Forbbidden: At one time in history, approximately 150 B.C., the foreign occupying government of the Greeks and Syrians forbade the Jews to read the Torah, so they began reading the Psalms, part of the Ketuvim, instead. Nowadays, selected Psalms and other writings of the Old Testament constitute a regular part of daily Jewish reading.

Singing the Scriptures and Prayers: It should be noted that reading scriptures and praying are to be done in a singing or chanting way to differentiate the common everyday sounds of the mouth with the Word of the Lord or words to the Lord. A pattern of singing has developed that puts emphasis on particular syllables and words. When a boy has a Bar Mitzvah, he is accompanied by a person who may prompt him to sing his words correctly while making sure that his clothing, cap, robe, sash, etc. is worn correctly. Singing is a festive part of many Jewish occasions. Many times, the Eastern Jews (Sephardic) and Western Jews (Ashkenazi) sing the same lyrics with their own ethnic music and intonation.

The following selections from the Encyclopedia Judaica Jr. give a wonderful back­ground on the Psalms:

Lyric Poems: “PSALMS - the first book of the Ketuvim section of the Bible, constituting an anthology of lyric poems universally recognized as the foremost collection of Hebrew religious poetry. The English name "Psalms" is derived from the Greek word for a "song sung to a string­ed instrument" while the Hebrew name, Tehilli­m, is derived from the root meaning praise and glorification. The Hebrew title characterizes the book in terms of its essential contents --- a collection of profoundly religious poems of praise to God --- while the English title characterizes it in terms of its form: lyric poems de­signed for elaborate musical accompaniment.”

Reading Psalms along with Torah: “The Psalter, as the work is often called in English, contains 150 Psalm-chapters, divided into five books, each of which, except the last, con­cludes with a doxolgy, or formulaic hymn of praise to God. This division seems to represent successive stages in the composition of the work as a whole, in such a way that the final crystallized form of 150 reflects a cumulative edition of what were once separate collections. The five-fold arrangement was apparently chosen in conscious duplication of the five books of the Pentateuch. It may have been the result of the reading of the Psalms week by week in association with the Torah readings.”

David Authorship: “Traditionally, authorship of the book of Psalms has been ascribed to King David. 73 of the 150 Psalms begin with the superscription le-David, although the precise connotation of this term is uncertain; it could mean "concerning David" or "a dedication to David" and not necessarily "by David." Further­more, of the remaining Psalms, many bear superscript ions relating them to ten other figures of early Israelite history, ranging from Adam to Moses. How­ever, the association of King David with Psalms rests on strong, ancient traditions. Moreover, in other books of the Bible David appears as a skillful player on the lyre, as an inventor of musical instruments and as a composer of dir­ges, and is described in one place as the "sweet singer of Israel."

Earliest Israelite Literature: “Some evidence further suggests that King David organized guilds of Psalm singers in the Tabernacle (I Chronicles 6:16), which were certainly functioning during the period of the First Temple. The fact that the names of some of these groups (the "Korahites" and the "Asaphites") appear in the superscription of various psalms, indicate their strong involvement in the early public worship of Israel. Bible critics today (unlike those of 100 years ago) almost all agree that the Psalms represent a very early form of Israelite literature, bearing no Hellenistic influences and thus predating, at the very latest, early Second Temple times.”

Most Widely Read: “The Psalter contains an unusual variety and complexity of literary forms, including hymns, laments, prayers of thanksgiving and didactic poems of various sorts. Within it are to be found both deeply personal lyrics, reflecting the solitary confrontation of the individual with God, and poems written from the perspective of the community as a whole, reflecting the combined concerns of all Israel. The Psalms thus reflect a large array of specific situations in the life of the individual and the community and offer profoundly moving and deeply religious formulations for those seeking religious expression. It is for this reason that the Psalms has become the best-known and most widely-read portion of the Bible, not only in the original Hebrew but in all the many lan­guages into which the Bible has been translated.”

Some Read Psalms Completely Daily: “The great popularity of the Psalms can be judged from the fact that most large prayer books contain the Psalms in their entirety, and that special hevrot tehillim, societies for the recitation of Psalms, exist in many parts of the world. In Jerusalem, two separate groups recite all of the Psalms daily at the Western Wall.”