תהלים, פרק קי״ט, פסוק ס״ב

True spiritual dedication often requires breaking away from natural routines to seek a deeper connection with God. While the rest of the world lies in bed and sleeps [ביאור שטיינזלץ], the poet overcomes the basic human need for rest and hurries to rise in the dark [מאירי, מלבי״ם, אלשיך]. King David contrasts this personal practice with the habits of other worldly leaders. While other kings sleep late into the morning, he wakes exactly at midnight, leaves his bed, and composes psalms of thanksgiving to God [תורה תמימה, רד״ק].

This midnight praise is specifically focused on God's righteous judgments. Commentators offer different perspectives on what these judgments represent. One approach suggests that the poet is giving thanks for the laws and rules God has given him, which are inherently fair and just [רד״ק, מאירי]. Another perspective views these judgments as the punishments and true justice God brings upon the wicked and the enemies of the poet [אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד].

The timing of midnight is deeply significant for this second view. The night is recognized as the specific time when justice is carried out against wrongdoers, much like the plague of the firstborn in Egypt which occurred exactly at midnight. Therefore, it is the most appropriate moment to wake up and offer thanks for this justice [מלבי״ם]. Furthermore, mystical traditions teach that the Divine Presence distributes judgments throughout the world until the middle of the night. The poet therefore rises at this exact hour to thank God for the righteous decrees that have been handed down up to that very moment [אלשיך].