(1) A psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I lack nothing. (2) He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me to water in places of repose; (3) He renews my life; He guides me in right paths as befits His name. (4) Though I walk through a valley of deepest darkness, I fear no harm, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff—they comfort me. (5) You spread a table for me in full view of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my drink is abundant. (6) Only goodness and steadfast love shall pursue me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for many long years.
"The 150 psalms that constitute this important component of the Writings (Ketuvim) section of the Jewish Bible reflect a wide range of experience and expression: anger and acceptance, complaint and comfort, despair and delight, fatigue and faith, and so on.
The Levites sang the Psalms in the ancient Temple, not unlike the way growing numbers of congregations welcome Shabbat on Friday night by chanting their way through six psalms (95-99, plus 29) praising the beauty of nature (corresponding to the six days of Creation) and culminating in the Psalm for Shabbat. Psalms may be heard at many moments in life: at the bedside of those who are ill, at the beginning of the blessing after meals, at funerals, when visiting a grave, and in many other settings. They are there to help express our great joy and devastating despair, our gratitude and our distress, life’s “ups” and, of course, its “downs.”
How to use Psalms
- Ritual
As a source of regular expression, to mark certain moments and give a container for feelings, ideas, and values–either in an established, traditional, communal context, or in one’s own personal, innovative time and place.
- Prayer
As with other forms of Jewish prayer, psalms may provide various opportunities: for giving words to hopes, fears, wishes, etc.; to both experience the pain and transcend it; to “name” one’s distress or gratitude; and/or to reconnect to tradition and community, or to a basic inner sense of wholeness.
- Song
So many lines of psalms have been put to music, and even calling on the melodies without the words can have great impact. Here are several examples of lines from psalms that have become known as “Jewish healing songs” because of their words and/or music: Psalms 3:7-8; 27: 4, 14: 30: 9, 11; 51:12-13; 69:14; 94:18; 118:5, 19-20; 121 1-2, 4
- Study
Words of psalms can be a valuable tool in refocusing, centering, and quieting oneself.
- Community
One profound Jewish practice organizes members of a Jewish community into a Hevra Tehillim, a “Psalm Fellowship,” which gathers with some regularity to study or chant psalms together. In some places, when an individual is ill, the community has divided the 150 psalms among all its members, so that the entire Book of Psalms is read and dedicated daily to cure, healing, strength, solace and/or recovery."
My Jewish Learning with permission from the National Center for Jewish Healing
Guiding Questions
What is the purpose of this Psalm/ what was the Psalmist trying to get us to feel, understand, or know?
How do you feel reading this Psalm? Does it speak to you, and if what why, how?
When do you think we would read/sing this Psalm?
(1) Hallelujah. Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in the sky, His stronghold. (2) Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him for His exceeding greatness. (3) Praise Him with blasts of the horn; praise Him with harp and lyre. (4) Praise Him with timbrel and dance; praise Him with lute and pipe. (5) Praise Him with resounding cymbals; praise Him with loud-clashing cymbals. (6) Let all that breathes praise the ETERNAL. Hallelujah.
Guiding Questions
What is the Psalmist trying to get us feel, understand, or to know?
How is Psalm 150 different from 23? (Look at language, structure, etc.)
Why would we sing/read this Psalm?
"Psalms, is the first book of the Ketuvim ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Christian Old Testament.[1] The title is derived from the Greek translation, meaning "instrumental music" and, by extension, "the words accompanying the music".[2] The book is an anthology of individual Hebrew psalms, with 150 in the Jewish and Western Christian tradition and more in the Eastern Christian churches. Many are linked to the name of David, but modern scholarship rejects his authorship, instead placing the composition of the psalms to various authors writing between the 9th and 5th centuries BC." (Berlin & Brettler 2004, p. 1282.)
"Most individual psalms involve [praising God's power and beneficence], for creation of the world, and for past acts of deliverance for Israel. They envision a world in which everyone and everything will praise God, and God in turn will hear their prayers and respond. Sometimes God "hides God's-face" and refuses to respond, questioning (for the psalmist) the relationship between God and prayer which is the underlying assumption of the Book of Psalms.
Some psalms are called "maskil" (maschil), meaning "enlightened" or "wise", because they impart wisdom. Most notable of these is Psalm 142 which is sometimes called the "Maskil of David"; others include Psalm 32 and Psalm 78. A special grouping and division in the Book of Psalms are fifteen psalms (Psalms 120–134) known in the construct case, shir ha-ma'aloth (= "A Song of Ascents", or "A Song of degrees"), and one as shir la-ma'aloth (Psalm 121). According to Saadia Gaon, these songs differed from the other psalms in that they were to be sung by the Levites in a "loud melody."
(McKenzie, Steven L. (2000). King David: A Biography. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 39–40. ISBN 9780195351019.)
"Although many of the psalms had their setting in the ritual life of the Temple of Solomon before the Babylonian Exile (6th century BC), the Psalter became the hymnbook of the Second Temple of Jerusalem, and the order of worship in the Temple probably played an important role in shaping and ordering the book." (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Final Activity
Now that we have looked at some Psalms, let's give it a try ourselves!
Step 1: Think about your relationship with God. What are you asking for, praising, or need clarification on? Take a minute to focus on that.
Step 2: Think about the language that appeals to you surrounding God. Is it Masculine, egalitarian, Parental, Monarchal, or something else entirely?
Step 3: Take 10 minutes for free writing. Do not worry about form or getting it perfect. Just write to God focusing on step 1. There are no wrong answers here.
Step 4: Take a deep breath
Step 5: Decide if you want to share it with the class. No Pressure!