The Zohar, like Rav Sa’adia and the Rambam, presents pesukei d’zimra as functioning outside of the parameters of the amida. In parashat Vayakhel (דף ר׳ ע״א – ר׳ ע״ב) the Zohar offers a kind of commentary on the siddur. In that section we learn that there are six mitzvot – not obviously related to tefila – that can be fulfilled through davening: Fear of God, Love of God, Blessing God, Unifying God, the Priestly Blessing, being ready to give up our lives for God¹. After introducing these six Mitzvot, we are then told which section of the siddur is connected to which Mitzvah. Let’s see how the Zohar understands the role of pesukei d’zimra:

זוהר ב:ר”ב  ב 

לְיִרְאָה אֶת הַשֵּׁם, פִּקּוּדָא דָּא קַיְּימָא בְּאִלֵּין תּוּשְׁבְּחָן דְּקָאָמַר דָּוִד מַלְכָּא, וּבְאִינּוּן קָרְבָּנִין דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, דְּתַמָּן בָּעֵי בַּר נָשׁ לְדַחֲלָא מִקַּמֵּי מָארֵיהּ, בְּגִין דְּאִינּוּן שִׁירִין קַיְּימִין בְּהַהוּא אֲתָר דְּאִקְרֵי יִרְאָה. וְכָל אִינּוּן הַלְלוּיָהּ, דְּאִינּוּן רָזָא דְּיִרְאָה דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. וּבָעֵי בַּר נָשׁ לְשַׁוָּאָה רְעוּתֵיהּ בְּאִינּוּן שִׁירִין בְּיִרְאָה…

Zohar 2:202b

To fear God: This commandment is fulfilled through the recitation of the praises of King David, as well as the Torah’s sacrifices. For in those areas a person must awaken one’s self in awe before the Creator. For these songs are grounded in malchut which is called fear. And all those chapters that have the word Halleluya, which are the secrets of the fear of the Holy Blessed One. A person is required to place his will into these songs with fear…

It is not obvious how pesukei d’zimra is linked to the Mitzvah of fearing God. However, the emphasis of the Zohar is on the concluding chapters of the Tehilim that serve as the center-piece of this section of the siddur. For R. Simlai, the praise of pesukei d’zimra functions as a means to an end of the petition of the Amida; for the Zohar, the Psalms of gratitude are a means to an end of  cultivating divine awe.

Pesukei d’zimra is not here seen as a kind of preamble to the main show, but rather it serves as part of a relationship between us and God. The humility of standing before the Creator of the World can lead to a deep sense of awe. One can also understand how that experience can move us to a sense of calm and joy. This emotional experience can be achieved through anticipatory pausing (שוהים) and a combination of the seriousness of settled law (הלכה פסוקה) and the joy of Mitzvah (שמחה של מצוה).

When יראה, or awe, is appreciated not as simple fear but a real sense of amazement and wonder then the Zohar’s idea brings us to a deeper appreciation of pesukei d’Zimra. Here the siddur is a kind of work-book for some of the most foundational Mitzvot of the Torah. This is not about checking a box of having davened in a minyan, but rather providing us a literary framework in which we are meant to grow our relationship with God. The task is not simple, but the reward is great.

Rav Sa’adia and the Zohar

Rav Sa’adia saw pesukei d’zimra continuing the themes of birkot ha-shachar more than setting us up for the amida. Cultivating a healthy, adult, mature awe of God flows from a deep sense of gratitude for the world around us. The awareness that God provides for my basic human needs demands thankfulness. That feeling can then lead to a sense of amazement and awe when standing in God’s presence.

The essence of pesukei d’zimra may simply then be the core theme of ashrei:

פּוֹתֵחַ אֶת יָדֶךָ וּמַשְׂבִּיעַ לְכָל חַי רָצוֹן (תהילים קמה:טז)

You open Your hand and satisfy the needs of every living creature (Psalm 145:16).

When we inculcate the depth of this verse into our hearts we can move from gratitude to awe and fulfill this view of pesukei d’zimra.

1. זוהר כרך ב (שמות) פרשת ויקהל דף רב עמוד ב] וְאִינּוּן שִׁית פִּקוּדִין, וְקַיְימִין אוּף הָכָא בִּצְלוֹתָא. חַד, לְיִרְאָה אֶת הַשֵּׁם הַנִּכְבָּד וְהַנּוֹרָא. תִּנְיָינָא, לְאַהֲבָה אוֹתוֹ. תְּלִיתָאָה, לְבָרְכוֹ. רְבִיעָאָה, לְיַחֲדוֹ. חֲמִישָׁאָה, לְבָרֵךְ כַּהֲנָא יַת עַמָּא. שְׁתִיתָאָה, לִמְסוֹר נִשְׁמָתֵיהּ לֵיהּ. וְאִלֵּין שִׁית פִּקוּדִין דְּקַיְימִין בִּצְלוֹתָא דְּמִלָּה…