T'hillim -- Psalms

King David had a very rough life. Even though he was born into a well-respected family in the Jewish tribe of Yehuda, known and esteemed for its leadership, he was the "Cinderella" son, sent out to be a shepherd, instead of being groomed for "finer things." When the Prophet Samuel arrived at the family home to anoint one of the sons as king, successor to Saul, David wasn't presented to him. Only after he insisted that there must be somebody missing was David brought out.

David was anointed by Samuel, but he couldn't take office immediately. Saul was still king, and Saul was out to kill him. During this difficult time, when David and his followers were being persecuted and killed by Saul, he wrote Tehillim, Psalms. They are poems and prayers of great faith, despite seemingly insurmountable difficulties. I've likened them to the "original blog."

There's a great comfort in reading Tehillim, and Jews all over the world read them at times of trouble. It's very popular to divide the 150 chapters among a number of people, and each one has to read his/her chapters daily. Frequently this is done to bring "Refuah shleimah," complete healing to someone ill. I'm part of two such groups.

I've just discovered that there's a Yahoo group of Tehillim sayers. So, if you'd like to join, take a look.

Shavua Tov! Have a truly wonderful week.