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 106
The psalmist continues the theme of the previous psalm, praising God for performing other miracles not mentioned previously, for "who can recount the mighty acts of God?" Were we to try, we could not mention them all!
1Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord for He is good, for His kindness is everlasting.
2Who can recount the mighty acts of the Lord, or proclaim all His praises?
3Fortunate are those who preserve justice, who perform deeds of righteousness all the time.
4Remember me, Lord, when You find favor with Your people; be mindful of me with Your deliverance;
5to behold the prosperity of Your chosen, to rejoice in the joy of Your nation, to glory with Your inheritance.
6We have sinned as did our fathers, we have acted perversely and wickedly.
7Our fathers in Egypt did not contemplate Your wonders, they did not remember Your abundant kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, at the Sea of Reeds.
8Yet He delivered them for the sake of His Name, to make His strength known.
9He roared at the Sea of Reeds and it dried up; He led them through the depths, as through a desert.
10He saved them from the hand of the enemy, and redeemed them from the hand of the foe.
11The waters engulfed their adversaries; not one of them remained.
12Then they believed in His words, they sang His praise.
13They quickly forgot His deeds, they did not wait for His counsel;
14and they lusted a craving in the desert, they tested God in the wilderness.
15And He gave them their request, but sent emaciation into their souls.
16They angered Moses in the camp, and Aaron, the Lord's holy one.
17The earth opened and swallowed Dathan, and engulfed the company of Abiram;
18and a fire burned in their assembly, a flame set the wicked ablaze.
19They made a calf in Horeb, and bowed down to a molten image.
20They exchanged their Glory for the likeness of a grass-eating ox.
21They forgot God, their savior, Who had performed great deeds in Egypt,
22wonders in the land of Ham, awesome things at the Sea of Reeds.
23He said that He would destroy them-had not Moses His chosen one stood in the breach before Him, to turn away His wrath from destroying.
24They despised the desirable land, they did not believe His word.
25And they murmured in their tents, they did not heed the voice of the Lord.
26So He raised His hand [in oath] against them, to cast them down in the wilderness,
27to throw down their progeny among the nations, and to scatter them among the lands.
28They joined themselves to [the idol] Baal Peor, and ate of the sacrifices to the dead;
29they provoked Him with their doings, and a plague broke out in their midst.
30Then Phineas arose and executed judgement, and the plague was stayed;
31it was accounted for him as a righteous deed, through all generations, forever.
32They angered Him at the waters of Merivah, and Moses suffered on their account;
33for they defied His spirit, and He pronounced [an oath] with His lips.
34They did not destroy the nations as the Lord had instructed them;
35rather, they mingled with the nations and learned their deeds.
36They worshipped their idols, and they became a snare for them.
37They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons.
38They spilled innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land became guilty with blood.
39They were defiled by their deeds, and went astray by their actions.
40And the Lord's wrath blazed against His people, and He abhorred His inheritance;
41so He delivered them into the hands of nations, and their enemies ruled them.
42Their enemies oppressed them, and they were subdued under their hand.
43Many times did He save them, yet they were rebellious in their counsel and were impoverished by their sins.
44But He saw their distress, when He heard their prayer;
45and He remembered for them His covenant and He relented, in keeping with His abounding kindness,
46and He caused them to be treated mercifully by all their captors.
47Deliver us, Lord our God; gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to Your Holy Name and glory in Your praise.
48Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, forever and ever. And let all the people say, "Amen! Praise the Lord!"
Chapter 107
This psalm speaks of those who are saved from four specific perilous situations(imprisonment, sickness, desert travel, and sea travel) and must thank God, for their sins caused their troubles, and only by the kindness of God were they saved. It is therefore appropriate that they praise God and tell of their salvation to all.
1Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His kindness is everlasting.
2So shall say those redeemed by the Lord, those whom He redeemed from the hand of the oppressor.
3He gathered them from the lands-from east and from west, from north and from the sea.
4They lost their way in the wilderness, in the wasteland; they found no inhabited city.
5Both hungry and thirsty, their soul languished within them.
6They cried out to the Lord in their distress; He delivered them from their afflictions.
7He guided them in the right path to reach an inhabited city.
8Let them give thanks to the Lord, and [proclaim] His wonders to the children of man,
9for He has satiated a thirsting soul, and filled a hungry soul with goodness.
10Those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, bound in misery and chains of iron,
11for they defied the words of God and spurned the counsel of the Most High-
12He humbled their heart through suffering; they stumbled and there was none to help.
13They cried out to the Lord in their distress; He saved them from their afflictions.
14He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and sundered their bonds.
15Let them give thanks to the Lord for His kindness, and [proclaim] His wonders to the children of man,
16for He broke the brass gates and smashed the iron bars.
17Foolish sinners are afflicted because of their sinful ways and their wrongdoings.
18Their soul loathes all food, and they reach the gates of death.
19They cried out to the Lord in their distress; He saved them from their afflictions.
20He sent forth His command and healed them; He delivered them from their graves.
21Let them give thanks to the Lord for His kindness, and [proclaim] His wonders to the children of man.
22Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and joyfully recount His deeds.
23Those who go down to the sea in ships, who perform tasks in mighty waters;
24they saw the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep.
25He spoke and caused the stormy wind to rise, and it lifted up the waves.
26They rise to the sky, plunge to the depths; their soul melts in distress.
27They reel and stagger like a drunkard, all their skill is to no avail.
28They cried out to the Lord in their distress, and He brought them out from their calamity.
29He transformed the storm into stillness, and the waves were quieted.
30They rejoiced when they were silenced, and He led them to their destination.
31Let them give thanks to the Lord for His kindness, and [proclaim] His wonders to the children of man.
32Let them exalt Him in the congregation of the people, and praise Him in the assembly of the elders.
33He turns rivers into desert, springs of water into parched land,
34a fruitful land into a salt-marsh, because of the wickedness of those who inhabit it.
35He turns a desert into a lake, and parched land into springs of water.
36He settles the hungry there, and they establish a city of habitation.
37They sow fields and plant vineyards which yield fruit and wheat.
38He blesses them and they multiply greatly, and He does not decrease their cattle.
39[If they sin,] they are diminished and cast down through oppression, misery, and sorrow.
40He pours contempt upon distinguished men, and causes them to stray in a pathless wilderness.
41He raises the needy from distress, and makes their families [as numerous] as flocks.
42The upright observe this and rejoice, and all the wicked close their mouth.
43Let him who is wise bear these in mind, and then the benevolent acts of the Lord will be understood.
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 64, 65, and 66.
Chapter 64
The masters of homiletics interpret this psalm as alluding to Daniel, who was thrown into the lion's den. With divine inspiration, David foresaw the event and prayed for him. Daniel was a descendant of David, as can be inferred from God's statement to Hezekiah (himself of Davidic lineage), "And from your children, who will issue forth from you, they will take, and they (referring to, amongst others, Daniel) will be ministers in the palace of the king of Babylon."
1For the Conductor, a psalm by David.
2Hear my voice, O God, as I recount [my woes]; preserve my life from the terror of the enemy.
3Shelter me from the schemes of the wicked, from the conspiracy of evildoers,
4who have sharpened their tongue like the sword, aimed their arrow-a bitter word-
5to shoot at the innocent from hidden places; suddenly they shoot at him, they are not afraid.
6They encourage themselves in an evil thing, they speak of laying traps; they say: "Who will see them?”
7They sought pretexts; [and when] they completed a diligent search, each man [kept the plot] inside, deep in the heart.
8But God shot at them; [like] a sudden arrow were their blows.
9Their own tongues caused them to stumble; all who see them shake their heads [derisively].
10Then all men feared, and recounted the work of God; they perceived His deed.
11Let the righteous one rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in Him, and let them take pride-all upright of heart.
Chapter 65
This psalm contains awe-inspiring and glorious praises to God, as well as entreaties and prayers concerning our sins. It declares it impossible to recount God's greatness, for who can recount His mighty acts? Hence, silence is His praise.
1For the Conductor, a psalm by David, a song.
2Silence is praise for You, O God [Who dwells in] Zion; and to You vows will be paid.
3O Heeder of prayer, to You does all flesh come.
4Matters of sin overwhelm me; You will pardon our transgressions.
5Fortunate is [the nation] whom You choose and draw near, to dwell in Your courtyards; may we be sated with the goodness of Your House, with the holiness of Your Sanctuary.
6Answer us with awesome deeds as befits Your righteousness, O God of our salvation, the security of all [who inhabit] the ends of the earth and distant seas.
7With His strength He prepares [rain for] the mountains; He is girded with might.
8He quiets the roar of the seas, the roar of their waves and the tumult of nations.
9Those who inhabit the ends [of the earth] fear [You] because of Your signs; the emergences of morning and evening cause [man] to sing praise.
10You remember the earth and water it, you enrich it abundantly [from] God's stream filled with water. You prepare their grain, for so do You prepare it.
11You saturate its furrows, gratifying its legions; with showers You soften it and bless its growth.
12You crown the year of Your goodness [with rain], and Your clouds drip abundance.
13They drip on pastures of wilderness, and the hills gird themselves with joy.
14The meadows don sheep, and the valleys cloak themselves with grain; they sound blasts, indeed they sing.
Chapter 66
This psalm describes the praises and awe-inspiring prayers that we will offer God upon the ingathering of the exiles.
1For the Conductor, a song, a psalm. Raise your voices in jubilation to God, all the earth!
2Sing the glory of His Name; make glorious His praise.
3Say to God, "How awesome are Your deeds!" Because of Your great strength, Your enemies will [admit] their treachery to You.
4All the earth will bow to You, and sing to You; they will sing praise to Your Name forever!
5Go and see the works of God, awesome in His deeds toward mankind.
6He turned the sea into dry land, and they passed through the river on foot; we rejoiced in Him there.
7He rules the world with His might, and His eyes watch the nations; let the rebellious not exalt themselves, Selah.
8Bless our God, O nations, and let the voice of His praise be heard.
9He has kept us alive, and did not allow our feet to falter.
10For You tested us, O God; You refined us as one refining silver.
11You brought us into prison; You placed a chain upon our loins.
12You mounted men over our head; we went through fire and water, and You brought us out to abundance.
13I will enter Your House with burnt-offerings, I will pay to You my vows,
14which my lips uttered and my mouth spoke in my distress.
15I will offer up to You burnt-offerings of fat animals, with the smoke of rams; I will prepare cattle with he-goats, Selah.
16Come listen, all you who fear God, and I will relate what He has done for my soul.
17I called to Him with my mouth, with exaltation beneath my tongue.
18Had I seen iniquity in my heart, my Lord would not have listened.
19But in truth, God heard; He gave ear to the voice of my prayer.
20Blessed is God Who has not turned away my prayer or His kindness from me.
Tehillim Ohel Yoseph Yitzchok,
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