Les Psaumes 96:5 Cabale : Sha'arei Orah

When our forefather Avraham, peace be upon him, came “saw, gazed, investigated, and understood”³⁹Sefer Yetzirah 6:8 the secret of His Great Name HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, and how HaShem-יהו"ה created the world out of kindness-Chessed, he too made a stand, and took hold of the quality of kindness-Chessed-חסד with his hand. He saw that all the people of the world were passionate in their idolatrous beliefs, each one adhering to his particular false belief. Our forefather Avraham, peace be upon him, took a stand and began calling out to all the people of the world, proclaiming, “All the gods of the nations are nothingness – but HaShem-יהו״ה made the heavens!⁴⁰Psalms 96:5 That is, he proclaimed, “All you nations, know that there is a Creator who created all the worlds and He alone rules over everything. ‘It is HaShem-יהו״ה who brings death and enlivens, He lowers to the grave and raises up. It is HaShem-יהו"ה who impoverishes and makes rich, He humbles and elevates.”⁴¹Samuel I 2:6-7 He proclaimed this until they rose up against him, plundered all his property, captured and imprisoned him, and threw him into the fiery furnace. After he was saved from the fiery furnace and was banished from his land, he dedicated all his wealth, wife, relatives, and everything he had, to the service of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He.

This is the meaning of the verse,¹¹⁸Psalms 96:5 “For all the gods of the peoples are nothings-Elilim-אלילים.” The meaning of the word “Elil-אליל,” is that it is like the flesh of a corpse. This is in accordance with the dispute in Tractate Chullin,¹¹⁹Talmud Bavli, Chullin 121a in which all opinions agreed that the term “Alal-אלל” means dead flesh, as in the verse,¹²⁰Job 13:4 “Worthless-Eleel-אליל healers all of you,” indicating that the root “Alal-אלל” means dead flesh, for which there is no healing. The same is so of the gods-elohei-אלהי of the nations. They have no power to do good or evil, other than the power designated to them by HaShem-יהו״ה, and they cannot go out of the limit designated to them. Moreover, they too are judged, just as the people of their lands are judged, and the whole of their rule and dominion is just the portion they receive from HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, the Master and Judge over all.