The Poetry of Prayer: Tehillim in Tefillah by Baumol Rabbi Avi

Author:Baumol, Rabbi Avi [Baumol, Rabbi Avi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gefen Publishing
Published: 2013-11-15T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 21

Sunday, Psalm 24:

The Beginning...

Who will stand in His holy place?

PSALM 24

1. A Psalm of David. The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;

2. For He founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.

3. Who will ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who will stand in His holy place?

4. He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not taken a false oath [to God] and not sworn deceitfully,

5. he will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from God, his Savior.

6. Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face, God of Jacob. Selah.

7. Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, and the King of Glory will enter.

8. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.

9. Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, and the King of Glory will enter.

10. Who is He, this King of Glory? The Lord Almighty – He is the King of Glory. Selah .

HISTORY OF PSALM 24 IN THE LITURGY

Psalm 24 is one of the most frequently read psalms in our prayers. We recite it every Sunday as the first shir shel yom, the Levitical songs in the Temple. In the Ashkenaz (Eastern European) tradition, the psalm is recited on Mondays, Thursdays and Shabbat afternoons, every time we return the Torah to the ark. In addition, it is prominently featured on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Historically we already mentioned 1 that the insertion of Psalm 24 and all of the shir shel yom psalms dates back to the siddur of Rav Amram Gaon. Rambam, in his Mishneh Torah at the end of Sefer Ahavah 2 writes “it is customary for some of the communities to read every day after the tachanunim the songs recited in the Temple on that day.”

THE STRUCTURE OF PSALM 24

Psalm 24 divides easily into three sections. The problem is, though, that they seem to have nothing to do with each other.

The first section (verses 1 and 2) exclaims a primordial truism: the land belongs to God; He fashioned it upon the waters and set it upon the streams.

Part two of our psalm (verses 3 to 6) asks, “Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place?” A list of ethical and moral characteristics follows. In addition, there is a message for future generations that seek the face of God.

The final segment of the psalm (verses 7 to 10) directs our attention toward the holy gates. David bids the heavenly gates to open and await the entrance of the “King of Glory.”

What is the theme that ties the sections together? What renders it worthy of its prominent liturgical place? Through analyzing each section we will find the thread that weaves the distinct parts into a whole.

I. TO GOD, THE EARTH...

The psalm begins with an intense and direct declaration that focuses our attention: – “The earth is the Lord’s.

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