תהלים, פרק צ׳, פסוק ד׳

Infinite time stands in stark contrast to the fleeting nature of human existence. The central question is whose perspective of time is being considered. One approach suggests the focus is entirely on God. From the Creator's viewpoint, a thousand human years are merely a single day [רש״י, רד״ק], as the very concept of time holds no meaning for Him [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This idea connects to the story of the first man, who was warned that he would die on the day he ate from the forbidden tree. Out of deep mercy, God applied His own measure of time to this decree. He replaced a short human day with a long divine day, allowing the man to live for nearly a thousand years [רש״י, אלשיך, מאירי].

Alternatively, the message is aimed directly at humanity, meant to awaken people from the deep slumber of the material world. From this angle, even if a person were to enjoy a long, robust life of a thousand years, looking back, the time would still feel incredibly brief [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, מאירי]. This serves as a warning against taking pride in a long life. Whether the years lived are many or few, once they pass, they are completely gone and no longer exist in reality [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם].

To capture this fleeting experience, passing time is compared to yesterday. Once a day ends, it vanishes completely from the world [רש״י, אבן עזרא]. Time rushes by like a flowing stream of water, with one moment constantly pushing the next, leaving behind nothing but a memory rather than a tangible, present experience [ביאור שטיינזלץ, מלבי״ם].

Time is also compared to a single watch in the night, representing just a third of the night [מצודת ציון]. Once time has slipped away, a thousand years feel no different than this brief, dark shift [מצודת דוד]. Furthermore, night is a period of sleep when people are entirely unaware of passing time [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This carries a sharp rebuke: spending a thousand years absorbed only in the material world is like sleeping through the night without accomplishing anything of true value [מלבי״ם]. Finally, returning to the concept of divine time, God's complete day is understood to consist of a thousand years plus a small portion of the night. This explains why the first man, who lived nine hundred and thirty years, passed away just before completing God's full day, which includes that final night watch [רש״י].