תהלים, פרק פ״ח, פסוק ח׳

A profound sense of ongoing suffering and the heavy burden of divine anger can leave a person feeling entirely defenseless. The primary approach among commentators is that the full, crushing weight of God's anger rests and leans directly upon the sufferer [רש"י, ביאור שטיינזלץ, מאירי]. Others understand this experience as one of being completely surrounded, where God's anger closes in from all sides [רד"ק, מאירי], or as an intensifying pressure that constantly bears down on him [מאירי]. Looking at this through a historical lens, this crushing weight represents the loss of Israel's past protection. In ancient times, great leaders like Moses absorbed the divine anger and shielded the people. Now, however, that anger rests directly on the individual, who is left without any defense [אלשיך].

This intense suffering is compared to a violent storm at sea, where the individual feels as though he has been cast away from dry land and thrown into the deepest ocean trenches [אבן עזרא, רד"ק]. The primary approach among commentators is that these troubles are like ocean waves, named for the way they fiercely crash and break during a storm [רד"ק, מצודת ציון, מאירי]. These waves symbolize the storm of God's anger. Whether they represent external troubles or the body's internal struggle with illness, they attack in rapid, relentless succession, just like pounding waves [רש"י, מאירי]. An allegorical perspective views these waves as the various nations of the world that have risen against Israel throughout history. Each nation swells like a massive wave threatening to flood the entire world, but it ultimately breaks and is stopped when it crashes against Israel [אלשיך].

The relentless nature of these crashing waves brings a deep sense of affliction. The primary approach among commentators is that all these waves of anger are directed at the sufferer to cause constant, unending pain over a long period of time, without a single moment of relief [רש"י, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ, מאירי]. Another perspective suggests that the focus is on the actual breaking and subduing of the waves themselves [אבן עזרא]. Building on the historical view, there is a painful contrast between the past and the present. While God previously broke and subdued the enemy nations that rose against Israel, the current reality is much darker. The enemies are no longer punished immediately; instead, they are allowed to persist and continue their oppression from generation to generation [אלשיך].