Midrash Tehillim, a beautiful collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms, offers us some clues, specifically in Midrash Tehillim 49. It begins with the verse, "Hear this, all you peoples," and then dives straight into pondering what is truly "sweet." As Ecclesiastes (11:7) puts it, "Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun."
Rabbi Yitzchak and Rabbi Abba bar Kahana, two wise voices from our tradition, offer their takes on this idea of sweetness. Rabbi Yitzchak sees it connected to the future, saying, "The light of the world to come is sweet." What makes that future light so appealing? He suggests it's tied to our actions in this world. "Happy is he who has good deeds to his credit, so that he may behold the light." He even quotes Judges (5:31), "And they that love Him shall be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might," painting a picture of radiant reward.
But Rabbi Abba sees sweetness in something more immediate: Torah. "How sweet are the words of Torah, which are compared to light," he says, referencing Proverbs (6:23): "For the commandment is a lamp and the Torah is light." It's like he's saying that the very act of engaging with our sacred texts is a source of joy and illumination right now. He adds, "Happy is he who sees the Torah as white as snow, since its reward is limitless." Imagine the Torah as pure, pristine, full of potential.
The Midrash then takes a fascinating turn, imagining the time when God rewards Israel for their devotion to Torah. In that time, the text suggests, they will turn to the other nations and proclaim, “We have acquired our share through occupying ourselves with the Torah!” And what would the others say, those who didn't dedicate themselves to it? "Behold the reward of our toil!" This is the meaning, the Midrash suggests, of "Hear this, all you peoples," tying it directly to the Torah, as Deuteronomy (4:44) says, "This is the Torah."
Then comes a rather… sobering note. The text shifts its focus to the wicked and their fate. We are told to "Listen, all you inhabitants of Haled." Now, Haled isn't just a place name here. The Midrash cleverly connects it to the Hebrew word meaning "weak" or "feeble." Why is it called Haled? "Because the countenances of the wicked become haled in Gehenna in the future." Gehenna, often translated as Hell, is a place of purification or punishment in Jewish thought.
And who are these wicked people destined for such a fate? The text identifies them as "both sons of man and sons of Ish." The sons of man, the Midrash explains, refers to Abraham himself, who, surprisingly, is referred to as "the great man among the giants" (Joshua 14:15). And the sons of Ish? These are the sons of Ishmael and Keturah, Abraham's other descendants. But the interpretation doesn't stop there. It broadens the scope to include the sons of Noah, who was called "a righteous man" (Genesis 6:9). Another interpretation, the Midrash adds, points to the idolaters who descend to Gehenna.
What does this all mean? It's a stark reminder that our choices have consequences, not just for ourselves but for generations to come. It's an invitation to consider what we truly value, what light we are drawn to, and what we are building towards, both in this world and the next. It's a reminder that the sweetness of Torah and good deeds isn't just a reward in the afterlife, but a light that guides us even now.