Rashi on TanakhPsalms 136

To Him Who performs great wonders alone In the beginning, no angel was created when He made the wonders: the heaven, the earth, the sun and the moon.

To Him Who smote the Egyptians with their firstborn It does not say, “their firstborn,” but “with their firstborn.” The firstborn arose and beat their fathers’ legs because they detained Israel, when they heard about the tenth plague from Moses.

asunder In twelve pieces for the twelve tribes.

great kings Here he alluded to the thirty-one kings, and he compared for them Pharaoh and his host and the plagues of Egypt to mighty kings, harsher than they. Sihon was equal to all of them, [and Og was equal to all of them (Machzor Vitry)], each one individually, and so did he explain above (135: 11): “Sihon the king of the Amorites and Og the king of Bashan and all the kingdoms of Canaan.” So it is in the Aggadah.

Who remembered us in our humble state In Egypt, He remembered us.

And He rescued us from their midst and performed all these wonders for us.

Who gives bread He alludes here to kindness (to all creatures).

Gives thanks to the God of heaven Who prepares therein food for every creature. The expression, “for His kindness is eternal,” appears twenty-six times in this psalm, corresponding to the twenty-six generations that the world was without Torah and existed through the kindness of the Holy One, blessed be He.