Temimus with Words
We read in the Rabbeinu b'Chayei (quoted above) that temimus is also with words. An example of temimus with words is saying Tehillim.
The Gemara (Brachos 56:) discusses dreams and their meanings, and the Gemara says, "Only those who fear Hashem with all their might are shown pumpkins (דלועין) in their dreams."
Reb Nissan Gaon (printed on the side of the Gemara) writes, "A student from Spain asked me to explain this Gemara. [He asked, 'Why are pumpkins shown in a dream solely to those who fear Hashem?'] I never received [from my teachers] an explanation, and I never asked about this Gemara before. I told him this is a tradition that the Chachamim had, and I don’t know whether a reason was stated. But in my opinion, it could be because there is no fruit larger than a pumpkin. Yet, they never rise above the earth. Even as they grow larger, they remain low on the ground. This is like people who fear heaven. There is no one greater than them. Nevertheless, as Hakadosh Baruch Hu grants them greatness, honor, and chen, they increase their humility.
"Furthermore," writes Reb Nissan Gaon, "the word דלועין (pumpkin) stands for עיני דלו למרום (raise my eyes to heaven), and that is the trademark of people who are yirei Hashem. They place their trust in Hashem and wait for His kindness."
Reb Nissan Gaon concludes, "This student [from Spain] liked these explanations, and so did all the other students, and therefore I wrote it here."
People with temimus raise their eyes to Hashem for aid, and they say Tehillim. This is our first explanation for why saying Tehillim is a form of temimus.
It is also because temimus means simplicity, and saying Tehillim is the deed of simple people. There are several translations for temimus. It can be translated as complete, perfect, wholehearted, and it is also translated as simplicity. Simple people aren't able to study Torah in depth, so they say Tehillim. Saying Tehillim is therefore called an act of temimus, of simplicity, but it is for everyone. Saying Tehilllim is temimus with words.
Especially, at this time of year, in Elul, it is a crucial time to invest in saying Tehillim and other tefillos before Hashem. The Tur (581) writes, לו הוא זכות רחמים לבקש המוסיף וכל, "The more one asks for Hashem's compassion [in Elul], it is his merit." These prayers will help him on the days of judgment.
The first word of Tehillim is אשרי. Reb Chaim Palagi writes that י"אשר hints at the four ideal times for saying Tehilllim because אשרי is roshei teivos for וםי ,חדש אשר ,בתש ,לולא טוב.
Some communities would say chapter ג"קמ every day of Elul because it states there חי כל לפניך יצדק לא כי עבדך את במשפט תבא ואל, "Do not come to judgment with Your servant, for no living being will be innocent before You." Other communities would say chapter א"נ, which discusses teshuvah.
Reb Meir Shapiro asked his yeshiva students to say chapter ט"קי of Tehilim during Elul so that they can daven for spiritual success for the upcoming year, together with their requests for success in gashmiyos.
Many say ten chapters a day during Elul so that within thirty days, it will amount to 300 chapters, the gematriya of כפר, atone.
Most people say אורי 'ה לדוד (chapter ז"כ) every day of Elul. The Siddur Reb Shabsi writes, "Whoever says אורי 'ה לדוד from Rosh Chodesh Elul until Simchas Torah, every evening and morning, is guaranteed that he will live his entire lifespan with goodness and pleasure. Even if a bad decree is written on him, it will be annulled, and all kitrugim (persecuting malachim) will be removed... He will be acquitted in the judgment... Because on Rosh Chodesh Elul, the thirteen attributes of compassion open up and are revealed below... and by saying this chapter, we remove the kitrugim, so that the kitrugim shouldn’t judge us. Only Hashem alone will judge us, as it states יצא משפטינו מלפניך, 'may my judgment come before You,' and then we will be found innocent in the judgment."
Rebbe Pinchas Koritzer zt'l said that although we generally don't say Tehillim at night (because nighttime is a time of din, and it is dangerous to say pasukim at night), we may say Tehillim at night in Elul, because these days are days of Hashem's compassion, and there is no din at all.
The Vilna Gaon zt'l (commentary to Sefer Yetzirah) explains that creation was made of a mixture of דין and רחמים, compassion and justice, as Chazal say (quoted in Rashi, Bereishis 1:1), "At first, Hashem wanted to create the world with midas hadin. He saw that the world wouldn’t exist in this manner, בו שיתף הרחמים מדת, so He combined into creation rachamim, compassion. The world, therefore, is a mixture of din and rachamim. An exception is the month of Elul because Elul is entirely and solely rachamim.
Therefore, these are good days to invest in saying Tehillim and tefillah.
