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 109, 110, and 111.
Chapter 109
David composed this psalm while fleeing from Saul. At that time he faced many enemies who, despite acting friendly in his presence, spoke only evil of him; he therefore curses them bitterly.
1For the Conductor, by David, a psalm. O God of my praise, be not silent.
2For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful have opened against me; they spoke to me with a false tongue.
3They have surrounded me with words of hate, and attacked me without cause.
4In return for my love they hate me; still, I am [a man of] prayer.
5They placed harm upon me in return for my favor, and hatred in return for my love.
6Appoint a wicked man over him; let an adversary stand at his right.
7When he is judged may he go out condemned; may his prayer be considered a sin.
8May his days be few; may another take his position.
9May his children be orphans and his wife a widow.
10May his children wander about and beg; may they seek charity from amid their ruins.
11May the creditor seize all that he has, and may strangers plunder [the fruits of] his labor.
12May he have none who extends him kindness, and may none be gracious to his orphans.
13May his posterity be cut off; may their name be erased in a later generation.
14May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered by the Lord, and the sin of his mother not be erased.
15May they be before the Lord always, and may He cut off their memory from the earth.
16Because he did not remember to do kindness, and he pursued the poor and destitute man and the broken-hearted, to kill [him].
17He loved the curse and it has come upon him; he did not desire blessing, and it has remained far from him.
18He donned the curse like his garment, and it came like water into his innards, like oil into his bones.
19May it be to him like a cloak in which he wraps himself, as a belt with which he girds himself always.
20This is from the Lord for the deeds of my enemies, and [for] those who speak evil against my soul.
21And You, God, my Lord, do [kindness] with me for the sake of Your Name; for Your kindness is good, rescue me!
22For I am poor and destitute, and my heart has died within me.
23Like the fleeting shadow I am banished, I am tossed about like the locust.
24My knees totter from fasting, and my flesh is lean without fat.
25And I became a disgrace to them; they see me and shake their heads.
26Help me, Lord, my God, deliver me according to Your kindness.
27Let them know that this is Your hand, that You, Lord, have done it.
28Let them curse, but You will bless; they arose, but they will be shamed, and Your servant will rejoice.
29May my adversaries be clothed in humiliation; may they wrap themselves in their shame as in a cloak.
30I will thank the Lord profusely with my mouth, and amid the multitude I will praise Him,
31when He stands at the right of the destitute one to deliver him from the condemners of his soul.
Chapter 110
This psalm records the response of Eliezer, servant of Abraham (to those who asked how Abraham managed to defeat the four kings). He tells of Abraham killing the mighty kings and their armies. Read, and you will discover that the entire psalm refers to Abraham, who merited prominence for recognizing God in his youth.
1By David, a psalm. The Lord said to my master, "Sit at My right, until I make your enemies a stool for your feet.”
2The staff of your strength the Lord will send from Zion, to rule amid your enemies.
3Your people [will come] willingly on the day of your campaign; because of your splendid sanctity from when you emerged from the womb, you still possess the dew of your youth.
4The Lord has sworn and will not regret: "You shall be a priest forever, just as Melchizedek!”
5My Lord is at your right; He has crushed kings on the day of His fury.
6He will render judgement upon the nations, and they will be filled with corpses; He will crush heads over a vast land.
7He will drink from the stream on the way, and so will hold his head high.
Chapter 111
This psalm is written in alphabetical sequence, each verse containing two letters, save the last two verses which contain three letters each. The psalm is short yet prominent, speaking of the works of God and their greatness.
1Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart, in the counsel of the upright and the congregation.
2Great are the works of the Lord, [yet] available to all who desire them.
3Majesty and splendor are His work, and His righteousness endures forever.
4He established a memorial for His wonders, for the Lord is gracious and compassionate.
5He gave food to those who fear Him; He remembered His covenant always.
6He has declared the power of His deeds to His people, to give them the inheritance of nations.
7The works of His hands are true and just; all His mandates are faithful.
8They are steadfast for ever and ever, for they are made with truth and uprightness.
9He sent redemption to His people, [by] commanding His covenant forever; holy and awesome is His Name.
10The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord; sound wisdom for all who practice it-His praise endures forever.
Tehillim Ohel Yoseph Yitzchok,
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