“Do not cast me away from before You, and do not remove Your Holy Spirit from me” (Tehillim 51:13)
Rashi writes: Your Divine Spirit should not be far from me.
The Radak says that David was referring to Divine inspiration, which he possessed, as the pasuk states (Shmuel II, 23:2), “The spirit of Hashem spoke through me; His word is upon my tongue.” With this spirit, David said the verses of Tehillim, as was explained at the beginning of the sefer. But after he sinned, the Divine Spirit left him, and he pleaded for its return.
In the beginning, Hashem’s secret was revealed to those who fear Him, as the pasuk says (Tehillim 25:14), “The secret of Hashem is to those who fear Him.” He then gave it to the upright, as the pasuk says (Mishlei 3:32), “His counsel is with the upright.” He then gave it to the prophets, as it says (Amos 3:7), “For the L-rd… will not do anything unless He has revealed His secret to His servants the prophets.” Whatever the tzaddikim did, they did through Divine inspiration (Tanchuma, Vayechi 14).
One who makes himself like a beast of burden to carry the yoke of Torah merits that the Divine Spirit immediately rests upon him (Tanna d’Vei Eliyahu 2:7).
It says (Kohelet 8:15), “So I praised enjoyment.” This refers to enjoyment in doing a mitzvah. Yet the pasuk (ibid. 2:2) “I said of joy, ‘What does it accomplish?’” refers to joy unrelated to a mitzvah. From here we learn that the Shechinah does not rest upon a person through sadness or laziness, through mockery, light-headedness, or idle words. The Shechinah rests upon a person only through the joy of doing mitzvot, as Shaul Hamelech requested (Melachim II, 3:15), “‘And now, bring me a musician.’ It happened that as the musician played, the hand of Hashem came upon him” (Shabbat 30b).
Although Avraham did not hear the angel’s order that he should name his son Yishmael, he had Divine inspiration to call him Yishmael (Rashi, Bereishit 16:15).
The psalms of Tehillim beginning with the words Mizmor L’David were said after David would play music to invite the Shechinah upon himself. The ones which start with the words L’David Mizmor were said after the Shechinah rested upon him (Rashi, Tehillim 23).
Rashi (Iyov 4:12) offers a parable: A king had a wife and a concubine. When he was together with his wife, it was in an open and revealed manner. But when he was with his concubine, it was in a hidden, secretive way. Similarly, Hashem revealed Himself to the prophets of the nations in a concealed manner. We find this regarding Avimelech and Lavan, Bilaam and Elifaz. But concerning the Jewish prophets, He spoke to them face to face, in a clear way.
