Psalm 130 begins exactly where you would expect a cry for mercy to begin: out of the depths (מִמַּעֲמַקִּים – mimamakim). The psalmist is not speaking from a mountaintop; he is speaking from the lowest possible place, emotionally, spiritually, or physically. The opening words became so central to the Jewish prayer experience that the Sages (Talmud, Berakhot 10a) taught that a person should pray from a low place, not a high one, to follow the psalmist's example. But the psalm is not a cry of despair. It is a prayer for forgiveness. The most terrifying line in the psalm comes in verse 3: “If you, O Lord, keep a record of sins, who could stand?” The answer, of course, is no one. So the psalmist immediately turns to the only source of hope: “For with You is forgiveness” (verse 4), which is why this psalm became so central to the liturgy of the High Holidays, the Selichot prayers, the period of repentance before Yom Kippur, draw their very name from the phrase “For with You is forgiveness” (ki imcha haslichah). The psalm then shifts from a direct address to God to a third-person waiting. The poet says: “My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning.” A night watchman does not wonder if dawn will come, he knows it will. His waiting is not doubt; it is certainty. And so the soul's waiting for redemption is not a fragile hope, it is as sure as the sunrise. The psalm concludes with a public declaration to all of Israel: “O Israel, hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is mercy, and abundant redemption.” Why is this one of the “Songs of Ascents”? Psalm 130 is part of a collection of 15 psalms (Psalm 120 through 134) known as the Shir HaMa’alot (Songs of Ascents), sung by the Levites as they ascended the steps of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. But this particular “Song of Ascents” begins in a descent, into the depths of sin, despair, and distance from God, before it can rise back up toward the Temple. #psalms #psalm #jewishtiktok #souloftorah #torahsoul - @souloftorah