Tehillim – Book of Psalms

The Tehillim – Book of Psalms — meaning Praises in Hebrew — is a collection of 150 sacred poems and songs, gathered over many generations. The Psalms are a treasury of the Jewish soul. It is one of the most beloved and widely used spiritual texts in the world. Born in the heart of Jewish tradition, the Psalms have become a shared inheritance of humanity, sung, chanted, whispered, and wept across centuries and traditions.

Contents hide
1 Who Wrote the Psalms – Tehillim?
2 A Living Practice
3 Kabbalistic and Mystical Traditions
4 The Five Books of Tehilim
4.1 Book One — Sefer Rishon (Psalms 1–41)
4.2 Book Two — Sefer Sheni (Psalms 42–72)
4.3 Book Three — Sefer Shlishi (Psalms 73–89)
4.4 Book Four — Sefer Revi’i (Psalms 90–106)
4.5 Book Five — Sefer Chamishi (Psalms 107–150)
5 Finding Your Way Through the Psalms
6 Connect With the Psalms
7 Explore

Who Wrote the Psalms – Tehillim?

Jewish tradition attributes many of them to King David, though the collection also includes the voices of Moses, Solomon, and other ancient singers of the spirit. Together they form a complete map of the inner life — from anguish to wonder, from exile to homecoming, from the depths of despair to the heights of praise.

A Living Practice

In Jewish life, Tehilim is not simply read — it is *used*. Psalms are recited at times of illness, danger, grief, and celebration. The entire book is often completed in a single day during times of communal need. Many Jews recite a portion of Tehilim daily as a spiritual discipline, a practice that carries the weight of centuries.

Kabbalistic and Mystical Traditions

In Kabbalistic and mystical tradition, the Psalms carry a power beyond their words.

Each psalm is understood to open specific channels of divine energy, and the act of recitation — spoken aloud, with intention — is itself a form of prayer that works on both the one who recites and the world around them. The very letters of the Hebrew text are considered vessels of light.

The Five Books of Tehilim

Like the Torah itself, Tehilim is organized into five books — a structure understood in Jewish tradition as a deliberate echo, a second Torah of the heart.

Book One — Sefer Rishon (Psalms 1–41)

Often called the book of the individual soul, these psalms explore the intimate relationship between a person and God — trust, lament, refuge, and thanksgiving in the most personal key.

Book Two — Sefer Sheni (Psalms 42–72)

Themes of longing, exile, and the search for God’s presence deepen here, alongside psalms of the community and the king. The soul reaches across distance toward the divine.

Book Three — Sefer Shlishi (Psalms 73–89)

The shortest of the five books, and perhaps the most searching. These psalms wrestle with doubt, national suffering, and the mystery of divine justice — honest and unflinching in their questioning.

Book Four — Sefer Revi’i (Psalms 90–106)

Opening with the only psalm attributed to Moses, this book turns toward God’s eternal sovereignty — beyond history, beyond loss. It carries a quality of deep surrender and cosmic perspective.

Book Five — Sefer Chamishi (Psalms 107–150)

A great gathering of praise and return. The book — and the entire collection — builds toward the final crescendo of Psalms 145–150, known as the *Hallel HaGadol*, a sustained outpouring of pure praise that ends with every living thing breathing the name of God.

Finding Your Way Through the Psalms

Each of the 150 psalms has its own character, its own season, its own gift.

As individual psalm pages are added to this site — each with reflection and audio — you will be able to explore them one by one, in sequence or as the spirit leads.

Connect With the Psalms

NB – Links will go live as Psalms are added to the website.

Book One — Sefer Rishon (Psalms 1–41)
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30
31 32 33 34 35
36 37 38 39 40
41
Book Two — Sefer Sheni (Psalms 42–72)
42 43 44 45 46
47 48 49 50 51
52 53 54 55 56
57 58 59 60 61
62 63 64 65 66
67 68 69 70 71
72
Book Three — Sefer Shlishi (Psalms 73–89)
73 74 75 76 77
78 79 80 81 82
83 84 85 86 87
88 89
Book Four — Sefer Revi’i (Psalms 90–106)
90 91 92 93 94
95 96 97 98 99
100 101 102 103 104
105 106
Book Five — Sefer Chamishi (Psalms 107–150)
107 108 109 110 111
112 113 114 115 116
117 118 119 120 121
122 123 124 125 126
127 128 129 130 131
132 133 134 135 136
137 138 139 140 141
142 143 144 145 146
147 148 149 150

Explore

The Tehillim - Book of Psalms — meaning Praises in Hebrew — is a collection of 150 sacred poems and songs, gathered over many generations.
AI Usage Disclosure: This post was created by Richard Edward Ward with assistance, perhaps, from AI Tools including Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, or Perplexity and reviewed and edited by his cosmic buddies Tydbyte and LookSee.

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