Click here for sample verses from the translations by Z. Schachter–Shalomi
Title: Psalms ✡ in a translation for praying. [By] Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
Date: © 2014 by Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
Publisher: Philadelphia PA (U.S.A.): ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal
Contents: Psalms 1 - 150. Preface; Notes on Reading & Translation. Cycle of Psalms for the Day. Baruch Sh´amar (prayer). Yishtabach (prayer). Personal Prayer Notes.
Language: English (129 ch.) and Hebrew only (21 ch.)
Images: Cover, Title page
Location: Collection Bibelarchiv–Birnbaum. Karlsruhe/ Baden, Germany
Comments: Paperback octavo; adhesive binding. VIII, 251 & (10) pp. 129 Psalms are rendered in English, the following 21 Tehillim in Hebrew only: 9 - 21 - 35 - 45 - 52 - 58 - 60 - 64 - 69 - 74 - 75 - 76 - 78 - 80 - 83 - 106 - 109 - 110 - 140 - 144.
Schachter- Shalomi writes in the preface: "I have not translated all the Psalms; in particular, I omitted those that troubled me with their demands for revenge. I can understand - even feel - the hurt, anger and frustration of parents whose children were brutally killed by the Babylonians - and others. But, at times when our children are attacked on a school bus, I don't want to recite those psalms without some way of expressing the pain differently. In others I did translate, I altered the sense, shifting from focus on sinners to focus on sin. Here, I did not try to smooth over the vindictive passages." If one wants to pray the untranslated Psalms in English, our Rabbi refers to the - faithful to the original Hebrew - Jewish Publication Society translation. The Tetragrammaton YHWH is not used nor printed, also not the placeholder Adonai, instead Zalman Schachter-Shalomi chooses "YaH", a breath / spirit-like name for God that is associated with the attribute of Compassion.
From the Christian perspective it is remarkable that from 14 Psalms that anticipate the life and ministry of the Messiah, nine (2, 8, 16, 22, 34, 40, 41, 68, and 118) are and five (35, 45, 69, 109 and 110) are not translated.
