This week’s Tehillim, is in memory of “Hayeled Yaakov Moshe Ben Harav Avraham”

פרק א

א אַֽשְֽׁרֵי־הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָלַךְ בַּֽעֲצַת רְשָׁעִים וּבְדֶרֶךְ חַטָּאִים לֹא עָמָד וּבְמוֹשַׁב לֵצִים לֹא יָשָֽׁב

:ב כִּי אִם־בְּתוֹרַת יְהֹוָה חֶפְצוֹ וּֽבְתוֹרָתוֹ יֶהְגֶּה יוֹמָם וָלָֽיְלָה

:ג וְֽהָיָה כְּעֵץ שָׁתוּל עַֽל־פַּלְגֵי מָיִם אֲשֶׁר פִּרְיוֹ | יִתֵּן בְּעִתּוֹ וְעָלֵהוּ לֹֽא יִבּוֹל וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר־יַֽעֲשֶׂה יַצְלִֽיחַ

:ד לֹא־כֵן הָרְשָׁעִים כִּי אִם־כַּמֹּץ אֲֽשֶׁר־תִּדְּפֶנּוּ רֽוּחַ

:ה עַל־כֵּן | לֹא־יָקֻמוּ רְשָׁעִים בַּמִּשְׁפָּט וְחַטָּאִים בַּֽעֲדַת צַדִּיקִֽים

:ו כִּֽי־יוֹדֵעַ יְהֹוָה דֶּרֶךְ צַדִּיקִים וְדֶרֶךְ רְשָׁעִים תֹּאבֵֽד

Psalm 1

1. Happy is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scorners.

2. But whose delight is in the Torah of Hashem; and in his Torah he meditates day and night.

3. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. 4. The wicked are not so; but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

5. Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment, nor the sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6. For Hashem knows the way of the righteous: but the way of the wicked shall perish.

King David begins the famous book of Tehillim with a guide to living a good Jewish life. He warns us to stay away from fools who think they know the true path in life, but only think about this world. He urges us instead to choose the Torah way of life as our main path, alongside earning your living and raising a family.
Rabbi Avigdor Miller ZT”L questions why King David starts the first verse of Psalms with what appears to be such a morbid approach, warning us to stay away from bad people? Would it not be more appropriate to start with something more positive?
He answers that sometimes in life, it may very well seem appealing to follow a certain road, with dreams of riches and happiness appearing to wait for us at the end. However, we never get there; we never do reach the much craved for state of bliss that we constantly desire, as clearly proved by the vast amount of multi-millionaires/celebrities who are desperately unhappy with their lives.
The only true peace of mind, can be found by rooting yourself to a Jewish lifestyle, with the Torah and Mitzvot as your constant goal. Then you will be like the “deeply rooted tree,  alongside brooks of water,” and you will never be “driven away by the wind”.
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