Cytowanie Komentarza do Królów II 4:19

“Every section (parashah) that was beloved to David he opened with ‘Ashrei…,’ etc.” It seems to me - with Heaven’s help - that the reason is as follows: It is known that life flows from chokhmah (wisdom), in accordance with the secret of the verse, “And wisdom gives life to its possessor.” Therefore, all illness comes about through the removal of the light of chokhmah from a person, as our master the Ari, of blessed memory, wrote regarding the secret of ‘the sickbed.’ Thus, tzara‘at (leprosy) also occurs through the removal of the light of chokhmah, in the secret of the verse, “They die, but not through wisdom.” And it is known that “head” (rosh) is a term used for chokhmah. With this we can understand, with Heaven’s help, the verse (II Kings 4:19): “And he said to his father, ‘My head, my head!’ And he said to the lad, ‘Carry him to his mother.’” A person must draw life from chokhmah both in his external and internal aspects - corresponding to the spiritual “images” (tzelem) that a person possesses. Therefore the child cried “My head, my head!” in duplication, and the father said, “Carry him to his mother,” because he (the child) comes from the aspect of the female side (nukva), and through her that life-force would be drawn down to him. Accordingly, King David, peace be upon him, who would always seek life for himself - because he had nothing of his own, but rather took his life-force from others - therefore opened with Ashrei and concluded with Ashrei. For he would continually call out “My head, my head!” alluding to the light of chokhmah, since Ashrei (אַשְׁרֵי) and Roshi (רֹאשִׁי, “my head”) have the same letters. He did this in those psalms that were beloved to him - those in which he sang against oppressors - in order to draw through them the light of chokhmah, which is life. For this reason, the recitation of Psalms is effective in drawing down life to the sick, as is known. And therefore the Psalms are 150 in number, corresponding to the numerical value of mazal ha-chayyim (“the constellation of life”), which is also 150. Tosafot, of blessed memory, asked: What does it mean, “every section,” when we do not find any section that begins and ends with Ashrei except for this one alone? It seems to me that the phrase “ends with” is not to be taken literally as referring to the end of the psalm. Rather, the intention is that the psalm contains two occurrences of Ashrei within the same section, and this doubling indicates its belovedness. It does not depend on the actual closing verse of the psalm. And so we indeed find in Psalm 32: “Ashrei he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered; Ashrei the man to whom the Lord does not ascribe iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” Likewise in Psalm 119: “Ashrei those whose way is perfect…” “Ashrei those who keep His testimonies…” Thus, Ashrei appears in two verses in one section, and this is what is meant.