Special Custom for the Month of Elul and High Holidays
The Baal Shem Tov instituted a custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms).
See below for today's additional chapters.
Chapter 69
1For the Conductor, on the shoshanim, by David.
2Deliver me, O God, for the waters have reached until my soul!
3I have sunk in muddy depths without foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the current sweeps me away.
4I am wearied by my crying, my throat is parched; my eyes pined while waiting for my God.
5More numerous than the hairs on my head are those who hate me without reason. Mighty are those who would cut me off, those who are my enemies without cause. What I have not stolen, I will then have to return.
6O God, You know my folly, and my wrongs are not hidden from You.
7Let not those who hope in You be shamed through me, O my Lord, God of Hosts; let not those who seek You be disgraced through me, O God of Israel,
8because for Your sake I have borne humiliation, disgrace covers my face.
9I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother's sons,
10for the envy of Your House has consumed me, and the humiliations of those who scorn You have fallen upon me.
11And I wept while my soul fasted, and it was a humiliation to me.
12I made sackcloth my garment, and became a byword for them.
13Those who sit by the gate speak of me, and [of me] are the songs of drunkards.
14May my prayer to You, Lord, be at a gracious time; God, in Your abounding kindness, answer me with Your true deliverance.
15Rescue me from the mire, so that I not sink; let me be saved from my enemies and from deep waters.
16Let not the current of water sweep me away, nor the deep swallow me; and let not the pit close its mouth over me.
17Answer me, Lord, for Your kindness is good; according to Your abundant mercies, turn to me.
18Do not hide Your face from Your servant, for I am in distress-hurry to answer me.
19Draw near to my soul and liberate it; redeem me, so that my enemies [not feel triumphant].
20You know my humiliation, my shame, and my disgrace; all my tormentors are before You.
21Humiliation has broken my heart, and I have become ill. I longed for comfort, but there was none; for consolers, but I did not find.
22They put gall into my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
23Let their table become a trap before them, and [their] serenity, a snare.
24Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and let their loins continually falter.
25Pour Your wrath upon them, and let the fierceness of Your anger overtake them.
26Let their palace be desolate, let there be no dweller in their tents,
27for they persecute the one whom You struck, and tell of the pain of Your wounded ones.
28Add iniquity to their iniquity, and let them not enter into Your righteousness.
29May they be erased from the Book of Life, and let them not be inscribed with the righteous.
30But I am poor and in pain; let Your deliverance, O God, streng-then me.
31I will praise the Name of God with song, I will extol Him with thanksgiving!
32And it will please the Lord more than [the sacrifice of] a mature bull with horns and hooves.
33The humble will see it and rejoice; you seekers of God, [see] and your hearts will come alive.
34For the Lord listens to the needy, and He does not despise His prisoners.
35Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and all that moves within them,
36for God will deliver Zion and build the cities of Judah, and they will settle there and possess it;
37and the seed of His servants will inherit it, and those who love His Name will dwell in it.
Chapter 70
David prays that his enemies be shamed and humiliated for their shaming him and reveling in his troubles. Then the righteous will rejoice, and chant songs and praises always.
1For the Conductor, by David, to remind.
2O God, [come] to rescue me; O Lord, hurry to my aid.
3Let those who seek my life be shamed and disgraced; let those who wish me harm retreat and be humiliated.
4Let those who say, "Aha! Aha!" be turned back in return for their shaming [me].
5Let all who seek You rejoice and delight in You, and let those who love Your deliverance say always, "May God be exalted!”
6But I am poor and needy; hurry to me, O God! You are my help and deliverer; O God, do not delay!
Chapter 71
In this awe-inspiring prayer, David speaks of his enemies' desire to kill him, declaring him deserving of death.
1I have taken refuge in You, O Lord; I will never be shamed.
2Rescue me and deliver me in Your righteousness; incline Your ear to me and save me.
3Be for me a sheltering rock, to enter always. You have ordered my salvation, for You are my rock and my fortress.
4O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked, from the palm of the scheming and violent.
5For You are my hope, O my Lord, God, my security since my youth.
6I have relied on You from the womb; You drew me from my mother's innards; my praise is of You always.
7I became an example to the masses, yet You were my mighty refuge.
8Let my mouth be filled with Your praise, all day long with Your glory.
9Do not cast me aside in old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails;
10for my enemies say of me, and those who watch my soul conspire together,
11saying, "God has forsaken him. Give chase and catch him, for there is no rescuer.”
12O God, do not distance Yourself from me; my God, hurry to my aid.
13Let the adversaries of my soul be shamed and consumed; let those who seek my harm be enwrapped in disgrace and humiliation.
14But as for me, I will always hope; I will add to all Your praises.
15My mouth will tell of Your righteousness, all day long of Your deliverance, for I do not know their number.
16I come with the strength of my Lord, God; I mention Your righteousness, Yours alone.
17O God, You have taught me since my youth, and to this day I tell of Your wonders.
18Even into old age and hoariness, O God, do not abandon me, until I tell of Your might to the generations, and of Your strength to all who are to come.
19Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens, for You do great things; O God, who is like You!
20You, Who has shown me many and grievous troubles, You will revive me again; You will lift me again from the depths of the earth.
21You will increase my greatness; You will turn and console me.
22I too will thank You on the lyre for Your faithfulness, My God; I will sing to You on the harp, O Holy One of Israel.
23My lips will rejoice when I sing to You, as well as my soul which You have redeemed.
24My tongue will also utter Your righteousness all day, for those who seek my harm are shamed and disgraced.
Additional Three Chapters
The Baal Shem Tov instituted a custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms).
Today's Chapters are 37, 38, and 39.
Chapter 37
King David exhorts his generation not to be jealous of the prosperity of the wicked, for it may lead to falling into their ways. Rather, put your trust in God, conduct yourselves with integrity, and God will take care of everything.
1By David. Do not compete with the wicked; do not envy doers of injustice.
2For like grass they will be swiftly cut down; like green vegetation they will wither.
3Trust in the Lord and do good; then will you abide in the land and be nourished by faith.
4Delight in the Lord, and He will grant you the desires of your heart.
5Cast your needs upon the Lord; rely on Him, and He will take care.
6He will reveal your righteousness like the light, your justness like the high noon.
7Depend on the Lord and hope in Him. Compete not with the prosperous, with the man who invents evil schemes.
8Let go of anger, abandon rage; do not compete with [one who intends] only to harm.
9For the evildoers will be cut down; but those who hope in the Lord, they will inherit the earth.
10For soon the wicked one will not be; you will gaze at his place and he will be gone.
11But the humble shall inherit the earth, and delight in abundant peace.
12The wicked one plots against the righteous, and gnashes his teeth at him.
13My Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day will come.
14The wicked have drawn a sword and bent their bow to fell the poor and destitute, to slaughter those of upright ways.
15But their sword shall enter their own hearts, and their bows shall break.
16Better the little of the righteous, than the abundant wealth of the wicked.
17For the strength of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord supports the righteous.
18The Lord appreciates the days of the innocent; their inheritance will last forever.
19They will not be shamed in times of calamity, and in days of famine they will be satisfied.
20For the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord are as fattened sheep: consumed, consumed in smoke.
21The wicked man borrows and does not repay; but the righteous man is gracious and gives.
22For those blessed by Him will inherit the earth, and those cursed by Him will be cut off.
23The steps of man are directed by God; He desires his way.
24When he totters he shall not be thrown down, for the Lord supports his hand.
25I have been a youth, I have also aged; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his offspring begging bread.
26All day he is kind and lends; his offspring are a blessing.
27Turn away from evil and do good, and you will dwell [in peace] forever.
28For the Lord loves justice, He will not abandon His pious ones-they are protected forever; but the offspring of the wicked are cut off.
29The righteous shall inherit the earth and dwell upon it forever.
30The mouth of the righteous one utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.
31The Torah of his God is in his heart; his steps shall not falter.
32The wicked one watches for the righteous man, and seeks to kill him.
33But the Lord will not abandon him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
34Hope in the Lord and keep His way; then He will raise you high to inherit the earth. When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
35I saw a powerful wicked man, well-rooted like a vibrant, native tree.
36Yet he vanished, behold he was gone; I searched for him, but he could not be found.
37Watch the innocent, and observe the upright, for the future of such a man is peace.
38But sinners shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked is cut off.
39The deliverance of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in time of distress.
40The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they have put their trust in Him.
Chapter 38
A prayer for every individual, bewailing the length of the exile. One who is in distress should recite this psalm, hence its introduction, "A psalm... to remind" (to remind us to recite it in times of distress). One can also derive many lessons from it.
1A psalm by David, to remind.
2O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger, nor chastise me in Your wrath.
3For Your arrows have landed in me, Your hand descended upon me.
4There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your rage, no peace in my bones because of my sin.
5For my iniquities have flooded over my head; like a heavy load, they are too heavy for me.
6My wounds are rotted; they reek because of my foolishness.
7I am bent and extremely bowed; all day I go about in gloom.
8My sides are inflamed; there is no soundness in my flesh.
9I am weakened and extremely depressed; I howl from the moaning of my heart.
10My Lord, all that I desire is before You; my sighing is not hidden from You.
11My heart is engulfed, my strength has left me; the light of my eyes they, too, are not with me.
12My friends and companions stand aloof from my affliction; my intimates stand afar.
13The seekers of my life have laid traps; those who seek my harm speak destructiveness; they utter deceits all day long.
14But I am like a deaf man, I do not hear; like a mute that does not open his mouth.
15I was like a man that does not perceive, and in whose mouth there are no rebuttals.
16Because for You, O Lord, I wait; You will answer, my Lord, my God.
17For I said, "Lest they rejoice over me; when my foot falters they will gloat over me.”
18For I am accustomed to limping, and my pain is constantly before me.
19For I admit my iniquity; I worry because of my sin.
20But my enemies abound with life; those who hate me without cause flourish.
21Those who repay evil for good resent me for my pursuit of good.
22Do not forsake me, O Lord; do not be distant from me, my God.
23Hurry to my aid, O my Lord, my Salvation.
Chapter 39
David's prayer bewailing his suffering. But it is not suffering itself that pains him, rather he is saddened by its disturbing his Torah study. For man's days are few, "and if not now, when (will he study)?" for he may die, today or tomorrow. He therefore requests that his suffering be removed, to enable him to study Torah and acquire a place in the World to Come.
1For the Conductor, for yedutun, a psalm by David.
2I said that I would guard my ways from sinning with my tongue; I would guard my mouth with a muzzle, [even] while the wicked one is before me.
3I became mute with stillness, I was silent [even] from the good, though my pain was crippling.
4My heart grew hot within me, a fire blazed in my utterance, as I spoke with my tongue.
5O Lord, let me know my end and what is the measure of my days, that I may know when I will cease.
6Behold, like handbreadths You set my days; my lifetime is as naught before You. But all is futility, all mankind's existence, Selah.
7Only in darkness does man walk, seeking only futility; he amasses riches and knows not who will reap them.
8And now, what is my hope, my Lord? My longing is to You.
9Rescue me from all my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of the degenerate.
10I am mute, I do not open my mouth, for You have caused [my suffering].
11Remove Your affliction from me; I am devastated by the attack of Your hand.
12In reproach for sin You chastened man; like a moth, You wore away that which is precious to him. All mankind is nothing but futility, forever.
13Hear my prayer, O Lord, listen to my cry; do not be silent to my tears, for I am a stranger with You, a sojourner like all my forefathers.
14Turn from me, that I may recover my strength, before I depart and I am no more.
Tehillim Ohel Yoseph Yitzchok,
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