in anger. You've ever been my help.
Do not forsake me or abandoned me.
Now there's a famous story whereMoshe asks to see God's face
when Moshe is on the mountain onher Sinai, going to get the
lukot, the tablets. Moshe has an interaction with
God. God is angry at the Jewish
people. God is saying to Moshe, maybe I
(08:26):
should just start over. I'm done with this nation, maybe
I should just go with you. Moshe is trying to convince God
not to do so, to stay God's hand, and the conversation
actually starts to shift, to speak really from Moshe's
perspective about his relationship with God.
Moshe holds the conversation in this direction and he says, God,
I have been a faithful servant to you.
(08:47):
I've only ever wanted you. And Motion makes 2 requests.
First he says I want to know your ways.
Then he says I want to, I want to see you.
Now Moshe isn't granted both of these requests, but both of
these requests do appear in armies more and we just read the
first one at Panetta Hashema Vakesh.
(09:08):
And then David continues AltastaPanetta Mimeni, right?
Not just show me your face, but don't hide your face from me.
And a few sukim later says Davidinstead, after this line of kivi
IMI vimi azavuni says Horeni Hashemdaraka, show me your way
and show me a level path. So in this mismore, you see that
(09:28):
we have these two requests, right, David, just like Moshe
asking to see God's face, to seesomething true about God and
also to learn something right, to learn God's ways.
Both of them make these two requests.
And it's interesting also that in this means more David first
says I want to see your face, concludes this chunk by saying I
(09:49):
want to learn your ways and what's sandwiched right in
between Kia vivi Miazavoni, thisline that comes back to Moshe's
experience. So we've seen Moshe asking find
favour in me, which is also Moshe asks God if I have found
even at Sati chain by NECA God, if I have found favour in your
eyes and then talks about seeingGod's face, God not hiding his
(10:11):
face from him, which both happened, right?
He almost sees God's face, but it's hidden and he only sees the
back of God's face. And then this requests Harini
Hashem at Darkaka, teach me God your way, which is so similar to
what Moshe says. He says hareni na ET khodaka,
right, which is show me your honor and let it be known to me
(10:32):
your way. Those kind of get blurred
together and changed a little bit into this very similar
request of Ho Reni Hashem ET Dhaka.
Right. And this line, right, Altaster
Panachemi Meni also itself seemsto be a callback, right?
Because first he says, Houdini nataraja, I want to know your
ways. And Hashem says cool.
(10:52):
And then Moshe gets a little bitbolder.
Then he says, Haren Nath Khodaka, show me your glory.
I don't just want to understand you, I want to see you.
And God says you can't see my face, right?
Kilo, your Aniha Dambachai, no person can see my face, right?
And so then Hashem says, but what I will do is I will show
you my back. And the text actually says
explicitly, right, you'll see myback and you won't see my face.
(11:18):
And so this exact moment is almost seems to be what David is
also Mahavintu again, not just Iwant to see your face, but also
don't. I don't want to hear that
answer. Don't tell me no.
Yeah, just like Moshe was told. No to that one explicitly.
In this second-half of the Mizmo, which we said before was
WD's reaction to his rejected requests to build the temple,
(11:41):
but which came with a consolation, right?
God said I'm not going to let you build the temple, but I am
going to establish your throne forever and your son Shlomo is
going to build the temple. Is then recalling this request
of Moshe where he asked this thing of God, He says, God, can
I see your face? It's a very similar thing that
David was asking for, to have this specially special
(12:02):
relationship with God. God says no, I can't do that,
but I'll give you something close to that or I'll give you
the next best thing, which is tosee the back of my face.
Interesting. Yeah, I love that.
You're already pulling it now into not just armies more, but
part of what we've been seeing contextually, which is David's
life. And this is where I almost feel
(12:22):
like we have to dig a little bitdeeper into what's going on here
because David himself experiences this amazing high
followed by this amazing low, right?
Yeah. David is at the peak of his
game. He's defeated his enemies.
And that's when he says, but I have to think about Hashem, I
want to build that palace, right?
(12:42):
And God says, it's not going to be you, it's going to be your
son, right? And this mismore captures a lot
of that feeling, that emotive place, right?
Something of the loftiness of that experience, but also of the
unsure T, right? Which again, we know David will
later fill in as understanding that, no, because of his
conduct, because of how he got there in the 1st place.
And immediately after that, we see David at his lowest, the
(13:05):
whole story with but Sheva, right?
Really abusing the power that hespent so much time trying to
earn and trying to dedicate to something holy.
But it's not exactly how it goesfor Moshe in our parallel yet.
And so there's a little bit morework that we have to do to
uncover what does David see in this moment?
Is it just Moshe at his highest or do we also have to look at
(13:27):
Moshe at his lowest as a leader to understand fully the
connection? Yeah, and.
You know, for David, this was the thing that would have been
(13:50):
his crowning achievement and hislegacy for all time building the
temple. But this, this episode doesn't
really feel like the most important part of Moshe's life.
Maybe it's his spiritual high, but when you think about Moshe's
legacy, what he's going to leavebehind in the world, it seems
like there is there is somethingelse there, or maybe a different
(14:11):
request that Moshe asked later on that was even more important.
And it turns out to be similar to David.
The very thing that Moshe wants is exactly the thing he won't
get. What is the thing that Moshe
wants more than anything else? I feel like the answer is it's
obvious. And who reads the Torah?
The one thing that Moshe wants when anything else, The thing
(14:32):
that he pleased God for and refuses to take no for an
answer, is to be able to see theland of Israel, to be able to
lead the people of Israel into their land.
Everything that he worked up to this whole time, the natural
conclusion of everything that hehas done.
And God says no. Moshe goes through so many
(14:53):
trials, so many difficulties forthe people, right?
The amount of times that God says to Moshe, maybe I should
just start over with you and I'll make you a nation, right?
And Moshe, over and over, he puts himself on the line.
He tells God that God is wrong, right?
He is the most daring character in a certain sense, with the
ability to turn to God and say you have it wrong.
(15:14):
You haven't thought this through, right?
And time after time, he wins outand God gives in to his
argument. God says, all right, motion, I'm
going to listen to you. I listen to your prayers.
And with all of that, it's a little bit ironic that he can
never really get forgiveness forhis one mistake.
And what is that mistake? Much later on after this whole
(15:34):
episode on Mount Sinai, after the Jews leave Mount Sinai,
right. This is actually a routine thing
that happens a few times in the Tanakh wandering in the desert.
Obviously they have no water, nofood.
So the people are thirsty and Moshe is supposed to go to this
rock and miraculously to make water come out of it.
God says to Moshe speak to the rock.
The people, as they often are complaining a lot really is
(15:57):
working Moshe up. And it's not exactly clear, but
it seems almost from the text like almost in this like fit of
rage or in this sort of moment of passion, in the heat of the
moment. Moshe stands up and he says,
listen up, you rebels. Don't you see that we can bring
water out of the rock, that Hashem can bring water out of
the rock? And he hits it instead of
talking to it, and water comes forth and the people drink, and
(16:18):
the people are satisfied. And the language of Vayakhta
Salapa Mahim, he hits the rock twice.
And in those five words the entire course of Moshe's life
has changed. And although it works and the
water does come from the rock, and Moshe is able to give Benais
soil water to drink, God turns to Moshe and to our own and
(16:39):
says, Yan lo hamantenbi lakhdi sheni lei beni Israel, since you
did not have faith in you, you do not believe in me in order to
sanctify me in the eyes of all of Israel, the Hain loads of you
at Kahal Hazel Arts, Ashrina tati Laham.
Therefore you are not going to bring this nation into the land
that I'm giving them. And that's it.
(17:03):
In those two verses, everything changes.
Fascinatingly, we don't get a response and the narrative just
moves on. They move to the next place.
That's the end. Moshe's response, though, is
given much later, but it's not given an argument.
It's given in prayer, in sacred Dvarim in Deuteronomy, where
(17:26):
Moshe is retelling some of the stories of what happened in the
desert, some of the lessons thathe learned along the way, some
of his charges to the Jewish people as they go into the Land
of Israel without him. Moshe takes a moment and does
something for himself. He turns to God and he prays,
says, I know that I'm not supposed to go in, but please
(17:46):
Hashem, I want to go in. I want to be in that land.
And so Moshe prays, he says, God, please let me in.
And God doesn't just say no, Godis angry at Moshe for continuing
to ask right And wrathfully God says, don't keep asking me this
question. I don't want to hear about this
again. My decision is final.
(18:09):
Essentially an enter the motion never gets.
And so when I look back at our mismore into Hillen, it's
interesting that after this first line that we already spoke
about a little bit Altastar panachimi, don't turn your face
away from me. We see David expands Al tatbaf
abdesha ezrati haita, right? Don't thrust me aside in anger.
(18:31):
You have ever been my help. So I wonder if this is part of
also what's operating under the surface, especially here.
It's not just the turning away of the face in Moshe's highest
moment. It's also a turning away of
God's face and anger at sort of Moshe's lowest moment, and these
two narratives become woven together in Moshe's life.
(18:54):
It's the contrast between these two that make the second story
so powerful and so heartbreaking, right?
Because this isn't just one person who is asking something
of God and is having the requestdenied.
It's the person who's always been able to change God's mind.
And by weaving together and combining those two stories,
it's highlighting just how hard that was for Moshe, right?
(19:17):
This is the greatest prophet of all time and he's asking God for
for the one thing that'll be thecrowning achievement of his
career. And God is saying no.
And it it makes sense then for David, who is just going through
his his own heartbreaking experience of having his request
denied by God, he might relate to Moshe, who had a really
(19:38):
similar request that God denied.So it gets me thinking about
motion, David, in general. You think about these two
figures who both start out theirreligious journey as lowly
shepherds, who take on what's supposed to be an impossible
(19:58):
enemy and with God's help come to victory.
Who come to be elevated leaders of the nation and who ultimately
reach a place of not only physical heights, but also
spiritual. Heights, right?
And in those moments of success,they turn to God, right?
They make these requests right where they try to carry forward
(20:19):
this mission. And yet, in one fateful moment,
with one wrong move, they both lose it all.
And so for most of that, wrong move was hitting the rock.
And interestingly for David, that wrong move was quite
similar. We said in in the version of
(20:39):
this story in the book of Samuel, it doesn't really give a
reason. In Chronicles, Dubby says
explicitly, I didn't get to build the temple because of my
involvement in war. It was about violence, just like
Moshe's involvement in violence.It was violence against the
rock, but that also kept him from getting the one thing that
he wanted. Here's something really cool.
(21:01):
Remember the language that it used to describe Moshe hitting
the rock? Yeah.
Vayak Atasala Rahman, he hit therock Vayak.
So in Samuel, it doesn't explicitly say why David wasn't
allowed to build the temple, butI think that there's a hint to
it. If you look at the very next
verses right after that narrative wraps up.
(21:23):
This is chapter 8 in Second Samuel.
Look at the very first thing it says.
Vayak, Hurricane. Vayak, David.
David. Wow, David strikes the
Philistines and look at the nextverse.
And. Look at the verse after that,
(21:44):
and then later on, Wow, He strikes this nation and he
strikes them and he strikes them.
It's that same word of Moshe, right?
Striking the rock. Amazing.
And although we don't really seethis until later, it seems to be
a hint here that this is really why God said no, right?
It was what was going on behind the scenes here of all this,
(22:07):
this fighting and striking and war that David is involved in.
Wow. Well, amazing.
And so when David says Lalaye Hamanti, the language of had I
not had faith? It's interesting then, because
that language also recalls Moshe.
In Bamidbar, right? Moshe was not allowed in to land
(22:28):
because he didn't have faith forwhatever that means.
But now David is saying good thing that I had faith.
I don't know exactly what to make of that.
So I agree that this pus are very clearly corresponding with
Moshe's journey, right? This idea of taking quite
literally right? If I had believed, if I had for
(22:51):
Moshe like I didn't in Bamidbar,believed, then I could have seen
your goodness Hashem where Beratrain AKA in Eretisrao.
It really is a line out of Moshe's mouth, out of Moshe's
book, seemingly. Yeah, the the eretz tova, the
good. The good is often, so often
associated with the Land of Israel itself.
It's a word that's just like almost synonymous with the land
(23:11):
of Israel. I wonder if Davi maybe is
comforting himself and saying I didn't get to build a temple,
but Moshe was the greatest prophet of all time.
He just wanted to go into the Land of Israel and he didn't
even get to do that. So W just like, you know, I
didn't get to build the temple, but I got to not just live in
(23:32):
Israel. I got to be the first king of
Israel. I got to help establish us as a,
as an independent nation here. Maybe, like Zakiti, you know I
have a lot to be thankful for. And I think also about that sort
of identification with Moshe's journey, right, which it comes
through in so many of these parallels.
And there is a feeling, of course, of disappointment that
(23:55):
comes with them, especially withsome of the lines we've seen
that hearken back to Moshe's lowest moments.
But there's something reflectiveabout being able to hold the
highest moments in the lowest moments together.
And I wonder if there's an element of David, like you're
saying, not only reassuring himself, but actually also
trying to comfort himself and tolook at his life, where for us
(24:15):
in the text, his biggest time and his biggest law are right
next to each other. Yeah.
And to recap, what we've seen isthat in the second-half of this
Myths more, the part that's really about David grappling
with this denied request to build the temple, he's making
all of these subtle references to the story of Moshe.
Each one by itself is subtle, but one verse after another
(24:39):
really does seem to be playing off of these things of of
Moshe's life. To me.
It's really powerful that David,as you pointed out, there was a
lot of similarities in their their life stories starting from
the shepherd and becoming the leader of Israel, reaching these
spiritual heights with God. That WD relating to the story of
Moshe will be able to look at Moshe's story and draw strength
from it and say, you know what, I was really upset that God
(25:02):
denied my request, but God also denied Moshe requests and Moshe
is like the greatest prophet of all time.
If Moshe was able to move on past that and then so can I.
It's not just me. This is this is the way things
work. We can't always have everything
we want. Even Moshe couldn't have
everything he wanted. And what's really interesting is
I wonder if it wasn't David himself who had the idea to to
(25:26):
compare his own story to Moshe's.
But I wonder if it wasn't God who actually planted that idea
in David's mind. I just want to take out a few
lines from that story in the book of Samuel when God
basically passes on this messagethrough the prophet Natan to
David. He's trying to explain why he's
(25:46):
not going to be able to build the temple.
He starts off by saying right kilo Yashavtiba bite le Miyom,
how the teeth Binay Sami mitzai vadhayam.
Is that right? From the days that I took Binay
Israel out of Egypt until today,I have not dwelt in a house.
So already a little bit of a nodto the Exodus into motion and
motion leadership there, but he was really where I think it
really sharpens in focus. He says that in that entire
(26:09):
time, in the €400 sent, I've hadall of these leaders come, all
of these people I shared, CVT Liwrote at AMI.
The people who I've commanded literally to shepherd my people.
I got a nod to both Moshe and David being shepherds mean hana
VE Mein akhar hatsun the youth Nagid right?
(26:31):
I have taken you from being right in the navadi.
It's the place where the sheep are, but it's also double
entendre because it can also be referring to to God's abode.
But I've taken you from the place of the sheep.
I've taken you from being the shepherd to being the leader of
Israel. And then he continues, and I'm
going to be with you. You're fair, right?
(26:52):
All of this, the language that he says to Moshe at the burning
Bush, when he's taking Moshe, plucking him from being a
shepherd, says, I'm going to make you the leader of Israel.
And he says, I'm going to be with you.
And then he promises Davi that he's going to establish his
phone forever and he's and his son's going to build the temple.
And he finishes by saying Vin Amman betray Mamah Khad Alam.
(27:14):
And your house is going to be isgoing to be steadfast.
It's going to be faithful for forever.
And that language of emunah of of steadfastness of faith is
something that we actually see afew times describing David.
But there's also one other person who's described as
faithful, which is. Moshe.
(27:34):
He is Bichol Beit de Neman Beto.He is my steadfast, my faithful
one. And this is actually the moniker
in the world of Jewish mysticism.
When they refer to Moshe, they refer to him as the Raya
Mahemna, the faithful shepherd. The faithful shepherd.
These are the two qualities of Moshe that stick out the most,
and yet they also fit very well for David, as you're saying.
Have you heard of David being referred to as the Faithful
(27:56):
Shepherd? That's an interesting question.
Because there's a song by Rezal about David that calls him the
Rowena Aman, the Faithful Shepherd.
And I thought I I was. I had trouble finding an actual
source for that. I'm not.
Sure. I'm not sure anything comes to
mind that's interesting. We have to look into it.
That's everybody's homework. Yeah, yeah.
But both of them are these faithful shepherds.
(28:18):
And I wonder if even in this story in Samuel they are David
picks up on those hints that Godis dropping because when David
responds to God, vivo amelak davidia shavely thing Hashem.
So David goes and he sits beforeGod.
Vayomer MI anokhi adonai elohim umi baiti kiheviatani adhalome.
(28:40):
First of all, that language of who am I?
They were calling Moshe as response to God.
MI anokhi akhi al para. Who am I to go to Pharaoh and
then make kiyaviatani adhaviatani adhalome, because
you have brought me adhalome to here, which is that language.
Also from the burning brush I'lltake krav.
Hello Mike, don't come too closethat language of approach that
(29:01):
God brings Moshe in. Wow, wow, wow.
And so in God's response to David, where he's explaining to
David, I'm not going to give youwhat you wanted, he's
referencing Moshe and the other person who is such a similar
life to David, who also didn't get that one thing he wanted.
And I wonder if he's part of theway he's comforting David.
And look, it's not you. The best of us have to face
(29:24):
disappointment. And then David seems to to pick
up on that. And then maybe in the Mizmore
itself, David continues that theme and he carries that
comfort that God gave him and hetakes that with them, and he's
just continues to identify with Moshe through that experience.
(30:08):
For me, it brings us to the verylast Pasak Kavel Hashem Kazakhvi
Amit Sibeka, the Kavel Hashem David, in this moment of
uncertainty, of pain, of self doubt, he looks to the greatest
figure of Jewish history and says, Moshe, I, I really feel
(30:29):
you. I really get where you were at.
I know that feeling now more than anything.
And this last line, kavela shem,kavela shem, interestingly, is
actually not a reference to Moshe at all.
Yeah, but there is something it is a reference to.
And I think it fits so well withnot only everything you said of
David needing to look to Moshe'slife as a source of
(30:51):
understanding, but also to Moshe's life potentially as a
source of answers. Because there's one last
parallel between David and Moshethat we didn't mention before,
which is that both David and Moshe do see their mission
realized, but by their successor.
And for David, it's the Mluka, of course, it's Shlomo Hamela,
right? And God says it's your son who's
(31:12):
going to to do this. And for Moshe, it's his star
pupil, it's his second in command, it's his mentee, it's
Yeshua, right? And that's the language of
Kazakh Viamatz. Be strong and be courageous is
the language that Moshe says to Yoshua over and over again.
That's his parting message to Yoshua is Kazakh Viamatz.
(31:33):
Be strong and be courageous. And you can imagine for David
looking to Moshe, and not only for comfort, but also looking to
Moshe for answers. What do you do when your whole
life is devoted to serving God? You're sure you have this one
mission and then you're told youwon't get it.
It's not for you to do. David's answer seems to be for
(31:54):
Moshe. Turn to your legacy, turn to
those who are going to carry it forward for you.
Think about that way, that it's being passed down.
And that's the perfect continuity from this whole Moshe
homage to bring it into Yeshua. And so too for David.
If I know I'm not going to buildthis, if I know that this is
something that's been taken fromme, where should I look?
(32:14):
I should look to Shlomo. Yeah, and we suggested last time
that second to last verse, the Leha Monty.
Good thing I hoped I had faith to to see the good of God in the
land of living. We said that Tuf Hashem, the
good of God may actually be a reference to Shlomov.
Go back to last week's episode for that.
That may actually be David looking forward to Shlomo and
saying I have faith that even ifmy dreams don't come true in my
(32:38):
own lifetime, that they'll come true in Shlomo, that he will
continue what I started, right? The real challenge both for
Moshe and for David is this sense of I am not going to be
able to accomplish the thing that I want to accomplish.
But the consolation and the, theanswers for them are about
(33:00):
zooming out and seeing the bigger picture and realizing
that I'm part of something much,much bigger than myself.
Like when God says to David, he starts telling the story of all
these leaders ever since the Exodus, right?
I wonder if also what he's telling the David is, look, I
get it for you. Your life seems like everything,
right? It's, it's hard to imagine past
(33:21):
the, the limited days of my own life.
But God's like, look, Jewish history is really, really long.
And even if you don't accomplishwhat you wanted to, you helped
push the ball forward, right? And trust me, someone's going to
continue it. He's going to take those reins
and continue where you started. And it's a little bit funny even
(33:44):
how these stories themselves become part of their legacy.
Every year when we enter Lol, when we come into chuva, who is
it who accompanies us? It's David and Moshe.
It's La David and it's Moshe. They're the two figures symbolic
of this experience, of this chuva, of having to look more
broadly at everything, to look beyond themselves.
(34:06):
And is that perspective that becomes central to how we look
at our time of Chuva, our time of reflection and growth?
Yeah, the message of being able to see our own lives in the
broad scope of Jewish history, Ithink is it's really important
one, and it can be really comforting, especially in
challenging times and especiallyin times where we go through
(34:27):
experiences that take a toll on us.
In the last couple weeks, we've talked about how David, how we
experience his war and the toll that takes on him.
And one of the things that bothered me about that is let's
not fair, right? Because we'd had to fight these
wars just like we have to fight these wars.
This was his job. They had enemies like what
(34:47):
you're supposed to say he was just going to be a pacifist.
But part of the Nahama here is David fought those wars in order
to create the space for a futuregeneration that wouldn't have
them. And sometimes some of the
hardest things that we have to go through, we go through to be
(35:08):
able to create a brighter future.
Don't forget to pick one person to share this episode with, and
stay tuned for a special High Holiday episode coming soon.
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