פירוש על תהילים 36:14

The word of the transgression to the wicked man, in the midst of my heart, etc. This is a transposed verse. I feel within my heart that the transgressioni.e., the evil inclinationsays to the wicked man that the fear of God should not be before his eyes.

in the midst of my heart Like a person who says, “It seems to me.”

For it smoothed The transgression made smooth places appear to his eyes in order that the Holy One, blessed be He, find his iniquity to hate him.

he refrained from learning to improve He refrained from contemplating to improve his deeds.

he stands on a way that is not good The Holy One, blessed be He, placed before him the good way and the way of death, yet he chooses for himself a way that is not good.

O Lord, Your kindness is in the heavens Because of these wicked men, You remove [Your] kindness from the earth creatures and raise up Your faith until the sky to remove it from the sons of men.

Your charity is as scarce to the creatures as the mighty mountains because of the deeds of the wicked, and Your judgments come upon the world until the vast deep. Another explanation: Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains The one with whom You wish to deal charitably, You raise up and strengthen like the mighty mountains. אל is an expression of strength, as (in Ezek. 17: 13): “and he has taken away the mighty of (אילי) the land.”

Your judgments are the vast deep Whomever You wish to judge, and wreak vengeance upon, You humble him to the vast deep.

Your judgments Heb. משפטיך, joustiza in Old French, justice.

You save both man and beast People who are as astute as Adam, but who make themselves as humble as beasts, You save, O Lord.

How precious is Your kindness It is not fitting that it be extended to these wicked, but the children of men who take refuge in the shadow of Your wingsthey will be sated from the fat of Your house, etc.

Let the foot of haughtiness not come with me Let the foot of these wicked men not come with me at the time of the reception of reward, [because] their lot should [not] be with the righteous.

neither shall the hand of the wicked cause me to wander from my place when I return to inherit a double [portion]: my portion and the portion of the wicked man, in the goodness, as the matter that is stated (in Isa. 61:7): “Therefore, in their land they shall inherit twofold.” And then...

There the workers of iniquity have fallen There they will understand their downfall, and there they were thrust away and were unable to rise.