The interim version of Mizmor 090 has been finalized and renamed.
The central theme of the mizmor is the passage of time, which is visualized as a flowing river. A person standing on the shore sees the water continually flowing past like the days continually flowing through our lives. The days that have passed are no more. It is as if they have vanished, never to return. However, we are responsible for the harm that we have done in those vanished days. The memory of the past hangs over us, affecting our present and our future. This is revealed in Hashem’s attitude of anger towards us, which is the cause of our present anguish. The memory of the past also determines our duty to repent our sins.
We are given a limited number of years to live out our lives and it is up to us to use them in a way that was intended by our Creator. If we fail in our mission, there remain fewer and fewer days to correct our mistakes.