Rabbi Roodyn

Verse 3

(ג) מִפִּי עוֹלְלִים וְיֹנְקִים יִסַּדְתָּ עֹז לְמַעַן צוֹרְרֶיךָ לְהַשְׁבִּית אוֹיֵב וּמִתְנַקֵּם:

Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings You have established strength because of Your adversaries, in order to put an end to enemy and avenger.

Rashi explains this pasuk allegorically, that Hashem’s great humility brought His presence to dwell in the Beis Hamikdash where He would be praised by the Kohanim and Leviim who are mere mortals susceptible to human frailties and therefore comparable to young children who are liable to soil themselves.

The Radak takes a different approach and says that the first miracle that a child experiences after birth is that of nursing. He says that man needs to thank Hashem and recognise His power from all that He has created in the heavens and on earth. The miracle of conception where cells contained in a drop of fluid fertilise an egg and multiply to develop a viable foetus is incredible and like so many other facts of life, would be mind-blowing if we wouldn’t take it for granted. In this chapter he depicts the Psalmist as recognising Hashem’s miracles from the moment of his birth, appreciating the miracle of nursing. This explains the use of the words אשר יסדת, that You have established. Aיסוד  is a foundation, and like the foundations of a building, which are the basis for the entire structure, so too here nursing is the beginning of man’s awareness of Hashem’s kindness from the moment of birth.

This miracle expresses itself in a number of ways, from the perfect size of the hole that releases exactly the correct amount of just the right liquid which is perfect to meet the nutritional needs of the baby. If the hole would be any larger the baby would choke, any narrower and it would starve. The very location of the breasts next to the heart, which is the Gemara in Brachos 10a explains to be the seat of בינה  understanding, rather than the undignified manner in which young animals suckle from their mother is yet another expression of the uniqueness of mankind.

The Radak therefore explains the pasuk as saying that a person can recognise from phenomena such as these that there is an Intelligent Designer who has created this world as an arena for life. Focussing on these miracle of nature is the way that we are able to ‘put an end to the enemy and the avenger’ who claims that life is just random and that there is no Designer or guiding Hand.

Wishing you a good Shabbos.