THE SONG OF THE LION
The lion sings of Hashem’s majesty and fearless command of His world.
[Song 70] Lion (Ch. 5)
אַרְיֵה אוֹמֵר יְיָ כַּגִּבּוֹר יֵצֵא כְּאִישׁ מִלְחָמוֹת יָעִיר קִנְאָה יָרִיעַ אַף יַצְרִיחַ עַל אֹיְבָיו יִתְגַּבָּר: (ישעיה מב יג)
The Lion is saying: “Hashem shall go out as a mighty man, he shall arouse zeal; He shall say, even roar, he shall prevail over his enemies.”
Commentary
The lion is the “king of wild animals”. The male lion is crowned with a majestic
mane and sits lazily like a Pharaoh. Its roar silences all in earshot, the way all are
quiet when a king speaks. It hunts fearlessly, consuming its prey alive, unlikeother predators that first kill their prey and then commonly drag their food back to their lairs to eat in safety. It symbolizes the ultimate King and Warrior, Hashem,
and is engraved on His Throne of Glory. It sings of Hashem vanquishing His
enemies without fear. We should take pride in our heritage and in the Jewish majesty that runs through
our veins.It is we who represent Hashem’s kingship in the world and our every
fulfilment of Hashem’s will gives voice to the celestial lion etched on the Throne
of Glory.
LIVING WITH THE SONG
King David was compared to a young lion and it was also the symbol and banner of his tribe, the royal Yehuda.
This virtue of kingship is apparent to a lesser extent in the entire Jewish nation. Even in our times of exile, when
we have no kings and we are not a significant world power, we nonetheless represent Hashem’s kingship in the
world.
When the non-Jewish prophet Bilam blessed the Jewish nation in the desert, he compared them to the lion. When
the Jewish people rise in the morning and overcome the earthliness of their physicality in order to declare Hashem
King through praise and through prayer – the lion’s roar resounds throughout all Jewish prayer-halls. They do not
rest at night until they have first declared anew their allegiance to King of the Universe through the bedtime
Shmah and entrust their souls securely into His hold. They conduct themselves with majesty and with the surety
of an uncontested monarch. With leonine courage they tirelessly strive to perform the will of the King of the
world. Although enemy nations from the outside, and the evil inclination from the inside, have tried throughout
history to vanquish them, they still remain strong, vigorously set on their course. Such a nation will not retire from
the annals of history until Hashem’s kingship is realized in His world.
Jewish majesty runs through your veins. Take pride in your heritage and rejoice upon your lot. Every small but
firm step taken to make Hashems’ kingship known in this world gives voice to the celestial lion etched on the
throne of glory.
Inspirational commentary By Shmuel Ben-Tzion Kraines author of
The Song of Existence.