David lifts his eyes to the mountains and prays — "A song of ascents" — and God answers him through a text he might not have expected: Moses's blessing of Judah. "And this is the blessing for Judah... Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah; bring him to his people" (Deuteronomy 33:7). The midrash understands this verse as Moses praying on behalf of all future kings of Judah — not just the tribe, but David specifically, and his descendants.
David's prayer is heard because it stands in a line of prayers that goes back to the wilderness. Moses prayed at Sinai for Judah's future. David prays in Jerusalem for his present. The psalm records both — the God who heard Moses at Sinai hears David on the slope, descending toward battle. The continuity of divine attention is the midrash's argument: the same God who formed the covenant at the beginning is present at every subsequent moment of crisis.
The midrash notes that David prayed going down a slope — at his most vulnerable, on his way to a battlefield. Not in the Temple, not in a moment of victory, but descending. The rabbis saw this as the ideal posture for prayer: not from a position of strength, but from the moment of greatest need. "From my distress I called to God; He answered me" (Psalm 118:5). The prayer that goes up from the bottom of the slope reaches the top of heaven.
Chapter [49] 50: Prophets [1] And there was a man from the town of Ramathaim (1 Samuel 1:1). This is like what I sought and did not find: one man among a thousand (Ecclesiastes 7:28). What does this mean? When the Holy One, blessed be He, sees a generation that is wicked, He seeks even one righteous person who will be hanged for their sins. This is what we find in Jerusalem when there were wicked people and He sought even one righteous person who would be hanged for their sins, as it is said, "Roam the streets of Jerusalem, look around and take note; search her squares and see if you can find one person, one who acts justly and seeks truth, that I may pardon her" (Jeremiah 5:1). Why does one righteous person uphold the world? As Solomon said, "When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever" (Proverbs 10:25). The righteous uphold the world, for when the people sinned during the days of Micah, they offered incense to Micah's idol, and smoke from the sacrifices to the Lord rose up while smoke from Micah's idol rose up from Ephraim's house of Micah, and they mixed together as one, as it is said, "Smoke rose from His nostrils; consuming fire came from His mouth, burning coals blazed out of it" (Psalm 18:9). It is as if He seeks even one righteous person so that the world will not be overturned, as it is said, "I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one" (Ezekiel 22:30). Then He found one man for Elkanah, and there was a man from the town of Ramathaim. [2] Another interpretation: Regarding this matter, I found one person out of a thousand. This is Abraham, and how so? It was expected that until Abraham stood up, a thousand generations would pass, and then Abraham would come. Similarly, David said, "He commanded His word to a thousand generations, the covenant which He made with Abraham" (Psalm 105:8). And when God saw that there was no one among them worthy, except for all of them being wicked, He rolled them up and skipped over twenty generations, and then created Abraham. Therefore, it is said, "I have found one man out of a thousand" (Ecclesiastes 7:28), he found the greatest man among giants [Anaqim] (Joshua 14:15). Similarly, Elkanah was found as a righteous person, unique in his generation, and all his deeds are similar to Abraham's. Abraham is called a prophet, as it is said, "For he is a prophet" (Genesis 20:7), and Elkanah is also called a prophet, as it is said, "And there came a man of God unto Eli" (1 Samuel 2:27), this is Elkanah. Abraham acquired for God the heavens and the earth, as it is written, "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth" (Genesis 14:19). And Elkanah also acquired for God the heavens and the earth, as it is said, "And his name was Elkanah" (1 Samuel 1:1), who acquired for God the heavens and the earth. Abraham is called "one," as it is written, "Abraham was one" (Ezekiel 33:24), and Elkanah is also called "one," as it is written, "And there was a certain man" (1 Samuel 1:1). [3] Another interpretation: "And there was one man. The verse states (Isaiah 55:8), 'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord.' The attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He, are not like the attributes of flesh and blood. A mortal king does not wield his scepter himself, nor does he ride his horse himself. He is not called Augustus like Caesar. But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so. His eye is not evil toward His creatures. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'I have a scepter. When will Moses come and use it?' As it is stated (Exodus 4:20), 'And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.' His horse is a storm, as it is written (Nahum 1:3), 'The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm.' Elijah will come and ride upon it, as it is stated (2 Kings 2:11), 'And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.' My throne, as it is stated (1 Chronicles 29:23), 'Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king.' My name, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 6:4), 'Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one.' Eleazar the righteous will come and call out in it, 'And there was one man.' And so he cried out, 'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord.'" (Isaiah 55:8). [4] "And there was a man, whose understanding was to be praised" (Proverbs 12:8). Why is it praised that Elkanah had two wives who hated each other, and he was able to stand them both? It can be compared to a friend who was bitten by a venomous snake and died, and his student stood and was bitten by two snakes but was not harmed. Who should be praised? Not the student. Similarly, Adam could not stand with one woman alone, but it was necessary to give him another woman as well (Genesis 3:6). Elkanah had two wives and was able to stand them both, and he had two wives because he was a man of great understanding. [5] Another interpretation: "[And there was one a man] was blessed as a righteous man (Proverbs 10:7), and his name was Elkanah. While the name of the wicked shall rot (Proverbs 10:7). This refers to Micah, but why is he called "Mahar Ephraim"? Because it is written, "Mahar Ephraim" (1 Samuel 1:1). Similarly, it is written about Micah, "There was a man from the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Micah" (Judges 17:1). However, these two individuals are not similar to each other. Elkanah was responsible for the Jewish people's obligation to God's image, while Micah [edit. Not the prophet] atoned for the Jewish people's sins. As it is said, "And that man went up from his town year after year to worship and sacrifice to the LORD Almighty at Shiloh" (1 Samuel 1:3), from Passover to Passover, as it is said, "And you shall observe this practice at its appointed time, from year to year" (Exodus 13:10). Elkanah would take a goat and offer a sin offering for all Israel, to fulfill what Moses said, "They shall put incense before You and whole burnt-offerings upon Your altar" (Deuteronomy 33:10). Therefore, it is said, "A righteous man's memory is a blessing" (Proverbs 10:7).
