פסוקי דזמרה

(1) We say the prayer Baruch She-amar ("Blessed is the One Who said") prior to Pesukei Dezimra ("the Psalms of Praise") and we say Yishtabach ("May he be Praised") after these.

(2) If one finished Baruch Shemar prior to the prayer leader he should say Amen after the leader finishes.

(4) One must be cautious to refrain from chatting from the moment he begins Baruch Sheamar until after he concludes the Eighteen Benedictions (The Amidah). And even if it is for the sake of performing a mitzvah one may not talk between Baruch Sheamar and Yishtabach (Beit Yosef quoting the Kol Bo)(see below 53 and 54).

(1) Yishtabach does not start with a beracha because it is adjacent to baruch sheamar, and both were instituted for pesukei dezimra - one before, and one after.

(5) In between these psalms one may ask [of another's welfare] out of respect [for that person] and may reply greetings to any person. And in the middle of the psalm he may ask [of another's welfare] out of fear and he may reply out of respect.

(5) One must be careful not to create a pause by speaking between "Barukh She-'Amar" until the end of the Amidah. Even for the sake of a mitzvah one should not stop between "Barukh She-'Amar" and "Yishtabach". And thus one should not stop between "Yishtabach" and "Yotsér 'Or"; this is illuminated in Siman 54. Our teacher the Bét Yosef wrote in Se'if 5: between these psalms we may ask after those honored in our community and respond to a greeting from any person. And in the middle of a psalm we may ask after those revered in our community and respond to those honored. Until here is [the Bét Yosef's] teaching, and the Tur wrote likewise. The explanation for "after those revered" and "honored" is illumnated in Siman 66. P'suké D'Zimrah is like the blessings of the recitation of Shema, and thus it is forbidden to answer "amén" in the middle of a chapter [or a particular psalm]. However, in the writings of the AR"I, may his memory be blessed, he ruled that one may interrupt to answer "Amen" (see Magén Avraham, Se'if Katan 3), and even in the middle of the blessing "Barukh She-'Amar" it is permissible to answer "Amén" (same). It seems to me that the Tur and the Shulchan Arukh agree with regard to "amén", since "amen" does not diminish from all the songs and praises. Rather because he does not intend himself to pause with ordinary speaking, like within the blessings of the recitation of Shema, it does not apply to responding "amén". And this is how we behave. However, to respond "barukh hu uvarukh shemo" -- [this is forbidden], since it is not based in law at all.

(7) One should focus one's heart during the verse "God opens up God's hand," and if he does not focus then he must return and say the verse again. Comment: And we say the verse "And we shall praise Adonai" at the end of the Ashrei ("A Psalm of David") (Tur and the Kol Bo), and we double-recite the verse "Let every living soul praise God" because it is the conclusion of "The Psalms of Praise" (Tur), and so too for the verse "Adonai will rule forever and ever (Abudraham). And when one comes to "And now Adonai our God we thank you" or to the verse "And on every level they must bow to you" one must not talk and must bow there as it is written below in section 113 (Rebbe Yitzchak, at the end of the chapter "Ein Omdin," and Rabbeinu Yerucham Pathway 1). And it is customary to stand when we say "Baruch Sheamar" and "And David Blessed" and "Yishtabach."

(1) Yishtabach does not start with a beracha because it is adjacent to baruch sheamar, and both were instituted for pesukei dezimra - one before, and one after.

(1) If one comes to synagogue and find the congregation at the end of the P'sukei D'zimra service, he should say "Barukh She'amar" until "M'hulal B'tishbahot" (i.e. the end of the blessing), and afterwards "T'hillah L'david" until "Me-atah v'ad olam halleluyah" (i.e. all of Ashrei). And afterwards "Hal'lu et Hashem min hashamayim" until "Livnei Yisrael am k'rovo hallelulyah" (i.e. Psalm 148). And aftewards "Hallelu el b'kodsho" until "Kol han'shamah t'hallel yah" (Psalm 150). REMA: And if he has more time, he should say "Hodu lashem kiru" (I Chronicles 16:18-36) until "v'hu rahum" (during the anthology of verses from Psalms) and skip to the "v'hu rahum" [immediately] prior to Ashrei because in between [those separate instances of "v'hu rahum"] are simply gathered verses (Hagahot Miyymonei Chapter 7 from Hilkhot T'fillah). And afterwards Yishtabah, and aftwards Yotzer [Or] (i.e. the blessing before Ahavah Rabbah, the paragraph immediately prior to the Sh'ma) and the Sh'ma and its blessings [by which he should] pray with the congregation. And if he doesn't have much time, he should also skip "Hal'lu et Hashem min Hashamayim." REMA: If there is still not enough time, he should only recite Barukh She'amar, T'hillah L'david (i.e. Ashrei), and Yishtabah (The Rosh and the Ri from the Chapter "Ein Omdin"). And if the congregation has already started with Yozer and one does not have time to recite P'sukei D'zimra even with skipping, he should recite the Sh'ma and its blessings with the congregation and pray with them, and afterwards recite all of P'sukei D'zimra without a blessing before or afterwards. REMA: And in any case, he should say all of the blessings required of him to bless in the morning ("Kol Bo" and "Beit Yosef" from the Mahari as it is explained in Siman 46 and 47).

(3) One who speaks between Yishtabah and Yotzer - it is a sin in his hand, and would be required to return from the battlefield [due to fear of sin leading to death] (see Deut. 24, Sotah 44b). But there are those who say that it is permitted to interrupt at that point for communal needs or to bestow charity to those who come to be provided for from charity. Gloss: From this stems the custom in many places to say a blessing for the sick or for a claimant to ask for judgement between Yishtabah and Yotzer, because these are instances of (interruptions for) the purpose of a mitzvah. And after that, when they resume praying, the leader says a bit of pesukei dezimra and then kaddish on those verses, since we do not say kaddish without a psalm before it. This is why the evening service begins without a kaddish (Kol Bo), and why one who did not have a tallit or tefillin at the start of the (morning) service and one was brought to them between Yishtabah and kaddish, can put them on and say the blessings. But between kaddish and Barkhu, one must not stop for any purpose (Or Zarua), and all the more so not stop after the leader has said Barkhu and before they begin saying the Yotzer blessing (Beit Yosef).