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
119 - Someday I Will Be Comforted
The events of the past week in Littleton, Colorado have been staggering. As I have watched and read the unfolding story, I look at the faces and the school and the homes and the community and see my own. Too many similarities. Rabbi Fred Greenspahn of Congregation Beth Shalom in Littleton spoke at the large memorial service on Sunday. He said: "We have learned from this that our community is not the place that we thought it was. That safety is not achieved by living in a particular neighborhood or among certain people. May we learn from this tragedy to be better than we have been." This psalm was written after the assassination of Yitzak Rabin. It seems as appropriate now.
174 - For Seth
I am amazed, again and again, by the power of cyberspace. A brief comment to my website can result in a burgeoning relationship as I reply and the email begins. I adore that disembodied voice that announces that I’ve "got mail." I cherish the intimacies that flourish, the mutual support, the shared confidences.
85 - In Iyar: A Song of Healing
I am intrigued by acrostics. I use them as inspiration for the psalms I write that are read during the naming ceremonies that welcome babies into my synagogue’s community. And so, it was especially wonderful to learn that the Hebrew letters of the word "Iyar" form an acrostic of the phrase "I am God, your Physician." What better way to view our efforts to return to health and wholeness than as a partnership with God.
39 - For Consolidation
This week’s double Torah portion, Vayakhel/Pekude, describes in exquisite detail the design of all the parts of the tabernacle and its adornments. I especially like the descriptions of the textiles and their makers: (Exodus 35:25-26) "And all the women that were wise-hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, the blue, and the purple, the scarlet and the fine linen. And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun the goats’ hair."
118 - Blessings
Spring seems to have finally arrived where I am. The tulips bloomed suddenly last week, and overnight, the forsythia blazed yellow. Lengthening days to savor my everyday blessings, to enjoy the freedom sung by Pesach rituals, to look ahead in the newly slanted sunlight.
80 - For Readiness
The Haggadah tells us "In every generation, each of us should feel as though we ourselves had gone forth from Egypt." This psalm can be read on the Shabbat before Pesach, as we think about what happened to us in the time before our leaving Egypt and as we prepare for the festival we will soon celebrate.
81 - B'Dikat Chametz
B’Dikat Chametz is a meditation as we conduct the search for all things leavened. Dennis Prager’s wonderful drosh on Parashat Bo, (Learn Torah With, Vol 5, Num 15, January 23, 1999, Torah Aura Productions) talks about eating matzah not as a "a memento of a trivial aspect of the exodus-the speed with which the Jews left Egypt" but as a rejection of the death culture of the Egyptians who invented leavening, reminding us again and again to "choose life that we might live."
82 - A Song of Praise for Pesach
Here is a new hallel for Pesach to be read during the seder, words in addition to the traditional songs of praise we sing as we rejoice in our freedom.
148 - Shacharit
What is your morning routine? I seem to do things in exactly the same order every morning. One of my necessities is a 20 minute breathing treatment, and a few years ago, I realized that I could use that time to daven. A bit unorthodox? Yes. But a way to sanctify some very ordinary time and use it for a blessing.
78 - A Song for Renewal
Eating the last of the hamentashen, we look ahead a month, from the full moon of Adar to the full moon of Nisan. Years ago, my now grown daughter’s synagogue nursery school focused on the holidays and she knew, simply, that Purim turned into Pesach. It’s time to get ready.