Ukrainian-language edition of Tehillim: Psalms by David presented

March 26, 2021

On March 22 the Ukrainian-language edition of Tehillim: Psalms by David was presented, and our own Archbishop Borys Gudziak wrote the foreword to the book. The presentation took place by ZOOM and was broadcasted on social networks. Notably, it was both interdenominational and interreligious.

The publication contains versions of the psalms in modern Ukrainian along with detailed commentaries by Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch and reference materials, including an index of correspondence between the titles of the Tanakh and the Bible, a glossary of terms, etc. Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch was a spiritual leader of Judaism in 19th century Europe and is perhaps the most well-known Jewish commentator of biblical texts in the world. He tried to combine the Jewish tradition with the ideas of his time. Further, he wrote to address not just biblical scholars but also those who doubt the foundations of faith or have lost it entirely.

Archbishop Borys notes in his forward, “Why should modern people dare to immerse themselves in the world of the Psalms? Because they contain a wide range of emotions and an extraordinary richness of spiritual experience. By reading the Psalms we can see that humanity has not changed too much despite tectonic technological or geopolitical changes. Our circumstances are different and yet, just as was the case thousands of years ago, we face challenges of life and death as well as moral choices; we deal with the same setbacks, victories, and vices. A modern person makes an appointment with a psychologist or psychotherapist. What have our ancestors, both Jews and Christians, done over the centuries? They prayed the Psalms.”

Video: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=550292659278551