Song of the Levi'im and three modes of avodah

וכתיב תהלת ה' ידבר פי ועי"ז ויברך כל בשר שם קדשו כי יש כח בפיהם של בנ"י לעורר כל בשר ולכן כתיב שפוך חמתך כו' אשר לא ידעוך כו' בשמך לא קראו.

And it is written, "My mouth shall speak the praise of Hashem," and through this "let all flesh bless His holy Name" — for there is power in the mouths of Bnei Yisrael to arouse all flesh; and therefore it is written, "Pour out Your wrath… upon those who do not know You… who have not called upon Your Name."

The praise that Bnei Yisrael utter (Tehillim 145:21) has the power to awaken "all flesh" to bless Hashem. When that channel is blocked, the prayer "Pour out Your wrath" (Tehillim 79:6) applies to the nations who neither know nor call on Hashem.

מטעם כי אכל את יעקב כו' נוהו השמו כי בזמן שהיו בנ"י במקדש.

The reason being, "For he has devoured Yaakov… and laid waste his dwelling" — for at the time when Bnei Yisrael were in the Mikdash…

The nations fail to know Hashem precisely because they devoured Yaakov and destroyed the Bais Hamikdash. The implication is that while the Mikdash stood, the situation was different.

בע"כ ידעו גם הם לקרוא בשם ה'.

…of necessity they too knew to call upon the Name of Hashem.

When the Bais Hamikdash stood, even the nations were drawn to recognize and call on Hashem.

כמ"ש שלמה הנכרי כו' ובא מארץ רחוקה.

As it is written by Shlomo, "the foreigner… who comes from a distant land."

Shlomo HaMelech's tefillah at the Temple's dedication (Melachim I 8:41) envisions even the foreigner coming from afar to pray there.

וכ"כ לדעת בארץ דרכך כו' יברכנו אלקים וייראו אותו כו'.

And so it is written, "that Your way be known on earth… God shall bless us, and all shall fear Him."

The pesukim in Tehillim (67) describe how Hashem's blessing of Bnei Yisrael leads all the nations to know His way and to fear Him.

ועי"ז שאכל את יעקב לכן לא ידעוך ובשמך לא קראו.

And because he devoured Yaakov, therefore "they do not know You, and have not called upon Your Name."

It is the destruction of Bnei Yisrael's avodah that left the nations unable to recognize Hashem.

ואיתא בגמ' ד' מלכים היו דוד אמר ארדוף כו' יהושפט אמר אין בי כח לרדוף אומר שירה והם נופלים.

And it is brought in the Gemara: there were four kings — David said, "I will pursue…"; Yehoshafat said, "I have no strength to pursue, but I will sing shirah and they will fall."

The Sefas Emes cites the Gemara (Sanhedrin 49a / Eichah Rabbah) listing four kings who fought differently. David fought by pursuit; Yehoshafat, lacking strength, conquered through song.

דכתיב ובעת החלו ברנה כו'.

As it is written, "And when they began with joyous song…"

This refers to the pasuk (Divrei HaYamim II 20:22) where Yehoshafat's enemies fell as the singers began.

יחזקי' אמר.

Chizkiyahu said…

The third king, Chizkiyahu HaMelech, is now described.

אין בי כח כו'.

"I have no strength…"

Chizkiyahu confessed he had neither the power to pursue nor to sing, and Hashem fought for him while he slept.

וכ"ז הוא ג' ענינים הנ"ל מעשה דיבור מחשבה.

And all this corresponds to the three matters mentioned: action, speech, thought.

The varying ways of the kings map onto the three modes of avodah — deed (David's pursuit), speech (Yehoshafat's song), and thought (Chizkiyahu's silent reliance).

כהן לוי וישראל.

Kohen, Levi, and Yisrael.

These three modes also correspond to the three groups in the Mikdash — Kohen, Levi, and Yisrael.

ובודאי צריכין כל הג' כי רצון ותשוקת בנ"י היו מוסיפין כח לכהן ולוי.

And surely all three are needed, for the will and yearning of Bnei Yisrael added power to the Kohen and the Levi.

The avodah is a partnership: the Yisrael's inner ratzon (thought/yearning) empowered the song of the Levi and the service of the Kohen.

ואלה הז' נימין הם בחי' שבעה קולות שבמזמור הבו לה'.

And these seven strings are the aspect of the seven "voices" in the mizmor "Render unto Hashem."

The seven strings of the Levi's harp correspond to the seven utterances of "kol Hashem" in Tehillim 29 ("Havu laHashem").

וז' ימי שבתא.

And the seven days of the week.

They likewise correspond to the seven days of the week.

לכן יש בכל יום שיר אחר.

Therefore there is a different shir (song) for each day.

This is why the Levi'im sang a distinct "shir shel yom" for each day of the week.

שיש קול מתוך אהבה ומתוך יראה כו'.

For there is a voice that comes from ahavah and one that comes from yirah, and so on.

Each day's song expresses a different inner posture before Hashem — some flowing from love, some from awe.

וגם עתה בבתי כנסיות ומדרשות שנק' מקדש מעט יכולים לתקן מעין שיר הלוים הנ"ל:

And even now, in batei knesses and batei medrash — which are called a "mikdash me'at" (miniature Sanctuary) — we can effect something akin to the song of the Levi'im described above.

Though the Mikdash is gone, our shuls and batei medrash serve as a small Sanctuary where, through prayer and song, we can recreate a measure of the Levi'im's avodah.

Summary: The praise of Bnei Yisrael has the power to awaken "all flesh" to bless Hashem, a power that flourished while the Bais Hamikdash stood and drew even the nations near. The differing strategies of David, Yehoshafat, and Chizkiyahu reflect the three modes of avodah — deed, speech, and thought — paralleling Kohen, Levi, and Yisrael and the seven daily songs of the Levi'im. Even today, our shuls and batei medrash, a "mikdash me'at," let us recreate that song.