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Pesukei dezimra
Pesukei dezimra (Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: פְּסוּקֵי דְזִמְרָא, romanized: pǝsuqē ḏǝzimrā, lit. 'Verses of praise'; Rabbinic Hebrew: פַּסוּקֵי הַזְּמִירוֹת pasuqẽ hazzǝmiroṯ "Verses of songs"), or zemirot as they are called by the Spanish and Portuguese Jews, are a group of prayers that may be recited during Shacharit (the morning set of prayers in Judaism). They consist of various blessings, psalms, and sequences of other Biblical verses. Historically, reciting pesuqe dezimra in morning prayer was only practiced by the especially pious. Throughout Jewish history, their recitation has become widespread among the various rites of Jewish prayer.
The goal of pesukei dezimra is for the individual to recite praises of God before making the requests featured later in Shacharit and the day.
The first source for pesuke dezimra is in the Babylonian Talmud, where it is described as non-obligatory (performed by some people but not others):
Rabbi Yosei said: May my portion be among those who eat three meals on Shabbat. Apropos this statement of Rabbi Yosei, the Gemara cites additional declarations. Rabbi Yosei said: May my portion be among those who complete hallel every day. The Gemara is surprised at this: Is that so? Didn’t the Master say: One who reads hallel every day is tantamount to one who curses and blasphemes God. He displays contempt for hallel by not reserving it for days on which miracles occurred. The Gemara answers: When we say this statement of Rabbi Yosei, we are referring to the verses of praise (Hallel) of [pesukei dezimra], recited during the morning service, not to hallel (Psalms 113–118) recited on special days.
Later commentaries explain what Hallel of pesuke dezimra consists of: Rashi said it means psalms 148 and 150, Saadia Gaon said it means psalms 147-150, while Menachem HaMeiri (d. 1375) and Maimonides in Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Tefilah 7:12 said it meant all of psalms 145-150. Nowadays, it is customary for pesuke dezimra to include psalms 145-150 as well as several other psalms, recitations, and blessings before Barukh she'amar and after Yishtabach as pesuke dezimra.
Elsewhere, the Talmud states that a person should praise God and only afterwards begin prayer. Opinions differ as to which praise is referred to: the first three blessings of the Amidah, the Shema blessings, or to pesukei dezimra.
For a long time, these prayers remained optional. Eventually, pesukei dezimra were incorporated into all standard Jewish prayer services. Maimonides taught that prayer should be recited in an upbeat mood, slowly, and wholeheartedly, and that rushing through them (as many who recite them daily do) defeats their purpose.
Rashi commented on Talmud Berakhot 4b:16 that the prayer that Jews are required to say thrice daily to be assured a place in the World to Come is Psalm 145. Rashi considered that singing of three psalms 145, 148, 150 in the morning is required of Jewish personal prayer (not communal). Maimonides considered the same, and that communal prayer begins just starting from the Kaddish and Shema.
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Pesukei dezimra
Pesukei dezimra (Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: פְּסוּקֵי דְזִמְרָא, romanized: pǝsuqē ḏǝzimrā, lit. 'Verses of praise'; Rabbinic Hebrew: פַּסוּקֵי הַזְּמִירוֹת pasuqẽ hazzǝmiroṯ "Verses of songs"), or zemirot as they are called by the Spanish and Portuguese Jews, are a group of prayers that may be recited during Shacharit (the morning set of prayers in Judaism). They consist of various blessings, psalms, and sequences of other Biblical verses. Historically, reciting pesuqe dezimra in morning prayer was only practiced by the especially pious. Throughout Jewish history, their recitation has become widespread among the various rites of Jewish prayer.
The goal of pesukei dezimra is for the individual to recite praises of God before making the requests featured later in Shacharit and the day.
The first source for pesuke dezimra is in the Babylonian Talmud, where it is described as non-obligatory (performed by some people but not others):
Rabbi Yosei said: May my portion be among those who eat three meals on Shabbat. Apropos this statement of Rabbi Yosei, the Gemara cites additional declarations. Rabbi Yosei said: May my portion be among those who complete hallel every day. The Gemara is surprised at this: Is that so? Didn’t the Master say: One who reads hallel every day is tantamount to one who curses and blasphemes God. He displays contempt for hallel by not reserving it for days on which miracles occurred. The Gemara answers: When we say this statement of Rabbi Yosei, we are referring to the verses of praise (Hallel) of [pesukei dezimra], recited during the morning service, not to hallel (Psalms 113–118) recited on special days.
Later commentaries explain what Hallel of pesuke dezimra consists of: Rashi said it means psalms 148 and 150, Saadia Gaon said it means psalms 147-150, while Menachem HaMeiri (d. 1375) and Maimonides in Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Tefilah 7:12 said it meant all of psalms 145-150. Nowadays, it is customary for pesuke dezimra to include psalms 145-150 as well as several other psalms, recitations, and blessings before Barukh she'amar and after Yishtabach as pesuke dezimra.
Elsewhere, the Talmud states that a person should praise God and only afterwards begin prayer. Opinions differ as to which praise is referred to: the first three blessings of the Amidah, the Shema blessings, or to pesukei dezimra.
For a long time, these prayers remained optional. Eventually, pesukei dezimra were incorporated into all standard Jewish prayer services. Maimonides taught that prayer should be recited in an upbeat mood, slowly, and wholeheartedly, and that rushing through them (as many who recite them daily do) defeats their purpose.
Rashi commented on Talmud Berakhot 4b:16 that the prayer that Jews are required to say thrice daily to be assured a place in the World to Come is Psalm 145. Rashi considered that singing of three psalms 145, 148, 150 in the morning is required of Jewish personal prayer (not communal). Maimonides considered the same, and that communal prayer begins just starting from the Kaddish and Shema.