“He took” – his heart took him. “For it is not an enemy who disparages me, which I could bear; nor is it one of my foes who promotes himself over me, from whom I could hide” (Psalms 55:13). This is Doeg and Aḥitofel who would disparage me.28David. They were not my enemies, but they disparage me, and do not call me by my name, but rather: “Why did the son of Yishai not come?” (I Samuel 20:27),”; “I saw the son of Yishai” (I Samuel 22:9); “Behold, I saw a son of Yishai” (I Samuel 16:18).
That is, “for it is not an enemy who disparages me, which I could bear.” “But it is you, my equal, my guide, my companion” (Psalms 55:14). “My equal, my guide [alufi]” – that he was a person of great stature in Torah.29Alufi is expounded as related to the Aramaic yalif – learn or derive. “My companion [umyuda’i] – he would deliberate with them in matters of halakha.30Umyuda’i is expounded as related to the words vaad and daat – a meeting over matters of knowledge.
“We took sweet counsel together” (Psalms 55:15). What is, “we walked in the House of God with feeling [beragesh]”? (Psalms 55:15). It is as we learned: The bull was sacrificed with twenty-four31When a bull of a public offering was sacrificed in the Temple as a burnt offering, twenty-four kohanim participated in the sacrifice. See Yoma 26b. so that the crowd [harogesh] would be animated [margish], as it is stated: “We walked in the House of God beragesh.”
“May He bring up death upon them” (Psalms 55:16) – Rabbi Elazar said: There was counsel of heresy within them. To what were they32Doeg and Ahitofel. comparable? It is to a building that is filled with straw. There were holes in the [walls of the] building and straw would enter them.
Time passed,33The building was no longer fit for use. and the straw that had been in those holes began coming out. Everyone knew that it had been a building for straw. So, Doeg and Aḥitofel, there were no mitzvot in them at the outset. Even though they become masters of Torah, they were as they had been at the outset.
That is, “For evil is in their dwelling place, inside them” (Psalms 55:16). Another matter, it is speaking in Moses’s regard. “For it is not an enemy” – but rather from my family, he will disparage me. “We took sweet counsel together” – Aaron and Koraḥ, the two of them were equal.
“We walked in the House of God with feeling” – this one slaughters and brings it near and that one sprinkles the blood. “May He bring up death upon them” – he brought death upon himself. “They and everything that was theirs descended…” (Numbers 16:33).