The literary analyses of the Psalms are written by Dr. Victoria Rosenberg. They come out of discussions between Rabbi Amram Maccabi and Dr. Rosenberg who weekly study a particular Psalm which inspires the analysis then posted on the website. Victoria Hammerling Rosenberg holds a PhD in English literature and has taught at Dalhousie and Mount St. Vincent universities.
Click here to read “Psalm Twenty-two: Translation of the Song” Two visions create Song 22; one perceives the present and one, the future. Each describes an extreme state of being and each is the polar opposite of the other. The song opens with the voicing of an anguish so intense that, more than a cry, it …
Both the structure of the praisesong and its themes are complements. Each describes the singer’s feeling of certainty; his sureness of God’s protection and his gratitude for it. No wonder, then, that the most striking repetition in the song is the word “Indeed”, that begins verses 4, 7, 8, 12 and 13, for it denotes …
For the entire month of Elul, leading into Succot, this Psalm is traditionally read at both morning and evening services. Perhaps because its last stanza –“Hope in Adonai; be strong and of good courage!”`– may fortify those who recite it, as they face the Days of Repentance and Judgement. Perhaps because the first line of …
Continue reading ‘Literary analysis of Psalm 27 – One thing I ask of Adonai’ »
The structure of Song 20 has a precise symmetry: the 10 verses divide into two equal parts; the name Adonai is repeated 5 times. In contrast, the content is a labyrinth, puzzles within puzzles. The first puzzle presents itself immediately: verse 1 identifies the composer of the song as David. But what is not made …
Click here to read “Psalm Six – Translation of the Song” Three ideas inspire the praisesong: the essence of creation; the revelation of God’s teachings; the promise of redemption. These are the same three themes that make up the daily prayer service (whether the division into these three specific parts is based on Song 19 is not known). The …
Continue reading ‘Literary analysis of Psalm 19 – Creation, revelation and redemption’ »
Three distinct elements inspire Song 18: David’s feelings of gratitude (afterall, it is a Praisesong); imagery so startling that it seems the stuff of dreams; and, finally, David’s desire to establish his dynasty . The first verse gives the context of the song’s composition: King David is celebrating his having been saved “from the grip of …
Continue reading ‘Literary analysis of Psalm 18 – Covenant of the dynasty of David’s house’ »
Click here to read the Translation of Psalm Sixteen Opening with three problematic verses, Psalm 16 is, nevertheless, stately, hopeful and sure of God’s beneficence. The song centres about the image of a boundary in verse 6: “Legacies have fallen to me, pleasant [ones].” Both Hebrew and English infer an allotment, …
Click here to read “Psalm Fifteen – Translation of the Song” The form or structure of Song 15 matches its content or theme: the standards of moral conduct are set forth in 5 verses; each verse divides into 2 or 3 phrases, but for the closing verse, which consists of 3 phrases followed by a single declaration. The numbers 5,3,2 and …
Continue reading ‘Literary Analysis of Psalm 15 – Standing as tall as humans’ »
Click here to read “Psalm Fourteen– Translation of the Song” A bleak vision. The opening, more of a dirge than a praisesong. The singer sees a spiritual desert where “there is no doer of good” (v. 1). Worse yet, God “from the heavens observed the sons of man to see, is there someone wise, a …