For something so key and dominant in our religion, Tehillim’s true essence and what it represents is overwhelmingly unknown. As one of the twenty four books of Tanach, its pesukim and perakim are found riddled throughout our davening and are said during times of trouble and desperation. Despite Tehillim’s significance as part of our religion, many are completely uneducated about it.
In English, Tehillim is called “Psalms,” meaning “harps” or “pluckings” in Greek, hinting to the musical nature of Tehillim. It is made up of 1527 pesukim, which constitute 150 distinct perakim; the 150 perakim are further organized into five sefarim. David Hamelech is the attributed author of Tehillim, even though as the Midrash (Kohelet Raba 7:19) points out,…show more content… David, as the pesukim in the Navi present, did not have an easy life. The Midrash (Shochet) teaches that not a day went by in David’s life that was void of suffering. His first struggle when he became king was the rape of his daughter, Tamar, by his son Amnon (Shmuel II 13:1). This disgusting act was despicable on its own, but it was even worse because it became a public scandal. As children of the king, everything they did was on display for the world. As the prince and princess, they were supposed to lead by example and act morally. Naturally, David was greatly disturbed and upset by Amnon’s sin (Shmuel II 13:21). Subsequently, one of David’s other sons, Avshalom, rebelled against him and his kingship (Shmuel II 15:10). Avshalom was not the typical “rebellious child.” He was a prince who was not lacking anything, and yet he rebelled, not just against his father and his morals, but also against the king and his divine rulership. Following the eventual squashing of this rebellion, David was met with sickness. David, as the Navi (Melachim I 1:1) states, was not able to be warmed. He was unconditionally cold, a terrible symptom to endure for a few minutes, let alone for the rest of his life. Following this description of his illness, the Navi (Melachim I 1:11) goes on to describe another uprising. Another son of David, Adoniyah, initiated a rebellion against his father. This was the second of…show more content… David was the epitome of what an eved Hashem should be and that is why he was worthy of the Divine anointing and finding of Hashem. What is an eved Hashem? The Midrash (Shochet 61:3) states that David asked Hashem that his Tehillim should be read in the Batei Midrashot and in the Batei Kenesiot, the schools and shuls. The two roots to Avodat Hashem are Torah and Tefillah, as the Maharal (Bereishit Chapter 1) states, “our Avodat Hashem through Torah and Tefillah is how we bring forth Kavod Hashem.” David wanted his Tehillim to encompass both of these aspects and it does just that. Tehillim is a book in Tanach, a book in the canon of Jewish literacy. But, its pesukim are also found in many prayers in davening, making up a large percentage of what is recited everyday. Tehillim represents the perfect balance of the two ways of Avodat Hashem: Torah and Tefillah. This yichud, combination, as Rav Moshe Weinberger explains, is the recognition of the oneness of Hashem and additionally the oneness of the ways to serve Hashem. The only thing that matters in the end is a person’s Avodat Hashem. The only words inscripted on Rav Aharon Lichtenstein’s matzevah are “Eved Hashem”. The only thing that has any worth and meaning in life is the effort and the pathways a person took to connect to Hashem and to be the best eved Hashem one could be. The Midrash (Shochet) says
