As we explained in the introduction, Tehillim gives expression to every state of the human soul. It is a structure that shows us from the very start , how a person should be aligned spiritually.
Tehillim begins:
“אַשְׁרֵי־הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָלַךְ בַּעֲצַת רְשָׁעִים וּבְדֶרֶךְ חַטָּאִים לֹא עָמָד וּבְמוֹשַׁב לֵצִים לֹא יָשָׁב”
The Targum translates Ashrei as טוביה דגבר, “the good of man.” A person is considered good when he is spiritually aligned.
Rav Aharon Kotler1 explains that the continuation of the pasuk teaches that even when a person is spiritually aligned, he must remain cognizant of his surroundings. The moment that alignment weakens, he begins to slide down a slippery slope.
Rav Elchanan Wasserman2 adds that a person cannot assume that nothing will happen to him. One must always be careful to maintain that alignment.
It is interesting that Dovid HaMelech chose to begin Tehillim in a negative tense. Instead of describing that one is fortunate to walk with tzaddikim, stand with the up…
