The Book of Psalms, the 150 psalms of the Hebrew Bible, is recognized as the most famous collection of religious poetry. The psalms are traditionally associated with King David. While his authorship of all of them is unlikely – some psalms reflect events which occurred subsequent to David’s life in the tenth century B.C.E. – his connection to psalms remains very strong. David was thought to have encouraged psalm singers during the First Temple period; he is described in the Bible as a player of the lyre; he is identified as the "sweet singer of Israel."
Psalms have become a permanent part of our worship and are written in a wide variety of literary styles. Their length varies. Psalm 117, part of the Hallel prayers recited during the Pilgrimage Festivals, is a scant two verses. Psalm 119 is an acrostic which includes 176 verses. The twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet each begin eight verses. During traditional Jewish morning worship a specific psalm is associated with and read for each day of the week. Psalm 23, "The Lord Is My Shepherd; I Shall Not Want," is a standard part of funerals and memorial services.
The Hebrew name for Psalms is Tehillim. The root of the word means praise.
The psalms are a remarkable collection of poems in praise of God. They are poems which reflect the continuum of the human experience, from one person’s relationship with God to the relationship of an entire community with God. They contain thoughts of anguish, praise, doubt, thanksgiving, compassion and longing. The words are powerful and sincere and able to be spoken by all of us. Psalms are a vehicle which has allowed people to express a personal and profound relationship with their God.
As Psalmist-in-Residence at Beth Emet The Free Synagogue from 1996 to 2002, Debbie Perlman brought psalms into the consciousness of the community. The psalms she wrote are read and recited just as King David’s have been - to express joy and sorrow, gratitude and reflection. Her psalms set the mood for worship and provide moments for personal meditation. Ms. Perlman has brought King David’s psalms to life by bringing us new psalms. She reminds us that through psalms, God speaks to us today as easily as God spoke to our ancestors.
Hyma J. Levin
Director of Education Emerita
Beth Emet The Free Synagogue
65 - untitled
This Hannah’s story is told in Maccabees II, Chapter 7. It is a story of great sacrifice to prevent profaning the name of God. One of my correspondents wrote me that Sixty-Five had been read at Mass on the third anniversary of the murder of a friend’s son. Let there be no more Hannahs and no more sons of Hannah.
63 - A Counting Hallel for Hanukah
Hanukah begins this year at sundown on Thursday, December 21. As we move through the nights of Hanukah, we increase the light, kindling the slender candles that are lit only for praise, not for any practical purpose. We set our hanukiot, our Hanukah menorahs, in a window, to broadcast the miracle we remember and to help dispel the darkness. At Pesach, we enumerate the wonders God performed for us when we went forth out of Egypt. So too at Hanukah, we number the lights and praise God’s gifts.
35 - At Diagnosis
The National Center for Jewish Healing is preparing a new publication called “Guide Me Along The Way: A Jewish Spiritual Companion for Surgery.” Written by Rabbi Simka Weintraub, it is a gentle guide, filled with prayers, stories, personal experiences, and other resources. I was delighted to have a number of my psalms included in its pages. This one is taken from Chapter III: During Surgery.
207 - God's Names
How can we describe God? When we ascribe God with human images and human emotions, we are using the only vocabulary we have to try to grasp what is infinite. Does this diminish God? Or does it place God into the context of our lives, giving us the chance to verify a living relationship with our Creator. When I write psalms, I think of all the ways to describe God. I cannot embrace them all, for God is beyond all. But each word gives me the opportunity for an intimate conversation.
18 - Roadmaps
I’m taking a course on-line offered by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America’s Distance Learning Project. It’s called “Talking About God,” and in the first two weeks, we’ve started to learn and discuss some basics of theology and belief. We’re talking about our perception of God and how God’s presence can be known to us.
204 - During the Conflict
I can hardly stand to listen to the news these days. It seems that each morning as the radio comes on, the report is from Jerusalem. More shootings, more injuries and deaths. I feel like my head is constantly shaking, “no!” This morning, a car bombing in the Mehane Yehuda market. When will it end?
57 - Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan
Summer has slipped to autumn, with unseasonable warmth during the day belying the colored and falling leaves that are accumulating all around. Cheshvan is a holding time. It is the time to begin to make manifest all the dreams and hopes we have just made during the cycle of holy days.
56 - A Song for Simchat Torah
My synagogue’s new Torah scroll will be dedicated on Simchat Torah. A procession will bring it joyfully into the sanctuary and the next day it will be unrolled for everyone to see its beauty. For me, there is a visceral reaction when the Torah is chanted. My Hebrew is rudimentary, so while I can follow along and I can read the trope, I will only be familiar with a word or two. But I hear with my heart as I am connected with all of my people.