What Does the Righteous Man Do? - Psalms Chapter 11 - Tehilim Poetry

A couple of weeks ago, I sat down wanting to write a poem. I don't know if I wanted to write a Tehilim poem or not but eventually I had it complete. I am so thankful and blessed to be able to share with you now.

The last "Tehilim Poem" was based on perek ten, so obviously we move forward on to perek eleven. In this poem King David tells us, once again, about how Hashem is the one who loves righteousness, the righteous man, but hates injustice and those who praise and support evil. King David reassures us that the Al-mighty will rain down destruction upon the enemy of the righteous and will destroy those who seek to harm His people.

The possuk chosen as the baseline for this poem was the third one,

"כִּ֣י הַ֭שָּׁתוֹת יֵהָרֵס֑וּן צַ֝דִּ֗יק מַה־פָּעָֽל׃"

 which translates to,
 "When the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous man do?"

I felt a connection with those words when I first read their translation and still today, I connect with them, for as we near the arrival of Mashiach and as we witness everything happening and take in everything that has happened since last Friday, it sometimes feels like there is nothing we can do, for "what can my Tefilah accomplish?" or "Why should I say Tehilim? It won't even help?"

It will though. These miracles, while yes they are mesmerizing and inspiring and every other word you could think of to describe them one thing is absolutely certain. 

These miracles are because of Hashem kindness and love, yes, but they are also because of our tefilos. Both yours and mine.

That is what a righteous nation can do in times of distress.

I hope you enjoy this poem

Yitzy Schweitzer

What Does the Righteous Man Do? - Psalms Chapter 11 - Tehilim Poetry When the foundations shake,
When strong bonds break,
When cries shatter the night,
What does the righteous man do?

When the songs turn silent,
When evil strikes the peace,
When sorrow eclipses the sun's rays,
What does the righteous man do?

He accepts with love,
For he is where G-d needs him to be,
Yet he prays, yearns and hopes,
For serenity, for this hardship to pass.

He tries to repent,
For the wrongs he may have done,
Tries to heal the world,
One prayer, one kind deed at a time.

That is what a righteous man does,
When troubles befall his people,
He guides them, himself too,
Towards repentance, acceptance, and hope.