Tucked away in a little courtyard off HaRav Kook Street in Jerusalem, is the Museum of Psalms. This tiny building houses a collection of massive paintings by Rav Moshe Tzvi HaLevi Berger – the Museum was established under the patronage of the former Rabbi of The Kotel, R. Yehuda Meir Getz. Inspired and encouraged by the late Lubavitcher ‘Rebbe’, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Berger, now age 91, devoted nearly two decades of his life to creating a Kabalistic interpretation of each one of the 150 psalms.
Many of Rav Berger’s interpretations include images of birds and his thoughts on how they are represented in the Psalm, such as the one above and this one:
I first learned about The Museum of Psalms when a friend loaned me this magnificent book of Rav Berger’s work:
When we were leaving, after a recent delightful and inspiring visit at the Museum, my husband asked Rav Berger if he had a message to send us away with, something we should remember. Rav Berger answered without hesitation: “Simcha, Sasson, Zimra…. שמחה, ששון וזמרה [Joy, Gladness, Song!]” – and, as we walked through the door, he called out, with a twinkle in his eye:
“~ Don’t forget to sing!”