Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Mga Awit 145:16

A fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind. For every tree is called a fruit tree and they all produce fruit — some for eating and some for healing. And regarding what it says: yielding fruit after its kind, it seems appropriate to explain that man is [like] a tree of the field and resembles it both in terms of his upright stature and in terms of having eternal continuity like man, as it is written For there is hope for a tree (Job 14:7). And all grasses relate to other living creatures both in terms of their low stature and in terms of not having root and branch, but rather like a flower that emerges and withers (Job 14:2). The Holy One, blessed be He, created each type of food to be suitable for the constitution of the one who eats it, and paired each kind with its kind, as it is written and satisfies every living thing with favor — meaning, with something that is favorable to it by being close to its nature and constitution. Therefore it says and to every beast of the earth… every green herb for food, because herbs are only suitable specifically for the non-speaking, material living creatures. But to man He said Behold, I have given you every herb… and every tree… because from the material aspect of man, herbs are suitable for him, and from the mixture of spirituality within him, tree fruit is suitable for him. Thus each kind goes to its kind, therefore it says: yielding fruit after its kind — to that which is its kind, namely man. And regarding herb yielding seed, it doesn’t mention “after its kind” because it is also for man even though it’s not entirely of his kind. However, in the making [of vegetation] it mentions “after its kind” because from one aspect it is according to its kind — namely, for the material aspect of man.

This verse contains two extremely significant themes, each one of which has ramifications in the terrestrial as well as the celestial spheres. The themes are: 1) the significance of the letters in our alpha-bet (22); 2) the subject of parnassah (livelihood). There is nothing in this world which is not rooted in some letter or letters of the א-ב. Neither is there anything in either the terrestrial or the celestial spheres which does not require continued input by a heavenly force in order to survive. We call this input פרנסה. Anyone or anything which is not self-sustaining is in need of פרנסה, benevolent, life-sustaining input by G’d. Our sages in Berachot 4 told us about the value of reciting Psalm 145 three times daily by promising that he who recites it three times daily is assured of life in the hereafter. They have revealed to us that the principal features of the Psalm are that it is organised according to the letters of the א-ב, each line starting with a different letter; secondly, it deals with the fact that G’d provides פרנסה, i.e. the line starting with פותח את ידך ומשביע לכל-חי רצון, “You give it open-handedly, feeding every creature to its heart’s content.” Our verse here also includes both of these themes seeing it contains all the 22 letters of the א-ב, and it also has as its theme that G‘d provides פרנסה. This led the sages (Mechilta Vayissa section 2) to say that the Torah was given only to the people who depended on the manna as their daily food, i.e. who depended on their פרנסה coming directly from Hashem. It is appropriate then that one recites the paragraph dealing with G’d providing the manna at least once daily to help stave off famine, etc., in our world.

תרצה; this expression also occurs in the sense in which we have translated it in Psalms 49,14: ואחריהם בפיהם ירצו, “and their descendants approve of them with what they have learned from their mouths.”A different approach to our verse: the word תרצה is to be understood as equivalent to תשלים, “will conclude.” Compare Job 14,6: עד ירצה כשכיר יומו, “until he finishes his day like a hireling.” Or: כי נרצה עונו, “for her sin has been expiated;” (Isaiah 40,2) A third interpretation: the meaning of the word is: “to become reconciled, to have made peace, settled a disagreement.” This would be reflected by Psalms 77,8: ולא יוסיף לרצות עוד, “and will He never again show favour?” Psalms 145,16, ומשביע לכל חי רצון, “and You feed every living creature to its heart content,” also reflects this sentiment.