A World for Everyone to Praise
Everyone’s Obligation
But there's another pshat and both are true; each one is included in the other. מִמִּזְרַח שֶׁמֶשׁ עַד מְבוֹאוֹ – From one end of the world to the other, ‘מְהֻלָּל שֵׁם ה – all mankind should be busy praising Hashem. Not only that creation is doing it—we have to join in and do our part. Wherever people live on the planet, they have to join in.
But not only the Am Yisroel. מִמִּזְרַח שֶׁמֶשׁ עַד מְבוֹאוֹ means from one end of the world to the other end; it means the Chinese and the Russians and the Hottentots in the Congo. הָבוּ לַה' מִשְׁפְּחוֹת עַמִּים – All the families of the nations of the world are mechuyav. All the Indians and all the blacks, all the Anglo-Saxons and all the Germans. Everybody should be busy all day long thanking Hashem.
Yetzurim, Not Yehudim
We say in Nishmas, שֶׁכֵּן חוֹבַת כָּל הַיְּצוּרִים; it doesn't say חוֹבַת כָּל הַיְּהוּדִים. It's the duty of all those who are created. Who are created? All men. What's their duty? Now pay attention. לְהוֹדוֹת לְהַלֵּל לְשַׁבֵּחַ לְפָאֵר לְרוֹמֵם לְהַדֵּר לְבָרֵךְ לְעַלֵּה וּלְקַלֵּס.
Like it states further in Hallel, הַלְלוּ אֶת ה' כָּל גּוֹיִם, praise Hashem all the nations, שַׁבְּחוּהוּ כָּל הָאֻמִּים, all the peoples should extol Him.
So much we expect even of the gentiles? Yes. Even gentiles are mechuyav to do that. If you're a human being you have to thank Hashem. Every gentile is mechuyav to thank Hashem. And not only to thank but לְהוֹדוֹת לְהַלֵּל לְשַׁבֵּחַ לְפָאֵר and so on.
Judging the Congolese
And so in the Congo some grizzled old Congolese has to gather his family together and they are sitting on the ground — they’re not wearing too much clothing and so he tells them, “Let’s cover up in honor of Hakadosh Baruch Hu because we’re going to say hallel to Him now.” And if not, he's going to be judged. He'll be held accountable. Hashem will say to him “Did you speak about My greatness? You ate food at My table all your life, didn't you? I gave you air to breathe all your life. I gave you water to drink all your life. You ate something too every day. And you didn't thank Me? I'll hold that against you.”
Don’t Be a Savage
And so you have to realize that with your black hat and your beard how far away you are from fulfilling the obligation of even a plain savage. A plain savage has to think about this all the time – otherwise he has no business in this world. For every breath that he breathes, he has to say thank You. For every heartbeat he has to be grateful; so he has no time left for himself.
Now, when people are ready to admit this — I don't know if you’re ready yet; you’re only hearing it. Some people don't want to make any disturbance here, but outside they say “It's ridiculous what he says! It's extreme; it's not true that everybody's expected. When it says there שֶׁכֵּן חוֹבַת כָּל הַיְּצוּרִים it's ‘the duty of all creatures’, creatures mean tzaddikim, the great rebbehs maybe, the roshei yeshiva maybe.” But unfortunately that person is in error. שֶׁכֵּן חוֹבַת כָּל הַיְּצוּרִים means every human being. Of course it doesn't mean birds and cattle, because they can't do that. Yetzurim means all the creatures who have the ability to do it. Everyone in the world must praise Hashem.
Busier Than the Gentiles
Only that we, the Am Yisroel, כִּי גָבַר עָלֵינוּ חַסְדּוֹ, we especially; we are more obligated than they are because upon us His kindliness has been overpowering a thousandfold more than all the nations of the world. The nations, they must praise Hakadosh Baruch Hu let’s say for four or five hours a day. A gentile is supposed to think of Hakadosh Baruch Hu an hour here and an hour there, about four or five hours a day. But a Jew? אֲהַלְלָה אֶת ה' בְּכָל עֵת – I must be saying excited words of praise to Hashem at all times. תָּמִיד תְּהִלָּתוֹ בְּפִי – Always His praise is in my mouth. בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ – When you sit in your house, turn off the television or better still, take a hammer and break it up and spend the time praising Hashem. וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ בַּדֶּרֶךְ – When you walk in the street too. When you walk in the street look around; the street is full of things to see and they demonstrate the presence of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. וּבְשָׁכְבְּךָ – When you lie down, וּבְקוּמֶךָ – and when you rise in the morning. All day long. It is not an exaggeration. That is what is expected of a Jew.
From Sunrise to Sunset: Two Peirushim
So there are now two peirushim; again. From the east where the sun rises until the sun sets the whole world is covered with eidus, with testimonies that show how Hashem is kindly, is doing chessed with mankind and giving us all the good things. And all these things are made for the purpose we should learn to become more and more aware of Him.
And the second peirush is that because Hashem’s chessed is so evident in the world, all of mankind מִמִּזְרַח שֶׁמֶשׁ עַד מְבוֹאוֹ, they should be מְהֻלָּל, praising Hashem. That's the duty of kol hayetzurim.
They're not doing it? Then they are neglecting their obligations and Hakadosh Baruch Hu will hold it against them. But we at least, we have to do our part. And it’s a big part because there’s so much to be said in this world. If you look around this universe, this world and outside of the world — the sun, the moon, the planets, the far off stars — there are so many wonderful things for our benefit, that there is never an end to this task of praising Hashem.
