The Power of Ashrei - Ashrei 12
מלכותך מלכות כל עלמים, וממשלתך בכל דור ודור – Your kingdom is a kingdom spanning all eternities, and your dominion is throughout every generation.
What is the difference between מלכותך and ממשלתך, and why does David HaMelech say כל עולמים for מלכותך andבכל דור ודור for ממשלתך? The,שיח יצחק in the name of the Vilna Gaon, explains that “מלכות” refers to a kingship that is desired by the people, while “ממשלה” refers to one who rules even against the desire of the people. We, the Jewish people, accept and desire Hashem as King, so we refer to Him as .מלך An example of this is “ומלכותו ברצון קבלו עליהם” (“And His Kingship they accepted upon themselves”), which we say in Maariv. On the other hand, at the end of Az Yashir we say “כי לה׳ המלוכה ומושל בגויים”1 (For the sovereignty is Hashem’s and He rules over nations). This difference of מלך vs. מושל will cease in the future when all the world will recognize Hashem as King willingly, as we say at the end of both Az Yashir and Aleinu: “והיה ה׳ למלך על כל הארץ.”2 We can now understand why David HaMelech saysכל עולמים when referring to מלכותך, since both in the present (for us) and in the future (for ALL), Hashem is The King who is willingly accepted and desired. Conversely, right now until Mashiach, Hashem is a “ruler-not-desired” over the nations. Since this is a temporary state, David HaMelech says בכל דור ודור, which refers to the generations until Mashiach comes.
Everything that happens in the world only happens through the will of Hashem, though to us that is hidden and it appears as if we and others are the cause of events. Too often, we are caught up in the minutiae of “analysts,” “experts,” and news reporters. We want to know the minute details of how something happened, why it happened, who was the hero, etc. We get so enwrapped that we actually start to believe that it was the brilliance or might of a country or certain individuals that were the cause of some great success (or failure). Certainly we should give credit and thank people for their EFFORTS. They may have made the choice to sacrifice their money, time, and even lives for others. Needless to say, their EFFORTS warrant our thanks, praise, and admiration. However, we must remember at all times that the results are controlled and directed by Hashem exclusively. Getting too absorbed in the nitty-gritty may reflect a lack of this all-important understanding. We can bring קדושה into every mundane event when we bring Hashem into the equation by clearly understanding that the result of that event was completely brought about by Hashem and not by His messengers. When we take the time to think about this and avoid getting too caught up in how the messengers succeeded, we will be increasing k’vod Shamayim in the world.
We thank Hashem in the brachah of נהיה בדברו שהכל (“through whose word everything came to be”) for creating everything and renewing daily, through His word. Perhaps after making this brachah would be an opportune time for some daily contemplation that not only did Hashem create the world but He also controls and watches over every aspect as well.
May we all merit to continuously increase recognition of Hashem’s Honor in the world around us.
1 תהלים כ"ב:כ"ט
2 זכריה י"ד:ט'