From the Desk of Rabbi Marcelo Bater  October 9/10, 2009   22 Tisrei 5770

As I write this, we are celebrating the intermediate days of Sukkot which are immediately followed (on Friday, 10/9) by Hoshanah Rabbah - the last day that we recite King David's Psalm 27.
 
What is so special about Psalm 27, a psalm that we read every morning and night for 51 days - from the beginning of the month of Elul until the day of Hoshanah Rabbah!?
                                                                                                            
During my year in Jerusalem, I had the pleasure of studying with Rabbi David Golinkin, President of Jerusalem's Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies. Much of the material of this week's Kehilaton is based on Rabbi Golinkin's articles on Psalm 27.
 
Interestingly, the custom of reading Psalm 27 over such a long, multi-day, time span was never mentioned in the Talmud or by Maimonides. It was, instead, first mentioned by Rabbi Ya'akov Emden (1697-1776) in his Siddur Bet Yaakov published in 1745, and by Rabbi Shabtai Rashkov (1655-1745), a student of the Baal Shem Tov. So, we know that sometime around the year 1745, Ashkenazik Jews began to recite Psalm 27 morning and evening from Rosh Chodesh Elul until Hoshanah Rabbah. (If you have never read Psalm 27, please do as I'm sure you will like it.)
 
OK. But why do we recite this Psalm during this time of the year?
 
Three different reasons/explanations have been put forth: 

Rabbi Shabtai Rashkov gave an involved Kabalistic explanation. Since Psalm 27 mentions G-d's name 13 times, if we recite it many times, this would protect us from an evil decree at this time of year as we are judged by the heavenly court.

Because of the Psalm stating the verse: "The Lord is my light and my salvation", the Rabbis, per a Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 21:4), had interpreted the sub-phrases in this verse to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: "The Lord is my light" to Rosh Hashanah..."And my salvation" to Yom Kippur.

The last verse of the psalm states: "Lule he'emanti lirot b'tuv hashem b'eretz hachayim"- "Had I not the assurance that I would enjoy the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." Since the word lule is dotted in the Masoretic text, this provides a hint that lule in reverse spells Elul!

Psalm 27 also contains many beautiful expressions that allude to what happens when we sanctify our lives. We can do this sanctification by turning our homes into Houses of the Lord - by observing commandments; by saying Hamotzi before eating bread; by studying Torah with our family; by doing Tzedakkah; by performing Bikkur Cholim (visiting the sick), and by Nichul Avelim (comforting the mourners).
 
We at Temple Beth Israel are definitely striving to also make our congregational home a House of the Lord where each one of us can search for and find an activity or prayer that helps us become G-d's partner in our world.
 
Chag Sameach!