Schedule for the Reading of Psalms corresponding to Festivals and Commemorative Days, according to Tractate Soferim • the Open Siddur Project

Tags: 46th century A.M., 8th century C.E., geonic period, Masekhet Soferim, Nusaḥ Erets Yisrael, לוח lu'aḥ, תהלים Psalms

Excerpt: This is the schedule for the reading of psalms corresponding to Festivals and Commemorative Days, according to Tractate Soferim 18:2-3 and 19:2. . . .

Content:

This is the schedule for reading psalms for festivals as described in Masekhet Soferim. It seems that Soferim entails the recitation of the psalm of the festival before Yehi Khavod, as still done in the Sefaradi rite today, rather than after the service as per Ashkenazi practice.

Festival/Commemorative Day	Psalm
Ḥanukkah	Psalms 039
Purim	Psalms 007 (some say Psalms 83^[1] According to the GR”A’s recenscion. In many recensions, this alternate psalm is assigned to the first day of Pesaḥ instead. )
Pesaḥ, first festival day	Psalms 135
Pesaḥ, Ḥol haMoed	Psalms 135
Pesaḥ, last festival day	Psalms 136
Shavuot	Psalms 029
Tisha b’Av	Jeremiah 14:19-22,^[2] Usually psalms are recited before prophets, but on Tisha b’Av this order is reversed. , Psalms 079, Psalms 137
Rosh haShanah	Psalms 047
Yom Kippur	Psalms 104, Psalms 130
Sukkot	Psalms 076
Shemini Atseret	Psalms 006

This is the schedule for the reading of psalms corresponding to Festivals and Commemorative Days, according to Tractate Soferim 18:2-3 and Soferim 19:2.

Notes[+]

Notes
1	According to the GR”A’s recenscion. In many recensions, this alternate psalm is assigned to the first day of Pesaḥ instead.
2	Usually psalms are recited before prophets, but on Tisha b’Av this order is reversed.