Tehillim 44 | “Why Do You Hide Your Face?”

Psalm 44 is one of the most difficult psalms in the Book of Tehillim. The poet begins by recounting the mighty acts of God in days gone by, and the steadfast faith of the people of Israel, who trusted in God and praised Him. But then the relationship is abruptly ruptured on an one sided way: “Yet You have forsaken us and disgraced us; You no longer accompany our armies” (44:10). In a series of painful declarations that are hard to read, the poet accuses God in anger, cataloging the disasters that he have brought upon His people. And yet, in the face of these divine acts, the psalmist insists: “All this has befallen us, but we have not forgotten You; we have not betrayed Your covenant” (44:18). You betrayed us, but we remained faithful. Since, according to the psalmist, the people have committed no sin, the psalm ends not with a call to repentance, but with a call for God to return and fulfill His side of the covenant: “Stir — why do You sleep, Lord? Rouse Yourself! do not forsake us forever… Arise to help us; redeem us for the sake of Your loyalty” (44:24–27).

The Book of Melakhim, and the prophetic books in general present a different explanation to destruction and disasters. While our poet asserts, “Had we forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands towards an alien god” (44:21), the prophets emphasize the nation’s idolatry sins, social injustice, and betrayal of God, leaving Him no choice but to bring destruction. How is it possible that the poet seems unaware of these truths? How can he so boldly accuse God?

This daring tone is preserved in our prayers. In the Tachanun of Mondays and Thursdays, we invoke multiple verses from our psalm: "Look down from heavens and see how we have become an object of scorn and derision among the nations. We are regarded as sheep led to slaughter, to be killed, destroyed, beaten and humiliated. Yet, despite all this, we have not forgotten Your Name. please do not forget us." What chutzpah it takes to say to God with such confidence that we have not forgotten Him, while implying that perhaps He has forgotten us.

This psalm is another powerful example of the contrast between the prophetic books and the Writings books. The prophets represent the divine perspective on reality, which is of course the true, righteous, and precise version. But that does not make it the only voice worthy of hearing and included in the Tanakh. The Writings offer the human point of view. And from the perspective of a righteous individual witnessing destruction, it feels like betrayal. He strives to remain loyal to God, but the relationship now seems one-sided. He holds fast to faithfulness, but God’s kindnesses are no longer returned. This was the lived experience of countless faithful, observant communities throughout the long and painful exile, especially in the generation that endured the horrors of the Holocaust. From the divine vantage point, there may be explanations. But from the human side, all the sufferer can do is cry out: “Where are You?” God desires a relationship grounded in truth, and prayer that emerges from the heart. And if the heart feels abandoned, and cannot understand why God has withdrawn, then even if the mind says God surely has His reasons, and even if the correct religious response is soul-searching to ask how we might improve – all those responses come later. In the first stage all we need to do is cry out and plead – Come back.