Thank God it’s Friday!
Sefer Tehillim — the Book of Psalms — is a masterpiece within the Hebrew Bible. Its 150 psalms, or sacred poems, explore the range of human emotion: joy, distress, struggle and gratitude for the world around us.
Jewish liturgy includes one specific psalm for each day of the week, providing a suggested theme and fostering an emotional connection to that day. Taken together, the seven daily psalms bring us on a spiritual and emotional journey, beginning on Sunday, continuing through Friday, and culminating with Shabbat. On Fridays, we read Psalm 93, which sends a powerful message about nature and our place in the world.
When thinking about Jewish services and the liturgy we recite, I am reminded of the old rule about real estate value: Location, location, location. This makes a lot of sense when looking at the most well-known and cherished parts of the service. The Amidah is, by definition, the central prayer in all services and appears squarely in the middle of the service — an object of focus and concentration. So, too, with the Torah service, which is rightly given a prominent position in the liturgy.
Psalms, however, are relegated to a seemingly marginal section — often recited at either the beginning or the very end of the morning service, depending on custom. In fact, it’s likely that most casual synagogue attendees are unaware that there is a specific psalm recited each day during the morning service and that the psalm sets the tone for the day.
Because Friday is the last day of the week before Shabbat, Psalm 93 anticipates the themes of creation and rest. On Shabbat, when we take a break from all acts of labor, we refrain from working or creating anything. We acknowledge that anything we do pales in comparison to the ultimate Creator, God. In that light, let’s look at what Psalm 93 tells us in its opening lines:
Adonai is sovereign
Robed in splendor;
Girded with strength
The earth stands firm;
Not to be dislodged
From the earliest time, You were enthroned.
You are eternal.
We understand that once Shabbat begins, we will be taking a step back. All of our actions are temporary when compared to God’s presence. Then we come to a fascinating passage of the psalm:
The rivers rise up
The rivers raise up their roar,
The rivers raise up their waves.
But above the roar of the vast sea and the majestic breakers of the ocean
Adonai stands supreme in the heavens.
It’s almost as if one can actually hear and feel these words within the body. This grand allusion to creation reminds us that God and nature existed well before mankind appeared on the scene. It prompts us to anticipate Shabbat and the respite it provides. Furthermore, notice the repeated use of the word neharot, or rivers. This reminds us of Genesis Chapter 2, in which God created the Garden of Eden between two rivers: Pishon and Gichon.
In just five verses, Psalm 93 artfully weaves an ideal message to embrace on Friday. It tells us that for the past six days, we’ve put in the necessary effort of working, making, producing, and earning. But now we need to look at the big picture. We may live in this world, but we are not the ones who fashioned everything around us. Soon — on Shabbat — we will pause our own labor and acknowledge the beauty and perfection of the world around us.
