The Siddur Project
Verses of Pruning
In the last few posts on prayer I have been stepping methodically through the morning service. I hope these posts have been helping you gain a perspective on the Jewish system of prayer and on prayer in general.
First I gave a broad overview of the daily prayers, showing the basic pattern of the evening (Ma’ariv), morning (Shacharit) and afternoon (Minchah) daily prayer services. Then I focused in on Shacharit and presented this fundamental structure:
- Preliminary Service
- Praise Section: Pesukei Dezimrah
- The Shema (Hear O Israel) and its Blessings
- The Amidah (Standing Prayer)
- Closing Section
Next, I presented to you the content and function of the Preliminary Service. In short, these morning blessings form a much needed segue between the very human process of waking up and the very holy task of connecting with the Almighty.
One Big Brachah
The next section is a praise section known as פסוקי דזמרה Pesukei Dezimrah. Literally, it means “verses of song.” It consists entirely of praise to God – most of which comes in the form of biblical Psalms. These Psalms and other Scripture readings are sandwiched in between two prayers: Baruch She’amar and Yishtabach. These two prayers are constructed in such a way that they turn this stream of verses and Psalms into one continuous gigantic blessing.
While this big blessing is certainly directed toward God, there really is a sneaky ulterior motive behind it. As words of thanks and praise and blessing proceed out of our mouths and back through our ears, the things that we are saying are brought to our attention, and we begin to believe them! The earlier morning service brought us into a frame of mind where we would be able to begin to pray, and now this Pesukei Dezimrah section is loading us up with reasons why we actually should.
As our hearts and minds begin to reflect on the greatness of God and the wonderful things He has done for humanity and for Israel, we become inspired to draw close to Him. It becomes more important to us to know Him and be known by Him.
Pruning
While the term Zimrah is best understood in this context to mean “song,” the word comes from a root that means “to pluck.” Just as one can pluck the strings of an instrument or pluck a branch off of a tree, the term Zimrah can also be interpreted as “pruning” (cf. Leviticus 25:4). Commentators often explain that this section serves to “prune” us by causing our flesh to submit to service of God. The desires that we have for non-godly things are trimmed away and our delight in God is allowed to flourish as a result.
Background and Pattern
The flexibility of this section makes this a good place to innovate and personalize. It appears that while the concept of beginning the prayers with Psalms of praise is very old, the exact order of this section was not standardized early on. Today, the different streams of tradition across the world (known as nusachot or rites) vary when it comes to this part of the prayers, albeit more in the order in which the prayers are arranged than in what Psalms and prayers are actually said.
One pattern that is found in the arrangement of Pesukei Dezimrah (as well as other places in the prayers) is the dichotomous nature of our relationship with God. The beginning of the section focuses on the greatness of God as the Creator, while the ending describes Him as the Redeemer of Israel.
One Step Nearer
As I have mentioned before, each section of prayer can be said to correspond with a court or chamber of the ancient Temple. There are differences of opinion as to which parts correspond with exactly what sections. Some understand Pesukei Dezimrah to correspond with the Court of Israel (עזרת ישראל ezrat yisra’el), the small section that marked the normal boundary for Jewish men. From this point there is a clear view of the priestly service, the slaughter and the roasting of the animals, as well as the towering Heichal (the central structure containing the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies). Others place us even nearer into the ulam, the grand entrance hall of the Heichal.
A Critical Step
Pesukei Dezimrah turns out to be one of the most appropriate places to abbreviate the prayers if one is short on time. However, in my personal prayer life I have found that when I abbreviate this section, by the time I get to the central and intimate parts of the prayers my mind is still buzzing with what I need to accomplish, and sadly I feel like can’t wait to be finished praying. But amazingly, if I force myself to trudge through this section with minimal abbreviation, I really do find that my attitude changes dramatically. By the time I am ready to move on to the next part, my heart is more focused on worship and my mind is settled. Instead of wanting to get the prayers over with, I find myself not wanting them to end! I have learned that for myself, Pesukei Dezimrah is a critical step in the prayers.
Aaron Eby
25 Nisan 5767
Day 10 of the omer
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Visitor Feedback:
I can not tell you what a blessing it is to see this project in motion. How long until it's complete?
michael | April 17, 2007 7:46 PM
Aaron,
Are any DVD's available that show these prayer services taking place? For someone that has never been a part of this type of prayer - I think it would help me to see and hear what actually takes place.
boy...it really must be 2007 if I'm asking the question "are any dvd's available" lol.
I may understand better to see it happen - and unfortunately I do not know anyone here that practices this routine.
Thank you,
May God bless you,
Rob
Rob | April 19, 2007 4:10 AM
When the Siddur is complete will there at least be an audio cd to accompany it so we can learn the proper ways to vocalize the prayers? Having been in an Orthodox type congregation of Believers in Messiah I was exposed to many of these prayers, but obviously could use some help in tunes for the ones that are sung or chanted. I also think a dvd, like Rob mentioned, showing the prayer service is a great idea! Many people do not have the opportunity to experience this and providing a dvd of a prayer service might just be the ticket they need to understand the whole process. After having visited different Messianic type congregations I really see the need for some help in this area. Most people simply do not know what they are doing when it comes to the prayer services. Just some food for thought. :) Sherry
Sherry Carter | May 6, 2007 10:40 PM