Tehillim (Psalms): The Daily Cycles, Hoshana Rabbah, and How It's Chanted
Tehillim, Hebrew for "praises," is the Book of Psalms: 150 psalms in Ketuvim, the Writings, the third part of the Hebrew Bible. Jewish tradition associates the book with King David, who is said to have gathered psalms by other figures such as Moses, Asaph and the sons of Korach alongside his own. It is divided into five books (Psalms 1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106 and 107-150), and each of the first four closes with a blessing of God. Psalms run through the whole of Jewish prayer, from Pesukei DeZimra and Hallel to Kabbalat Shabbat and the Song of the Day, and saying Tehillim on its own is one of the most widespread Jewish devotional customs.
When it’s read
Tehillim has no fixed public reading of the kind the Torah, the Haftarah and the Megillot have; it is read by custom, often privately. Many people finish the whole book on a regular cycle. The monthly cycle divides it into thirty portions, one for each day of the Hebrew month, so the book is completed every month; in a month of 29 days, the portions for days 29 and 30 are read together on the 29th. The weekly cycle divides it into seven portions, from Psalms 1-29 on Sunday to Psalms 120-150 on Shabbat, completing the book every week. Many communities also read the entire book on the night of Hoshana Rabbah, the seventh day of Sukkot, and some on other nights as well, such as the night of Yom Kippur.
Customs
Psalms are said in times of need and of thanks: for someone who is ill, in a time of danger, at a graveside or on a yahrzeit, and at gatherings where a community divides the book among its members so that it is finished together. The psalms said in the daily service, such as the Song of the Day and Ashrei (Psalm 145), belong to the liturgy rather than to the reading cycles. On Hoshana Rabbah, many stay awake through the night that begins the day, reading the book of Deuteronomy and then all of Tehillim, often book by book.
How it’s chanted
Psalms, Proverbs and Job share a cantillation system of their own, the poetic accents, called ta'amei emet after the initials of the three books' Hebrew names (Iyov, Mishlei, Tehillim). It differs from the prose system used for the Torah, the Prophets and the Megillot: it divides a verse by different rules and uses marks that prose never does, such as oleh ve-yored and revia mugrash. Whether the accents are sung depends on the community. The Ashkenazi tradition has kept no melody for the poetic accents, so Ashkenazim usually say the psalms without chanting them by their accents, while some Middle Eastern communities, Syrian Jews in particular, keep a living tradition of chanting the psalms by their accents. TropeTrainer's Tehillim is sung in the Sephardic Syrian tradition, so you can hear any psalm, a day's portion or a whole book chanted and practice it at an adjustable speed.
Browse the voicing systems TropeTrainer offers, then hear and practice this reading at adjustable speed.
Frequently asked questions
What is Tehillim?
Tehillim is the Hebrew name of the Book of Psalms, the 150 psalms in Ketuvim, the Writings. The name means "praises." It is divided into five books, and its psalms are the backbone of Jewish prayer.
How is Tehillim divided for daily reading?
Two cycles are common. The monthly cycle reads the book in thirty portions, one for each day of the Hebrew month; in a month of 29 days, the 29th takes in day 30's psalms as well. The weekly cycle reads it in seven portions, from Psalms 1-29 on Sunday to Psalms 120-150 on Shabbat.
Why is Tehillim read on Hoshana Rabbah?
Hoshana Rabbah, the seventh day of Sukkot, is traditionally seen as the day the judgment of Rosh Hashanah, sealed on Yom Kippur, is finalized. Many communities stay awake on the night it begins, reading the book of Deuteronomy and then the whole of Tehillim, often divided into its five books.
Is Tehillim chanted with trope?
Tehillim has its own cantillation marks, the poetic accents it shares with Proverbs and Job. Whether they are sung depends on the community: the Ashkenazi tradition has kept no melody for these accents, while some Middle Eastern communities, Syrian Jews in particular, chant the psalms by them. TropeTrainer's Tehillim follows the Sephardic Syrian tradition.
What is the difference between Tehillim trope and Torah trope?
The Torah and most of the Bible use the prose accents. Psalms, Proverbs and Job use a separate poetic system, with marks of its own such as oleh ve-yored and different rules for dividing a verse. Some marks look the same in both systems but carry a different name and role in a psalm.
Ready to start chanting?
Join thousands of students, cantors, and congregations who learn Torah with TropeTrainer.
© 2026 HazzanSolutions. All rights reserved.