ציטירנדיקער פּירוש אויף תהילים 145:19

“The time is drawing near for you to die” [31:14]. The day of your death is near. This verse teaches us that the Holy One decrees the time of how long the person should live and the Holy One makes the people approach the stated time for the person. Sometimes, the Holy One lengthens the time and he lives longer. Sometimes, the Holy one shortens his life. It is known that the Holy One has given everything into the power of the constellations in heaven to make someone rich and poor, as the Talmud says in [tractate Moed Katan], chapter three. The life of the person, children for the person, and food for the person, all these do not depend on the merit of good deeds, but depend on the constellations. Ravah and Rav Hisdah were both very righteous. One of them lived forty years and the other one lived sixty years. In the house of Ravah, his household did not have enough barley bread and at Rav Hisdah’s, the household did not want to eat fine flour bread, since there was so much of it in his house. Even though the Holy One placed these three things in the power of the constellations, but in any event the Holy One has power over them and can change them when the Holy One so desires, as we find concerning Hezekiah. He was supposed to die. The Holy One said: I will lengthen his stated years, so that he should live longer, another fifteen years. Sometimes, the Holy One shortens someone’s life, as we find concerning Ahaziah son of Ahab. He worshiped foreign gods and the Holy One shortened his life, as the verse says, “you shall not rise from the bed which you are lying on; but you shall die” [II Kings, 1:16]. This means, the prophet told him: you might have lived longer, but because you have worshiped foreign gods, therefore you must quickly die, before your time comes. The Holy One has power over the constellations to change them. The person can avert everything with his merits, even if the constellation points to an evil end, but the person has anguish in his heart and even if he does not pray, yet he averts the evil constellation with his anguish, as the verse says, “He fulfills the wishes of those who fear Him” [Psalms, 145:19]. This means, the Holy One does the will of the righteous, what they desire with their heart and in their prayers. However, three things are decided above, having children, having enough food, and living long. These, the person cannot abrogate the constellation, but he must pray, as the verse says, “He hears their cry and delivers them” [Psalms, 145:19]. He can abrogate the evil decree with prayer, and the Holy One gives him children, enough food, and long life. We find this regarding Rachel, who had no children, as the verse says, “God heeded her and opened her womb” [Genesis, 30:22]. This means, the Holy One heard the prayer of Rachel and gave her children. We also find this with regard to long life for Hezekiah, as the verse says, “I have heard your prayer … I hereby add fifteen years to your life” [Isaiah, 38:5]. This means, I have heard your prayer. I will lengthen your life by fifteen years. The food we find concerning Elijah and Elisha. God gave them food when there was famine. Therefore, our sages taught us that one could abrogate the constellation, to have children through prayer; similarly, with food and long life. The Midrash writes: Moses said, with the word “Mark … to the Lord your God” [Deuteronomy, 10:14]. I have praised you always and now You tell me with the word “Mark” that I will die. That is to say, You said, “Mark, the time is drawing near for you to die” [31:14]. The Holy One responded: with that which you praised Me, with that you will die. That is to say, death is a favor for you. You will also have more honor in the world to come. Our sages learn from here that the Holy One will bring the dead back to life. Therefore, it says, “you are soon to lie … and will arise” [31:16]. This means, though you will lie in the grave, you will rise again.⁵Bahya, Deuteronomy, 31:14.

הן קרבו ימיך למות, “here your days to die are drawing near.” According to the plain meaning of the text this verse teaches that the period man has to live has been predetermined, every single human being having a time allocated to him at birth. G’d sees to it that every person lives out the time thus allocated to him at birth. This would correspond to Exodus 23,26: “I will ensure that you complete the number of your days (years).” The expression קריבה, “approach,” mentioned here is one which is specifically reserved for the approach of death of righteous people as we know already from Genesis 47,29 when the Torah speaks about the approaching death of Israel our patriarch. Similarly, Kings I 2,1: “the time for David to die approached.” These verses prove that such times had been determined by G’d already at birth, and that G’d’s השגחה, “benevolent supervision of history,” ensures that the individuals in question get to live out their allotted time, that their lives are not cut short by acts of violence or natural disasters. Alternatively, G’d lengthens the allotted life span of these people as a reward for merits which they have accumulated during their lives. At the same time, their allotted life span may be reduced due to demerits they have become guilty of. The important thing is that no one dies unless G’d has so determined.
According to our information that G’d has empowered planetary forces, stars and their constellations, to exercise their influence on the lives of people on terrestrial earth, and the orbits of these forces are of constructive or destructive influence on these lives so that their lives appear to depend on mazal,” i.e. such influences (Targum Kohelet 9,2), we find that our sages did not deny the impact of such mazal; we therefore seem to be faced with a dilemma here. Our sages said specifically that phenomena such as economic success, (duration of) life on earth itself, as well as the ability to have children, do not depend on one’s merit but on one’s mazal (Moed Katan 28). If that is so, where is there room for G’d’s השגחה in the matter? Further details of our sages’ view is found in their statement that though both Rabbah and Rav Chisdah were righteous individuals (seeing that when they prayed for rain it materialised), one lived only to the age of 40 whereas the other lived to the age of 92. Rabbah’s 40 years on earth were filled with painful experiences. Rav Chisdah was blessed to marry off 60 children, whereas Rabbah buried 60 family members. The latter could not always afford to eat even bread made from barley, whereas the former fed his dogs with white bread. These statements are proof positive that the sages acknowledged the influence of mazal in our lives, i.e. that there is substance to the discipline we call astrology.
It is true that these planetary phenomena have been equipped with initial power to influence our fates. However, they are not supreme. Their influence need not be final. They are subservient to the Lord Almighty, to the attribute Hashem. If people born under adverse mazal turn to the supreme G’d, to Hashem, and appeal to Him to neutralize their apparently negative mazal, G’d will respond to such prayer if it is warranted. In fact, we may go further and posit that G’d instituted mazal partly in order to encourage us to pray to Him to change adverse mazal in His benevolent way. We know that G’d can lengthen our lives from the very verse in Exodus 23,26: “I will make full the number of your days,” i.e. “I will add to them if the situation warrants.”
King Chizkiyah had 15 years added to his life expectancy although the prophet Isaiah had been sent to him to prepare his last will and testament as he was not going to recover from his sickness. G’d responded to his prayer and revoked the decree he had been subject to (Isaiah 38,5). We also know that when the occasion warrants it G’d reduces the number of years allocated to a person at birth, from Achazyah King of Israel son of Achav. The reason he had his life span shortened was that when he fell ill, instead of turning to G’d or to an accredited prophet, he turned to idols to inquire about his chances of a recovery (compare Kings II 1,16). He was told clearly that he would die now because he had turned to Baal Zevuv, the god of Akron, ignoring the presence of accredited prophets in Israel. The verse we just quoted makes it plain that Achazya’s death at that time was due to his having turned to idols at that time. Had death already have been decreed upon him previously, what point was there in the prophet telling him about it now? The above examples teach us that G’d reserves the right to lengthen or shorten the life span decreed for man at birth. G’d remains a free agent; this is why He is known as שדי. The word, derived from שדד, means that He is in charge of the laws of nature, changing them at will if He so desires. (Compare author’s comments on Genesis 17,1) These adjustments in life span, etc., occur with a view to reward and punishment. It follows that the statement that “life (expectancy), children (ability to have them), and economic success, do not depend on merit but on mazal,” which we quoted from Moed Katan, means that the power of prayer is so great that it can override predetermined fates set according to mazal. The astrologers themselves admit that the general rules are set by G’d, whereas the planetary systems only supplement details pertaining to the lives of the subjects under their influence. Clearly, He who sets the general rules is able to set aside mere details, i.e. the subordinate powers assigned to the horoscopes. It follows that it is within man’s power to create the conditions for setting aside such details if his actions merit it and he appeals to the Lord to use His powers on his behalf. On occasion, G’d fulfills man’s desire without waiting for man to appeal to Him. What the statement in Moed Katan, regarding the three cardinal parts of man’s fate does mean is that in these matters G’d does not interfere with the predetermined fates of these individuals unless asked, unless appealed to. This is the meaning of Psalms 145,19 ואת שועתם ישמע ויושיעים, “and their cry He hears and He delivers them.” On the other hand, the same psalmist says in the first half of this verse: “He does the will of those who fear Him;” this refers to the unspoken requests by these people. We have proof positive from the Torah and the Books of Prophets that the three critical values of man, 1) children, 2) life, and 3) economic success, פרנסה, are all subject to prayer. Rachel, who had been unable to conceive and had prayed was granted children (Genesis 30,22): “G’d listened to her and opened her womb.” King Chizkiyah provided proof for the fact that G’d changes even decrees of death announced by one of His prophets at His command. Elijah and Elisha both experienced that the supply of food was dramatically increased through their prayerful intervention in the fates of starving individuals (Kings I 17,13-15 and Kings II 5,42-44). These individuals were saved from famine, although clearly that had been their assigned fate.
This is the reason why our sages singled out these three aspects of life which are normally dependent on mazal to inform us that even these matters are subject to change by means of prayer by the intended victims.

For before you will fear, etc. Rashi explains, “still you will not fear.” He needed to say this to him specifically in removing this plague because Pharaoh only asked for the removal of the sounds and hail, as it is written, enough of God’s sounds and hail. But regarding the rain, he did not say it should cease because the land of Egypt needs rain more than other lands. And thus Moses promised him, as it is written, the thunder will cease and the hail will be no more. But in the end, it was not so, rather the sounds and hail ceased, and rain did not pour to the ground. Moses thought that perhaps Pharaoh would consider him a liar and say that this is not what he had promised him. Therefore, Moses said, “If I had known that from today onward you would fear God, I would have done all your will, for the Holy One, blessed be He, fulfills the desire of those who fear Him. But I know that still you do not fear the Lord with a complete heart, therefore the Lord will not fulfill all your desires so that a sinner should not profit. Therefore, everything will cease at once and there will be no rain, for He only gives to those who fear the Lord, as it is written And they did not say in their hearts, let us fear the Lord our God, who gives rain, the early and late rains in their time, etc. (Jeremiah 5:24).”