למנהג אמירת תהלים

In the times of the Holy Temple the Levites would each day singhymnals from the book of Psalms. On occasions it was alsoaccustomed to sing additional special hymnals. While towards the endof the Gaonic period there is also evidence of regular readings of thebook. This is the source of the widespread custom amongst Jewishcommunities to recite Psalms daily and not necessarily referring to aspecific date or due to a specific Holiday.Indeed, it is challenging to pinpoint exactly when this custom cameinto mainstream practice, albeit not in a single day, gradually fordifferent reasons the recitation took on permanence. For instance, itwas seen as a powerful force to counter extreme circumstancesincluding psychical and spiritual threats alike. With the passing oftime Psalms took on the level of a prayer-book that had far reachinginfluence in the religious paradigm. For example, the decree of theArizal to not learn holy scripture at night did not include recitation ofPsalms.In order to regulate the new daily reading the book of Psalms waspartitioned in different ways in order to allow for short and completereadings. In order to counter what would inevitably be lost with thenormalized daily reading, the addition of melodies and emphasis oncertain elements, as Kavvanah or Devekut, even 'studying' of thePsalms, has evolved to the point of a right way of reciting.The article discusses the incarnations of the custom in various aspects.