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Psukei Dezimrah
Psukei Dezimrah (literally "verses of singing) is the introductory section of the daily prayers.
Sources
A
Happy the people who have it so;
happy the people whose God is the L
ORD
. A song of praise. Of David.
I will extol You, my God and king,
and bless Your name forever and ever. Every day will I bless You
and praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the L
ORD
and much acclaimed;
His greatness cannot be fathomed. One generation shall laud Your works to another
and declare Your mighty acts. The glorious majesty of Your splendor
and Your wondrous acts will I recite…
Psalms 144:15-145:15
Rabbi Yosei said: May my portion be among those who eat three meals on Shabbat.
Apropos this statement of Rabbi Yosei, the Gemara cites additional declarations.
Rabbi Yosei said: May my portion be among those who complete hallel every day.
The Gemara is surprised at this:
Is that so? Didn’t the Master say: One who reads
hallel
every day is
tantamount to
one who curses and blasphemes
God. He displays contempt for
hallel
by not reserving it for days on which miracles occurred…
Shabbat 118b:5
One
may
only stand
and begin to pray
from
an approach of
gravity
and submission. There is a tradition that
the early
generations of
pious
men
would wait one hour,
in order to reach the solemn frame of mind appropriate for prayer,
and
then
pray, so that they would focus their hearts toward their Father in Heaven.
Standing in prayer is standing before God and, as such,
even
if
the king greets him, he should not respond to him; and even if a snake is wrapped on his heel, he should not interrupt
his prayer.
Mishnah Berakhot 5:1
You give it openhandedly,
feeding every creature to its heart’s content. The L
ORD
is beneficent in all His ways
and faithful in all His works. The L
ORD
is near to all who call Him,
to all who call Him with sincerity. He fulfills the wishes of those who fear Him;
He hears their cry and delivers them. The L
ORD
watches over all who love Him,
but all the wicked He will destroy. My mouth shall utter the praise of the L
ORD
,
and all creatures shall bless His holy name forever and ever.
Psalms 145:16-21
Tangential to Rabbi Yoḥanan’s statement that one who juxtaposes redemption and prayer is assured of a place in the World-to-Come, a similar statement is cited.
Rabbi Elazar said
that
Rabbi Avina said: Anyone who recites: “A Psalm of David”
(Psalms 145)
three times every day is assured of
a place in
the World-to-Come.
This statement extolling the significance of this particular chapter of Psalms, usually referred to as
ashrei
because its recitation is preceded by recitation of the verse, “Happy [
ashrei
] are those who dwell in Your House…
Berakhot 4b:16-22
Pesukei D'zimra: The two psalms of praise--Praise G-d from on High (Heaven) (Psalms 148) and Praise G-d in His Holiness (Psalms 150)
Rashi on Shabbat 118b:5:2
MISHNA:
One
may
only stand
and begin to pray
from
an approach of
gravity
and submission. There is a tradition that
the early
generations of
pious
men
would wait one hour,
in order to reach the solemn frame of mind appropriate for prayer,
and
then
pray, so that they would focus their hearts toward their Father in Heaven.
Standing in prayer is standing before God and, as such,
even
if
the king greets him, he should not respond to him…
Berakhot 30b:14
The Sages praised those who recite songs from the Book of Psalms every day; from "A song of praise by David... (
Tehillah l'David
)" (Psalms 145) until the end of the Book [of Psalms]. It has become customary to read verses before and after them.
They instituted a blessing before the [recitation of the] songs,
Baruch She'amar
..., and a blessing after [concluding] them,
Yishtabach
. Afterwards, one recites the blessings for
Kri'at Shema
and recites the
Shema
.
Mishneh Torah, Prayer and the Priestly Blessing 7:12
On the topic of proper preparation for prayer,
the Sages taught: One may neither stand to pray from
an atmosphere of
sorrow nor from
an atmosphere of
laziness, nor from
an atmosphere of
laughter, nor from
an atmosphere of
conversation, nor from
an atmosphere of
frivolity, nor from
an atmosphere of
purposeless matters. Rather,
one should approach prayer
from
an atmosphere imbued with
the joy of a mitzva.
Similarly, a person should neither take leave of another from
an atmosphere of
conversation…
Berakhot 31a:11-12
Based on Moses’ prayers,
Rabbi Simlai taught: One should always set forth praise of the Holy One, Blessed be He, and then pray
for his own needs.
From where do we
derive that one should conduct himself in this manner?
From Moses, as it is written
in his prayer:
“And I beseeched the Lord at that time”
(Deuteronomy 3:23).
And
immediately afterward in his prayer,
it is written: “Lord, God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand, for what God is there in the heavens or on earth who can perform deeds such as Yours and Your…
Berakhot 32a:32-33
If one comes to synagogue and finds the congregation at the end of P'sukei D'zimra, 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).
Rem"a: And if he has more time…
Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 52:1
As it is written
in a future prophecy: “In that day, says the Lord, I will assemble the lame, and I will gather those who are abandoned and
those with whom I have dealt in wickedness”
(Micah 4:6). God states that He caused Israel to act wickedly. Similarly,
Rabbi Ḥama, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, said: Had it not been for these three verses, the legs of the enemies of Israel,
a euphemism for Israel itself,
would have collapsed, as
Israel would have been unable to withstand God’s judgment…
Berakhot 32a:1-31
With regard to one’s intent during prayer,
it was taught
in a
baraita
that
Rabbi Yehuda said: This was the custom of Rabbi Akiva, when he would pray with the congregation he would shorten
his prayer
and go up, due to
his desire to avoid being an
encumbrance on the congregation
by making them wait for him to finish his prayer.
But when he prayed by himself
he would extend his prayers to an extent that
a person would leave
Rabbi Akiva alone
in one corner
of the study hall
and
later
find him
still praying
in another corner…
Berakhot 31a:18
4.
However it is only possible to subdue the evil forces—i.e., the illusions, evil thoughts, desires, confusions and obstacles—of a particular level, through the greatness of the Creator. As is brought in the
Kavanot
for “Give thanks to God, call upon His name” (1 Chronicles 16:8-36): This song was instituted in order to subdue the evil forces in the World of Formation. This is because [the forces of evil] rise up against the World of Action which ascends to the World of Formation. But by proclaiming the greatness of the Creator, they are subdued. Study there…
Likutei Moharan 25:4:1-3
Related
ראו גם
Mincha
Prayer
Psalms
Amidah
Morning Prayer Service
Kabbalat Shabbat
Hallel
Halakhah
Sheets
דפי מקורות
Related Sheets
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