Tehillim Tools: Psalm 89:1-2: A Song Of God’s Kindness

“An instruction of Ethan the Ezrahite. Of the kindness of God, forever I will sing, throughout all generations will I make known Your faithfulness with my mouth.” The Talmud (Bava Batra 15a) teaches that Ethan the Ezrahite was actually Abraham. This is indicated in the description of the Psalm as “an instruction.” Abraham was the first instructor, for he knew how to shine God’s attribute of kindness to all the world, even the lowest places in order to restore their connection with their Creator.

In this verse, King David dresses himself in this garment of Abraham’s when he studies Torah, and when he prays, and he says, “Of the kindness of God forever I will sing,” he too wants to be as Abraham, to expand awareness of God’s kindnesses throughout the world so that all will reconnect with their Creator. (Or Hameir; Pinchas)

We can use this verse when studying Torah: we study Torah as a song celebrating God’s kindnesses.
We can use this verse before we perform a mitzvah: we perform the mitzvah as a symphony of God’s kindness to the world, with a prayer that the awareness of God’s kindnesses that we bring to the world will reconnect the creation with its Creator.