Who is the House of Awesome?
Ps. 135:19
Psalm 135 still has us focused on the festivals of pilgrimage, when the diversity of people who represent the entire nation gather together to pray and to connect to shared bonds and values. Who counts? What are the different camps and sectors that make up this annual state of the union?
The psalm lists four distinct groups, which both makes sense but is also puzzling:
בֵּ֣ית יִ֭שְׂרָאֵל בָּרְכ֣וּ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֑ה בֵּ֥ית אַ֝הֲרֹ֗ן בָּרְכ֥וּ אֶת־יְהֹוָֽה׃
בֵּ֣ית הַ֭לֵּוִי בָּרְכ֣וּ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֑ה יִֽרְאֵ֥י יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה בָּרְכ֥וּ אֶת־יְהֹוָֽה׃
O house of Israel, bless God;
O house of Aaron, bless God;
O house of Levi, bless the God;
You who are in awe of God, bless God.
Ps. 135:19
The first three ‘houses’ are obvious - the ones who are required to attend the pilgrimage in the Jerusalem temple and to officiate the rites. The House of Aaron includes the religious elite - the priests and their families; The House of Levi is the extended clan of access to power and position, while the House of Israel is all the other, ordinary Jews.
So who are those entitled ‘In Awe of God’? The Hebrew names them as ‘Yirehi Hashem’ - which can be translated as ‘fearful’ or ‘in-awe-of-God’.
This seems to be a segment of the society - who are not necessarily part of the Jewish family - but are still members of the tribe. I’ve written about them when reflecting in Psalm 115 :
Who are the ‘God-Fearers’?
The medieval Jewish commentaries debate whether it’s a reference to Jews who are extremely pious, converts to Judaism, or - what is most likely -- a reference to righteous gentiles - people who have not converted to Judaism but nevertheless are part of the community as insiders/outsiders.
Known today mostly as God-Fearers, or Those who Revere YHWH, this seems to refer to a sizable number of humans in Greek and Roman culture, primarily between the 1st and 3rd centuries CE, who lived in proximity to the Jewish community and participated in some of the aspect of public life. They were also known as ‘Ger Toshav’ - a rabbinic invention that created a new status - something like ‘temporary resident’ - with some obligations and privileges, but not the same as full-fledged Jews. The levels of domestic, commercial and romantic interaction between these groups are not clearly known.
The inclusion of the fourth group here tells us another important fact about the social reality of our ancient times. The first three ‘houses’ are obligated. But the fourth group is composed of people who did not show up to temple because they have to -- but because they want out of their way to be there.
There can be obvious peer pressure related conditions, and familial obligations when it comes to religious rites -- whether it is Yom Kippur or Thanksgiving. Yet the fourth group is there because they love ritual, or God, of the tradition and truly seek to be in contact with the sacred - through this Jewish prism and perspective. While in Psalm 115 the context may be alluding to the participation of people who were not born Jewish and choose to not convert but still stand along the Jewish community -- today’s psalm is not about solidarity but about spiritual response.
These righteous gentiles get their own place of honor in the ancient temple, in this psalm, and in our hearts, homes and our communities. Only together, united by what really matters, do we all get to sing together and bless our source of life and love.
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