And as we find in Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms, the answer is a dazzling, multi-layered chorus.
Psalm 148 begins with a resounding call: "Hallelujah, praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the heights!" But who exactly is included in this heavenly choir? The Midrash breaks it down for us.
First, it's the angels, "who are in the heavens?" and "serve Him." Just as armies serve earthly kings, so too are there celestial hosts. Referencing Genesis 2:4, the Midrash connects these heavenly armies with the very creation of the heavens and the earth. Echoing Psalm 103:21, it asks, “And who are His hosts who do His will?” "Bless the Lord, all His hosts," the Psalm answers, reinforcing the idea of a structured, divinely-ordained celestial army.
But the praise doesn't stop there. The Midrash continues, "Praise Him, sun and moon." Now, this gets interesting. Who are the sun and the moon? According to the Midrash, they represent "the fathers and mothers who rule with the sun and moon," citing Bereshit (Genesis) 37:9, "And behold the sun and the moon." We might see this as a symbolic connection between celestial bodies and earthly leadership, a reflection of divine order in both realms.
Then come "all the stars of light." And who are they? They are the righteous! As Daniel 12:3 says, "And those who lead the many to righteousness [shall be] like the stars forever and ever." From this, the Midrash derives a beautiful idea: that each person has a corresponding star in the heavens, and the brightness of that star reflects their deeds. "From here you learn that each one of them has a star in the heavens, and according to their deeds, so does their star shine." Imagine that – a celestial reflection of our earthly actions!
The praise extends to "the heavens of heavens," which the Midrash identifies with rain, citing 1 Kings 8:27, "Behold, the heavens and the highest heaven." It's a reminder that even the elements of nature are part of this grand symphony of praise. These are the waters God created in the beginning, as Genesis 1:8 tells us, "And God called the firmament Heaven." The Midrash highlights that these elements didn't "come before" God; they were created by His command, existing solely to fulfill His will and sing His praises. "Let them praise the name of the Lord," the text emphasizes, "because they were created to praise Him."
And here's a crucial point: God established these creations with an "ordinance that will not pass away." What is that ordinance? It’s the very structure of creation itself – "Let there be a firmament," as stated in Genesis 1:6. From that moment forward, the heavens and the earth have maintained their divinely ordained order.
But the Midrash takes a somber turn. God created the world to take pleasure in it, but Adam's sin brought a curse upon the earth. As Genesis 3:17 recounts, "Cursed be the ground." And then, Cain's murder of Abel further marred creation. God's words to Cain in Genesis 4:10, "The voice of your brother's blood is crying out to Me from the ground," and the subsequent curse of becoming "a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth" (Genesis 4:12), suggest a disruption of the divine harmony. The Midrash concludes that because of these sins, God could no longer fully take pleasure in His creations.
So, what does all this mean? The Midrash Tehillim paints a picture of a universe filled with voices praising God, from the angels in the highest heavens to the rain that falls upon the earth. It connects the celestial with the terrestrial, the righteous with the stars, and reminds us that our actions have cosmic significance. It also serves as a reminder of the brokenness in the world and the need to repair it, so that God can once again take pleasure in His creation. Perhaps, when we look up at the night sky, we can hear not only the ancient chorus, but also feel the call to join in, to add our own voices to the symphony of praise, and to work towards a world where that praise can be offered with a full and unburdened heart.