בְּקָרְאִ֡י עֲנֵ֤נִי ׀ אֱלֹ֘הֵ֤י צִדְקִ֗י בַּ֭צָּר הִרְחַ֣בְתָּ לִּ֑י חָ֝נֵּ֗נִי וּשְׁמַ֥ע תְּפִלָּתִֽי׃
Apabila aku berseru, jawablah aku, ya Allah pembela kebenaranku! Ketika aku terimpit kesesakan, Engkau telah memberiku kelegaan; kasihanilah aku dan dengarkanlah doaku.
Devarim Rabbah
“For who is a great nation that has God near it, as is the Lord our God in all of our calling to Him” (Deuteronomy 4:7).
“For who is a great nation…” – halakha: If a person of Israel recited Shema, is it permitted for him to pause after reciting Shema and then to pray? So taught the Sages: There are three acts that must be performed immediately [following another act]: Immediately following placing of the hands [on an animal that is about to be sacrificed] is its slaughter; immediately following redemption is prayer;17Redemption is the last of the blessings after Shema in the morning, and it is to be immediately followed by the Amida prayer. and immediately following washing the hands is the blessing.18The blessing recited over the bread. One who does so, what is his reward? Rabba bar Abbahu said: If he placed hands and slaughtered, he may be certain that his offering will be accepted. If he washed his hands and immediately recited the blessing, he may be certain that the Accuser will not denounce him during his meal. If he recited Shema and immediately prayed, he may be certain that his prayer will be heard.
Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: You find idols that are near but distant, but the Holy One blessed be He is distant but near. How are idols near? An idolater crafts an idol and stands it in his house with him; it is near. From where is it derived that it is distant? As it is stated: “Even if one will call to it, it will not answer…” (Isaiah 46:7); that is distant. The Holy One blessed be He is distant and near. How so? Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: From here to the heaven is a walking distance of five hundred years; that is distant. And from where is it derived that He is near? As a person stands and prays and contemplates within his heart, and the Holy One blessed be He is near, such that He hears his prayer, as it is stated: “You, who hear prayer, all flesh comes to You” (Psalms 65:3).
David said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, when the nations of the world come to pray before You, do not answer them, as they do not come to You wholeheartedly. Rather, they go to their idol, and it does not answer them. They see that their trouble is severe, and they come to You. You, too, should not answer them,’ as it is stated: “They cried out, but there was no savior; to the Lord, who did not answer them” (Psalms 18:42). What is “they cried out”? They cried out to their idol. ‘And when they come to You, “to the Lord, who did not answer them.”19The word “to [al]” is written with an ayin. The midrash here expounds it as though it were written al with an alef, such that it means “do not.” The verse can then be translated: “Lord, do not answer them.” But when Israel calls to you, immediately, hear our prayer, as it is stated: “When I call, answer me, God of my righteousness”’ (Psalms 4:2). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘What did you say, “when I call, answer me”? As you live, I will answer you before you call Me, as it is stated: “Before they call, I will answer” (Isaiah 65:24), as I do not have another nation other than you.’ From where is this derived? It is from what we read regarding the matter: “For who is a great nation.”
“For who is a great nation…” – halakha: If a person of Israel recited Shema, is it permitted for him to pause after reciting Shema and then to pray? So taught the Sages: There are three acts that must be performed immediately [following another act]: Immediately following placing of the hands [on an animal that is about to be sacrificed] is its slaughter; immediately following redemption is prayer;17Redemption is the last of the blessings after Shema in the morning, and it is to be immediately followed by the Amida prayer. and immediately following washing the hands is the blessing.18The blessing recited over the bread. One who does so, what is his reward? Rabba bar Abbahu said: If he placed hands and slaughtered, he may be certain that his offering will be accepted. If he washed his hands and immediately recited the blessing, he may be certain that the Accuser will not denounce him during his meal. If he recited Shema and immediately prayed, he may be certain that his prayer will be heard.
Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: You find idols that are near but distant, but the Holy One blessed be He is distant but near. How are idols near? An idolater crafts an idol and stands it in his house with him; it is near. From where is it derived that it is distant? As it is stated: “Even if one will call to it, it will not answer…” (Isaiah 46:7); that is distant. The Holy One blessed be He is distant and near. How so? Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: From here to the heaven is a walking distance of five hundred years; that is distant. And from where is it derived that He is near? As a person stands and prays and contemplates within his heart, and the Holy One blessed be He is near, such that He hears his prayer, as it is stated: “You, who hear prayer, all flesh comes to You” (Psalms 65:3).
David said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, when the nations of the world come to pray before You, do not answer them, as they do not come to You wholeheartedly. Rather, they go to their idol, and it does not answer them. They see that their trouble is severe, and they come to You. You, too, should not answer them,’ as it is stated: “They cried out, but there was no savior; to the Lord, who did not answer them” (Psalms 18:42). What is “they cried out”? They cried out to their idol. ‘And when they come to You, “to the Lord, who did not answer them.”19The word “to [al]” is written with an ayin. The midrash here expounds it as though it were written al with an alef, such that it means “do not.” The verse can then be translated: “Lord, do not answer them.” But when Israel calls to you, immediately, hear our prayer, as it is stated: “When I call, answer me, God of my righteousness”’ (Psalms 4:2). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘What did you say, “when I call, answer me”? As you live, I will answer you before you call Me, as it is stated: “Before they call, I will answer” (Isaiah 65:24), as I do not have another nation other than you.’ From where is this derived? It is from what we read regarding the matter: “For who is a great nation.”
Midrash Tehillim
To the conductor, with stringed instruments. A psalm of David. When I call, answer me, O my righteous God. R. Yitzchak says: everything that David said, he said about himself and about all Israel. "My God, my righteousness, on You I rely; vindicate me!" Why is it that I, from the tribe of Judah, call to You, when You hear the prayer of the tribe of Judah, as it says (Deuteronomy 33:7), "Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah." The rabbis say: The congregation of Israel said in "When I call," "Vindicate me; if I am without merit, do it for the sake of charity with me." Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Since David said, "When I call, answer me," I only have a response when the Temple is built. Whence do we learn this? From the phrase, "When I call," which implies, "Whenever I call."
Midrash Tehillim
Another interpretation of "Bikrei Anani" (a phrase from the beginning of Psalm 18): There were three things that troubled David, but God comforted him. The first was the destruction of the Temple. As it says (Psalm 132:1), "Remember, O Lord, for David all his hardships." And God comforted him by revealing to him the place where the Temple would be built, as it says (1 Chronicles 22:1), "Then David said, 'This is the house of the Lord God.'" The second thing that troubled David was the sin with Bathsheba. The people of Israel were saying that David deserved to die for what he had done. But God comforted him by saying (2 Samuel 12:13), "The Lord has taken away your sin. You will not die." The third thing that troubled David was the question of who would succeed him as king. God comforted him by promising that his son Solomon would be his successor, as it says (1 Chronicles 22:9-10), "Behold, a son will be born to you...and his name shall be Solomon...I will establish his kingdom forever." And when David asked, "Who will be born to me?" God replied, "Through whom will you be healed of your sins? Through the son of the woman with whom you sinned." This was revealed to David by the prophet Nathan, as it says (2 Samuel 12:25), "And he sent word through Nathan the prophet, and he named him Jedidiah."