למה אמרו שיהא אומרין בכל חודש וחודש כרשב"ל בעא קמיה רבי יוחנן מהו לומר שיר בלא נסכים אמר ליה נשמעיניה מן הדא בזה ובזה הלוים עומדין על הדוכן ואומרים (תהלים צד) וישב עליהם את אונם א"ל רשב"ל מזמור ומוסף מי קודם מחורתא מילתא שהמזמור קודם לפיכך נהגו העם לומר מזמורים בעונתן (כלומר בעתן) דתנינן תמן שיר שהלוים אומרים בבית המקדש ביום הראשון היו אומרים (שם כד) לה׳ הארץ ומלואה תבל ויושבי בה כו׳: בשני היו אומרים (שם מח) גדול ה׳ ומהולל מאד כו': בשלישי היו אומרים (שם פב) אלהים נצב בעדת אל כו׳: ברביעי היו אומרים (שם צד) אל נקמות ה׳ כו': בחמישי היו אומרים (שם פא) הרנינו לאלהים עוזנו כו׳: בששי היו אומרים (שם צג) ה׳ מלך גאות לבש כו׳: בשבת היו אומרים (שם צב) מזמור שיר ליום השבת לעתיד לבא ליום שכולו שבת ומנוחה לחיי העולמים שכל המזכיר פסוק בעונתו מעלה עליו כאילו בונה מזבח חדש ומקריב עליו קרבן:

Why has it been ordained that the psalms¹So H while M has the singular; it is lacking in V. [prescribed for the Temple service] are to be said²At the present time when no sacrifices are offered. on every New Moon?³As in Temple times when they were recited while the continual sacrifice was being offered. [This is done in accordance with the view of] R. Simeon b. Laḳish. He enquired of R. Joḥanan whether it was permissible to recite the psalms⁴lit. ‘song’. in the absence of libations, and he replied, ‘We may deduce the answer from the following statement: On this and that [occasion]⁵The destruction of the first and second Temples. the Levites stood on the platform⁶On the Sunday immediately following the respective destructions (‘Arak. 11b, Sonc. ed., p. 65). and recited, And He hath brought upon them their own iniquity’.⁷Ps. 94, 23. As this Psalm was prescribed normally for Wednesdays (in connection with the sacrifices and libations of the day) but was said on these two occasions on the Sunday (for which a different Psalm had been arranged), it follows that the recital of a particular Psalm is independent of the sacrifices or libations of the day. It was ordained, therefore, that the Psalm for the New Moon, originally prescribed for the Temple service, should also be said at the present time (cf. N.Y.). R. Simeon b. Laḳish asked him, ‘Which is first, the psalm⁸Which was said in connection with the morning continual offering. or the additional sacrifice?’⁹Of the New Moon, if the Psalm had been delayed until the time of the additional sacrifice had arrived. He replied,¹⁰Inserted by GRA. ‘It is obvious that the psalm is read first’.¹¹Since it belongs to the earlier part of the service. For this reason¹²Because of the ruling above that the Temple Psalm of the New Moon should continue to be said even at the present time. the people have adopted the custom of saying psalms¹³As in the Temple, although no sacrifices are now offered. at their proper times;¹⁴As prescribed for the Temple service. as we have learned in the Mishnah:¹⁵Tamid VII, 4 (Sonc. ed., pp. 37f). ‘These were the psalms which the Levites used to recite in the Temple: On Sunday¹⁶lit. ‘the first day’. Monday is called ‘the second day’ and so on. they used to recite, The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.¹⁷The quotation represents Ps. 24, and the following quotations denote the respective Psalms in which they occur. On Monday, Great is the Lord, and exceedingly to be praised,¹⁸Ps. 48. etc. On Tuesday, God standeth in the congregation of God,¹⁹Ps. 82. etc. On Wednesday, O Lord, Thou God to whom vengeance belongeth,²⁰Ps. 94. etc. On Thursday, Sing aloud unto God our strength,²¹Ps. 81. etc. On Friday, The Lord reigneth; He is clothed in majesty.²²Ps. 93. On the Sabbath, A psalm, a Song. For the sabbath day,²³Ps. 92. [which is the psalm and song also]²⁴So in Tamid loc. cit., but omitted in V. for the hereafter, for the day which will be wholly a Sabbath and [will bring] rest in life everlasting’. For whoever makes mention of a Biblical verse at its proper time is regarded [by God] as though he had built a new altar and offered a sacrifice upon it.

בחנוכה (שם ל) ארוממך ה' בפורים (שם ז) שגיון לדוד ביום הראשון של פסח (שם קלה) הללו את שם ה' (וי"א (שם פג) אלהים אל דמי לך) וכן חולו של מועד אלא בימים הראשונים של פסח הוא צריך לומר יהי כבוד ה' וכל העם בעמידה עד וברוך שם כבודו לעולם ויושבין ואומרים כל ענין של מזמורות ובי"ט האחרון של פסח הלל הגדול ואיזהו הלל הגדול (שם קלו) הודו לה' כי טוב הודו לאלהי האלהים ונהגו העם לומר הלל הגדול אף ע"פ שאינו מן המובחר:

On Ḥanukkah [the psalm is] I will extol Thee, O Lord.²⁵Ps. 30. On Purim it is Shiggaion of David,²⁶Ps. 7. but others say it is O God, keep not Thou silence.²⁷Ps. 83. This is inserted by GRA but lacking in V, M and H. On the first day of Passover it is, Praise ye the name of the Lord,²⁸Ps. 135. V, M and H quote as an alternative Ps. 83. and the same [is said during] the intermediate days of the Festival; but on the first [two] days of Passover one must [also] say May the glory of the Lord,²⁹Ps. 104, 31. The reference is to the collection of verses beginning with these words (cf. P.B., p. 28). while all the people stand. Then³⁰From ‘Then’ to ‘for ever’ is the reading of GRA. The order of the words in V, M and H is confused. they sit and say all the prescribed psalms³¹P.B., pp. 20-33. up to And blessed be His glorious name for ever;³²Ps. 72, 19; but the reference is to the doxology (P.B., p. 33) which concludes the morning Psalms. but on the last day of Passover the Great Hallel is said. And what is the Great Hallel? [42b] O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good … O give thanks unto the God of gods.³³Ps. 136. The people have adopted the custom of saying the Great Hallel, although this is not the proper thing to do.³⁴The proper time to say it is ‘when the appetite is satisfied and the stomach is full’ (Ta‘an. 26a, Sonc. ed., p. 135) and not in the morning service before food has been tasted.

ובחג השבועות (תהלים כט) הבו לה׳ בני אלים בט׳ באב בארבע פסוקים משל ירמיה (יד) המאוס מאסת את (דבר ה׳) [יהודה] עד כי אתה עשית [את] כל אלה. ושני מזמורים הללו אלהים באו גוים בנחלתך (תהלים עט) ועל נהרות בבל (שם קלז) אע"פ שבכל מקום מקדימין דברי קדושה לדברי קבלה בזה דברי קבלה מקדימין לדברי קדושה:

On the Feast of Weeks³⁵Pentecost. [the psalm is] Ascribe unto the Lord, O ye sons of might.³⁶Ps. 29. On the ninth day of Ab [the reading consists] of four verses of Jeremiah, Hast Thou utterly rejected Judah? to For Thou hast made all these things,³⁷Jer. 14, 19-22. and the following two psalms, O God, the heathen are come into Thine inheritance³⁸Ps. 79. and By the rivers of Babylon.³⁹Ps. 137. Although it is usual⁴⁰lit. ‘in every place’. to give precedence to the Holy Words⁴¹lit. ‘words of holiness’, the Hagiographa. over the words of [prophetical] traditions,⁴²The Prophets forming the second division of the Scriptures. in this case the latter⁴³Jeremiah, although it is included in the Prophets. takes precedence over the former.⁴⁴The Psalms, which are included in the Hagiographa.

יש שקורין ספר קינות בערב יש מאחרין עד הבקר לאחר קריאת תורה שלאחר קריאת תורה עומד וראשו מתפלש באפר ובגדיו מפולשין וקורא בבכיה וביללה אם יודע הוא לתרגמו מוטב ואם לאו נותנו למי שיודע לתרגם בטוב ומתרגם לפי שיבינו בו שאר העם והנשים ותינוקות שהנשים חייבות לשמוע קריאת ספר כאנשים וכ"ש זכרים וכן המה חייבות (בקריאת שמע) בתפלה ובברכת מזון ובמזוזה ואם אינן יודעות בלשון הקדש מלמדין אותן בכל לשון שהן יכולות לשמוע וללמד מכאן אמרו המברך צריך שיגביה קולו משום בניו הקטנים ואשתו ובנותיו ומן הדין הוא לתרגם לעם לנשים ותינוקות כל סדר ונביא של שבת לאחר קריאת התורה וזו היא שאמרו בשבת מקדימין לבוא ומאחרין לצאת מקדימין לבא כדי לקרות ק"ש כוותיקין עם הנץ החמה ומאחרין לצאת כדי שישמעו פירוש של הסדר אבל בי"ט מאחרין לבא שהן צריכין לתקן מאכל של יום וממהרין לצאת שאינו מן הדין לפרש להן דאמרי׳ רב לא מוקי אמורא מיומא טבא לחבריה:

Some [congregations] read the Book of Lamentations in the evening⁴⁵Of the Ninth of Ab. while others postpone it to the [following] morning after the reading of the Torah, when the reader⁴⁶GRA. stands up, his head covered with ashes, his clothes torn,⁴⁷Like a mourner, the mourning being for the destruction of the Temples. and reads it with weeping and lamentation. If he is able to translate it, well and good; but if he is unable he entrusts it to one who knows how to translate properly and [that person] does the translation, so that the rest of the people, the women and children may understand it; in that women are obliged to listen to the reading of the Book, how much more so does it apply to men.
Women have similarly the duty to read the Shema‘, the [‘Amidah] prayer and the Grace after meals, and to have a mezuzah [on their doors]. But if they are not acquainted with the holy tongue they are to be taught [to say them] in any language which they can understand and master. From this it was deduced that the man who recites the benedictions⁴⁸In his home. must raise his voice for the benefit of his young sons, his wife and daughters. It is, therefore, a logical deduction that every section of the Torah and the Prophet [prescribed for the readings] of the Sabbath should be translated for the people, the women and the children after the reading of the Torah. This is why it was ruled: On the Sabbath the people come [to the Synagogue] early and depart late. They come early to read the Shema‘, like the pious men of old, with the first glimpse of the sun; and they depart late to listen to the interpretation of the weekly section. On a Festival, however, they come late, because they have to prepare the food for the day;⁴⁹Which is permitted on a Festival when not the Sabbath. and they hasten to depart because it is unreasonable to interpret [the Torah or the Prophet] for them, it having been stated: Rab did not appoint an interpreter from [the beginning of the first day of] the Festival to the conclusion of the second day.⁵⁰lit. ‘its companion’. Rab’s reason was that, owing to the legitimate indulgence on the Festival days, his mind might not be clear to impart the proper instruction or to give the necessary guidance to the public through the interpreter. Similarly it is implied that, in order to enable the people to enjoy the festivities of the day, they are given the opportunity of departing at an earlier hour.

וכן היה מנהג טוב בירושלים להתענות בניהם ובנותיהם הקטנים ביום צום בן [י"א] שנה עד עצם היום בן שתים עשר׳ להשלים ואח"כ סבלו ומקרבו לפני כל זקן וזקן כדי לברכו לחזקו ולהתפלל עליו שיזכה בתורה ובמעשים טובים וכל מי שהיה לו גדול ממנו בעיר היה עומד ממקומו והולך לפניו והיה משתחוה לו להתפלל בעדו ללמד שהן נאין ומעשיהם נאים ולבן לשמים ולא היו מניחין בניה׳ קטנים אחריהם אלא היו מוליכן אותן לבתי כנסיות כדי לזרזם במצות:

There was likewise a beautiful custom in Jerusalem to train⁵¹Inserted by GRA, M and H. their young sons and daughters to afflict themselves on a fast day:⁵²Although the duty of fasting the whole day did not apply to them. at the age of eleven to the middle of the day, at the age of twelve the full day, and at the age of thirteen [the boy] was taken round⁵³So GRA. V, M and H read ‘and after that he carried him’. and presented to every elder to bless him and pray for him that he may be worthy to study the Torah and engage in good deeds. In like manner,⁵⁴This is an insertion of GRA, omitted in V, M and H. everyone who had a man superior to him in the town would rise from his place and go and bow down to him [requesting] that he pray on his behalf. This is meant to teach us that they⁵⁵The men of Jerusalem. were splendid men and their deeds were splendid, and that their hearts [were directed] towards Heaven. Furthermore, they did not leave their young children behind but took them to the Synagogue to encourage them in the performance of the precepts.

ביום שהושיבו ר׳ אלעזר בן עזריה בישיבה פתח ואמר (דברים כט) אתם נצבים היום כלכם טפכם נשיכם אנשים באין לשמוע נשים כדי לקבל שכר פסיעות טף למה בא כדי ליתן שכר למביאיהן מכאן נהגו בנות ישראל קטנות לבא לבתי כנסיות כדי ליתן שכר למביאיהן והן לקבל שכר:

On the day when R. Eleazar b. ‘Azariah was appointed head of the academy, he began his discourse by saying: Ye are standing this day all of you … your little ones, your wives,⁵⁶Deut. 29, 9f. the men came to listen, the women came to receive a reward for their journey,⁵⁷lit. ‘steps’. Even if the women did not understand the discourse, they were entitled to reward for their attendance and bringing their children with them. The corresponding passage in Ḥag. 3a (Sonc. ed., p. 9) reads ‘men came to learn, women came to listen’. but why did the little ones come? That a reward may be given to those who bring them. From this the young daughters of Israel learnt the practice of coming to the Synagogue so that a reward may be granted to those who bring them while they would [in due course]⁵⁸When they reach womanhood. also receive their reward.⁵⁹As the result of their early training and practice. In childhood one is subject neither to reward nor punishment.

בתפלת ערבית אין אדם שומע לחבירו מפני שהן מתפללין בלחישה ואין אומרים לא ברכו ולא יהי שם:

In the evening service⁶⁷On the ninth of Ab. no one can hear the other, because all pray in a whisper;⁶⁸As a mark of mourning for the destruction. therefore we say neither ‘Bless ye’⁶⁹‘Bless ye the Lord Who is to be blessed’ which is addressed to the congregation at the beginning of the evening service (cf. P.B., p. 96). nor ‘[Blessed] be the name’.⁷⁰Which was exclaimed before ‘Bless ye’ but is not now said.