“עשה שמים ‘וה אלילים העמים אלהי כל כי”
Chazal say (Bereishis Rabbah 3 8) that on the first day of Creation, HaKadosh Baruch Hu was the only One in His world, as the angels were not created until the second day, so that there should not be a way for anyone to say that they assisted in Creation.
The Alshich (Tehillim 96:5) explains that this is what Dovid Hamelech intended in this passuk: From the fact that HaKadosh Baruch Hu delayed the creation of the angels to make it clear that He alone “shamayim asah” proves that all the “elohei ha’amim” – including the heavenly angels of the nations of the world who worship them – are only “elilim” – are creations that are subject to the will of their Creator, and serving them is like serving idols.
‘Here, One Should Pause’
“עשה שמים ‘וה אלילים העמים אלהי כל כי”
The Shulchan Aruch rules (Orach Chaim 51) that while saying this passuk “one must pause between ‘elilim’ and ‘V’Hashem Shamayim asah,’” so that it should not sound, chalilah, heretic in that he is including HaKadosh Baruch Hu with the elilim. This halachah is noted in many siddurim in the middle of this passuk.
Harav Meir Shapiro of Lublin once heard during davening how a simple man was praying and said from the siddur “Ki kol elohei ha’amim elilim kan tzarich lehafsik v’Hashem shamayim asah...” At the end of davening, Rav Meir remarked: Now I understand a question I have had for a long time.
Why did the ones who organized the siddur deem it important to insert this instruction in the middle of this passuk? In any case – someone who knows what the words mean, will pause of his own accord between the two parts of the passuk, and someone who does not understand what the words mean, won’t understand these instructions either. So what purpose was there in putting it in? But now, it is clear: Even someone who does not understand the meaning of the words will stop between the two parts of the passuk by saying “kan tzarich lehafsik...” (Rabbi Meir MiLublin p. 148)
