Everyone wants the rewards of alignment. Far fewer people want the roots that make it possible.
Chazal teach that there is not an absolute division between the first two chapters of Tehillim. Perek Aleph and Perek Beis are, in some sense, one unit. The Gemara1 notes that this unit begins with אשרי and ends with אשרי, Perek Aleph begins with אשרי האיש, and Perek Beis concludes with אשרי כל חוסי בו.
The Gemara continues that any mizmor of Tehillim that begins with אשרי and ends with אשרי was especially beloved to Dovid HaMelech. Tosafos2 asks why Chazal state this as a general rule if this is the only place in Tehillim that follows that exact pattern.
The Rashba3 explains that the point is broader. It does not have to be specifically אשרי. Rather, when a section concludes in the same way that it begins, it creates a fuller form of praise. The Rashba adds that this is the basis for the structure of many berachos, whose endings reflect their openings.
The Chasam Sofer4 adds that this pattern is e…
