from Rabbi Zvi Frank @ revach.net
In Avos 9 6 & in other places we find Chazal referring to Sefer Tehillim.
But Tehillah is feminine. So why isn’t it called Sefer Tehillos?
Hi
Excellent Question.
Actually, the Ibn Ezra in many places does indeed call it Sefer Tehilos!!!!
See his perush on Chumash bereshis many times as well as on Tehillim itself.
However, although the common understanding is that the word tehillim stems from the word tehillah, this may not be set in stone.
In Yerushalmi and sometimes in medrash it appears as sefer Tillim. Without the letter “heh”.
Additionally, in Medrash Tehillim it says that Rav used to call it sefer hallelu-ka.
Apparently Tehillim may come from the word hillulim. A lashon of hallel rather than tehilah. This would explain the Yerushalmi word Tillim as well.
Alternatively, perhaps it is a combination of both concepts Tehillos and Hillulim which formed the word Tehillim.
The Noam Elimelech says it comes from the word Tahel which means shine light, see (Iyov 41, 10).
Finally, we do find similar parallels in Hebrew such as Tefillin where the singular is feminine tefilla, and should have been called Tefillos.
As an abundant amount of gematrios, remazim, roshei teves, shemos hakedoshim etc. have been handed down throughout the generations based on the lettering of the word tehillim, these various hidden concepts may have influenced the
decision as well.
Kol Tuv
Rabbi Tzvi Frank, grew up in Boro Park, NY and learned in Yeshivos Chasan Sofer, Philadelphia, Brisk -R’ Avrohom Yehoshua, Kollel Halichos Yerushalayim, Kollel Ner Moshe in Givat Shaul and Lakewood, NJ. He currently resides in Lakewood