Psalm by Age According to the Baal Shem Tov and the Jewish Birthday
Psalm by Age and the Jewish Birthday
Tehillim (2:7)
- “...Bni ata, ani hayom yelidticha. She'al mimeni, ve'etena...” - (...You are My son; today I have brought you into being. Ask of Me, and I will give you...).
The Sages explain that this pasuk refers to a person's birthday.
In this verse, we find a hint that on a person's birthday, a special connection with the Almighty is formed: “You are My son; today I have brought you into being,” and immediately afterward: “Ask of Me.” Thus, on the day the Almighty gave you life, ask—and He will grant your request.
The Jerusalem Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 3:8) says the following about a birthday: “Mazalo gavar” (“His mazal grows stronger”).
This means that on a person's birthday, an additional flow of strength from Above comes to him. In other words, on one's birthday, a person's fortune changes for the better—it promises him greater happiness and greater success.
In Chassidic teaching, the concept of “mazal” is connected with the related word “nozel” (“flows, streams”): life-giving energy descends upon a person, as if permeating his entire existence down to the lowest material level. On one's birthday, just as on Rosh Hashanah, a Jew receives renewed strength—his soul is renewed.
The Baal Shem Tov placed special emphasis on the influence that reciting the Book of Tehillim has on one's mazal.
This is the basis for the custom of reciting the entire Book of Tehillim on one's birthday and studying the psalm corresponding to the current year of that person's life.
For example, if a person is 25 years old, his “personal” psalm is Psalm 26. On his birthday, he begins reciting the next one—Psalm 27.
“Mazal” is the source of a person's soul—the level of the soul that is higher than all its powers, above thought, speech, and action. If a Jew's connection with the Creator is strong, he is not subject to the influence of the stars and planets—unless he submits to them of his own free will. The signs of the zodiac are called mazalot in Hebrew. According to Judaism, the constellations “govern” the destinies of individuals and entire nations, and mazal is the influence exerted by the stars (in recent times, the word mazal has acquired a meaning closer to “luck” than to “destiny”) that is capable of changing any situation.
The famous expression “Ein mazal le-Yisrael”—the stars do not influence a Jew's destiny—is explained by the great Rashi (Rabbi Yohanan, Talmud, Shabbat, folio 156) as meaning: “Prayer and proper deeds can change a bad mazal into a good one.”
There is another meaning of the word mazal in the context of “Mazal tov.” Kabbalists maintain that the human body contains not the entire soul, but only a ray of it. The principal part of the soul, the mazal, remains in Heaven and illuminates the person.
How to Read the Psalm by Age According to the Baal Shem Tov
On every Rosh Chodesh (the new moon), during illness, and on difficult days, there is a beautiful custom of reciting the psalm corresponding to one's age (the number of complete years plus one).
This minhag—to recite psalms according to one's age—became known to us through the Alter Rebbe (the author of the Tanya), who received it from his teacher, the Maggid of Mezritch, who in turn received it from his teacher, the Baal Shem Tov. The Baal Shem Tov received this tradition from his teacher, the prophet Ahijah ha-Shiloni: one should recite the psalm corresponding to one's age, adding one year, and on every Rosh Chodesh study that chapter with commentaries (Rashi's, and, when possible, those of other commentators as well).
Every person should recite the chapter of Tehillim corresponding to his age every day.
Children should be accustomed to this from an early age. One should also recite the psalm corresponding to the age of each of one's children.
If a psalm contains fewer than 12 verses, or if it is a leap year (containing 13 months), some verses should be studied a second time, so that the total reaches 12 verses.
(Translation of an article by Rabbi Aaron Moss, Alter Rebbe—“מאמרי אדה”ז הקצרים” — p. 341)
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Tags: Birthday, Tehillim on a Birthday, Et Ratzon, Psalm by Age, Psalm by Age and Jewish Birthday, Jewish Birthday
