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Wisdom literature, the Tanakh\'s third pillar after Torah and Nevi'im. 150 psalms (תְּהִלִּים), traditionally attributed to David but written across centuries; and Mishlei (Proverbs), attributed to Shlomo. Recited daily in synagogue, at the bedside of the sick, in army units before missions, and in Israeli ceremonies of every kind. Closes Block 11.
Cultural note, Tehillim is the most-recited Jewish text after the Shema. People say "תְּהִלִּים" in informal Hebrew the way English-speakers say "thoughts and prayers." When someone is sick, you say "אֲנִי אַגִּיד עָלֶיךָ תְּהִלִּים", "I will say Tehillim for you." The line "אֵשֶׁת חַיִל" from Mishlei 31 is sung every Friday night before kiddush in observant homes.
Tehillim Vocabulary
Famous Psalms (by number)
Mishlei Vocabulary
Wisdom Phrases You\'ll Hear
Psalm 121: Shir LaMa\'alot
"I lift my eyes to the mountains." Recited at the bedside of new mothers, on long journeys, in IDF combat units before deployment. Used as a protective psalm.
Psalm 137: Al Naharot Bavel
"By the rivers of Babylon." The psalm of exile. Source of Jewish memory of Jerusalem. The line "im eshkachech Yerushalayim" is sung at every Jewish wedding before breaking the glass. Boney M turned the opening into a 1978 disco hit.
Eshet Chayil: Proverbs 31:10-15 (excerpt)
"A woman of valor, who can find?" Sung every Friday night by husbands to their wives in observant homes. Increasingly sung at funerals of women too.