Commento su Salmi 147:24

For it is good to sing For it is good to sing to Him.

He will gather the outcasts of Israel – There is a difference between collect (asaf) and to gather (kanas). Gathering is into a guarded place (as in Ezekiel 22:21) and in truth the ingathering and collection of the exiles will be before the rebuilding of Jerusalem as is written in many places (and in truth the Sages were divided over this.) Only after Jerusalem is rebuilt will they be gathered into a place with walls, a walled city with doors and locks - that is what ‘gather’ means.

The Lord is the builder of Jerusalem – This song and the praises which it speaks are over the fact that the Lord Himself builds Jerusalem. That with His particular providence He is occupied with its building, that it should be “…the city of God, the holy place of the dwellings of the Most High…” (Psalms 46:5) And that He Himself will bring the scattered of Israel back into it, those driven to the four corners of the earth. (Or it is speaking about the ingathering of the tribes and their joining to one another in it, as it is written “The built-up Jerusalem is like a city that was joined together within itself,” (Psalms 122:3) as I explained there):

its food Heb. לחמה, lit. its bread.

to the young ravens Our Sages explained that he [the raven] is cruel to his offspring, and the Holy One, blessed be He, has pity on them and prepares for them gnats from their excrement, which enter their mouths.

He does not desire the might of the horse [i.e.,] the Holy One, blessed be He.

nor does He take pleasure in the legs of man nor does He want the swiftness of the running of the legs of man.

the best of the wheat Heb. חלב, lit. fat. The best, fat wheat kernels.

hoarfrost Heb. כפור, jelede in Old French.

He hurls His ice like crumbs The water congeals and becomes crumbs. [According to] Midrash Aggadah: like crumbs Everything [is] according to the burden of the people: the poor manaccording to his lack of clothing, He is lenient with him.

who can stand that he should not become chilled from His cold?

He sends His word and melts them those crumbs.

He blows His wind The west wind, to get rid of the ice, and water runs.