Ch. 5, Halacha 16 – Trying Not to Interrupt with Speech in the Middle of a Mizmor

Sources and Explanations

In the laws of Keriat Shema, the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 66:1) sets out the places and conditions for interrupting during the blessings of Keriat Shema and during Keriat Shema itself. He writes: “Between the sections, one may greet a distinguished person and may return a greeting to any person. In the middle [of a section], one may greet someone he fears, such as his father or his teacher or one who is greater than him in wisdom, and all the more so a king or a violent person, and may return a greeting to a distinguished person, even in the middle of a pasuk (verse), except for the pasuk ‘Shema Yisrael’ and ‘Baruch shem kevod malchuto le’olam va’ed,’ in which he should not interrupt at all, unless it is because of someone he fears lest he kill him.” He then repeated all of the above in the laws of Hallel on Rosh Chodesh (Orach Chaim 422:4).

The Be’ur Halachah (ibid., s.v. Aval) permitted interrupting in the middle of reading Tehillim, since interrupting in the middle of reading Tehillim is not comparable to interrupting in the middle of reciting Hallel. He writes: “And it is not comparable to one who reads in the book of Tehillim, who may interrupt for anything, for here it is different, since it is publicizing the miracle and is more significant, and therefore one should not interrupt needlessly. This reasoning is mentioned in Berachot (14a), and even according to the conclusion there, this reasoning is at any rate effective in that one should not interrupt needlessly.”

It is clear from his words that a person may interrupt in the middle of reading Tehillim for anything. Indeed, this differs from Torah study, about which it is written in the Mishnah in Avot (3:7): “Rabbi Shimon says: One who is walking on the road and studying, and interrupts his study and says, ‘How beautiful is this tree!’ or ‘How beautiful is this plowed field!’ — Scripture regards him as if he is liable for his life.” Similarly, it is stated in the Gemara (Avodah Zarah 3b): “Rabbi Levi said: Whoever stops from words of Torah and engages in idle conversation is fed coals of broom-wood, as it is stated: ‘They pluck saltwort by the bushes, and the roots of broom-wood are their food.’” The reasoning for the distinction between them is clear: in Torah study, every interruption affects the understanding of the learning, which is not so with reading the mizmorim, where there is no such effect. And see the commentary of Rabbenu Yonah on Avot.

See Yabia Omer (vol. 2, siman 32, ot 8), that the masters of mussar were stringent not to interrupt even in the middle of reciting Tehillim, and this is also implied in the holy Zohar, vol. 3 (folio 162a); see there. Therefore, if a person has no need to interrupt, he should certainly make an effort to read the chapter of Tehillim continuously.

The Ben Ish Chai brings on this subject, in his book Ben Ish Chayil (vol. 1, folio 34), an awesome story. He writes: “I will tell and relate an incident concerning a mitzvah that contains a mixture of good and bad, so that you may learn from it a great lesson of mussar in this matter. It is as follows: There was a certain upright and God-fearing man whose custom was to study all five books of Tehillim on the holy Shabbat before midday. Once, on Shabbat, he was studying as was his custom, and people came to him and spoke with him about mundane matters, and he would interrupt in the middle of the pasuk and answer them. While he was studying he would stop and speak with them, and it happened that he interrupted ten times or more — once in the middle of a pasuk, once after a third of a pasuk, once after two words or one word of a pasuk — so that these idle words became intermingled with the words of Tehillim, one with the other, in several places. It was his custom to take an afternoon nap after the Tehillim, and he dreamed in his sleep that he was sitting, and two came and stood at his right; their clothing was fine and beautiful, their appearance very good, and their faces smiling, and he thought in his heart that these men were ministering angels. He also saw two others who came and stood at his left; their clothing was black, their form strange, and their faces angry, and he thought in his mind that these were angels of destruction. Those standing at his right showed him a book of Tehillim, opened it before him, and said, ‘See these mizmorim that you studied today.’ He saw that there were mizmorim in whose pesukim he had interrupted with the mundane words that he had spoken with the people who spoke with him that day while he was studying the Tehillim, and behold, all those words that he had spoken were written inside the Tehillim, and through this mixture the words of Tehillim had become heresy, blasphemy and reviling, Heaven forbid. And there were mizmorim in which, although the mixture did not turn the words into blasphemy and reviling, nevertheless no meaning remained in them; rather, they became jumbled words without the meaning they had in the book of Tehillim. And there were places within the mizmor where he saw the form of a cross, and this was where it had happened that he became very angry, for whoever becomes angry is as if he worships idols. They said to him, ‘Here is the book of Tehillim that you studied today. Do you wish us to bring this book up before Hakadosh Baruch Hu?’ He said to them, ‘Heaven forbid! This book requires burning. Please have pity on me, and do not bring it up before the King of kings of kings.’” When the two men standing at his left heard these words, they said: “If the book requires burning, even according to the testimony of the litigant himself, then it is muktzeh and it is forbidden to move it on Shabbat — so how are you holding it in your hands?” Immediately they threw the book from their hands, and it fell and rolled on the ground. Then the two men who stood at his left, who were angels of destruction, leapt up, picked up the book, took hold of it, and said: “Now the book is in our hands, and we will bring it up to Heaven without asking you, and we will see what your judgment will be.” When the man saw this and heard their words, he trembled greatly. He threw himself at their feet and pleaded with them to have mercy on him and to put the book down on the ground. But his words were wasted; they fled and disappeared, and no one listened to him. He wept bitterly and cried out after them, and with his cry he awoke, and behold, it was a dream. His spirit was troubled, for he knew that it was a true dream. With his own eyes he had seen all the things that he had spoken with the visitors while studying the chapters of Tehillim, and they were recorded and inserted within the pesukim of the mizmorim. The man’s heart smote him when he saw that he had blasphemed and reviled God, and he feared greatly for his soul, for who has sent forth his tongue against the living God and gone unpunished? He arose and went to the pious sage in his city, told him all the details of the dream, and asked him for advice and a tikkun (rectification) that very day. The sage heard his words, saw his worry, and said to him: “Do not worry! It is forbidden to be distressed on Shabbat, and if you have sinned, there is repentance in Israel, and to Hashem belong mercy and forgiveness. Stand on your feet and say three times: ‘I regret my evil deeds, and I call as witness against me He Who spoke and the world came into being, that from this day onward I will no longer speak idle words while I am engaged in Torah, Prophets and Writings, or in any matter of holiness.’ If you do so, and your regret is genuine and wholehearted, and you do not return again to folly, you will be saved from those of the left side who flew up to prosecute against you in the Heavenly court.” So the sage spoke; he comforted him and strengthened his heart, and he accepted upon himself to do as he had told him. Immediately he regretted his deeds and promised not to return to his ways, to guard his mouth and his tongue, and to distinguish between holy and mundane in all that he does. He left the sage’s presence with bowing and prostration, went back to his home, and his heart was glad.

On Motza’ei Shabbat he prayed Ma’ariv, made Havdalah over wine, said the zemirot, and was very careful not to utter mundane words while reciting them. After the Melaveh Malkah meal, he went to bed, recited the bedtime Shema, and fell asleep. In his sleep he saw the two men who had shown him the corrupted book of Tehillim and had thrown it to the ground because of muktzeh, chasing after the men who had picked it up and fled. He looked after them, and his heart feared and trembled when he saw that the book was still in the hands of these angels of destruction. But shortly afterward he calmed down: they caught up with them, fought a fierce battle against them, overpowered them, and took the book from them. Then they dug a deep pit, wrapped the book in cloth, and buried it in the ground. After they covered it with earth, they went off and disappeared from his sight, and he did not know where they went. He rejoiced greatly and cheered in their honor, and in the midst of the cheering he woke from his sleep, and behold, it was a dream, and he knew that his regret was genuine regret and his repentance had been accepted. From that day onward he guarded his tongue not to mix the mundane with the holy — not only in matters of holiness, but even in ordinary conversations.”

From this story a person should learn a lesson and mussar: although according to halachah it is permitted to interrupt with speech, nevertheless “the adversary is not worth the king’s damage.”

Similarly, it is also brought in the book Ahavat Chaim (Parashat Shemot) regarding a certain man who was careful to read all of Tehillim on the holy Shabbat, and was also very careful not to speak while reading Tehillim.

From the sefer “Shaf Veyativ – Laws of Saying Tehillim” by Rabbi Shay Tahan, Chapter 5: How to Say Tehillim and Precise Pronunciation, Halacha 16 (p. 73 in the print edition). Translated from the Hebrew original.