Parshat Pekudei
March 7, 2003

Mizmor Letodah - Conclusion

The final verse in the psalm is “ Hodu lo barchu shemo – ki tov Hashem Leolam chasdo vead dor vador emunato – Thank G-d and bless His name; because G-d is eternally kind and reliably faithful from one generation until to the next”.

I would like to focus on the final phrase “Ad dor vador emunato – that G-d is reliably faithful”. The phrase “Ledor Vador – from generation to generation” is often invoked as the call for Jewish continuity and tradition. Ledor Vador is also used in our liturgy as a description of G-d Himself and His relationship to mankind and the Jewish people generally.

In the scary world that we currently live in things often don’t make sense to us. Common questions that plague us are: Why does a tragedy occur; and why should a person, family, or nation encounter suffering?

The truth is we will never understand it completely. There are different reasons as to why man can never fully fathom G-d and His ways. Firstly, man is finite with finite capabilities, and G-d is infinite with infinite capabilities Understanding G-d fully is simply beyond the grasp of humanity.

Another reason why G-d and the way He runs the world escapes us is because man lives for such a short amount of time on this earth. King David writes in Psalms, “The years of man are seventy or eighty….” G-d is omnipotent, all- powerful, and eternal. This can be compared to a visit to the theater. Did you ever walk into a movie in the middle and have to leave before the ending? Did you come away with a complete understanding of the movie? Of course you didn’t. That is what life on earth is like. We have not been around that long; and we won’t be present for more then a few generations if we are fortunate. So how can we truly make sense of the nearly six thousand year old that we live in. We can’t. But we do have the tools for a successful life - Faith in G-d and Fulfilling His Mitzvot.

Now that we have entered into the month of Adar II and Purim is on its way and Pesach is soon to follow, may we merit to not only share the Torah and traditions Ledor vador but may we see G-d’ s grandeur as He has shown before Ledor vador.

Shabbat Shalom.
Rabbi Ephraim Epstein

*Helpful Hint* Jot down some of the interpretations you learn into the margins of your personal siddur. This will enable you to access and utilize these and other Tefilla tips more easily.