Shavuot Hallel Paragraph V Part Three

“Praise God, all nations; praise Him, all the states! For His kindness has overwhelmed us, and the truth of God is eternal, Halleluyah!” (Psalm 117) We often experience the difficulty for truth and kindness to coexist. A person fighting for truth is usually intolerant of others who disagree. However, we see that the Schools of Shamai and Hillel, although constantly debating “Truth,” were consistently able to coexist in “Kindness.”

This is one of the most precious aspects of the gift of Torah. It demands truth, and yet deals with us through Kindness. It asks that we fight for truth, even while insisting that we always act with Kindness.

Only the Torah can create this perfect balance between Chesed and Emet. (Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz – Da’at Torah)

We sing this Psalm as a celebration of the perfect balance between the Chesed and the Emet of Torah. We pray that our Torah study and observance reflect that magnificent balance in such a beautiful way that we inspire all people to sing of “His Kindness,” and, “His Truth.”