''Shir Shel Yom'' (שִׁיר שֶׁל יוֹם), meaning "'song' .e._Psalm.html"_;"title="Psalm.html"_;"title=".e._Psalm">.e._Psalm">Psalm.html"_;"title=".e._Psalm">.e._Psalmof_[the.html" ;"title="Psalm">.e._Psalm.html" ;"title="Psalm.html" ;"title=".e. Psalm">.e. Psalm">Psalm.html" ;"title=".e. Psalm">.e. Psalmof [the">Psalm">.e._Psalm.html" ;"title="Psalm.html" ;"title=".e. Psalm">.e. Psalm">Psalm.html" ;"title=".e. Psalm">.e. Psalmof [theday [of the week]" consists of one psalm recited daily at the end of the Jewish morning prayer services known as shacharit. Each day of the week possesses a distinct psalm that is referred to by its Hebrew name as the ''shir shel yom'' and each day's ''shir shel yom'' is a different paragraph of

Psalms The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...

. Although fundamentally similar to the Levite's song that was sung at the Holy Temple in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

in ancient times, there are some differences between the two.

Songs for the days of the week

* Sunday: Psalm 24. * Monday:

Psalm 48 Psalm 48 is the 48th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint vers ...

. * Tuesday: Psalm 82. * Wednesday:

Psalm 94 Psalm 94 is the 94th psalm in the biblical Book of Psalms. In the slightly different numbering system of the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate versions of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 93. In the King James Version its opening words are "O Lo ...

, followed (in many communities) by the first three verses of Psalm 95. * Thursday: Psalm 81. * Friday: Psalm 93. * Saturday: Psalm 92.

Rationale

Each day's ''shir shel yom'' was chosen for its ties to that day's significance in the week of

Creation Creation may refer to: Religion *''Creatio ex nihilo'', the concept that matter was created by God out of nothing *Creation myth, a religious story of the origin of the world and how people first came to inhabit it *Creationism, the belief that ...

, as explained by the

Baraita ''Baraita'' ( Aramaic: "external" or "outside"; pl. ''Barayata'' or ''Baraitot''; also Baraitha, Beraita; Ashkenazi: Beraisa) designates a tradition in the Jewish oral law not incorporated in the Mishnah. ''Baraita'' thus refers to teachings ...

that quotes Rabbi Yehuda in the name of

Rabbi Akiva Akiva ben Yosef (Mishnaic Hebrew: ''ʿĂqīvāʾ ben Yōsēf''; – 28 September 135 CE), also known as Rabbi Akiva (), was a leading Jewish scholar and sage, a '' tanna'' of the latter part of the first century and the beginning of the second c ...

: *On Sunday, Psalm 24 ("For God is the land and its fullness...") is recited, in reference to the first day of

, on which God acquired the universe, bequeathed it to mankind and ruled over His world by Himself. *On Monday, Psalm 48 ("Great is God and much praised...") is recited, in reference to the second day of Creation, on which He separated the things that he made (the heavens from the earth) and reigned over them. *On Tuesday, Psalm 82 ("God stands in the divine assembly...") is recited, in reference to the third day of Creation, on which He exposed the land with His wisdom, thus preparing the world for His assembly. *On Wednesday, Psalm 94 ("Hashem is a God of vengeance...") is recited, in reference to the fourth day of Creation, on which He created the sun and the moon and how he will ultimately exact punishment from those who worship them. *On Thursday, Psalm 81 ("Sing joyously to the God of our might...") is recited, in reference to the fifth day of Creation, on which He created the birds and the fish to give praise to his name. *On Friday, Psalm 93 ("Hashem has reigned, he had donned grandeur...") is recited, in reference to the sixth day of Creation, on which He completed his work and reigned over his creations. *On the Sabbath, Psalm 92 ("A song, a hymn for the

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, commanded by God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as ...

day") is recited, in reference to the seventh day of Creation, which is a day that is entirely Sabbath. The

Zohar The ''Zohar'' ( he, , ''Zōhar'', lit. "Splendor" or "Radiance") is a foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah (the five ...

provides an alternative rationale, linking the seven psalms to seven 1000-year periods. Contemporary scholar Dr Rachel Reich finds logic in the style of the Psalms: the psalm for the first day has "God" in its first (Hebrew) word, the psalm for the second day has "God" in its second word, and so on.

Other days

On holidays, including Chol Hamoed and

Rosh Chodesh Rosh Chodesh or Rosh Hodesh ( he, ראש חודש; trans. ''Beginning of the Month''; lit. ''Head of the Month'') is the name for the first day of every month in the Hebrew calendar, marked by the birth of a new moon. It is considered a minor ...

, the Levites would replace the regular song with one appropriate to the day. However, it is customary to recite only the standard song after Shacharit. The exception being that followers of the

Vilna Gaon Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, ( he , ר' אליהו בן שלמה זלמן ''Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman'') known as the Vilna Gaon (Yiddish: דער װילנער גאון ''Der Vilner Gaon'', pl, Gaon z Wilna, lt, Vilniaus Gaonas) or Elijah of ...

, including most Nusach Ashkenaz communities in Jerusalem recite all of the special songs for special days instead of the regular Psalms. On Rosh Chodesh, however, most congregations who do not follow the practices of the Gaon recite the special song ( Psalm 104) after the regular shir shel yom. Since in the times of the Temple, the song for the Sabbath would override any other song, many do not recite Psalm 104 if Rosh Chodesh falls out on the Sabbath, although many others do; the

and others would recite each holiday instead of the regular weekday Psalm.Maaseh Rav
157-158
/ref>

References

{{Jewish prayers Shacharit Jewish liturgical poems Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish prayers and blessings Siddur of Orthodox Judaism