Old Brains are Less Absorbent
November 11th, 2008Help me Escape From Psalm 37
I have a new mission in life, and it’s not to create a dessert that will kill you before you leave the table. My mission is to memorize the 37th psalm before I die.
A few weeks back, I wrote about memorizing psalms. I have been working at it steadily. Generally, I can knock off maybe half a psalm a day. But number 37 has been driving me nuts for like two weeks.
I can’t explain it. It’s a long psalm, yes, but that’s not the whole story. The prose has a lumpy, counterintuitive quality that makes it resistant to memorization. In comparison, 1 and 23 are much more fluid. Naturally, faith junkie that I have become, I am trying to see a divine purpose in it.
Today I got up to-what was it?–a couple of verses past “The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.”
I may have a party when I finish.
A reader inadvertently gave me an idea for a Christian book today. I’m trying to work it out.
November 11th, 2008 at 5:23 PM
Flash cards.
November 11th, 2008 at 6:32 PM
Record it, put it on your ipod and listen while saying it 3 times a night as you lay in bed just before you go to sleep.
November 11th, 2008 at 7:14 PM
I have some familiarity with the structure of psalmody and just re-read Psalm 37. You’re right, it’s kinda clunky. Good luck with it!
November 11th, 2008 at 8:54 PM
I’m familiar with many of the verses in 37 that are used in other parts of the daily Jewish liturgy, but they’d be in Hebrew. Verse 25 is the next to last verse in the Grace after Meals.
There’s a tradition to say each day the Psalm according to the year of one’s life. A 20-year old would be in his 21st year and say Psalm 21. A 48-year old would read Psalm 49 daily. Infants have their Psalms read by their parents.
I’m not diligent about this custom, but I imagine that those who keep it are probably pretty fluent with the first half of Psalms before they reach the Pearly Gates, having said them 350+ times over the course of a year.
Doing the custom at the age of 118 must be a bear. Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm and the longest chapter in the Bible, having 176 verses. We should have this problem… in good health.
November 11th, 2008 at 9:58 PM
Give it up amd memorize the 46th Psalm…it isn’t easier but it sure comes in handy.
November 12th, 2008 at 3:42 AM
Try putting a tune to it. Make something up yourself. Brains often seem to retain lyrics better than prose. That actually helped me in college.
November 12th, 2008 at 12:52 PM
Many Psalms already have tunes written for them. Many of the older churches actually sing the Psalms at services.