תהלים is something that is an important part of our lives year-round, of course. However, at certain times there might be additional attention to it.
But how should it be approached? Does הקב"ה need more lip service, עבודת הפה rather than עבודה שבלב?
The answer is emphatically no. Rather, כוונת הלב is what is sought and needed.
Rav Avigdor Miller z"l, in last week's תורת אביגדור booklet (p.7), gives some guidelines for its proper reciting. Say it slowly, with understanding and emotion (click to see what Rav Miller brings from the חובות הלבבות, and more, under the headline "How to Say Tehillim", on p.7 there).
Elsewhere, in the excellent biography of Rav Miller, it is related that in his youth in Baltimore he would go to a Shul (although not explicitly stated there, based on other sections of the book, where it speaks about Rav Miller's youth in Baltimore, I think that the simple assumption and understanding is that it was a Litvishe Shul - if it was otherwise that would likely have been noted IMHO) where the men said Tehillim together with a beautiful melody (p.43). On Shabbos after סעודה שלישית they would sing the entire chapter 119 (תמניא אפי, the longest kapitel in Tehillim), the saying of which was a widespread minhag in ליטא, and considered a סגולה for חשק ואהבת התורה.
May we be זוכה to meaningful recitations, and כתיבה וחתימה טובה.
Thanks for an interesting find, although in practical terms this is going to be very hard to implement. The words of Tehillim are not easy to understand.
ReplyDeleteKSVCHS"T.
So say/learn Tehillim with a פירוש, at least a translation. If you want something in לה"ק, the relatively new Artscroll מקראות גדולות תהלים (https://www.artscroll.com/Books/9781422619551.html) is quite good. There are some good English options too, from them, and others.
DeleteI think תהלים can be tricky (maybe this should get a separate post), and some people are confused about it, because, one the one hand, it is a חלק of תוה"ק that requires לימוד והבנה, while on the other hand, it - especially some parts - is associated with תפילה. But however you look at it, lip service and speed davening is not the way to go. Learn and understand it, even if you cover much less ground. That is the Litvishe way as I see it. Once you learn it, then you will be able to say it quicker with understanding too, as subsequent recitations will be בגדר חזרה.
כוח"ט וכ"ט
I don't know that this has anything to do with Misnagdim vs Chassidim. Uncharacteristically you haven't brought any quotes or proofs to show that Chassidim disagree.
ReplyDeleteAs far as "lip service" as it pertains to תפילה, see נפש החיים - פרקים- פרק ה.
LB
Somebody ones tried to "prove" to me that a relative of mine is Chassidish because he says Tehillim. For some reason in the chassidic view only chassidim say Tdhillim . I pointed out to him that all across Lita there were Chevra Tehillim . He was quite surprised.
DeleteWell, Chasidim tend to like to cover more ground, many Tehillims are divided for the days of the week, to finish it weekly. There are 150 kapitlech in the whole sefer, so that is like over twenty a day. It seems to me that nowadays it is not common for Litvishe types to be into that, but Chasidim are more likely to do such things AFAIK. I think Lubavitchers have a practice to say the whole sefer Tehillim before davening (typical Lubavitcher davening starts like 10 AM, 10:30 AM, if not later, on regular Shabbosos) on שבת מברכים החודש. Others may say whole sefer Tehillim on other occasions, maybe שבועות, הושענא רבה for example. When people need to cover a lot of ground they are more likely to go faster.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, of course, saying Tehillim is not a Hasidic thing specifically, but I think it like what happened with certain chevras in Shuls in the past. It used to be common for Shuls to have things like חברה משניות וחברה עין יעקב. As the עולם got more advanced in Torah, masses moved from those things to limudim like גמרא, דף יומי, משנה ברורה. So, along those lines, 'Tehillim zoggers' in Litvishe areas are not a common sight these days to the extent they may have been in the past.