תהלים, פרק קכ״ט, פסוק ח׳

A striking contrast is drawn between the quiet joy of a successful harvest and the sudden, empty end that awaits the enemies of Zion. The primary approach among commentators is that this imagery relies on an ancient, familiar custom where people walking past working fields would traditionally greet harvesters with a blessing in the name of God. However, because the enemies of Israel are compared to thin, shallow grass growing on rooftops—which dries up and dies long before it can ever be harvested—there is simply no reason to bless them or pray for their success [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ, המאירי]. This agricultural metaphor illustrates that those who hate Zion will perish prematurely, never living long enough to see their wicked plans through to the end [מצודת דוד, אלשיך].

Commentators explore why the traditional greeting appears to contain a double blessing. Some suggest the repetition is simply a way to add emphasis [רד״ק]. Others look closely at the realities of farming to explain the difference between the two phrases. In this view, one part of the greeting is a declaration of praise spoken when crops are visibly thriving, while the second is a hopeful prayer offered during a drought, asking God for future abundance. Since the enemies of Zion are considered a complete curse, they receive neither praise for their current state nor prayers for their future [מלבי״ם]. Another perspective suggests that these blessings were sometimes directed at the crops themselves rather than the workers, but the worthless weeds on a roof would never draw such praise from anyone walking by [המאירי].

On a broader national and spiritual level, the people walking past the fields represent the nations of the world. Their silence and refusal to offer a blessing to Israel reveal a deep, hidden hatred. Even when they are not actively causing harm, their sheer unwillingness to return a simple greeting exposes their true hostility [אלשיך]. Clinging to false beliefs, these nations refuse to praise the Israelites, who are compared to farmers planting the blessed seeds of the Torah, because the nations themselves lack genuine faith [אבן עזרא, רד״ק].