Unit 7 · Songs, Sayings and Scrolls

The Ketuvim are the third part of the Hebrew Bible. The word means "writings." The first book in the Ketuvim is the book of Psalms. In Hebrew it is called Tehillim. That means "praises." The book holds 150 songs and poems.

The Psalms are not one story. They are a songbook. Some psalms are short. Psalm 117 has only two verses. Some are long. Psalm 119 has 176 verses. Many psalms have a title at the top. The title of Psalm 23 says it is "a Psalm of David." Jewish tradition connects many psalms with King David.

People sing psalms in synagogues and homes. They say them when they are happy and when they are sad. Scholars say the psalms were written over many hundreds of years. Different writers added songs to the book. That is why it holds so many kinds of feelings.

Psalm 23 is one of the most famous songs in the world. It is very short. It begins, "The LORD is my shepherd." A shepherd takes care of sheep. A shepherd finds them grass and water. A shepherd walks with them through dark places and keeps them safe.

The psalm uses this picture for God. The singer says he is like a sheep. He is led to green fields and quiet water. Even in a dark valley he is not afraid. The psalm says the shepherd’s rod and staff give comfort. Comfort means feeling calm and safe when something is hard.

Jewish families often sing Psalm 23 at the Shabbat table. Many people say it at a funeral or beside a sick person. Christians read it too. Jewish tradition and Christian tradition both treasure this song. Each reads it in its own way.

Not every psalm is quiet. Some are loud and happy. Psalm 100 has only five verses. Its title calls it a song of thanksgiving. It tells all the earth to shout. It says to serve God with gladness and come with singing. The word for a glad shout is praise.

Psalm 150 is the last song in the book. It is like a big finish. It names many instruments: the horn, the harp, the drum, the flute and loud cymbals. Its last line says that everything that breathes should praise God. Then it ends with one word, Hallelujah. That means "praise the LORD."

Jewish tradition puts these psalms into daily prayer. Psalm 100 is said in the morning service on most days. Psalm 150 is said every morning too. So a Jewish child in Chicago may say these words before school. The psalms are very old, but people still sing them.

Hebrew poems do not usually rhyme. Instead they do something else. They say an idea once, and then say it again in new words. Scholars call this parallelism. The second line is like an echo of the first. It can repeat the idea, add to it, or flip it around.

Look at Psalm 23:2. The first line says God leads the singer to green pastures. The second line says God leads him beside still waters. Two lines, one idea: a safe, calm place. Now look at Psalm 100:2. "Serve the LORD with gladness" and "come before Him with singing" say almost the same thing.

This pattern helps a listener remember. It also helps a reader understand. If one line is hard, the other line explains it. When you read a psalm, try to find the pairs. Ask, "How does the second line echo the first?" This is a key to reading Hebrew poetry.

The Psalms hold every kind of feeling. Some are full of joy. Some are full of tears. Psalm 137 was written by people far from home in Babylon. They sat by the river and wept. Other psalms say "help me" or "thank you" or "why?" A psalm that asks for help is called a lament.

Jewish tradition gives each day of the week its own psalm. The Mishnah says the Levites sang a different psalm each day in the Temple in Jerusalem. Today many Jews still say that day’s psalm in the morning prayers. Sunday’s psalm is Psalm 24. The psalm for Shabbat is Psalm 92.

The book of Psalms is also used in the siddur, the Jewish prayer book. Many pages of the siddur are made of psalms. On Friday evening, six psalms welcome Shabbat. So the psalms are not only old poems. They are words people use every week.

The book of Proverbs comes after Psalms in the Ketuvim. In Hebrew it is called Mishlei. A proverb is a short saying that teaches something true about life. The book has 31 chapters full of them. Its first verse names Solomon, David’s son. Jewish tradition remembers Solomon as very wise.

One famous proverb says, "A soft answer turneth away wrath." Wrath is a big word for anger. The saying means a gentle reply can calm an angry person. The second line adds that a harsh word makes anger grow. Notice the two lines. Proverbs use parallelism too.

Proverbs are about everyday choices. They talk about telling the truth, working hard, being kind and listening to parents. They say that being wise starts with respect for God. Scholars say many of these sayings were used to teach young people long ago. They still get used that way today.

Proverbs likes pictures. In chapter 8, wisdom is a woman standing at the city gate. She calls out to everyone who passes by. She says her words are better than silver and gold. The writer wants young people to listen to her, not to foolish friends.

In chapter 3, wisdom is a tree. "She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her." The same chapter says her ways are ways of pleasantness and her paths are peace. Jewish tradition sings these lines when the Torah scroll is put back in the ark. So the words of Proverbs are sung in synagogues every week.

Proverbs ends with a poem about a strong and kind woman. She works, she gives to the poor, and she speaks with wisdom. Many Jewish families sing this poem at the Shabbat table on Friday night. It is called Eshet Chayil, "a woman of valor."

The book of Job is different from Psalms and Proverbs. It tells a story, and then it argues. Job is a good man in a land called Uz. He is rich and kind. Then, in one day, he loses his animals, his servants and his children. Later he gets very sick.

Job’s first words are famous. He says he came into the world with nothing and will leave with nothing. He says the LORD gave and the LORD took away, and he blesses God’s name. But as the book goes on, Job begins to ask questions. He asks why this happened. He says he did nothing wrong.

The big question of the book is: why do bad things happen to good people? Jewish tradition has read Job for a very long time. The rabbis of the Talmud argued about who Job was and when he lived. Some said he was not a real person, but a story to teach. The book does not give one easy answer. It lets the reader ask along with Job.

Three friends come to sit with Job. Their names are Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar. At first they say nothing for seven days. Then they start to talk. They say Job must have done something wrong. They say bad things only happen to bad people. Job says that is not true.

Most of the book is this argument. It is written as poetry. Job and his friends take turns. The lines use parallelism, just like the Psalms. Job’s argument is that he is innocent. His friends’ argument is that God is fair, so Job must be guilty. A young man named Elihu speaks too.

At the end, the book says God answers Job out of a whirlwind, a big storm. God does not explain why Job suffered. Instead God asks Job questions. Where were you when the earth was made? Can you feed the lions? Job says he has spoken about things too big for him. Then the story says Job’s life is made new.

The Song of Songs is a short book of eight chapters. In Hebrew it is Shir HaShirim. Its first verse connects it with Solomon. It is a poem about two people who love each other. They call to each other through gardens and vineyards. They talk about flowers, doves, apples and the spring.

One famous part says that the winter is past and the rain is over. The flowers appear and the time of singing has come. Because it talks about spring, Jewish tradition reads this book on Passover. Passover is the spring holiday that remembers leaving Egypt.

The rabbis asked why a love poem is in the Bible. Rabbi Akiva, a teacher long ago, said all the Writings are holy, but the Song of Songs is the holiest of all. Jewish tradition reads the love in the poem as the love between God and the people of Israel. Other readers read it as a poem about human love. Both readings have a long history.

The book of Esther is a story set in Persia. The king is named Ahasuerus. He rules from a city called Shushan. When his queen, Vashti, refuses to come to his party, he sends her away. He looks for a new queen. He chooses a young Jewish woman named Esther. Her Hebrew name is Hadassah.

Esther’s cousin Mordecai raised her. He tells her not to say she is Jewish. The king’s top helper is Haman. Haman wants everyone to bow to him. Mordecai will not bow. Haman gets angry. He makes a plan to kill all the Jews in the kingdom. He picks the day by casting lots. The word for lots is pur.

Mordecai tells Esther about the plan. Esther is afraid. Going to the king without being called can mean death. But she fasts for three days and goes. The king welcomes her. At a dinner, she tells him about Haman’s plan. The king is furious. Haman is punished, and the Jews are allowed to defend themselves. The book is only ten chapters long.

The turning point of Esther is a message. Mordecai sends word to Esther in the palace. He says she cannot stay silent. If she does, help will come from somewhere else, but she and her family will be lost. Then he asks a question. Who knows if she became queen for such a time as this?

Esther answers with a plan. She asks all the Jews in Shushan to fast with her for three days. To fast means to go without food. Then she says she will go to the king, even if it is against the law. Her words are, "if I perish, I perish." That means she is ready to die if she must.

Readers notice something strange about this book. God’s name is never written in it. Not once. Jewish tradition reads God as hidden in the story, working behind the scenes. The name Esther even sounds like a Hebrew word for "hidden." Other readers see a story about brave people making choices. The book lets both readings stand.

The book of Esther ends by setting up a holiday. It is called Purim, after the lots Haman cast. It comes in late winter, in the Hebrew month of Adar. Chapter 9 says the day should be one of feasting and gladness, of sending food to friends and gifts to the poor.

On Purim, Jews read the whole book of Esther out loud from a scroll. The scroll is called the Megillah. Each time the reader says Haman’s name, people make noise with rattles called groggers. Many people wear costumes. Children and grown-ups both dress up.

Families send bags of treats to friends and neighbors. This is called mishloach manot. They also give money or food to people in need. Many eat triangle cookies with a sweet filling. Esther is one of five short books called the Five Megillot. Each one is read on its own holiday.

The book of Daniel begins in Babylon. The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, has taken young people from Jerusalem to his palace. Daniel and his three friends are among them. Their friends’ Hebrew names are Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The palace gives them new Babylonian names.

The palace wants them to eat the king’s rich food. Daniel asks for vegetables and water instead. He wants to keep the food rules he learned at home. He asks for a ten-day test. After ten days, the story says, the four look healthier than the others. Daniel also becomes known for explaining dreams.

Later, the king builds a huge gold statue. He orders everyone to bow to it. Daniel’s three friends refuse. They are thrown into a hot furnace. The story says they walk out unharmed. Part of the book of Daniel is written in Aramaic, a language close to Hebrew that many people spoke in Babylon.

Years pass, and a new king rules. The book calls him Darius. Daniel is one of his top helpers. Other helpers are jealous. They know Daniel prays three times a day. So they trick the king into signing a law. For thirty days, no one may pray to anyone but the king.

Daniel hears about the law. He goes home and prays anyway, by an open window facing Jerusalem. The jealous men catch him. The king is sad, but the law cannot be changed. Daniel is thrown into a den full of lions. A stone is put over the top.

The king cannot sleep. At sunrise he runs to the den and calls out. Daniel answers. The story says an angel shut the lions’ mouths. Daniel is lifted out without a scratch. Jewish tradition places Daniel in the Ketuvim, with the Writings. Christian Bibles place it with the prophets. Same book, different shelf.

In 586 BCE, the army of Babylon burned the Temple in Jerusalem. The city was left empty. The book of Lamentations is five poems about that terrible time. Its Hebrew name is Eikhah, which means "How!" The first verse asks how the busy city became so lonely, like a widow.

The poems are carefully made. Four of the five chapters go through the Hebrew alphabet. Each verse starts with the next letter, from the first to the last. It is like grief from A to Z. Jewish tradition says the prophet Jeremiah wrote the book. Scholars say the writer lived through the disaster.

Jews read Lamentations on Tisha B'Av, the ninth day of the month of Av. It is a sad day in summer. People fast. They sit on the floor or on low stools. The lights are kept low, and the book is chanted in a sad tune. Tradition says the Second Temple was also destroyed on this day, by Rome in 70 CE.

The book of Ecclesiastes is a wise, thoughtful poem. Its Hebrew name is Kohelet, the name of the speaker. The first verse connects him with a son of David who was king in Jerusalem. Jewish tradition says this is Solomon. The speaker has tried everything: riches, work, fun, learning. He says it all passes like a breath.

The most famous part is chapter 3. It says there is a season for everything and a time for every purpose. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to weep and a time to laugh. A time to mourn and a time to dance. The lines come in pairs, one after another.

Jews read Ecclesiastes on Sukkot, the fall harvest holiday. On Sukkot, families eat in a small hut with a roof of branches. The hut is a reminder that things do not last. Kohelet says the same thing. But he also says to enjoy your bread and your work. The book ends by saying to respect God and keep the commandments.

For about fifty years, many Jews lived far from home in Babylon. This time is called the exile. Then Persia beat Babylon. The new king was Cyrus. The book of Ezra opens with a message from Cyrus. He says the LORD has told him to build a house in Jerusalem. Anyone who wants to may go up and help.

Scholars date this message to about 538 BCE. Thousands of people went back. They carried the gold and silver cups that Babylon had taken from the old Temple. They laid the new foundation. Old people who remembered the first Temple cried. Young people shouted for joy. The book says the two sounds mixed together.

The work was slow. Neighbors did not want the Temple built. Work stopped for years. Two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, told the people to keep going. The Second Temple was finished around 515 BCE. Ezra and Nehemiah are counted as one book in the Tanakh. Together they tell the story of going home.

Nehemiah worked for the king of Persia. He heard that Jerusalem’s wall was broken and its gates were burned. He was so sad that the king noticed. Nehemiah asked to go and fix it. The king said yes. Nehemiah rode to Jerusalem and looked at the wall at night.

Then he got everyone to work. Families each built the part of the wall near their own house. Some people tried to stop them. So workers held a tool in one hand and a weapon in the other. The book says the wall was finished in fifty-two days.

When the wall was done, the people gathered in a square. Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform. He read from the Torah from morning until noon. Helpers explained the words so everyone understood. People cried, but the leaders said it was a day to rejoice and share food. Then they built huts and kept Sukkot.

The Tanakh ends with the book of Chronicles. In Hebrew it is Divrei HaYamim, "the words of the days." It is a retelling. It starts with Adam and lists many names. Then it tells the story of David, Solomon and the kings of Judah again. It gives extra attention to the Temple and its music.

Chronicles ends where Ezra begins. Its last verses give Cyrus’s message. The very last words are "let him go up." So the Tanakh ends with an open door and a journey home. A Christian Old Testament puts the books in a different order and ends with the prophet Malachi.

Think of the whole Ketuvim. It holds songs, sayings, hard questions, love poems, a brave queen, a man among lions, a sad poem, a wise poem and the story of going home. Jewish tradition reads every one of these books at its own time of year. Together they close the Hebrew Bible with hope.