"For there is a cup [kos] in the hand of the Lord; the wine has ceased to ferment but it is full of mixture when He pours out from it. All the lawless of the earth shall drain and drink only the dregs thereof (Psalm 75:9)." In Rav Hirsch’s translation and explanation, this verse speaks not only of the wicked, but of all mankind. Hashem holds the measuring cup of human fate. The word "kos" derives from the word "keses"- a vessel of specific content in which a person’s portion is meted out to him. Hashem holds in His hand a cup in which the wine is fully fermented. Whatever man receives from that cup is given with mature deliberation, "full of mixture"- mixed precisely in such proportions that he warrants. In order for human beings to move toward moral and spiritual perfection, they must experience a mixture of joy and grief. Each human being requires his own particular mixture to progress. Hashem therefore pours each of us our customized cocktail. But for the lawless, the wicked who have not worked on their own moral betterment, their drink will consist of the dregs of the cup, containing only sorrow and empty of joy.

 

Copyright, 2008, Rachel Lerner