This week’s study is from Tehillim / Psalms 38:1-22, David opens the Psalm saying א מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד לְהַזְכִּיר: ב יְהוָה אַל-בְּקֶצְפְּךָ תוֹכִיחֵנִי וּבַחֲמָתְךָ תְיַסְּרֵנִי: ג כִּי-חִצֶּיךָ נִחֲתוּ-בִי וַתִּנְחַת עָלַי יָדֶךָ: ד אֵין-מְתֹם בִּבְשָֹרִי מִפְּנֵי זַעְמֶךָ אֵין-שָׁלוֹם בַּעֲצָמַי מִפְּנֵי חַטָּאתִי: A Psalm of David, for a memorial. 38:1 O Lord, rebuke me not in Your wrath, And chasten me not in Your burning anger. 38:2 For Your arrows have sunk deep into me, And Your hand has pressed down on me. 38:3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your indignation; There is no health in my bones because of my sin. (NASB) David makes a distinction between sin that goes down to his bones, and the lack of soundness of his flesh because the Lord is indignant towards him. This is because his iniquity is heavy (38:4-8), his sin causes the wounds of his skin to fester and become foul, which may be a possible reference to Parashat Tazria (Vayikra / Leviticus 12:1-13:59) and the disease of Tsaraat. He continues saying י אֲדֹנָי נֶגְדְּךָ כָל-תַּאֲוָתִי וְאַנְחָתִי מִמְּךָ לֹא-נִסְתָּרָה: יא לִבִּי סְחַרְחַר עֲזָבַנִי כֹחִי וְאוֹר עֵינַי גַּם-הֵם אֵין אִתִּי: 38:9 Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. 38:10 My heart throbs, my strength fails me; And the light of my eyes, even that has gone from me. (NASB) Tehillim / Psalms 38:11 suggests that David is in fact speaking of the disease of Tsaraat and Parashat Tazria saying יב אֹהֲבַי | וְרֵעַי מִנֶּגֶד נִגְעִי יַעֲמֹדוּ וּקְרוֹבַי מֵרָחֹק עָמָדוּ: 38:11 My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague; And my kinsmen stand afar off. (NASB) Read more here: Tehillim 38-Part1
