The Merciful

Psalm 78 is the great historical psalm of the Book of Psalms — a maskil of Asaph, the second-longest in the entire book. Part 1 opened the gateway: we tell the coming generation. Part 2 told the wonders of the sea and the rock. Part 3 asked — "Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?" — and heaven opened. Part 4 set the table: bread of angels, meat on the wind — and wrath at the end of the feast. Part 5 is one of the summits of the psalm: a full circle of sin, punishment, late search, repentance that stays on the lips — and facing it all, the secret of the Creator's mercy.

The central verse, chosen as the name of the song, is:

"But He, the Merciful, forgives iniquity and does not destroy; many a time He turns His anger away, and does not stir up all His wrath"

It is one of the most beloved verses of Jewish prayer — the verse that opens the evening prayer every single day. Few know that its source is here, in Psalm 78, right after a story of sin and deceit. Here Asaph reveals the great secret: mercy is greater than sin. The Sages counted in this verse four expressions of compassion — four rungs of forgiveness, one above the other.