Psalm 29: 
Might Makes…Peace?

A psalm of David: Give to God, 
you sons of the powerful,  
give to God honor and might 
(Psalm 29:1).

Psalm 29, which Siddur Avodas Yisrael says should be read on the Shabbat when we read the Torah portion of Noah and the Flood, is a powerful statement about the might of God.

In the psalm, God thunders. His voice breaks the cedars of Lebanon. His voice cleaves with shafts of fire and convulses the wilderness of Kadesh. It frightens the hinds and strips the forests bare of their foliage. God's voice is so overwhelming that every aspect of nature recognizes that it is futile to resist God's power.

We are often told that we should emulate God's attributes, so perhaps David is telling us that we, too, should thunder and make the world quake. With all our bombs and other weaponry, we certainly have the ability to strip our planet bare of every kind of life - from the smallest leaf to the mightiest human being. When David tells us to give honor and might to God, is this the form they should take?

The answer, according to Jewish prophets and sages throughout the ages, is a definitive "no".

The Talmudic tract Ethics of the Fathers gives us a good understanding of how the human understanding of "might" differs from the true understanding of the expressions of "might" that God asks from us.

In Chapter 4, Mishna 1, the Sage Ben Zoma asks, "Who is mighty?"

Ben Zoma's reply is, "He who subdues his evil inclination, as it is written (Proverbs 16:32): 'He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he that rules his spirit than he that takes a city.'"

Humans think of might in terms of tanks and missiles, deterrent and first strike capabilities. But when the Torah speaks to us about "might," it is not talking about destroying cities and people. Instead, we are asked to do battle with ourselves - to conquer that part of us that hungers uncontrollably for power, wealth, or forbidden relationships; that part of us that is indolent, angry or depressed.

It is this use of might - the successful subjugation of our evil inclination - that we can offer up to God. Any demonstration of might against others is sure to be rejected, for as Ben Zoma goes on to say:

"Who is honored? He who honors mankind."

The only way we can give honor to God, who is the Possessor of all and surely does not need our small and insignificant expressions of honor, is to honor other human beings, who are His creations and created in His image.

How should this honor be expressed? The Prophet Jeremiah says it beautifully in Chapter 9, verses 22-23:

Thus says the Lord: 
Let not the wise boast in his wisdom; 
let not the mighty boast in his might;
let not the rich boast in his wealth; but in this should the boastful boast:
that he understands and knows Me,
that I am God Who does kindness
and justice and righteousness in the land;
for in these things I delight,
says the Lord.

We are mighty and give honor to God when we subjugate our tendency to hate and respond, instead, with acts of kindness; when we insist on justice for everyone, including those who are different from us; and when we commit ourselves to upholding a high standard of ethics and morality.

With this understanding of the concepts of honor and might, we can now understand the last verse of the psalm, where David promises:

God will give might to his nation, God will bless his nation with peace (29:11).

In Jewish thought, peace is the greatest blessing that God can bestow on the world. But it is not a free gift. We first have to do our work and prove we are the "sons of the powerful" - the descendents of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who were powerful in their righteousness. When we use our might to establish kindness, justice and righteousness in the land, it will naturally follow that God will bless our efforts with peace.