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 44
The psalmist cries and laments painfully over this bitter exile, where we and our Torah are shamed daily, when the nations say that God has exchanged us for another nation, and where we are considered as sheep for the slaughter, as a byword and taunt. It is therefore fitting that God redeem us, for the sake of His great Name that abides with us in exile.
1For the Conductor, by the sons of Korach, a maskil.
2God, with our ears we have heard, our fathers have told us, of the deeds You wrought in their days, in the days of old.
3You drove out nations with Your hand, and planted [Israel in their place]; You afflicted peoples and banished them.
4For not by their sword did they inherit the land, and their own arm did not save them, but by Your right hand, Your arm and the light of Your countenance-for You favored them.
5You are my king, O God; decree the salvation of Jacob.
6Through You will we gore our adversaries; with Your Name we will trample our opponents.
7For I do not trust in my bow, and my sword cannot save me.
8For You have delivered us from our foes, and You shamed those who hate us.
9In God we glory all day, and forever thank Your Name, Selah.
10Though You abandon and disgrace us, and do not go forth with our armies;
11You cause us to retreat from the oppressor, and those who hate us plunder for themselves;
12You deliver us like sheep to be devoured, and scatter us among the nations;
13You sell Your nation without gain, and do not set a high price upon them;
14You make us a disgrace to our neighbors, the scorn and derision of those around us;
15You make us a byword among the nations, [a cause for] nodding the head among the peoples;
16all day long my humiliation is before me, and the shame of my face covers me
17at the voice of the reviler and blasphemer, because of the foe and avenger-
18all this has come upon us, yet we have not forgotten You, nor have we been false to Your covenant.
19Our hearts have not retracted, nor have our steps strayed from Your path.
20Even when You crushed us in the place of serpents, and shrouded us in the shadow of death-
21did we forget the Name of our God, and extend our hands to a foreign god?
22Is it not so that God can examine this, for He knows the secrets of the heart.
23For it is for Your sake that we are killed all the time; we are regarded as sheep for the slaughter.
24Arise! Why do You sleep, my Lord? Wake up! Do not abandon [us] forever!
25Why do You conceal Your countenance and forget our affliction and distress?
26For our souls are bowed to the dust, our bellies cleave to the earth.
27Arise! Be our help, and redeem us for the sake of Your kindness.
Chapter 45
The psalmist composed this psalm referring to Moshiach. He describes his greatness, his attributes, his glory, his wealth, and his reign; and states that Israel anticipates him, remembering and saying in every generation, "When will King Moshiach come?"
1 For the Conductor, upon the shoshanim, By the sons of Korach; a maskil, a song of love.
2My heart is astir with a noble theme; I say, "My composition is for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful scribe.”
3You are the most handsome of men, charm is poured upon your lips; therefore has God blessed you forever.
4Gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one-it is your majesty and splendor.
5And with your splendor, succeed and ride on for the sake of truth and righteous humility; and your right hand will guide you to awesome deeds.
6Your arrows are sharpened-nations fall beneath you-[the arrows fall] into the hearts of the king's enemies.
7Your throne, O ruler, is forever and ever, [for] the scepter of justice is the scepter of your kingdom.
8You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore has God, your God, anointed you with oil of joy above your peers.
9Myrrh, aloes and cassia are [the fragrance] of all your garments, which are from ivory palaces that bring you joy.
10Daughters of kings visit you, and the queen stands erect at your right hand, adorned in the fine gold of Ophir.
11Hear, O daughter, and observe, incline your ear; forget your people and your father's house.
12Then the king will desire your beauty. He is your master-bow to him.
13The daughter of Tyre, the wealthiest of nations, will seek your favor with a gift.
14All the glory of the princess is within; her clothing surpasses settings of gold.
15In embroidered garments she will be brought to the king; the maidens in her train, her companions, will be led to you.
16They will be brought with gladness and joy, they will enter the palace of the king.
17Your sons will succeed your fathers; you will appoint them ministers throughout the land.
18I will cause Your Name to be remembered throughout the generations; therefore will the nations praise You forever and ever.
Chapter 46
This psalm tells of the Gog and Magog era (the Messianic age), when man will cast aside his weapons, and warfare will be no more.
1For the Conductor, by the sons of Korach, on the alamot, a song.
2God is our refuge and strength, a help in distress, He is most accessible.
3Therefore, we will not be afraid when the earth is transformed, when mountains collapse in the heart of the seas;
4when its waters roar and are muddied, and mountains quake before His grandeur, Selah.
5The river-its streams will bring joy to the city of God, the sacred dwelling of the Most High.
6God is in her midst, she will not falter; God will help her at the approach of morning.
7Nations clamor, kingdoms stumble; He raises His voice and the earth dissolves.
8The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold forever.
9Go and see the works of the Lord, Who has wrought devastation in the land.
10To the end of the earth He causes wars to cease; He breaks the bow, snaps the spear, and burns the wagons in fire.
11Stop [waging war]! And know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, exalted upon the earth.
12The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold forever.
Chapter 47
Following the battle of Gog and Magog (in the Messianic era), war will be no more. God will grant us salvation, and we will merit to go up to the Holy Temple for the festivals, Amen.
1For the Conductor, a psalm by the sons of Korach.
2All you nations, clap hands; sound [the shofar] to God with a sound of jubilation.
3For the Lord is most high, awesome; a great King over all the earth.
4He subdues peoples under us, nations beneath our feet.
5He chooses our heritage for us, the glory of Jacob whom He loves eternally.
6God ascends through teruah, the Lord-through the sound of the shofar.
7Sing, O sing to God; sing, O sing to our King.
8For God is King over all the earth; sing, O man of understanding.
9God reigns over the nations; God is seated on His holy throne.
10The most noble of the nations are gathered, the nation of the God of Abraham; for the protectors of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted.
Chapter 48
The psalmist prophesies about the Messianic era, singing the praises of a rebuilt Jerusalem and the sacrifices brought there. At that time Israel will say, "As we heard from the mouths of the prophets, so have we merited to see!"
1A song, a psalm by the sons of Korach.
2The Lord is great and exceedingly acclaimed in the city of God, His holy mountain.
3Beautiful in landscape, the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion, on the northern slopes, the city of the great King.
4In her citadels, God became known as a tower of strength.
5For behold, the kings assembled, they advanced in concert [to invade her].
6They saw [the wonders of the Almighty] and were astounded; they were terror-stricken, they hastened to flee.
7Trembling seized them there, pangs as of a woman in the throes of labor;
8[they were crushed as] by an east wind that shatters the ships of Tarshish.
9As we have heard, so have we seen, in the city of the Lord of Hosts, in the city of our God; may God establish it for all eternity.
10God, we have been hoping for Your kindness [to be revealed] within Your Sanctuary.
11As Your Name, O God, [is great,] so is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is filled with righteousness.
12Let Mount Zion rejoice, let the towns of Judah exult, because of Your judgments.
13Walk around Zion, encircle her, count her towers.
14Consider well her ramparts, behold her lofty citadels, that you may recount it to a later generation.
15For this God is our God forever and ever; He will lead us eternally.
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 22, 23, and 24.
Chapter 22
Every person should pray in agony over the length of the exile, and our fall from prestige to lowliness. One should also take vows (for self-improvement) in his distress.
1For the Conductor, on the ayelet hashachar, a psalm by David.
2My God, my God, why have You forsaken me! So far from saving me, from the words of my outcry?
3 My God, I call out by day, and You do not answer; at night-but there is no respite for me.
4Yet You, Holy One, are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.
5In You our fathers trusted; they trusted and You saved them.
6They cried to You and were rescued; they trusted in You and were not shamed.
7And I am a worm and not a man; scorn of men, contempt of nations.
8All who see me mock me; they open their lips, they shake their heads.
9But one that casts [his burden] upon the Lord-He will save him; He will rescue him, for He desires him.
10For You took me out of the womb, and made me secure on my mother's breasts.
11I have been thrown upon You from birth; from my mother's womb You have been my God.
12Be not distant from me, for trouble is near, for there is none to help.
13Many bulls surround me, the mighty bulls of Bashan encircle me.
14They open their mouths against me, like a lion that ravages and roars.
15I am poured out like water, all my bones are disjointed; my heart has become like wax, melted within my innards.
16My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my palate; You set me in the dust of death.
17For dogs surround me, a pack of evildoers enclose me; my hands and feet are like a lion's prey.
18I count all my limbs, while they watch and gloat over me.
19They divide my garments amongst them; they cast lots upon my clothing.
20But You, Lord, do not be distant; my Strength, hurry to my aid!
21Save my life from the sword, my soul from the grip of dogs.
22Save me from the lion's mouth, as You have answered me from the horns of wild beasts.
23I will recount [the praises of] Your Name to my brothers; I will extol You amidst the congregation.
24You that fear the Lord, praise Him! Glorify Him, all you progeny of Jacob! Stand in awe of Him, all you progeny of Israel!
25For He has not despised nor abhorred the entreaty of the poor, nor has He concealed His face from him; rather He heard when he cried to Him.
26My praise comes from You, in the great congregation; I will pay my vows before those that fear Him.
27Let the humble eat and be satisfied; let those who seek the Lord praise Him-may your hearts live forever!
28All the ends of the earth will remember and return to the Lord; all families of nations will bow down before You.
29For sovereignty is the Lord's, and He rules over the nations.
30All the fat ones of the earth will eat and bow down, all who descend to the dust shall kneel before Him, but He will not revive their soul.
31The progeny of those who serve Him will tell of the Lord to the latter generations.
32They will come and relate His righteousness-all that He has done-to a newborn nation.
Chapter 23
Psalm 23, written by King David, is a timeless testament to the rock-solid faith of the Jewish people in knowing that G‑d is always with us, protecting and guiding our path.
1A psalm by David. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall lack nothing.
2He lays me down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters.
3He revives my soul; He directs me in paths of righteousness for the sake of His Name.
4Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff-they will comfort me.
5You will prepare a table for me before my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; my cup is full.
6Only goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the House of the Lord for many long years.
Chapter 24
If the fulfillment of one's prayer would result in the sanctification of God's Name, he should pray that God act for the sake of the holiness of His Name. One should also invoke the merit of his ancestors, for we know that "the righteous are greater in death than in life"
1By David, a psalm. The earth and all therein is the Lord's; the world and its inhabitants.
2For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers.
3Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord, and who may stand in His holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not used My Name in vain or sworn falsely.
5He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and kindness from God, his deliverer.
6Such is the generation of those who search for Him, [the children of] Jacob who seek Your countenance forever.
7Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, eternal doors, so the glorious King may enter.
8Who is the glorious King? The Lord, strong and mighty; the Lord, mighty in battle.
9Lift up your heads, O gates; lift them up, eternal doors, so the glorious King may enter.
10Who is the glorious King? The Lord of Hosts, He is the glorious King for all eternity.
Tehillim Ohel Yoseph Yitzchok,
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