Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon, at the full moon, on our solemn feast day. For this is a statute for Israel, a law of the God of Jacob. (Psalm 81:3-4) As we begin, it should be noted that there are different types of trumpets mentioned in the Bible. For...

Sing aloud to God our strength; make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob. Raise a song and strike the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the lute. (Psalm 81:1-2) If the previous psalm was composed with the suffering of exile in mind, this psalm expresses the exultation of...

Why have You broken down her hedges, so that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit? The boar out of the woods uproots it, and the wild beast of the field devours it. Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts; look down from heaven and see, and visit this vine and the...

You have brought a vine out of Egypt; You have cast out the nations, and planted it. You prepared room for it, and caused it to take deep root, and it filled the land. (Psalm 80:9) There are many instances in Scripture where Israel is compared to a vine. Isaiah...

Restore us, O God; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved! (Psalm 80:3) As the psalm continues, the theme of exile and prayers for deliverance is recurring. In fact, these same words in the verse above are invoked three different times in this psalm  (Ps...

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth! Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up Your strength, and come and save us! (Psalm 80:1-2) When Jacob blessed Joseph from his deathbed, he...

Do not remember former iniquities against us! Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us, for we have been brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name. (Psalm 79:8-9) Throughout history, philosophers and the man on the street...

How long, Lord? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire? (Psalm 79:5) Anyone who has been married for any length of time knows the value of peace in a relationship. As far as I'm concerned, having contention with one's spouse -- especially when it...

O God, the nations have come into Your inheritance; Your holy temple they have defiled. They have laid Jerusalem in heaps. (Psalm 79:1) This psalm is, in reality, a dirge about the destruction of Jerusalem and the Sanctuary. Being such, it is not something one would...

He also chose David His servant, and took him from the sheepfolds; from following the ewes that had young He brought him, to shepherd Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance. (Psalm 78:70-71) In the previous devotion we addressed the fact that David was regarded...

He also chose David His servant, and took him from the sheepfolds; from following the ewes that had young He brought him, to shepherd Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance. (Psalm 78:70-71) Just as God's choice of Zion is eternal, so too is His selection of...

He built His sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which He has established forever. (Psalm 78:69) In the Hebrew scriptures, the very first letter is ב beit which, pictographically, is a house. Thus it is understood that, from the initial point of Creation, God's...