The Proper Way to Say Tehillim

gryp

Tue, Dec 14 2004, 10:32 am

I learned something new this past week.

There are 4 kinds of "stop signs" in tehillim. its kind of hard to explain with no pictures but ill try:
1) sof pasuk- the : kind of thing at the end of a pasuk
2) asnachta- kind of like a frown symbol with a line from the top middle going up
3) oleh veyored- on top: an arrow pointing left without the middle line, and on bottom: a kind of half curve swinging left
4) meyushav- a diamond or dot on top of a word, when there is nothing else on top of the word.

an oleh veyored and meyushav appear in long psukim.
you dont really have to stop/pause at these signals, its just to tell you which phrases go together.

Sound complicated? its not! try it! it changes the entire way you say tehillim!!!!

gryp

Tue, Dec 14 2004, 11:00 am

well one and two I knew, three and four I didnt.
people are actually taught 3 and 4?
I actually did quite well in chumash Very Happy

zuncompany

Tue, Dec 14 2004, 11:40 am

Thank you RG! I did not know this and it really does make a difference.

What does this have to do with reading Chumash?

I learned how to read Chumash, but nobody actually sat down with me and taught me how to say tehillim.

Sara

Rochel Leah

Tue, Dec 14 2004, 2:22 pm

Zun , its helps knowing these "rules" when reading or learning chumash, because it shows you which word go together so u can translate the posuk correctly.

zuncompany

Tue, Dec 14 2004, 2:29 pm

but, what I think I didn't get across was that you can learn it for chumash and not realize it also applies to tehillim Wink

gryp

Tue, Dec 14 2004, 3:02 pm

I didnt know that either, but I did very well in chumash so I dont think its the same. I never learned 3 or 4, and im surprised people did. they are teaching this in school now to teach the kids to say tehillim in phrases and not in mumblejumble. I actually have a cd with someone saying the tehillim on it the proper way.

Rochel Leah

Tue, Dec 14 2004, 4:25 pm

RG I would think that they are the same...chumash is tanach as is tehilim, wouldnt they be written with the same punctuation marks. when I see a chumash and tehilim, they look the same to me. just because you didnt use the punctuation marks, doesnt mean you didnt learn chumash properly.

in the book Lashon Hatorah they give an execise for the asnachta and sof pasuk.

gryp

Tue, Dec 14 2004, 5:48 pm

did some research- Chumash and Tehillim are a little different.
they both have sof-pasuk and asnachta, but chumash does not have meyushav and oleh veyored. in Chumash a meyushav is called a reviya/revee'ee, and is NOT a stop sign. there is no oleh veyored in chumash at all- but theres a trup thats the opposite, but NOT a stop sign. they are just trup, and not any more than a stop sign than any other of the trup. but an asnachta and sof-pasuk ARE stop signs.

and I made a mistake about stopping/pausing. you do have to stop but there are different levels of stops- harder stops and softer stops.

Motek

Tue, Dec 14 2004, 5:59 pm

having grown up with a baal korei for a father, I benefited from impromptu lessons in how to read properly

it's a great idea to get "how to lain" tapes for your kids (or yourself, if you're interested), the younger the better

don't wait until they're preparing for bar mitzva!

much better earlier, it's enjoyable, no pressure and like languages - kids pick it up real quick

Rochel Leah

Tue, Dec 14 2004, 8:15 pm

RG, thanks for clariying

motek, thats a great idea to start eralier.

I heard of a school that when they teach chumash even in first grade they say the pesukim in 'trop'.

Motek

Tue, Dec 14 2004, 9:30 pm

at 18 months? maybe just a tad premature Smile

the Tzivos Hashem store probably sells them

otherwise, you can go to the source which is Rabbi Levi Goldstein

by the way, he has many other tapes for children, on the parsha, yomim tovim, and chasidishe yomim tovim

he's listed in the tzach directory, Levi and Baila

zuncompany

Tue, Dec 14 2004, 9:35 pm

thanks. I might give a call since we will be going in on sunday IY"H. I agree... a bit premature for him to learn it (he says only about 10 words), but he loves "music" loves to sit and listen. Its the only way I can get him to sit still and listen to something. He knows 5 niggunim by heart already. I am always looking for new thing to play for him!

sara

gryp

Thu, Feb 03 2005, 2:28 pm

If you only knew - The Tzemach Tzedek said - the power of verses of Tehillim and their effect in the highest Heavens, you would recite them constantly. Know that the chapters of Tehillim shatter all barriers, they ascend higher and still higher with no interference; they prostrate themselves in supplication before the Master of all worlds, and they effect and accomplish with kindness and compassion.

(todays hayom yom)