Singing Your Heart Out

By Rabbi Elyse Winick
KOACH Assistant Director
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

I feel compelled to take a bit of "executive privilege" (if you can even call it that) with this month’s Ezine theme. I’m a tremendous fan of ritual and commend to you such books as Jacob Neusner’s The Enchantments of Judaism and Robert Bellah’s Habits of the Heart. That said, when I thought about my favorite ritual, the first answer which came to mind did not quite qualify as a ritual.

I write instead about the compelling nature of prayer and, more specifically, my deep love for P’sukei D’zimra, the Psalms of Praise, which are essential to our morning davvening. While they appear in every siddur, you’ll find them on pages 54-94 of the full version of Siddur Sim Shalom.

The purpose of this section of prayer seems to have its origins in the Talmud, Brakhot 32a, which states: "One should always first recount the praise of the Holy One and then pray." Historically, the P’sukei D’zimra did not have the same mandatory status as such elements as Sh’ma and the Amidah, but they were seen as critical to creating the proper atmosphere and mindset for prayer. In fact, the very next page of the Talmud, Brakhot 32b tells us that the early pietists would meditate for an hour preceding their tefilah, or prayer, in order to ensure the proper state of mind.

Such news is not entirely welcome to those of us who have endured lengthy morning services (on Shabbat or otherwise) and makes the fact that Siddur Sim Shalom offers options for selecting from among the included psalms that much more appealing.

But I would never abbreviate P’sukei D’zimra and I’d rather see us pick up the pace in other areas than rush through this. The poetry is majestic and moving; the melodies are compelling and elevating. Given the opportunity, I’d sing my way – with the community – through every available melody and allow the tuneless words to soak into my soul.

We often look at P’sukei D’zimra as either something to rush through and get on to the substance of the service, or as an opportunity for quiet meditation. I’d like to suggest that neither is ideal. A vibrant and song-filled P’sukei D’zimra is a wonderful way to begin the day, uplifting and transformative, augmenting the power of our shared prayer.

If you look closely at the words of P’sukei D’zimra, you’ll likely discover that there are words familiar to you from songs you have learned. You can certainly use those melodies. CDs and online sites, can give you access to the melodies of communities like Kehillat Hadar (www.kehillathadar.org) in New York and Shira Hadasha in Jerusalem.

Psalm 149, the next to last of the excerpts from the Book of Psalms which appears in P’sukei D’zimra, enjoins us to "Sing unto God a new song." Given the opportunity, why not do so every day?

[Posted 4/7/05]