Week 13 (Book 6): Reviewing the Fifth Week of Kislev - Psalms 37-39; 42:5-7; 89:14

PSALMS

Chapter 37

1. By David. Do not compete with the wicked; do not envy doers of injustice. 2. For like grass they will be swiftly cut down; like green vegetation they will wither. 3. Trust in the Lord and do good; then will you abide in the land and be nourished by faith. 4.Delight in the Lord, and He will grant you the desires of your heart.5. Cast your needs upon the Lord; rely on Him, and He will take care. 6. He will reveal your righteousness like the light, your justness like the high noon. 7. Depend on the Lord and hope in Him. Compete not with the prosperous, with the man who invents evil schemes. 8. Let go of anger, abandon rage; do not compete with [one who intends] only to harm. 9. For the evildoers will be cut down; but those who hope in the Lord, they will inherit the earth.10. For soon the wicked one will not be; you will gaze at his place and he will be gone. 11. But the humble shall inherit the earth, and delight in abundant peace. 12. The wicked one plots against the righteous, and gnashes his teeth at him. 13. My Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day will come. 14. The wicked have drawn a sword and bent their bow to fell the poor and destitute, to slaughter those of upright ways. 15. But their sword shall enter their own hearts, and their bows shall break. 16. Better the little of the righteous, than the abundant wealth of the wicked. 17. For the strength of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord supports the righteous. 18. The Lord appreciates the days of the innocent; their inheritance will last forever. 19. They will not be shamed in times of calamity, and in days of famine they will be satisfied. 20.For the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord are as fattened sheep: consumed, consumed in smoke. 21. The wicked man borrows and does not repay; but the righteous man is gracious and gives. 22. For those blessed by Him will inherit the earth, and those cursed by Him will be cut off. 23. The steps of man are directed by G-d; He desires his way. 24. When he totters he shall not be thrown down, for the Lord supports his hand. 25. I have been a youth, I have also aged; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his offspring begging bread. 26.All day he is kind and lends; his offspring are a blessing. 27. Turn away from evil and do good, and you will dwell [in peace] forever.28. For the Lord loves justice, he will not abandon his pious ones-they are protected forever; but the offspring of the wicked are cut off. 29. The righteous shall inherit the earth and dwell upon it forever. 30. The mouth of the righteous one utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. 31. The Torah of his G-d is in his heart; his steps shall not falter. 32. The wicked one watches for the righteous man, and seeks to kill him. 33. But the Lord will not abandon him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.34. Hope in the Lord and keep His way; then He will raise you high to inherit the earth. When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. 35. I saw a powerful wicked man, well-rooted like a vibrant, native tree. 36. Yet he vanished, behold he was gone; I searched for him, but he could not be found. 37. Watch the innocent, and observe the upright, for the future of such a man is peace. 38. But sinners shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked is cut off. 39. The deliverance of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in time of distress. 40. The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they have put their trust in Him.

Chapter 38

1. A psalm by David, to remind. 2. O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger, nor chastise me in Your wrath. 3. For Your arrows have landed in me, Your hand descended upon me. 4. There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your rage, no peace in my bones because of my sin. 5. For my iniquities have flooded over my head; like a heavy load, they are too heavy for me. 6. My wounds are rotted; they reek because of my foolishness. 7. I am bent and extremely bowed; all day I go about in gloom. 8. My sides are inflamed; there is no soundness in my flesh. 9. I am weakened and extremely depressed; I howl from the moaning of my heart. 10. My Lord, all that I desire is before You; my sighing is not hidden from You. 11. My heart is engulfed, my strength has left me; the light of my eyes they, too, are not with me. 12. My friends and companions stand aloof from my affliction; my intimates stand afar. 13. The seekers of my life have laid traps; those who seek my harm speak destructiveness; they utter deceits all day long. 14. But I am like a deaf man, I do not hear; like a mute that does not open his mouth. 15. I was like a man that does not perceive, and in whose mouth there are no rebuttals. 16.Because for You, O Lord, I wait; You will answer, my Lord, my G-d. 17. For I said, "Lest they rejoice over me; when my foot falters they will gloat over me.” 18. For I am accustomed to limping, and my pain is constantly before me. 19. For I admit my iniquity; I worry because of my sin. 20. But my enemies abound with life; those who hate me without cause flourish. 21. Those who repay evil for good resent me for my pursuit of good. 22. Do not forsake me, O Lord; do not be distant from me, my G-d. 23. Hurry to my aid, O my Lord, my Salvation.

Chapter 39

1. For the Conductor, for yedutun, a psalm by David. 2. I said that I would guard my ways from sinning with my tongue; I would guard my mouth with a muzzle, [even] while the wicked one is before me. 3. I became mute with stillness, I was silent [even] from the good, though my pain was crippling. 4. My heart grew hot within me, a fire blazed in my utterance, as I spoke with my tongue. 5. O Lord, let me know my end and what is the measure of my days, that I may know when I will cease. 6. Behold, like handbreadths You set my days; my lifetime is as naught before You. But all is futility, all mankind's existence, Selah. 7. Only in darkness does man walk, seeking only futility; he amasses riches and knows not who will reap them. 8. And now, what is my hope, my Lord? My longing is to You. 9. Rescue me from all my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of the degenerate. 10. I am mute, I do not open my mouth, for You have caused [my suffering]. 11. Remove Your affliction from me; I am devastated by the attack of Your hand. 12. In reproach for sin You chastened man; like a moth, You wore away that which is precious to him. All mankind is nothing but futility, forever. 13. Hear my prayer, O Lord, listen to my cry; do not be silent to my tears, for I am a stranger with You, a sojourner like all my forefathers. 14. Turn from me, that I may recover my strength, before I depart and I am no more.

TIKKUN HAKLALI

Chapter 42

5. These do I recall, and pour out my soul from within me: how I traveled [to Jerusalem] in covered wagons; I would walk leisurely with them up to the House of G-d, amid the sound of rejoicing and thanksgiving, the celebrating multitude. 6. Why are you downcast, my soul, and why do you wail within me? Hope to G-d, for I will yet thank Him for the deliverances of His countenance. 7. My G-d! My soul is downcast upon me, because I remember You from the land of Jordan and Hermon's peaks, from Mount Mitzar.

PSALM 89

14. Yours is the arm which has the might; strengthen Your hand, raise high Your right hand.

Week 14 (Book 6): Reviewing the First Week of Teveth - Psalms 40-42; 42:8-10; 89:15

PSALMS

Chapter 40

1. For the Conductor, a psalm by David. 2. I put my hope in the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. 3. He raised me from the turbulent pit, from the slimy mud, and set my feet upon a rock, steadying my steps. 4. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn to our G-d; multitudes will see and fear, and will trust in the Lord. 5.Fortunate is the man who has made the Lord his trust, and did not turn to the haughty, nor to those who stray after falsehood. 6. You have done much, O You, Lord my G-d-Your wonders and thoughts are for us; none can compare to You; should I relate or speak of them, they are too numerous to recount! 7. You desired neither sacrifice nor meal-offering, but [obedient] ears You opened for me; You requested neither burnt-offering nor sin-offering. 8. Then I said, "Behold, I come with a Scroll of the Book written for me."1 9. I desire to fulfill Your will, my G-d; and Your Torah is in my innards. 10. I proclaimed [Your] righteousness in a vast congregation; behold I will not restrain my lips-O Lord, You know! 11. I did not conceal Your righteousness within my heart; I declared Your faithfulness and deliverance; I did not hide Your kindness and truth from the vast congregation. 12. May You, Lord, not withhold Your mercies from me; may Your kindness and truth constantly guard me. 13. For countless evils surround me; my sins have overtaken me and I cannot see; they outnumber the hairs of my head, and my heart has abandoned me. 14. May it please You, Lord, to save me; O Lord, hurry to my aid. 15. Let those who seek my life, to end it, be shamed and humiliated together; let those who desire my harm retreat and be disgraced. 16. Let those who say about me, "Aha! Aha!" be desolate, in return for their shaming [me]. 17. Let all those who seek You exult and rejoice in You; let those who love Your deliverance always say, "Be exalted, O Lord!” 18. As for me, I am poor and needy; my Lord will think of me. You are my help and my rescuer; my G-d, do not delay!

Chapter 41

1. For the Conductor, a psalm by David. 2. Fortunate is he who is thoughtful of the poor, [for] the Lord will save him on the day of evil. 3. The Lord will guard him and keep him alive; he will be praised throughout the land; You will not deliver him to the desires of his enemies. 4. The Lord will support him on the bed of illness; You will turn him over in his bed all throughout his sickness. 5. I said, "Lord, be gracious to me! Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You!” 6. My foes say that evil [awaits] me: "When will he die, and his name perish?” 7. And if one comes to see [me], he speaks insincerely, for his heart gathers iniquity for himself, and when he goes out he speaks of it. 8. Together they whisper against me-all my enemies; against me they devise my harm, [saying]: 9. "Let his wickedness pour into him; now that he lies down, he shall rise no more.” 10. Even my ally in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has raised his heel over me. 11. But you, Lord, be gracious to me and raise me up, and I will repay them.12. With this I shall know that You desire me, when my enemies will not shout gleefully over me. 13. And I, because of my integrity, You upheld me; You set me before You forever. 14. Blessed is the Lord, the G-d of Israel, to all eternity, Amen and Amen.

Chapter 42

1. For the Conductor, a maskil1 by the sons of Korach. 2. As the deer cries longingly for brooks of water, so my soul cries longingly for You, O G-d! 3. My soul thirsts for G-d, for the living G-d. When will I come and behold the countenance of G-d? 4. My tears have been my bread day and night, when they say to me all day, "Where is your G-d?” 5. These do I recall, and pour out my soul from within me: how I traveled [to Jerusalem] in covered wagons; I would walk leisurely with them up to the House of G-d, amid the sound of rejoicing and thanksgiving, the celebrating multitude. 6. Why are you downcast, my soul, and why do you wail within me? Hope to G-d, for I will yet thank Him for the deliverances of His countenance. 7. My G-d! My soul is downcast upon me, because I remember You from the land of Jordan and Hermon's peaks, from Mount Mitzar.2 8. Deep calls to deep3 at the roar of Your channels; all Your breakers and waves have swept over me. 9. By day the Lord ordains His kindness, and at night His song is with me, a prayer to the G-d of my life. 10. I say to G-d, my rock, "Why have You forgotten me? Why must I walk in gloom under the oppression of the enemy?” 11. Like a sword in my bones, my adversaries disgrace me, when they say to me all day, "Where is your G-d?” 12. Why are you downcast, my soul, and why do you wail within me? Hope to G-d, for I will yet thank Him; He is my deliverance, [the light of] my countenance, and my G-d.

TIKKUN HAKLALI

Chapter 42

8. Deep calls to deep at the roar of Your channels; all Your breakers and waves have swept over me. 9. By day the Lord ordains His kindness, and at night His song is with me, a prayer to the G-d of my life. 10. I say to G-d, my rock, "Why have You forgotten me? Why must I walk in gloom under the oppression of the enemy?”

PSALM 89

15. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; kindness and truth go before Your countenance.

Week 15 (Book 6): Reviewing the Second Week of Teveth - Psalms 43-45; 42:11-12, 59:1-2; 89:16

PSALMS

Chapter 43

1. Avenge me, O G-d, and champion my cause against an impious nation; rescue me from the man of deceit and iniquity. 2. For You are the G-d of my strength; why have You abandoned me? Why must I walk in gloom under the oppression of the enemy? 3. Send Your light and Your truth, they will guide me; they will bring me to Your holy mountain and to your sanctuaries. 4. Then I will come to the altar of G-d-to G-d, the joy of my delight-and praise You on the lyre, O G-d, my G-d. 5. Why are you downcast, my soul, and why do you wail within me? Hope to G-d, for I will yet thank Him; He is my deliverance, [the light of] my countenance, and my G-d.

Chapter 44

1. For the Conductor, by the sons of Korach, a maskil.1 2. G-d, with our ears we have heard, our fathers have told us, of the deeds You wrought in their days, in the days of old. 3. You drove out nations with Your hand, and planted [Israel in their place]; You afflicted peoples and banished them. 4. For 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. 5. You are my king, O G-d; decree the salvation of Jacob. 6. Through You will we gore our adversaries; with Your Name we will trample our opponents. 7. For I do not trust in my bow, and my sword cannot save me. 8. For You have delivered us from our foes, and You shamed those who hate us. 9. In G-d we glory all day, and forever thank Your Name, Selah. 10. Though You abandon and disgrace us, and do not go forth with our armies; 11. You cause us to retreat from the oppressor, and those who hate us plunder for themselves; 12. You deliver us like sheep to be devoured, and scatter us among the nations; 13. You sell Your nation without gain, and do not set a high price upon them; 14. You make us a disgrace to our neighbors, the scorn and derision of those around us; 15. You make us a byword among the nations, [a cause for] nodding the head among the peoples; 16. all day long my humiliation is before me, and the shame of my face covers me 17. at the voice of the reviler and blasphemer, because of the foe and avenger- 18. all this has come upon us, yet we have not forgotten You, nor have we been false to Your covenant. 19. Our hearts have not retracted, nor have our steps strayed from Your path. 20. Even when You crushed us in the place of serpents, and shrouded us in the shadow of death- 21. did we forget the Name of our G-d, and extend our hands to a foreign G-d? 22. Is it not so that G-d can examine this, for He knows the secrets of the heart. 23. For it is for Your sake that we are killed all the time; we are regarded as sheep for the slaughter. 24. Arise! Why do You sleep, my Lord? Wake up! Do not abandon [us] forever! 25. Why do You conceal Your countenance and forget our affliction and distress? 26. For our souls are bowed to the dust, our bellies cleave to the earth. 27. Arise! Be our help, and redeem us for the sake of Your kindness.

Chapter 45

1. For the Conductor, upon the shoshanim,1 By the sons of Korach; a maskil,2 a song of love. 2. My heart is astir with a noble theme; I say, "My composition is for the king;3 my tongue is the pen of a skillful scribe.” 3. You are the most handsome of men, charm is poured upon your lips; therefore has G-d blessed you forever. 4. Gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one-it is your majesty and splendor. 5. And 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. 6. Your arrows are sharpened-nations fall beneath you-[the arrows fall] into the hearts of the king's enemies. 7. Your throne, O ruler, is forever and ever, [for] the scepter of justice is the scepter of your kingdom. 8. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore has G-d, your G-d, anointed you with oil of joy above your peers. 9. Myrrh, aloes and cassia are [the fragrance] of all your garments, which are from ivory palaces that bring you joy. 10. Daughters of kings visit you, and the queen stands erect at your right hand, adorned in the fine gold of Ophir. 11. Hear, O daughter, and observe, incline your ear; forget your people and your father's house. 12. Then the king will desire your beauty. He is your master-bow to him. 13. The daughter of Tyre, the wealthiest of nations, will seek your favor with a gift. 14. All the glory of the princess is within; her clothing surpasses settings of gold. 15. In embroidered garments she will be brought to the king; the maidens in her train, her companions, will be led to you. 16. They will be brought with gladness and joy, they will enter the palace of the king. 17. Your sons will succeed your fathers; you will appoint them ministers throughout the land. 18. I will cause Your Name to be remembered throughout the generations; therefore will the nations praise You forever and ever.

TIKKUN HAKLALI

Chapter 42

11. With murder in my bones, my oppressors have reproached me by saying to me all day long, "Where is your G-d?" 12. Why are you downcast, my soul, and why do you stir within me? Hope to G-d, for I will yet thank Him for the salvations of my countenance and my G-d.

Chapter 59

1. For the conductor, al tashcheth; of David a michtam, when Saul sent and they guarded the house to slay him. 2. Save me from my enemies, my G-d; strengthen me against those who rise up against me.

PSALM 89

16. Fortunate is the people that know the blasting of the shofar; O Lord, may they walk in the light of Your countenance.

Week 16 (Book 6): Reviewing the Third Week of Teveth - Psalms 46-48; 59:3-5; 89:17

PSALMS (Explanations and Translations from Chabad.org)

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.

1. For the Conductor, by the sons of Korach, on the alamot,1 a song. 2. G-d is our refuge and strength, a help in distress, He is most accessible. 3. Therefore, we will not be afraid when the earth is transformed, when mountains collapse in the heart of the seas; 4. when its waters roar and are muddied, and mountains quake before His grandeur, Selah. 5. The river2-its streams will bring joy to the city of G-d, the sacred dwelling of the Most High. 6. G-d is in her midst, she will not falter; G-d will help her at the approach of morning. 7. Nations clamor, kingdoms stumble; He raises His voice and the earth dissolves. 8. The Lord of Hosts is with us; the G-d of Jacob is our stronghold forever. 9. Go and see the works of the Lord, Who has wrought devastation in the land. 10. To the end of the earth He causes wars to cease; He breaks the bow, snaps the spear, and burns the wagons in fire. 11. Stop [waging war]! And know that I am G-d; I will be exalted among the nations, exalted upon the earth. 12. The Lord of Hosts is with us; the G-d of Jacob is our stronghold forever.

Chapter 47

Following the battle of Gog and Magog (in the Messianic era), war will be no more. G-d will grant us salvation, and we will merit to go up to the Holy Temple for the festivals, Amen.

1. For the Conductor, a psalm by the sons of Korach. 2. All you nations, clap hands; sound [the shofar] to G-d with a sound of jubilation. 3. For the Lord is most high, awesome; a great King over all the earth. 4. He subdues peoples under us, nations beneath our feet. 5. He chooses our heritage for us, the glory of Jacob whom He loves eternally. 6. G-d ascends through teruah, the Lord-through the sound of the shofar. 7. Sing, O sing to G-d; sing, O sing to our King. 8. For G-d is King over all the earth; sing, O man of understanding. 9. G-d reigns over the nations; G-d is seated on His holy throne. 10. The most noble of the nations are gathered, the nation of the G-d of Abraham; for the protectors of the earth belong to G-d; 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!"

1. A song, a psalm by the sons of Korach. 2. The Lord is great and exceedingly acclaimed in the city of G-d, His holy mountain. 3. Beautiful in landscape, the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion, on the northern slopes, the city of the great King. 4. In her citadels, G-d became known as a tower of strength. 5. For behold, the kings assembled, they advanced in concert [to invade her]. 6. They saw [the wonders of the Almighty] and were astounded; they were terror-stricken, they hastened to flee. 7. Trembling 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. 9. As we have heard, so have we seen, in the city of the Lord of Hosts, in the city of our G-d; may G-d establish it for all eternity. 10. G-d, we have been hoping for Your kindness [to be revealed] within Your Sanctuary. 11. As Your Name, O G-d, [is great,] so is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is filled with righteousness. 12. Let Mount Zion rejoice, let the towns of Judah exult, because of Your judgments. 13. Walk around Zion, encircle her, count her towers. 14. Consider well her ramparts, behold her lofty citadels, that you may recount it to a later generation. 15. For this G-d is our G-d forever and ever; He will lead us eternally. 

TIKKUN HAKLALI

Chapter 59

3. Rescue me from evildoers, save me from men of bloodshed. 4. For behold they lie in ambush for my soul, mighty ones gather against me-not because of my sin nor my transgression, O Lord. 5. Without iniquity [on my part,] they run and prepare-awaken towards me and see! 

PSALM 89

17. They rejoice in Your Name all day, and they are exalted through Your righteousness.