Birkat HaMazon Prayer PDF Wall Poster - English - Hebrew Letter Calligraphy Design
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Shema Prayer
Shema
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shema Yisrael (Shema Israel or Sh'ma Yisrael; Hebrew: שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל Šəmaʿ Yīsrāʾēl, "Hear, O Israel") is a Jewish prayer (known as the Shema) that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewish prayer services. Its first verse encapsulates the monotheistic essence of Judaism: "Hear, O Israel: YHVH is our God, YHVH is one" (Hebrew: שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָֽד׃), found in Deuteronomy 6:4.[1]
The first part can be translated as either "The LORD our God" or "The LORD is our God", and the second part as either "the LORD is one" or as "the one LORD" (in the sense of "the LORD alone"), since Hebrew does not normally use a copula in the present tense, so translators must decide by inference whether one is appropriate in English. The word used for "the LORD" is the tetragrammaton YHVH
Observant Jews consider the Shema to be the most important part of the prayer service in Judaism, and its twice-daily recitation as a mitzvah (religious commandment). Also, it is traditional for Jews to say the Shema as their last words, and for parents to teach their children to say it before they go to sleep at night.[2][3]
The term Shema is used by extension to refer to the whole part of the daily prayers that commences with Shema Yisrael and comprises Deuteronomy 6:4–9, 11:13–21, and Numbers 15:37–41. These sections of the Torah are read in the weekly Torah portions Va'etchanan, Eikev, and Shlach, respectively.
The recitation of the Shema in the liturgy consists of three portions: Deuteronomy 6:4–9, 11:13–21, and Numbers 15:37–41. The three portions are mentioned in the Mishnah (Berachot 2:2). The three portions relate to central issues of Jewish belief. In the Mishnah (Berakhot 2:5) the reciting of the shema was linked with re-affirming a personal relationship with God's rule. Literally, reciting the shema was stated as "receiving the kingdom of heaven." ["Heaven" is a metaphor for God. The best texts of the Mishnah, Kaufmann and Parma, do not have the addition "yoke" that is found in later printed Mishnahs: "receive the {yoke of the} kingdom of Heaven." The original statement appears to have been "to receive the kingdom of Heaven".]
Additionally, the Talmud points out that subtle references to the Ten Commandments can be found in the three portions. As the Ten Commandments were removed from daily prayer in the Mishnaic period (70–200 CE), the Shema is seen as an opportunity to commemorate the Ten Commandments.
There are two larger-print letters in the first sentence ('ayin ע and daleth ד) which, when combined, spell "עד". In Hebrew this means "witness". The idea thus conveyed is that through the recitation or proclamation of the Shema one is a living witness testifying to the truth of its message. Modern Kabbalistic schools, namely that of the Ari, teach that when one recites the last letter of the word ecḥad (אחד), meaning "one", he is to intend that he is ready to "die into God".[citation needed]
The first, pivotal words of the Shema are:
שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָד׃
Šəmaʿ Yīsrāʾēl YHWH ʾĕlōhēnū YHWH ʾeḥād:
Rabbinic Judaism teaches that the Tetragrammaton (י-ה-ו-ה), YHVH, is the ineffable and actual name of God, and as such is not read aloud in the Shema but is traditionally replaced with אדני, Adonai ("LORD").[4] For that reason, the Shema is recited aloud as Sh'ma Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Eḥad ("Hear, O Israel: the LORD is our God, the LORD is One.")
The literal word meanings are roughly as follows:[citation needed]
Sh'ma: literally means listen, heed, or hear and do (according to the Targum, accept)
Yisrael: Israel, in the sense of the people or congregation of Israel
Adonai: often translated as "LORD", it is read in place of the YHWH written in the Hebrew text; Samaritans say Shema, which is Aramaic for "the [Divine] Name" and is the exact equivalent of the Hebrew ha-Shem, which Rabbinic Jews substitute for Adonai in a non-liturgical context such as everyday speech.
Eloheinu: the plural 1st person possessive of אֱלֹהִים Elohim, meaning "our God".
Echad: the unified and cardinal number One אֶחָד
This first verse of the Shema relates to the kingship of God. The first verse, "Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is One LORD", has always been regarded as the confession of belief in the One God. Due to the ambiguity of the possible ways to translate the Hebrew passage, there are several possible renderings:
"Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God! The Lord is One!", and
"Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God – The Lord alone."
Many commentaries have been written about the subtle differences between the translations. There is an emphasis on the oneness of God and on the sole worship of God by Israel. There are other translations, though most retain one or the other emphases.
בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד
Bārūḵ šēm kəvōd malḵūtō ləʿōlām vāʾed
"Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever"
The second line is a rabbinic addition and is recited silently during congregational worship (except on Yom Kippur, when it is recited aloud). In Reform Judaism, it is recited aloud, but in a quieter voice than the rest of the prayer. It was originally a liturgical response in use in the Temple when the name of God was pronounced and took the form of Baruch shem k’vod l’olam, "Blessed be his glorious name forever" (Psalm 72:19). However, in time the words malchuto ("His kingdom") and va’ed ("for ever and ever") were added. Malchuto was introduced by the rabbis during Roman rule as a counter to the claim of divine honors by Roman emperors. Va’ed was introduced at the time of the Second Temple to contrast the view of the minim (heretics) that there is no life after death.[5]
The following verses are commonly referred to as the V'ahavta according to the first word of the verse immediately following the Shema, or in Classical Hebrew V'ahav'ta meaning "and you shall love...". They contain the command to love God with all one's heart, soul, and might (Deuteronomy 6:5). The Talmud emphasizes that you will, at some point, whether you choose to or not, and therefore uses "shall" – future tense – love God.[6]
Then verse 7 goes on to remind the community to remember all the commandments and to "teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit down and when you walk, when you lie down and when you rise",[6] to recite the words of God when retiring or rising; to bind those words "on thy arm and thy head" (classically Jewish oral tradition interprets as tefillin), and to "inscribe them on the door-posts of your house and on your gates" (referring to mezuzah).
The passage following the Shema and V'ahavta relates to the issue of reward and punishment. It contains the promise of reward for serving God with all one's heart, soul, and might (Deut 11:13) and for the fulfillment of the laws. It also contains punishment for transgression.[7] It also contains a repetition of the contents of the first portion - but this time spoken to the second person plural, whereas the first portion is directed to the individual, this time it is directed to the whole community.
The third portion relates to the issue of redemption. Specifically, it contains the law concerning the tzitzit (Numbers 15:37-41) as a reminder that all laws of God are obeyed, as a warning against following evil inclinations and in remembrance of the exodus from Egypt.[8] For the prophets and rabbis, the exodus from Egypt is paradigmatic of Jewish faith that God redeems from all forms of foreign domination. It can be found in the portion Shlach-Lecha in the Book of Numbers.
In summary, the content flows from the assertion of the oneness of God's kingship. Thus, in the first portion, there is a command to love God with all one's heart, soul, and might, and to remember and teach these very important words to the children throughout the day. Obeying these commands, says the second portion, will lead to rewards, and disobeying them will lead to punishment. To ensure fulfillment of these key commands, God also commands in the third portion a practical reminder, wearing the tzitzit, "that ye may remember and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God."
The second line quoted, "Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever", was originally a congregational response to the declaration of the Oneness of God; it is therefore often printed in small font and recited in an undertone, as recognition that it is not, itself, a part of the cited biblical verses. The third section of the Shema ends with Numbers 15:41, but traditional Jews end the recitation of the Shema by reciting the first word of the following blessing, Emet, or "Truth" without interruption.
In Orthodox Judaism, women are not required to daily recite the Shema (as a command from the Torah), as with other time-bound requirements which might impinge on their traditional familial obligations, although they are obligated to pray at least once daily without a specific liturgy requirement, and many fulfill that obligation through prayers like the Shema.[9]
Conservative Judaism generally regards Jewish women as being obligated to recite the Shema at the same times as men.
Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism do not regard gender-related traditional Jewish ritual requirements as necessary in modern circumstances, including obligations for men, but not women, to pray specific prayers at specific times. Instead, both genders may fulfill all requirements.
The blessings preceding and following the Shema are traditionally credited to the members of the Great Assembly. They were first instituted in the liturgy of the Temple in Jerusalem.
According to the Talmud, the reading of the Shema morning and evening fulfills the commandment "You shall meditate therein day and night". As soon as a child begins to speak, his father is directed to teach him the verse "Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob",[10] and teach him to read the Shema.[11] The reciting of the first verse of the Shema is called "the acceptance of the yoke of the kingship of God" (kabalat ol malchut shamayim).[12] Judah ha-Nasi, who spent all day involved with his studies and teaching, said just the first verse of the Shema in the morning "as he passed his hands over his eyes",[13] which appears to be the origin of the custom to cover the eyes with the right hand while reciting the first verse.
The first verse of the Shema is recited aloud, simultaneously by the hazzan and the congregation, which responds with the rabbinically instituted Baruch Shem ("Blessed be the Name") in silence before continuing the rest of Shema. Only on Yom Kippur is this response said aloud. The remainder of the Shema is read in silence. Sephardim recite the whole of the Shema aloud, except the Baruch Shem. Reform Jews also recite the whole of the first paragraph of the Shema aloud.
During Shacharit, two blessings are recited before the Shema and one after the Shema.[14] There is a question in Jewish law as to whether these blessings are on the Shema, or surrounding the Shema. The conclusion that has been drawn is that they are surrounding the Shema, because the structure is similar to that of blessings of the Torah, and there is doubt as to whether such blessings would actually enhance the Shema.[15] The two blessings that are recited before the Shema are Yotzer ohr and Ahava Rabbah/Ahavat Olam. The blessing after is known as Emet Vayatziv.
During Maariv, there are two blessings before the Shema and two after.[14] The two before are HaMaariv Aravim and Ahavat Olam. The two after are Emet V'Emunah and Hashkiveinu. Ashkenazim add Baruch Hashem L'Olam outside of Israel on weekdays.
Overall, the three blessings in the morning and four in the evening which accompany the Shema sum to seven, in accordance with the verse in Psalms: "I praise You seven times each day for Your just rules."[16]
Before going to sleep, the first paragraph of the Shema is recited. This is not only a commandment directly given in the Bible (in Deuteronomy 6:6–7), but is also alluded to from verses such as "Commune with your own heart upon your bed" (Psalms 4:4).
Some also have the custom to read all three paragraphs, along with a whole list of sections from Psalms, Tachanun, and other prayers. Altogether this is known as the K'riat Shema she-al ha-mitah. According to Arizal, reading this prayer with great concentration is also effective in cleansing one from sin. This is discussed in the Tanya.[17]
The exhortation by the Kohen in calling Israel to arms against an enemy (which does not apply when the Temple in Jerusalem is not standing) also includes Shema Yisrael.[18]
According to the Talmud, Rabbi Akiva patiently endured while his flesh was being torn with iron combs, and died reciting the Shema. He pronounced the last word of the sentence, Eḥad ("one") with his last breath.[19] Since then, it has been traditional for Jews to say the Shema as their last words. In 2006 Roi Klein, a major in the Israel Defense Forces, said the Shema before jumping on a live grenade and dying to save his fellow soldiers.[20]
Reformulations of the Shema appear in later Jewish Scripture, Second Temple literature, and New Testament texts.[21][22][23] In these texts, sometimes new features are added to the Shema (e.g. 2 Kings 19:19; Zech. 14:9), in others, it is abbreviated to “God is One” (Philo, Spec. 1.30), “one God” (Josephus, C. Ap. 2.193), or “God alone” (2 Maccabees 7:37).[24] The following is a selection of significant occurrences.[25]
In later Jewish scripture:
2 Kings 19:19: "And now, O Lord our God, please deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God alone."[26]
Zechariah 14:9: "And the Lord shall become King over all the earth; on that day shall the Lord be one, and His name one."[27]
Malachi 2:10: "Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us? Why should we betray, each one his brother, to profane the covenant of our forefathers?"[28]
In Second Temple literature:
Letter of Aristeas 132: "But first of all he taught that God is one, and that his power is made manifest in all things, and that every place is filled with his sovereignty, and that nothing done by men on earth secretly escapes his notice, but that all that anyone does and all that is to be is manifest to him."[29]
2 Maccabees 7:37-38: "I, like my brothers, give up body and life for the laws of our fathers, appealing to God to show mercy soon to our nation and by afflictions and plagues to make you confess that he alone is God, and through me and my brothers to bring to an end the wrath of the Almighty which has justly fallen on our whole nation."[30]
Philo, On Special Laws 1.30: "This lesson he continually repeats, sometimes saying that God is one and the Framer and Maker of all things, sometimes that He is Lord of created beings, because stability and fixity and lordship are by nature vested in Him alone."
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 4.199: "And let there be neither an altar nor a temple in any other city; for God is but one, and the nation of the Hebrews is but one."[31]
Josephus, Against Apion 2.193: "There ought also to be but one temple for one God; for likeness is the constant foundation of agreement. This temple ought to be common to all men, because he is the common God of all men."[32]
In the New Testament:
Mark 12:28-29 (NASB): One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?" Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord.'"
Romans 3:29-30 (NASB): "Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one."
James 2:19 (NASB): "You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder."
Arnold Schoenberg used it as part of the story to his narrative orchestral work A Survivor from Warsaw (1947).
In Parade, a musical based on true events, the main character Leo Frank, wrongly accused of the murder of a child worker at the pencil factory he manages, recites the Shema Yisrael as a vigilante gang kidnap and hang him in the final scenes of the work.
Pop versions have been published by Mordechai ben David and Sarit Hadad.
In Pi, Max Cohen and Lenny Meyer can be seen reciting the first three verses of the Shema.
In The Shoes of the Fisherman, Anthony Quinn, as the fictional Pope Kiril, explores the back streets of Rome disguised as a simple priest, and recites the Shema at the bedside of a dying Roman Jew.
Reggae singer Matisyahu recites the Shema in his songs "Got No water" and "Tel Aviv'n".
Yaakov Shwekey, in his "Shema Yisrael", used the story of Rabbi Eliezer Silver's saving Jewish children hidden in Christian monasteries following the Holocaust by reciting the first line of the Shema.
Singer Justin Bieber says the Shema before each public performance with his manager Scooter Braun, who is Jewish.[33]
Italian parody band Nanowar of Steel paraphrased it as "Shema Yggdrasil" in their 2019 single "Valhallelujah."[34]
In episode 9 of season 3 of the television series The Man in the High Castle, the character Frank Frink recites the Shema just before he is executed.
In the Northern Exposure episode "Kaddish for Uncle Manny", Joel Fleischman doubts the sincerity of a burly itinerant lumberjack who arrives in response to Maurice Minnifield's offer of free food and lodging to participate in a minyan; he asks the man to recite the Shema, which he does. In the episode "The Body in Question", Joel Fleischman recites the first verse of the Shema while sick in bed after falling asleep in a freezer, where he had a dream he spoke with the prophet Elijah at his great-grandfather's Passover Seder in Poland.
In episode 4 of season 2 of the television series Shtisel (2015), Rebetzen Erblich asks her friend Bube Malka to recite the Shema with her as she is preparing to die.
In episode 6 of season 1 of the television series The Sandman, Death comes for an old Jewish man, Harry who recites the Shema before dying.[35]
The second section of the Tanya brings the mystical panentheism of the founder of Hasidic Judaism, the Baal Shem Tov, into philosophical explanation. It outlines the Hasidic interpretation of God's Unity in the first two lines of the Shema, based upon their interpretation in Kabbalah. The emphasis on Divine Omnipresence and immanence lies behind Hasidic joy and devekut, and its stress on transforming the material into spiritual worship. In this internalisation of Kabbalistic ideas, the Hasidic follower seeks to reveal the Unity and hidden holiness in all activities of life.
Medieval, rationalist Jewish philosophers (exponents of Hakirah–rational "investigation" from first principles in support of Judaism), such as Maimonides, describe Biblical monotheism to mean that there is only one God, and his essence is a unique, simple, infinite Unity. Jewish mysticism provides a philosophic paradox, by dividing God's Unity into God's essence and emanation.
In Kabbalah and especially Hasidism, God's Unity means that there is nothing independent of his essence. The new doctrine in Lurianic Kabbalah of God's tzimtzum ("withdrawal") received different interpretations after Isaac Luria, from the literal to the metaphorical. To Hasidism and Schneur Zalman, it is unthinkable for the "withdrawal" of God that "makes possible" Creation, to be taken literally. The paradox of Tzimtzum only relates to the Ohr Ein Sof ("Infinite Light"), not the Ein Sof (Divine essence) itself. God's infinity is revealed in both complementary infinitude (infinite light) and finitude (finite light). The "withdrawal" was only a concealment of the Infinite Light into the essence of God, to allow the latent potentially finite light to emerge after the God limiting tzimtzum. God himself remains unaffected ("For I, the Lord, I have not changed" Malachi 3:6). His essence was One, alone, before Creation, and still One, alone, after Creation, without any change. As the tzimtzum only limits God to a concealment, therefore God's Unity remains Omnipresent. In the Baal Shem Tov's interpretation, Divine providence affects every detail of Creation. The "movement of a leaf in the wind" is part of the unfolding Divine presence, and is a necessary part of the complete Tikkun (Rectification in Kabbalah). This awareness of the loving Divine purpose and significance of each individual and his free will, awakens mystical love and awe of God.
Schneur Zalman explains that God's divided Unity has two levels, an unlimited level and a limited one, that are both paradoxically true. The main text of medieval Kabbalah, the Zohar, describes the first verse of the Shema ("Hear O Israel, the Lord is God, the Lord is One") as the "Upper level Unity", and the second line ("Blessed be the Name of the Glory of His Kingdom forever") as the limited "Lower level Unity". Schneur Zalman gives the Chabad explanation of this. In his Kabbalah philosophy, all Creation is dependent on the limited, immanent, potentially finite, "Light that Fills all Worlds", that each Creation receives continually. All is bittul–nullified to the light, even though in our realm this complete dependence is hidden. From this perspective, of God knowing the Creation on its own terms, Creation exists, but the true essence of anything is only the Divine spark that continuously recreates it from nothing. God is One, as nothing has any independent existence without this continual flow of Divine Will to Create. This is the pantheistic Lower Level Unity.
In relation to God's essence, Creation affects no change or withdrawal. All Creation takes place "within" God. "There is nothing but God". The ability to create can only come from the infinite Divine essence, represented by the Tetragrammaton name of God. However, "It is not the essence of the Divine, to create Worlds and sustain them", as this ability is only external to the Infinite essence "outside" God. Creation only derives from God's revelatory anthropomorphic "speech" (as in Genesis 1), and even this is unlike the external speech of Man, as it too remains "within" God. From this upper perspective of God knowing himself on his own terms, the created existence of Creation does not exist, as it is as nothing in relation to Zalman's philosophically constructed concept of God's essence. This monistic acosmism is the "Upper Level Unity", as from this perspective, only God exists.[36]
The Shema is one of the Old Testament sentences quoted in the New Testament. The Gospel of Mark 12:29–31 mentions that Jesus of Nazareth considered the opening exhortation of the Shema to be the first of his two greatest commandments and linked with a second (based on Leviticus 19:18b): "The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." In Luke 10:25–27 the Shema is also linked with Leviticus 19:18. The verses Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18b both begin with ve'ahavta, "and you shall love". In Luke's Gospel, it appears that this connection between the two verses was already part of cultural discussion or practice.
Theologians Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch noted that "the heart is mentioned first (in Deuteronomy 6:5), as the seat of the emotions generally and of love in particular; then follows the soul (nephesh) as the centre of personality in man, to depict the love as pervading the entire self-consciousness; and to this is added, "with all the strength", i.e. of body and soul.[38]
The Shema has also been incorporated into Christian liturgy, and is discussed in terms of the Trinity.[39] In the Latin Catholic Liturgy of the Hours, the Shema is read during the Night Prayer or Compline every Saturday, thereby concluding the day's prayers.[40] The Anglican Book of Common Prayer in use in Canada since 1962 has included the Shema in its Summary of the Law.[41] Since 2012, when the Anglican Use version of the BCP, the Book of Divine Worship, was adapted for use in Canada, it has been recited by Roman Catholics as well. It has been incorporated into Divine Worship: The Missal, transposed as the "Summary of the Law" in Mt 22:37-40 and is recited either by the Priest or the Deacon.
The Anglican (and Orthodox Celtic) Church officially utilizes the Shema in the Daily Services. Namely with the decalogue.[42]
^ Moberly, R. W. L. (1990). ""Yahweh is One": The Translation of the Shema". In Emerton, J. A. (ed.). Studies in the Pentateuch. Vetus Testamentum, Supplements. Vol. 41. Leiden: Brill Publishers. pp. 209–215. doi:10.1163/9789004275645_012. ISBN 978-90-04-27564-5.
^ "Bedtime Shema". MyJewishLearning.com.
^ "Why Say Shema at Bedtime? - Didn't we just say it in Maariv". Chabad.org.
^ Meszler, Joseph B. (2006). Witnesses to the One : the spiritual history of the Sh'ma. Woodstock, Vt.: Jewish Lights Pub. pp. xi–xvii. ISBN 1-58023-309-0. OCLC 68694138.
^ "OzTorah » Blog Archive » Baruch Shem: The 2nd line of the Shema – Ask the Rabbi". www.oztorah.com.
^
a b The Complete Hebrew Bible (Tanach) based on JPS 1917 Hebrew-English translation Deuteronomy 6, accessed 29 November 2015
^ Rosenberg, Arnold (2000-06-30). Jewish Liturgy as a Spiritual System: A Prayer-by-Prayer Explanation of the Nature and Meaning of Jewish Worship. Jason Aronson, Incorporated. pp. 65–69. ISBN 978-1-4616-2914-6.
^ Levy, Yamin (1992). "Fiat and Forming: Genesis 1 & 2 Revisited". Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Jewish Thought. 27 (1): 20–33. ISSN 0041-0608. JSTOR 23260973.
^ Mishnah Berurah, O.C. 106:1 §7
^ Deuteronomy 33:4
^ Babylonian Talmud, Sukkah 42a
^ Mishnah Berachot 2:5
^ Babylonian Talmud, Berachot 13b
a b Mishnah, Berachot 1:4
^ With all your heart: the Shema in Jewish worship, practice and life By Meir Levin, ISBN 1-56871-215-4, page 207-212
^ "[Otzar770 - Book page view]". otzar770.com.
^ Deuteronomy 20:3; Babylonian Talmud Sotah 42a
^ Babylonian Talmud, Berachot 61b
^ Lubotzky, Asael (2016). From the Wilderness and Lebanon. Koren Publishers Jerusalem. pp. 56–57. ISBN 978-1-59264-417-9.
^ Bruno, Christopher (2014). 'God Is One': The Function of 'Eis Ho Theos' as a Ground for Gentile Inclusion in Paul's Letters. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 24–113, 199–206.
^ Richard Bauckham. “The Shema and 1 Corinthians 8:6 Again.” In One God, One People, One Future: Essays in Honor of N.T. Wright, edited by John Anthony Dunne and Eric Lewellen, 86-111. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2018.
^ Mark D. Nanos. “Paul and the Jewish Tradition: The Ideology of the Shema.” In Celebrating Paul: Festchrift in Honor of Jerome Murphy-O’Connor, O.P., and Joseph A. Fitzmyer, S.J., edited by Peter Spitaler, 62–80. Washington, DC: The Catholic Biblical Association of America, 2011.
^ Bauckham, "The Shema and 1 Corinthians 8:6 again," 90.
^ For a comprehensive list, see Bauckham, "The Shema and 1 Corinthians 8:6 Again," 103-108.
^ "Melachim II - II Kings - Chapter 19". www.chabad.org. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
^ "Zechariah - Chapter 14". www.chabad.org. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
^ "Malachi - Chapter 2". www.chabad.org. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
^ Outside the Bible : ancient Jewish writings related to Scripture. Feldman, Louis H., Kugel, James L., Schiffman, Lawrence H. Philadelphia. January 2013. p. 2738. ISBN 978-0-8276-0933-4. OCLC 839395969.
^ "Bible Gateway passage: 2 Maccabees 7:37-39 - Revised Standard Version". Bible Gateway. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
^ "PACE - The Judean Antiquities". pace.webhosting.rug.nl. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
^ "PACE - Against Apion". pace.webhosting.rug.nl. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
^ "Justin Bieber: Tween Evangelist?". Huff Post. 9 February 2011.
^ "Valhalleluja - Nanowar Of Steel". Letras.mus.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). 14 December 2019. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
^ Fox, Mira (2022-08-05). "How Judaism, Scientology, Christianity, mythology and God knows what else haunt the dreams of Netflix's 'Sandman'". Forward. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
^ English translation and commentary on the second section of Tanya: Shaar Hayichud Vehaemunah-Gate of Unity and Faith from Chabad.org. Retrieved Oct. 2009
^ Wilson-Wright, Aren (2014). "The Word for 'One' in Proto-Semitic". Journal of Semitic Studies. 59 (1): 1–13. doi:10.1093/jss/fgt032.
^ Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament on Deuteronomy 6, accessed 6 November 2015
^ See Brian J. Wright, "Deuteronomy 6:4 and the Trinity: How Can Jews and Christians Both Embrace the 'Echad' of the Shema?" https://www.academia.edu/12230043/Deuteronomy_6_4_and_the_Trinity_How_Can_Jews_and_Christians_Both_Embrace_the_Echad_of_the_Shema
^ "Divine Office – Liturgy of the Hours of the Roman Catholic Church (Breviary) » Welcome to the Divine Office Community!". divineoffice.org. Retrieved 2018-11-21.
^ "The Order for the Administration of The Lord's Supper or Holy Communion". 7 December 2013. Archived from the original on 7 October 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
^ "Liturgical BCP Prayer, "The Shama": A Prayer of Christendom and of the Culdees". Christ's Assembly. Orthodox Church of the Culdees (Celtic). 16 August 2018.
"Shema" at the Jewish Encyclopedia
Anthology of Translations of Shema [1]
Jewish Prayer
Jewish Prayer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jewish prayer (Hebrew: תְּפִילָּה, tefilla [tfiˈla]; plural תְּפִילּוֹת tefillot [tfiˈlot]; Yiddish: תּפֿלה, romanized: tfile [ˈtfɪlə], plural תּפֿלות tfilles [ˈtfɪləs]; Yinglish: davening /ˈdɑːvənɪŋ/ from Yiddish דאַוון davn 'pray') is the prayer recitation that forms part of the observance of Rabbinic Judaism. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the Siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book.
Prayer, as a "service of the heart," is in principle a Torah-based commandment.[1] It is mandatory for Jewish women and men.[2] However, the rabbinic requirement to recite a specific prayer text does differentiate between men and women: Jewish men are obligated to recite three prayers each day within specific time ranges (zmanim), while, according to many approaches, women are only required to pray once or twice a day, and may not be required to recite a specific text.[3]
Traditionally, three prayer services are recited daily:
Morning prayer: Shacharit or Shaharit (שַחֲרִית, "of the dawn")
Afternoon prayer: Mincha or Minha (מִנְחָה), named for the flour offering that accompanied sacrifices at the Temple in Jerusalem,
Evening prayer:[4] Arvit (עַרְבִית, "of the evening") or Maariv (מַעֲרִיב, "bringing on night")
Two additional services are recited on Shabbat and holidays:
Musaf (מוּסָף, "additional") are recited by Orthodox and Conservative congregations on Shabbat, major Jewish holidays (including Chol HaMoed), and Rosh Chodesh.
Ne'ila (נְעִילָה, "closing"), is recited only on Yom Kippur.
A distinction is made between individual prayer and communal prayer, which requires a quorum known as a minyan, with communal prayer being preferable as it permits the inclusion of prayers that otherwise would be omitted.
According to tradition, many of the current standard prayers were composed by the sages of the Great Assembly in the early Second Temple period (516 BCE – 70 CE). The language of the prayers, while clearly from this period, often employs biblical idiom. The main structure of the modern prayer service was fixed in the Tannaic era (1st–2nd centuries CE), with some additions and the exact text of blessings coming later. Jewish prayerbooks emerged during the early Middle Ages during the period of the Geonim of Babylonia (6th–11th centuries CE).[5]
Over the last 2000 years, traditional variations have emerged among the traditional liturgical customs of different Jewish communities, such as Ashkenazic, Sephardic, Yemenite, Eretz Yisrael and others, or rather recent liturgical inventions such as Hassidic, and Chabad. However the differences are minor compared with the commonalities. Most of the Jewish liturgy is sung or chanted with traditional melodies or trope. Synagogues may designate or employ a professional or lay hazzan (cantor) for the purpose of leading the congregation in prayer, especially on Shabbat or holidays.
According to the Babylonian Talmud, prayer is a biblical command:
You shall serve God with your whole heart'[6] – What service is performed with the heart? This is prayer.[7]
Based on this passage, Maimonides categorizes daily prayer as one of the 613 commandments.[8] He rules that the commandment is fulfilled by any prayer at any time in the day, not a specific text; and thus is not time-dependent, and is mandatory for both Jewish men and women.[2] In contrast, the requirement to say specific prayers at specific times is based not on biblical law, but rather rabbinic decree.[9]
Additional references in the Hebrew Bible have been interpreted to suggest that King David and the prophet Daniel prayed three times a day. In Psalms, David states:
Evening, morning, and noontime, I speak and moan, and He hearkened to my voice.[10]
And in the Book of Daniel:
And Daniel, when he knew that a writ had been inscribed, came to his house, where there were open windows in his upper chamber, opposite Jerusalem, and three times a day he kneeled on his knees and prayed and offered thanks before his God just as he had done prior to this.[11]
The Talmud gives two reasons why there are three basic prayers each day:[12]
Each service was instituted parallel to a sacrificial act in the Temple in Jerusalem: the morning Tamid offering, the afternoon Tamid offering, and the overnight burning of this last offering.
According to Rabbi Jose bar Hanina, each of the Patriarchs instituted one prayer: Abraham the morning, Isaac the afternoon and Jacob the evening prayers. This view is supported with biblical quotes indicating that the Patriarchs prayed at the times mentioned. However, even according to this view, the exact times of when the services are held, and moreover the entire concept of a mussaf service, are still based on the sacrifices.
The earliest parts of Jewish prayer are the Shema Yisrael and the Priestly Blessing, which are in the Torah.[13]
Maimonides asserts that until the Babylonian exile, all Jews composed their own prayers. After the exile, however, when the exiles' understanding of Hebrew diminished and they found it difficult to compose prayers in Hebrew, Ezra and his court composed the Amidah prayer.[9] Modern scholarship dating from the Wissenschaft des Judentums movement of 19th-century Germany, as well as textual analysis influenced by the 20th-century discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, suggests that dating from the Second Temple period there existed "liturgical formulations of a communal nature designated for particular occasions and conducted in a centre totally independent of Jerusalem and the Temple, making use of terminology and theological concepts that were later to become dominant in Jewish and, in some cases, Christian prayer."[14]
The structure of the modern Jewish prayer service was established during the period of the Tannaim, "from their traditions, later committed to writing, we learn that the generation of rabbis active at the time of the destruction of the Second Temple (70 CE) gave Jewish prayer its structure and, in outline form at least, its contents."[15] This liturgy included the twice-daily recitation of the Shema, the Amidah, and the cycle of public Torah reading.[15]
The Amidah (or Shemoneh Esreh) prayer is traditionally ascribed to the Great Assembly (in the time of Ezra, near the end of the biblical period), though other sources suggest it was established by Simeon HaPakoli in the late 1st century. Even in the 1st century, though, the precise wording of the blessings was not yet fixed, and varied from locale to locale. By the Middle Ages the texts of the blessings was nearly fixed, and in the form in which they are still used today.
Readings from the Torah (five books of Moses) and the Nevi'im ("Prophets") are specified in the Mishnah and Talmud, as are the order of blessings surrounding the Shema. Other parts of the service, such as Pesukei dezimra, have little mention in early sources, but became established by custom.
The oldest prayer books date from the time of the Geonim of Babylonia; "some were composed by respected rabbinic scholars at the request of far-flung communities seeking an authoritative text of the required prayers for daily use, Shabbat, and holidays."[15] The earliest existing codification of the prayerbook was drawn up by Rav Amram Gaon of Sura, Babylon, about 850 CE. Half a century later Rav Saadia Gaon, also of Sura, composed a siddur, in which the rubrical matter is in Arabic. These were the basis of Simcha ben Samuel's Machzor Vitry (11th-century France), which was based on the ideas of his teacher, Rashi. Another formulation of the prayers was that appended by Maimonides to the laws of prayer in his Mishneh Torah: this forms the basis of the Yemenite liturgy, and has had some influence on other rites. From this point forward, all Jewish prayerbooks had the same basic order and contents.
The siddur was printed by Soncino in Italy as early as 1486, though a siddur was first mass-distributed only in 1865. The siddur began appearing in the vernacular as early as 1538. The first English translation, by Gamaliel ben Pedahzur (a pseudonym), appeared in London in 1738; a different translation was released in the United States in 1837.[16]
Over the last 2000 years, the various branches of Judaism have resulted in small variations in the Rabbinic liturgy customs among different Jewish communities, with each community having a slightly different nusach (customary liturgy). The principal difference is between Ashkenazic and Sephardic customs, although there are other communities (e.g., Yemenite and Italian Jews, and in the past Eretz Yisrael), and rather recent liturgical inventions such as Hassidic, Chabad and other communities also have distinct customs, variations, and special prayers. However, the differences between all these customs are quite minor compared with the commonalities. Reform Judaism also has its own version.
According to halakha, all individual prayers and virtually all communal prayers may be said in any language that the person praying understands. For example, the Mishnah mentions that the Shema need not be said in Hebrew.[17] A list of prayers that must be said in Hebrew is given in the Mishna,[18] and among these only the Priestly Blessing is in use today, as the others are prayers that are to be said only in a Temple in Jerusalem, by a priest, or by a reigning King.
Despite this, the tradition of most Ashkenazi Orthodox synagogues is to use Hebrew for all except a small number of prayers, including Kaddish and Yekum Purkan in Aramaic, and Gott Fun Avraham, which was written in Yiddish. In other streams of Judaism there is considerable variability: Sephardic communities may use Ladino or Portuguese for many prayers, although usually only for added prayers and not for the established prayers; Conservative synagogues tend to use the local language to a varying degree; and at some Reform synagogues almost the whole service may be in the local language.
The language of the prayers, while clearly being from the Second Temple period,[19] often employs biblical idiom, and according to some authorities it should not contain rabbinic or Mishnaic idiom apart from in the sections of Mishnah that are featured.
Conservative services generally use the same basic format for services as Orthodox Judaism, with some doctrinal leniencies and some prayers in English. In practice, there is wide variation among Conservative congregations. In traditionalist congregations the liturgy can be almost identical to that of Orthodox Judaism, almost entirely in Hebrew (and Aramaic), with a few minor exceptions, including excision of a study session on Temple sacrifices, and modifications of prayers for the restoration of the sacrificial system. In more liberal Conservative synagogues there are greater changes to the service, with up to a third of the service in English; abbreviation or omission of many of the preparatory prayers; and replacement of some traditional prayers with more contemporary forms. There are some changes for doctrinal reasons, including egalitarian language, fewer references to restoring sacrifices in the Temple in Jerusalem, and an option to eliminate special roles for Kohanim and Levites.
The liturgies of Reform and Reconstructionist are based on traditional elements, but contain language more reflective of liberal belief than the traditional liturgy. Doctrinal revisions generally include revising or omitting references to traditional doctrines such as bodily resurrection, a personal Jewish Messiah, and other elements of traditional Jewish eschatology, Divine revelation of the Torah at Mount Sinai, angels, conceptions of reward and punishment, and other personal miraculous and supernatural elements. Services are often from 40% to 90% in the vernacular.
Reform Judaism has made greater alterations to the traditional service in accord with its more liberal theology including dropping references to traditional elements of Jewish eschatology such as a personal Messiah, a bodily resurrection of the dead, and others. The Hebrew portion of the service is substantially abbreviated and modernized and modern prayers substituted for traditional ones. In addition, in keeping with their view that the laws of Shabbat (including a traditional prohibition on playing instruments) are inapplicable to modern circumstances, Reform services often play instrumental or recorded music with prayers on the Jewish Sabbath. All Reform synagogues are Egalitarian with respect to gender roles.
An Israeli soldier lays tefillin at the Western Wall prior to prayer.
In Jewish philosophy and in Rabbinic literature, it is noted that the Hebrew verb for prayer—hitpallel (התפלל)—is in fact the reflexive form of palal (פלל), to judge. Thus, "to pray" conveys the notion of "judging oneself":[a] ultimately, the purpose of prayer—tefillah (תפלה)—is to transform oneself.[20][21]
This etymology is consistent with the Jewish conception of divine simplicity. It is not God that changes through one's prayer—man does not influence God as a defendant influences a human judge who has emotions and is subject to change—rather it is man himself who is changed.[22] It is further consistent with Maimonides' view on Divine Providence. Here, Tefillah is the medium which God gave to man by means of which he can change himself, and thereby establish a new relationship with God—and thus a new destiny for himself in life;[22][23] see also under Psalms.
Kabbalah (esoteric Jewish mysticism) uses a series of kavanot, directions of intent, to specify the path the prayer ascends in the dialogue with God, to increase its chances of being answered favorably. Kabbalism ascribes a higher meaning to the purpose of prayer, which is no less than affecting the very fabric of reality itself, restructuring and repairing the universe in a real fashion. In this view, every word of every prayer, and indeed, even every letter of every word, has a precise meaning and a precise effect. Prayers thus literally affect the mystical forces of the universe, and repair the fabric of creation.
This approach has been taken by the Chassidei Ashkenaz (German pietists of the Middle-Ages), the Zohar, the Arizal's Kabbalist tradition, the Ramchal, most of Hassidism, the Vilna Gaon and Jacob Emden.
Hassidism, although incorporating the kabbalistic worldview and its corresponding kavanot, also emphasized straightforward sincerity and depth of emotional engagement in prayer.[24] The Baal Shem Tov's great-grandson, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, particularly emphasized speaking to God in one's own words, which he called Hitbodedut (self-seclusion) and advised setting aside an hour to do this every day.[25]
Daven is the originally exclusively Eastern Yiddish verb meaning "pray"; it is widely used by Ashkenazic Orthodox Jews. In Yinglish, this has become the Anglicised davening.
The origin of the word is obscure, but is thought by some to have come from Arabic (from diwan, a collection of poems or prayers), French (from devoner, 'to devote' or 'dedicate' or possibly from the French 'devant'- 'in front of' with the idea that the person praying is mindful of before whom they stand), Latin (from divin, 'divine') or even English (from dawn).[26] Others believe that it derives from a Slavic word meaning "to give" (Russian: давать, romanized: davat'). Some claim that it originates from an Aramaic word, de'avuhon or d'avinun, meaning 'of their/our forefathers', as the three prayers are said to have been invented by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Another Aramaic derivation, proposed by Avigdor Chaikin, cites the Talmudic phrase, "ka davai lamizrach", 'gazing wistfully to the east'.[27] Kevin A. Brook[28] cited Zeiden's suggestion[29] that the word daven comes from the Turkic root tabun- meaning 'to pray', and that in Kipchak Turkic, the initial t morphs into d, but also cited Beider's opinion that Zeiden's etymology is unlikely.[30]
In Western Yiddish, the term for pray is oren, a word with clear roots in Romance languages, similar to Spanish and Portuguese orar and Latin orare.[31]
Individual prayer is considered acceptable, but prayer with a quorum of ten Jewish adults—a minyan—is the most highly recommended form of prayer and is required for some prayers. An adult in this context means over the age of 12 or 13 (bat or bar mitzvah). Judaism had originally counted only men in the minyan for formal prayer, on the basis that one does not count someone who is not obligated to participate. The rabbis had exempted women from almost all time-specific positive mitzvot (commandments), including those parts of the prayer that cannot be recited without a quorum, due to women in the past being bound up in an endless cycle of pregnancy, birthing and nursing from a very early age. Orthodox Judaism still follows this reasoning and excludes women from the minyan.
Since 1973, Conservative congregations have overwhelmingly become egalitarian and count women in the minyan. A very small number of congregations that identify themselves as Conservative have resisted these changes and continue to exclude women from the minyan. Those Reform and Reconstructionist congregations that consider a minyan mandatory for communal prayer, count both men and women for a minyan. All denominations of Judaism except for Orthodox Judaism ordain female rabbis and cantors.[32]
There is a publicly said prayer, called Birkhat HaGomel, for giving thanks for surviving an illness or danger.[33] which, in addition to needing a Minyan, also needs a Torah scroll taken out for a scheduled Torah reading.
Head covering. In most synagogues, it is considered a sign of respect for male attendees to wear a head covering, either a dress hat or a kippa (skull cap, plural kipot, also known by the Yiddish term yarmulke). It is common practice for both Jews and non-Jews who attend a synagogue to wear a head covering.[34] Some Conservative synagogues may also encourage (but rarely require) women to cover their heads. Many Reform and Progressive temples do not require people to cover their heads, although individual worshipers, both men and women, may choose to. Many Orthodox and some conservative men and women wear a head covering throughout their day, even when not attending religious services.
Tallit (prayer shawl) is traditionally worn during all morning services (with the exception of Tisha B'av in many communities), during Aliyah to the Torah, as well as during all the services of Yom Kippur. In many communities, the hazzan alone wears a tallit during the daily afternoon and evening services. In Orthodox synagogues they are expected to be worn only by men who are halakhically Jewish and though in some Conservative synagogues they should be worn only by men, in other Conservative synagogues both men and women who are halakhically Jewish should wear a tallit. In most Orthodox Ashkenazi synagogues (except for those who follow German or Hungarian customs) they are worn only by men who are or have been married.[35][36]
Tefillin (phylacteries) are a set of small cubic leather boxes painted black, containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah. They are tied to the head and arm with leather straps dyed black, and worn by Jews only, during weekday morning prayers. In Orthodox synagogues they are expected to be worn only by men; in Conservative synagogues they are also worn by some women. The Karaite Jews, however, do not don tefillin.
Tzeniut (modesty) applies to men and women. When attending Orthodox synagogues, women will likely be expected to wear long sleeves (past the elbows), long skirts (past the knees), a high neckline (to the collar bone), and if married, to cover their hair with a wig, scarf, hat or a combination of the above. For men, short pants or sleeveless shirts are generally regarded as inappropriate. In some Conservative and Reform synagogues the dress code may be more lax, but still respectful.
In the event one of the prayers was missed inadvertently, the Amidah prayer is said twice in the next service—a procedure known as tefillat tashlumin.[37]
Many Jews sway their body back and forth during prayer. This practice, referred to as shuckling in Yiddish, is not mandatory.
Many are accustomed to giving charity before, during (especially during Vayivarech David) or after prayer, in the hopes that this will make their prayer more likely to be heard.
According to the Talmud, during prayer one should face toward Jerusalem, and specifically the site of the Temple in Jerusalem. This is based on Solomon's prayer "...and they will pray to You toward their land, which You gave to their fathers; the city which You have chosen; and the house which I have built for Your name" (1 Kings 8:48).[38]
The Shacharit (from shachar, morning light) prayer is recited in the morning. Halacha limits parts of its recitation to the first three (Shema) or four (Amidah) hours of the day, where "hours" are 1/12 of daylight time, making these times dependent on the season.[39]
Shacharit is generally the lengthiest prayer of the day. Its components include Birkot hashachar, Korbanot, Pesukei dezimra, the Shema Yisrael and its blessings, the Amidah, and Tachanun. Of these, the recitation of Shema Yisrael and the Amidah constitute the core of the Shacharit service. Those Jews who wear tallit and tefillin generally only do so during the Shacharit prayer.[40]
Mincha or Minha may be recited from half an hour after halachic noontime, until sunset. Sephardim and Italian Jews start the Mincha prayers with Psalm 84 and Korbanot,[41] and usually continue with the Pittum hakketoret. The opening section is concluded with Malachi 3:4.[42]
Ashrei is recited, followed by half-Kaddish, the Amidah (including repetition), Tachanun, and then the full Kaddish. Sephardim insert a Psalm,[43] followed by the Mourner's Kaddish. After this follows, in most modern rites, the Aleinu. Most Ashkenazim then conclude with the Mourner's Kaddish. In Ashkenazic, Italian and Yemenite communities, the service leaders often wears a tallit.
Generally, the time when Maariv can first be recited is when the time for reciting Mincha ends. But there are varying opinions on this. Maariv should not begin before 1¼ hours before sunset. Others delay Maariv until after sunset or after dusk. If Maariv is recited prior to dusk, individuals repeat the Shema later in the evening.[44]
The main components of Maariv are the recitation of the Shema (with two blessings before it and two after it), followed by the Amidah (which is not repeated, unlike with other recitations of the Amidah). Some communities add a third blessing between the Shema and Amidah. Some additional prayers and biblical verses are recited as well; these vary by community and occasion.
On Shabbat (the Sabbath), prayers are similar in structure to those on weekdays, although almost every part is lengthened. One exception is the Amidah, the main prayer, which is abridged. The first three and last three blessings are recited as usual, but the middle thirteen are replaced with a single blessing known as "sanctity of the day," describing the Sabbath. Atypically, this middle blessing is different for each of the prayers.
Shabbat services begin on Friday evening with the weekday Mincha, followed in some communities by the Song of Songs, and then in most communities by the Kabbalat Shabbat, the mystical prelude to Shabbat services composed by 16th-century Kabbalists. This Hebrew term literally means "Receiving the Sabbath". In recent decades, some communities have adopted the practice to sing the piyut Yedid Nefesh before (or occasionally after) the Kabbalat Shabbat prayers.
Kabbalat Shabbat is, except among many Italian and many Sephardic Jews (including Spanish and Portuguese Jews, but also many Middle Eastern Sephardic communities), composed of six Psalms,[45] representing the six weekdays. Next comes the poem Lekha Dodi, based on the words of the Talmudic sage Hanina: "Come, let us go out to meet the Queen Sabbath"[46] Kabbalat Shabbat is concluded by Psalm 92[47] (the recital of which constitutes acceptance of the current Shabbat with all its obligations) and Psalm 93.[48] Many add a study section here, including Bameh Madlikin and Amar rabbi El'azar and the concluding Kaddish deRabbanan (in the Western Ashkenazic rite, a mourners kaddish is instead recited after Bameh Madlikin) and is then followed by the Maariv service; other communities delay the study session until after Maariv. According to Nusach Sefard, a passage from the Zohar, entitled Kegavna is recited instead of Bameh Madlikin. In modern times the Kabbalat Shabbat has been set to music by many composers including: Robert Strassburg[49] and Samuel Adler[50]
The Shema section of the Friday night service varies in some details from the weekday services—mainly in the different ending of the Hashkivenu prayer and the omission of Baruch Adonai le-Olam prayer in those traditions where this section is otherwise recited. In the Italian rite, there are also different versions of the Ma'ariv aravim prayer (beginning asher killah) and the Emet Ve-Emunah prayer.
Most commemorate the Shabbat at this point with VeShameru.[51] The custom to recite these verses appears in many early sources such as Siddur Rav Saadya Gaon (who recited the blessing Yiru Eineinu after these verses) and is found in the vast majority of old prayer books of a variety of rites. However, it is absent from the Yemenite Baladi tradition (although has been added in most Baladi communities in the last few hundred years), and it is not recited according to the traditions of the Vilna Gaon or Chabad who are opposed to adding additional readings to the siddur which are not mentioned in the Talmud.
On Friday night, the middle blessing of the Amidah discusses the conclusion of creation, quoting the relevant verses from Genesis. The Amidah is then followed by the Seven-Faceted Blessing, the hazzan's mini-repetition of the Amidah. In some Ashkenazi Orthodox synagogues the second chapter of Mishnah tractate Shabbat, Bameh Madlikin, is read at this point, instead of earlier. Kiddush is recited in the synagogue in Ashkenazi and a few Sephardi communities. The service then follows with Aleinu. Most Sephardi and many Ashkenazi synagogues end with the singing of Yigdal, a poetic adaptation of Maimonides' 13 principles of Jewish faith. Other Ashkenazi synagogues end with Adon Olam instead.
Shabbat morning prayers differ from weekday morning prayers in several ways: an expanded version of Pesukei dezimra, a longer version of the Yotzer ohr blessing, the seven-blessing Shabbat version of the Amidah, no Tachanun, a longer Torah reading, and some additional prayers after the Torah reading. In many communities, the rabbi (or a learned member of the congregation) delivers a sermon at the very end of Shacharit and before Mussaf, usually on the topic of the Torah reading.
The Musaf service starts with the silent recitation of the Amidah. The middle blessing includes the Tikanta Shabbat reading on the holiness of Shabbat (in Yemenita communities, as well as some Sephardic communities Le-Mosheh Tsivita is recited instead of Tikanta Shabbat), and then by a reading from the biblical Book of Numbers about the sacrifices that used to be performed in the Temple in Jerusalem. Next comes Yismechu, "They shall rejoice in Your sovereignty", and Eloheynu, "Our God and God of our Ancestors, may you be pleased with our rest" (which is recited during all Amidahs of the Sabbath). After the silent prayer, the leader repeats the prayer, adding an expanded version of Kedushah. In some Sephardic and Yemenite communities, rather than the silent prayer and repetition, the leader recited his own prayer aloud and the congregation prays along with him.
After the Amidah comes the full Kaddish, followed by Ein keloheinu. In Orthodox Judaism this is followed by a reading from the Talmud on the incense offering called Pittum Haketoreth and daily psalms that used to be recited in the Temple in Jerusalem. These readings are usually omitted by Conservative Jews, and are always omitted by Reform Jews.
The Musaf service culminates with the Rabbi's Kaddish (in the Western Ashkenazic rite, the Mourners Kaddish is recited instead), the Aleinu, followed in many communities by the Mourner's Kaddish. Some synagogues conclude with the reading of Shir Hayichud, Anim Zemirot (sometimes followed by a Mourner's Kaddish), the Psalm of the Day (sometimes followed by a Mourner's Kaddish) - in some communities, these are recited before the Torah reading or at the beginning of services instead. Many communities conclude with either Adon Olam or Yigdal.
Mincha commences with Ashrei and the prayer Uva letzion, after which the first section of the next weekly portion is read from the Torah scroll. The Amidah follows the same pattern as the other Shabbat Amidah prayers, with the middle blessing starting Attah Echad. The short prayer Tzidkatcha is recited after the Amidah, followed by Kaddish and Aleinu.
The week-day Ma'ariv is recited on the evening immediately following Shabbat, concluding with Vihi No'am, Ve-Yitten lekha, and Havdalah.
Repentance in Judaism Teshuva
The services for the Days of Awe, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, take on a solemn tone as befits these days. Traditional solemn tunes are used in the prayers.
The musaf service on Rosh Hashana has nine blessings; the three middle blessings include biblical verses attesting to sovereignty, remembrance and the shofar, which is sounded during the service.
Yom Kippur is the only day in the year when there are five prayer services. The evening service, containing the Ma'ariv prayer, is widely known as "Kol Nidrei", the opening declaration made preceding the prayer. During the daytime, shacharit, musaf (which is recited on Shabbat and all festivals) and mincha are followed, as the sun begins to set, by Ne'ila, which is recited just this once a year.
The services for the three festivals of Pesach ("Passover"), Shavuot ("Feast of Weeks" or "Pentecost"), and Sukkot ("Feast of Tabernacles") are alike, except for interpolated piyyutim and readings for each individual festival. The preliminaries and conclusions of the prayers are the same as on Shabbat. The Amidah on these festivals only contains seven benedictions, with Attah Bechartanu as the main one. Hallel (communal recitation of Psalms 113–118) follows.
The Musaf service includes Umi-Penei Hata'enu, with reference to the special festival and Temple sacrifices on the occasion.
The Priestly Blessing ("dukhening") is pronounced during the repetition of the Amidah. While this occurs daily in Israel and most Sephardic congregations, it occurs only on Pesach, Shavuot, Sukkot, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur in Ashkenazic (and some Sephardic communities) congregations of the Jewish diaspora. Even when it is omitted, or when there are no kohanim present, a special prayer is instead recited by the hazzan after the Modim ("Thanksgiving") prayer) in commemoration of the priestly blessing. (American Reform Jews omit the Musaf service.)
According to halakha, Jewish men are obligated to perform public prayer three times a day, within specific time ranges (zmanim), plus additional services on Jewish holidays.
According to the Talmud, women are generally exempted from obligations that have to be performed at a certain time. (This has interpreted as being due to the need to constantly care for small children, or due to women's alleged higher spiritual level which makes it unnecessary for them to connect to God at specific times, since they are always connected to God.) In accordance with the general exemption from time-bound obligations, women are not required to recite the morning and evening Shema[52] (though Mishnah Berurah suggests that they say it anyway), and most Orthodox authorities have exempted women from reciting Maariv.[53]
Authorities have disagreed on whether this exemption applies to additional prayers. According to (Ashkenazi) Magen Avraham[54] and more recently (Sephardi) Rabbi Ovadia Yosef,[55] women are only required to pray once a day, in any form they choose, so long as the prayer contains praise of (brakhot), requests to (bakashot), and thanks of (hodot) God.[56] However, most Orthodox authorities agree that women are not completely exempt from time-bound prayer.[57] The Mishnah Berurah, an important code of Ashkenazic Jewish law, holds that the Men of the Great Assembly obligated women to recite Shacharit and Minchah each day, "just like men". Nonetheless, even the most liberal Orthodox authorities hold that women cannot count in a minyan for purposes of public prayer.
Traditionally, women were also reciting individual tkhine prayers in Yiddish.
Conservative Judaism regards the halakhic system of multiple daily services as mandatory. Since 2002, Jewish women from Conservative congregations have been regarded as having undertaken a communal obligation to pray the same prayers at the same times as men, with traditional communities and individual women permitted to opt out.[58] Reform and Reconstructionist congregations do not regard halakha as binding and hence regard appropriate prayer times as matters of personal spiritual decision rather than a matter of religious requirement.
Throughout Orthodox Judaism, including its most liberal forms, men and women are required to sit in separate sections with a mechitza (partition) separating them. Historically, a learned woman in the weibershul (women's section or annex) of a synagogue took on the informal role of precentress or firzogerin for the women praying in parallel to the main service led in the men's section. Conservative/Masorti Judaism permits mixed seating (almost universally in the United States, but not in all countries). All Reform and Reconstructionist congregations have mixed seating.
Haredi and the vast majority of Modern Orthodox Judaism has a blanket prohibition on women leading public congregational prayers. Conservative Judaism has developed a blanket justification for women leading all or virtually all such prayers, holding that although only obligated individuals can lead prayers and women were not traditionally obligated, Conservative Jewish women in modern times have as a collective whole voluntarily undertaken such an obligation.[59] Reform and Reconstructionist congregations permit women to perform all prayer roles because they do not regard halakha as binding.
A small liberal wing within Modern Orthodox Judaism, particularly rabbis friendly to the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance (JOFA), has begun re-examining the role of women in prayers based on an individual, case-by-case look at the historical role of specific prayers and services, doing so within classical halakhic interpretation. Accepting that where obligation exists only the obligated can lead, this small group has typically made three general arguments for expanded women's roles:
Because women were required to perform certain korbanot (sacrifices) in the Temple in Jerusalem, women today are required to perform, and hence can lead (and can count in the minyan for if required), the specific prayers substituting for these specific sacrifices. Birchat Hagomel falls in this category.
Because certain parts of the service were added after the Talmud defined mandatory services, such prayers are equally voluntary on everyone and hence can be led by women (and no minyan is required). Pseukei D'Zimrah in the morning and Kabbalat Shabbat on Friday nights fall in this category.
In cases where the Talmud indicates that women are generally qualified to lead certain services but do not do so because of the "dignity of the congregation", modern congregations are permitted to waive such dignity if they wish. Torah reading on Shabbat falls in this category. An argument that women are permitted to lead the services removing and replacing the Torah in the Ark on Shabbat extends from their ability to participate in Torah reading then.
A very small number of Modern Orthodox congregations accept some such arguments, but very few Orthodox congregations or authorities accept all or even most of them. Many of those who do not accept this reasoning point to kol isha, the tradition that prohibits a man from hearing a woman other than his wife or close blood relative sing. JOFA refers to congregations generally accepting such arguments as Partnership Minyanim. On Shabbat in a Partnership Minyan, women can typically lead Kabbalat Shabbat, the P'seukei D'Zimrah, the services for removing the Torah from and replacing it to the Ark, and Torah reading, as well as give a D'Var Torah or sermon.
The first Orthodox Jewish women's prayer group was created on the holiday of Simhat Torah at Lincoln Square Synagogue in Manhattan in the late 1960s.[60]
Ephraim Mirvis, an Orthodox rabbi who serves as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, supports Shabbat prayer groups for Orthodox women, saying, "Some of our congregations have women prayer groups for Friday night, some Saturday mornings. This is without women reading from the Torah. But for women to come together as a group to pray, this is a good thing."[61]
However, many Modern Orthodox rabbis, including Rabbi Hershel Schachter, Rabbi Mordechai Willig, Rabbi Nisson Alpert and others have ruled that this practice is not permitted.[62] These practices are also unheard of in the Hareidi world
In most divisions of Judaism boys prior to bar mitzvah cannot act as a Chazzen for prayer services that contain devarim sheb'kidusha, i.e. Kaddish, Barechu, the amida, etc., or receive an aliya or chant the Torah for the congregation. Since Kabbalat Shabbat and Pesukei D'zimra do not technically require a chazzan at all, it is possible for a boy prior to bar mitzvah to lead these services. The conclusion of the service on Shabbat and chagim may also be led by children. Under the Moroccan, Yemenite, and Mizrachi customs, a boy prior to bar mitzvah may lead certain prayers, read the Torah, and have an aliyah.[63] It is customary among many Ashkenazim to have children sing "Adon 'Olam" after Mussaf and "Yigdal" after Shabbat and Holiday Maariv. Among Sefardim, Mizrachim, Yemenites, and some Askenazim, a child leads the congregation in Kiryat Shema.
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Conservative services generally use the same basic format for services as in Orthodox Judaism, with some doctrinal leniencies and some prayers in English. In practice, there is wide variation among Conservative congregations. In traditionalist congregations the liturgy can be almost identical to that of Orthodox Judaism, almost entirely in Hebrew (and Aramaic), with a few minor exceptions, including excision of a study session on Temple sacrifices, and modifications of prayers for the restoration of the sacrificial system. In more liberal Conservative synagogues there are greater changes to the service, with up to a third of the service in English; abbreviation or omission of many of the preparatory prayers; and replacement of some traditional prayers with more contemporary forms. There are some changes for doctrinal reasons, including egalitarian language, fewer references to restoring sacrifices in the Temple in Jerusalem, and an option to eliminate special roles for Kohanim and Levites.
The liturgies of Reform and Reconstructionist are based on traditional elements, but contains language more reflective of liberal belief than the traditional liturgy. Doctrinal revisions generally include revising or omitting references to traditional doctrines such as bodily resurrection, a personal Jewish Messiah, and other elements of traditional Jewish eschatology, Divine revelation of the Torah at Mount Sinai, angels, conceptions of reward and punishment, and other personal miraculous and supernatural elements. Services are often from 40% to 90% in the vernacular.
Reform Judaism has made greater alterations to the traditional service in accord with its more liberal theology including dropping references to traditional elements of Jewish eschatology such as a personal Messiah, a bodily resurrection of the dead, and others. The Hebrew portion of the service is substantially abbreviated and modernized and modern prayers substituted for traditional ones. In addition, in keeping with their view that the laws of Shabbat (including a traditional prohibition on playing instruments) are inapplicable to modern circumstances, Reform services often play instrumental or recorded music with prayers on the Jewish Sabbath. All Reform synagogues are egalitarian with respect to gender roles.
^ This interpretation is homiletic rather than scholarly, as it is historically more likely that the root meaning of hitpallel is "to seek judgement for oneself", in other words to present a legal pleading.[citation needed]
a b Steinsaltz, Adin (2000). A guide to Jewish prayer (1st American paperback ed.). New York: Schocken Books. pp. 26ff. ISBN 978-0805211474. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
^ Bar-Hayim, David (Rabbi, Posek). "Women and Davening: Shemone Esre, Keriyath Shem". machonshilo.org. Archived from the original on 9 May 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
^ Weinreb, Tzvi Hersh; Berger, Shalom Z.; Schreier, Joshua, eds. (2012). [Talmud Bavli] = Koren Talmud Bavli. Even-Israel (Steinsaltz), Adin (1st Hebrew/English ed.). Jerusalem: Shefa Foundation. p. 176. ISBN 9789653015630. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
^ Center for Judaic Studies, University of Pennsylvania. "Jewish Liturgy: The Siddur and the Mahzor". Archived from the original on 18 February 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2009.
^ Hebrew-English Bible Deuteronomy 11:13
^ "Taanit 2a:11". www.sefaria.org. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
^ Mishneh Torah, Laws of Prayer 1:1; Sefer Hamitzvot, positive commandment 5
^ Hebrew-English Bible Psalm 55:17
^ Hebrew-English Bible Daniel 6:11
^ Babylonian Talmud, Berachot 26b; Jerusalem Talmud, Brachot 4:1 (29b)
^ "Benedictions". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
^ Reif, Stefan C. (19–23 January 2000). "The Second Temple Period, Qumran Research and Rabbinic Liturgy: Some Contextual and Linguistic Comparisons". Fifth Orion International Symposium LITURGICAL PERSPECTIVES: PRAYER AND POETRY IN LIGHT OF THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS. The Orion Center for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Associated Literature. Archived from the original on 26 October 2008. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
a b c "Overview: History of Jewish Prayer". Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2009.
^ "Satellite News and latest stories | The Jerusalem Post". fr.jpost.com. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012.
^ "Some explain that this means that prayers were instituted [...] after the destruction of the Temple to replace the offerings. However, these prayers were already extant throughout the Second Temple era with virtually the same formula that was instituted later, with certain known differences. Furthermore, there were already synagogues at that time, some even in close proximity to the Temple. There is a dispute in the Talmud about whether the prayers were instituted to parallel the offerings, or whether they have an independent source, unrelated to the Temple service." Weinreb, Tzvi Hersh; Berger, Shalom Z.; Schreier, Joshua, eds. (2012). [Talmud Bavli] = Koren Talmud Bavli. Even-Israel (Steinsaltz), Adin (1st Hebrew/English ed.). Jerusalem: Shefa Foundation. pp. 175 ff. ISBN 9789653015630. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
^ "Temple Israel Long Beach". Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2008.
^ "The Cosmology of the Mitzvot". Archived from the original on 2 October 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
a b "Prayer". Archived from the original on 13 January 2010. Retrieved 7 July 2008.
^ "Parashat Beha'alotecha - June 13, 1998. Sivan 19, 5758 - A Taste of Torah in Honor of Shabbat & Yom Tov by Rabbi Avi Weiss". Archived from the original on 19 October 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
^ Green, Arthur et al, Speaking Torah: Spiritual Teachings From Around the Maggid's Table, Jewish Lights, 2013, p.13.
^ Likutei Moharan 2:25
^ Rabbi Raymond Apple. "OzTorah – Where does "Daven" come from – Ask the Rabbi". Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
^ Shabbat 35a
^ The Jews of Khazaria, 3rd ed. Rowman & Littlefield 2018, p. 181–182
^ Herbert Zeiden, "Davenen: a Turkic Etymology", Yiddish 10, nos. 2–3 (1996), pp. 96–97
^ Origins of Yiddish Dialects, Oxford University Press 2015, p. 560
^ David Curwin. "Balashon – Hebrew Language Detective: daven". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 9 December 2007.
^ Jewish Women's Archive. Cantors: American Jewish Women Archived 24 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2015-05-07.
^ "Laws of the Blessing of Thanksgiving". Archived from the original on 13 September 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
^ International Council of Christians and Jews, Jewish-Christian Relations :: A glossary of terms used in the Christian-Jewish dialogue Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, "Non-Jewish male visitors to the synagogue are offered skull caps at the entrance and are asked to wear them."
^ Mordechai Becher, Gateway to Judaism: The What, How, And Why of Jewish Life, Mesorah Publications, 2005, p. 328.
^ Joyce Eisenberg, Ellen Scolnic, Dictionary of Jewish Words, Jewish Publication Society, 2006, p. 166.
^ Brachot 26a
^ See Relative hour.
^ "Tallit: The Jewish Prayer Shawl". Chabad. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
^ Hebrew-English Bible Numbers 28:1–8
^ Hebrew-English Bible Malachi 3:4
^ Donin 1991, pp. 340–341.
^ Shabbat 119a
^ "L'kha dodi". Milken Archive of Jewish Music.
^ Hebrew-English Bible Exodus 31:16–17
^ Mishna, Berakhot 3:3.
^ Mishna Berurah, Laws of Evening Prayers
^ Magen Avraham, on Shulkhan Arukh section Orach Chayim, 106:2
^ Yabiah Omer vol. 6, 17
^ Women's Issues:Women And Prayer When Time is Short Archived 12 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Nishmat
^ For example: the 19th-century posek Yechiel Michel Epstein, author of the Arukh HaShulkhan, notes: "Even though the rabbis set prayer at fixed times in fixed language, it was not their intention to issue a leniency and exempt women from this ritual act".
^ "Rabbi David Fine, Women and the Minyan, Rabbinical Assembly, 2002" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2010.
^ [1] Archived 27 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Women's Tefillah Movement". Jewish Women's Archive. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
^ "Interview: Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis | The Jewish Chronicle". Archived from the original on 21 September 2014. Archived 21 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine
^ Be'ikve ha-tson, pages 21-37 (The link is to Otzar Hachochmah, for which the first 40 pages of the file are available to all and the rest is available to subscribers only, such that the Teshuva cuts off in the middle to non-subscribers).
^ Epstein, Morris. All About Jewish Holidays and Customs. Ktav Publishing House, 1959. p. 89
Donin, Hayim H. (1991). To Pray As A Jew: A Guide To The Prayer Book And The Synagogue Service. New York: Basic Books. ISBN 978-0-465-08633-7.
Entering Jewish Prayer, Reuven Hammer (ISBN 0-8052-1022-9)
Kavvana: Directing the Heart in Jewish Prayer, Seth Kadish, Jason Aronson Inc. 1997. ISBN 0-7657-5952-7.
Or Hadash: A Commentary on Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Festivals, Reuven Hammer, The Rabbinical Assembly and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
S. Baer. Siddur Avodath Yisrael (newly researched text with commentary Yachin Lashon), 19th century.
A Guide to Jewish Prayer, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, Shocken Books (ISBN 0-8052-4174-4)
Hilchot Tefilla: A Comprehensive Guide to the Laws of Daily Prayer, David Brofsky, KTAV Publishing House/OU Press/Yeshivat Har Etzion. 2010. (ISBN 978-1-60280-164-6)
God's Favorite Prayers, Tzvee Zahavy, Talmudic Books. 2011. (ISBN 978-0-615-50949-5)
Holistic Prayer: A Guide to Jewish Spirituality, Rabbi Avi Weiss, Maggid Books. 2014. (ISBN 978-1-592-64334-9)
Jewish Prayer – Prayer in Judaism – Chabad.org
GoDaven.com – The Worldwide Minyan Database – GoDaven.com
Introduction to Jewish Prayer Archived 22 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine – Aish.com
Audio and text of the Siddur – SiddurAudio.com
Jewish Prayers And Blessings
List of Jewish prayers and blessings
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Listed below are some Hebrew prayers and blessings that are part of Judaism that are recited by many Jews. Most prayers and blessings can be found in the Siddur, or prayer book. This article addresses Jewish liturgical blessings, which generally begin with the formula:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אֱלֹהֵינוּּ, מֶלֶך הָעוֹלָם...
Transliteration: Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam...
Translation: "Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe..."
In the transliterations below, ' is used to refer to the sh'vah, which is similar/equivalent to ə; a mid-word aleph, a glottal stop; and a mid-word ayin, a voiced pharyngeal fricative ʕ similar/equivalent to Arabic ع. Whenever ` is used, it refers to ayin whether word-initial, medial, or final. 'H/h' are used to represent both he, an English h sound as in "hat"; and ḥes, a voiceless pharyngeal fricative ħ equivalent to Arabic ح. Whenever 'ḥ' is used, it refers to ḥet. Resh is represented by an 'r,' though it's equivalent to Spanish 'r,' Spanish 'rr,' or French 'r,' depending on one's dialect. In all other regards, transliterations are according to the modern Hebrew pronunciation, based on the Sephardi tradition.
מודה אני
Modeh Ani is a short prayer recited first thing after waking in the morning. Thanking God for all he does.
Elohai Neshamah
אלהי נשמה
Thanking God for restoring the soul in the morning. Said following washing the hands and Asher Yatzar blessings.
Blessings over the Torah
ברכות התורה
Thanking God for giving us the Torah and a blessing on the Torah that will be learned over the course of the day. Followed by some short passages from Torah and the Mishnah (in some customs, followed immediate by Seder Korbanot, which is also a selection of Torah passages).
Morning blessings
ברכות השחר
Blessings thanking God for most of the basic functions of our lives (sight, clothes, movement etc.)
Seder Korbanot
סדר הקרבנות
Recounting the order of the day in the Temple service. Includes the description of the daily sacrifice from the Book of Numbers and chapter 5 of Zevachim that contains a list of all the types of sacrifices that were given.
13 midot of Rabi Yishmael
ברייתא דרבי ישמעאל
A passage of learning from the Oral Law. It is a list of the 13 principles that Rabi Yishmael would use to interpret the Torah.
This portion of the prayers acts as an introduction to the morning prayers. The following is the order of Nusach Ashkenaz:
מזמור שיר
Psalm 30. Recited in the Eastern Ashkenazic rite at the beginning of Pesukei Dezimra. In the Western Ashkenazic rite, as well as according to the custom of the Vilna Gaon, it is not recited in Pesukei D'Zimra at all.
ברוך שאמר
The first blessing of Pesukei Dezimra
A series of paragraphs in Pesukei Dezimra. Includes Psalm 100
יהי כבוד
A series of verses recited during Pesukei Dezimra
אשרי
Recited three times daily: during Pesukei Dezimra, preceding Uva Letzion, and at the beginning of Mincha (in the Ashkenazic rite, it is recited instead in Ne'ila on Yom Kippur)
הלל
Includes Ashrei and Psalms 146, 147, 148, 149, and 150
ברוך ה לעולם
Recited as a blessing after concluding Hallel
ויברך דוד
From Chronicles Book I, Chapter 29, verses 10–13
אתה-הוא יהוה לבדך
From Book of Nehemiah, Chapter 9, verses 6–11
אז ישיר
From Book of Exodus 15:1–18
ישתבח
Concluding blessing of Pesukei Dezimra
The Shema prayers is said every day in Shacharit and Maariv. There are always two blessings before the Shema, but after the Shema in the day there is only one blessing, and at night there are two (or three in some communities).
יוצר אור
The first blessing recited prior to Shema during Shacharit
מעריב ערבים
The first blessing recited prior to Shema during Maariv
אהבה רבה
The second blessing recited prior to Shema during Shacharit (some communities begin this blessing with "Ahavat Olam")
אהבת עולם
The second blessing recited prior to Shema during Maariv
שמע ישראל
A centerpiece of Jewish prayer services which affirms belief and trust in the One God, the Shema is composed of three sections taken from the Torah.
אמת ויציב
The only blessing recited following the Shema during Shacharit
אמת ואמונה
The first blessing recited following the Shema during Maariv
השכיבנו
The second blessing recited following the Shema during Maariv
ברוך ליהוה לעולם
The third blessing recited following the Shema during Maariv. This blessing is only said by some communities, mostly outside of Israel. It is omitted in the vast majority of communities in Israel, and it is not said today by anyone on Shabbat or Yom Tov, although historically it was said in some communities on the Sabbath.
The "standing [prayer]", also known as the Shemoneh Esreh ("The Eighteen"), consisting of 19 strophes on weekdays and seven on Sabbath days and 9 on Rosh haShana Mussaf. It is the essential component of Jewish services, and is the only service that the Talmud calls prayer. It is said three times a day (four times on Sabbaths and holidays, and five times on Yom Kippur). The source for the Amida is either as a parallel to the sacrifices in the Temple, or in honor of the Jewish forefathers.
The prayer is divided into 3 sections, blessings of praise for God, requests for our needs (or exalting the holiness of the day for Shabbat and Yom Tov) and finally blessings of thanksgiving.
Praise[edit]
Avot
אבות
First blessing of the Amidah, and describes God's choosing of the Jewish patriarchs, and God's protection of them. Many non-Orthodox communities include the matriarchs in this blessing and therefore give it the name Avot v'imahot, meaning "fathers and mothers."
Gevurot
גבורות
Second blessing of the Amidah, describing God's might and God's mastery over the natural world.
Kedushat Hashem
קדושת יהוה
Third blessing of the Amidah, affirming the holiness of God. During the repetition of the Amida the Kedushah is added.
Middle blessings[edit]
On a regular weekday there are 13 blessings that ask God for our needs. A small number of rabbis, such as David Bar-Hayim based on fragments from the Cairo Geniza say only 12 blessings here.
On fast days in the times of the Talmud there were a number of additional blessings, and in communities today a 14th blessing is added to the Chazzan's repetition on fast days.
Daat
דעת
Asking for wisdom and understanding.
Teshuva
תשובה
Asking God to help us return to the Torah way of life.
Selicha
סליחה
Asking for God's forgiveness.
Geula
גאולה
Asking for God to rescue the Jewish people from our travails. On fast days during the repetition of the Amida, Aneinu is said here.
Refua
רפואה
Asking for good health.
Birkat Hashanim
ברכת השנים
Asking for a blessing for the produce of the earth. We also ask for the rain needed to sustain life. Broadly also asking for income. During times of drought a special prayer for rain is added here.
Kibutz Galuyot
קבוץ גלויות
Asking God to bring the Jews back from the Exile into Israel.
Mishpat
משפט
Asking God to judge us justly and to restore the judges to Israel.
Minim
מינים
Asking to destroy the heretical sects and informers. This blessing was a later addition to the Amida, and is the 19 blessing.
Tzadikim
צדיקים
Asking God to help and support righteous people.
Boneh Yerushalayim
בונה ירושלים
Asking to have Jerusalem rebuilt and returned to its former glory. On Tisha B'av the Nachem prayer is added here.
Malchut bet David
מלכות בית דוד
Asking for the monarchy to be reinstated and for David's descendants to become the kings. In the Palestinian tradition, this blessing was merged with the previous one to maintain 18 blessings.
Shome'a tefilla
שומע תפילה
Asking God to answer our prayers. Any additional requests can be added in this blessing. On fast days Aneinu is added here in the silent prayer.
On Shabbat and Yom Tov there is only a single blessing.
Kedushat hayom
קדושת היום
Describing the holiness of the particular day. In Mussaf it also describes the sacrifice that was brought in the Temple on that day.
During Mussaf of Rosh HaShana there are 3 blessings in the middle, each built around 10 verses from the Tanach around a particular theme.
Malchuyot
מלכויות
Describing how God was made king of the world on this day.
Zichronot
זכרונות
Mentioning the times that God has promised to remember the people of Israel.
Shofarot
שופרות
Describing various times and occasions that the Shofar was blown.
Thanksgiving[edit]
Avoda
עבודה
Thanking God for the Temple service and for accepting our prayers.
Modim
מודים
General thanksgiving. As the Chazan says this prayer in the repetition, the congregation reads a paragraph of thanksgiving silently.
Shalom
שלום
Thanking God for bringing peace into the world. When the Priestly Blessing is said it is added here.
Additions during the repetition[edit]
קדושה
Proclaiming the holiness of God. said during the repetition of the Amida
Modim d'rabanan
מודים דרבנן
Additional thanks to God, said while the Chazan is saying Modim during the repetition of the Amida.
ברכת כהנים
The "Priestly Blessing," recited by the Kohanim every day in Israel before the blessing for peace in Shacharit (and Mussaf on days with Mussaf). Outside of Israel, Ashkenazim and some Sephardim recite it only on Yom Tov, while other Sephardim recite it on Shabbat and Yom Tov or every day. Even in places where they do not recite it, the chazzan recites a mini version commemorating its recitation ('Eloheinu ve-Elohei avoteinu barkheinu ...') at any time when it could be recited (Shacharit, Mussaf, and on fast days at Mincha).
תחנון
Supplicatory prayer said during Shacharit and Mincha. Not said on Shabbat, Yom Tov and other festive days.
הלל
Psalms 113–118, recited as a prayer of praise and thanksgiving on Jewish holidays. Hallel is said in one of two forms: Full Hallel and Partial Hallel.
שיר של יום
Daily psalm. Each day has a different chapter to be said. There are also special chapters to be said on some special days.
אין כאלהינו
A lyrical prayer recited at the end of services, praising God's uniqueness. Some traditions say it only on Shabbat and festivals, while others say it every day
עלינו
The Aleinu praises God for allowing the Jewish people to serve him, and expresses their hope that the whole world will recognize God and abandon idolatry.
An Aramaic prayer which focuses on the idea of magnification and sanctification of God's name. There are five versions of kaddish for different purposes.
Half kaddish
חצי קדיש
A short version of kaddish to mark the end of a section of prayers.
Full kaddish
קדיש שלם
A longer version of kaddish to mark the end one of the major prayers, and is said after the amida.
Kaddish yatom
קדיש יתום
A version said by mourners in the 11 months following the death of a parent.
Kaddish d'rabanan
קדיש דרבנן
Said following study of the Oral Law.
Kaddish ha'gadol
קדיש הגדול
Said at a siyum for learning a tractate of Talmud or at the funeral of a parent.
אנעים זמירות
More formally known as "The Song of Glory," this song is sung in many Ashkenazic communities at the end of morning prayers on Shabbat. It is also recited following Maariv on Yom Kippur.
מה טובו
A prayer of reverence for the synagogue, recited in the morning upon entering. In the Western Ashkenazic rite, it is also sometimes recited at the beginning of Maariv on Festivals.
אדון עולם
A poem discussing God's rule of the world.
יגדל
A poetic version of the Maimonide's 13 principles of faith.
כל‑נדרי
A prayer recited in the synagogue at the beginning of the evening service on Yom Kippur (יום כיפור), the Day of Atonement. It is a declaration of absolution from vows taken, to free the congregants from guilt due to unfulfilled vows during the previous (and coming) year.
קבלת שבת
A series of psalms that are said before Maariv on Shabbat to welcome the Shabbat queen.
לכה דודי
Poem that is often sung part of kabbalat Shabbat.
הושענות
Prayer said on Sukkot while circling the bimah. There is an extended version said on Hoshana Raba
These blessings are also relevant to the festivals with some minor changes to the wording.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל שַׁבָּת.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, Melekh ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Shabbat.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to light the Shabbat candle[s].
Kiddush (Ashkenazi)
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְרַָצָה בָנוּ, וְשַׁבָּת קָדְשׁוֹ בְּאַהֲבָה וּבְרָצוֹן הִנְחִילָנוּ, זִכָּרוֹן לְמַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית. כִּי הוּא יוֹם תְּחִלָּה לְמִקְרָאֵי קֹדֶשׁ, זֵכֶר לִיצִיאַת מִצְרָיִם. כִּי בָנוּ בָחַרְתָּ וְאוֹתָנוּ קִדַּשְׁתָּ מִכָּל הָעַמִּים, וְשַׁבָּת קָדְשְׁךָ בְּאַהֲבָה וּבְרָצוֹן הִנְחַלְתָּנוּ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה מְקַדֵּשׁ הַשַׁבָּת.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, asher kideshanu be'mitzvotav ve'ratza banu, ve'shabbat kodsho be'ahava u've'ratzon hinchilanu, zikaron le'ma'ase vereshit. Ki hu yom techila le'mik'raei kodesh, zecher li'yziat mitzrayim. Ki vanu vacharta ve'otanu kidashta mi'kol ha'amim, ve'shabbat kodshecha be'ahava u've'ratzon hinchaltanu. Barukh ata Adonai mekadesh ha'shabbat.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who sanctified us with His commandments, and hoped for us, and with love and intent invested us with His sacred Sabbath, as a memorial to the deed of Creation. It is the first among the holy festivals, commemorating the exodus from Egypt. For You chose us, and sanctified us, out of all nations, and with love and intent You invested us with Your Holy Sabbath. Blessed are You, Adonai, Sanctifier of the Sabbath.
Main blessing of Havdalah (Ashkenazi)
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, הַמַּבְדִּיל בֵּין קֹדֶשׁ לְחוֹל, בֵּין אוֹר לְחשֶׁךְ, בֵּין יִשְׂרָאֵל לָעַמִּים, בֵּין יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי לְשֵׁשֶׁת יְמֵי הַמַּעֲשֶׂה: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, הַמַבְדִּיל בֵּין קֹדֶשׁ לְחוֹל:
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, ha'mavdil bein kodesh l'hol, bein or l'hoshekh, bein yisra'el la'amim, bein yom ha'sh'vi'i l'sheshet y'mei ha'ma'a'se. Barukh ata Adonai, ha'mavdil bein kodesh l'hol.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who distinguishes between the sacred and the secular, between light and dark, between Israel and the nations, between the seventh day and the six days of labor. Blessed are You, LORD, Who distinguishes between the sacred and the secular.
When any of these blessings are done for the first time that year, the blessing of she'he'cheyanu is said.
For blowing the shofar
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ לִשְׁמֹעַ קוֹל שׁוֹפָר.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu li'shmoa kol shofar.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to hear the sound of the shofar.
For sitting in the sukkah for a meal
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ לֵישֵׁב בַּסֻּכָּה.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu leishev ba'sukkah.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to sit in the sukkah.
For eating the matzah at the seder
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ עַל אֲכִילַת מַצָּה.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu al achilat matzah.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to eat matzah.
For eating the maror at the seder
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ עַל אֲכִילַת מָרוֹר.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu al achilat maror.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to eat maror.
For taking the lulav
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ עַל נְטִילַת לוּלָב.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu al netilat lulav.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to take up the lulav.
For reading the megilla
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ עַל מִקְרָא מְגִלָּה.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu al mikra megilla.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to read the megilla.
For the lighting the candles
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל חֲנֻכָּה.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Hanukkah.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah light[s].
Remembering the miracle of the day (said following the appropriate blessing above)
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁעָשָׂה נִסִּים לַאֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם בַּזְּמַן הַזֶּה.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, she'asa nisim la'avoteinu ba'yamim ha'heim ba'z'man ha'ze.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who performed miracles for our ancestors in those days at this time...
Putting on tzitzit
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אֱלֹהֵינוּּ, מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם. אֲשֶר קִדְּשָנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וִצִוָּנוּ עַל־מִצְוַת צִיצִת.[1][2]
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha`olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav, al-mitzvat tzitzit.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us regarding the commandment of fringes.
Putting on tallit (prayer shawl)
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לְהִתְעַטֵּף בַּצִיצִית
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hit'atef ba'tzitzit
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us to wrap ourselves with fringes.
Putting on tefillin
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לְהָנִיחַ תְּפִלִּין.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha`olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hani'aḥ t'filin.[3]
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us to put on tefillin.
Putting on the head tefillin (Ashkenazim only)
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל מִצְוַת תְּפִלִּין.
בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu al mitzvat t'filin
Barukh shem k'vod malkhuto l'olam va'ed
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us regarding the commandment of tefillin.
Blessed is the Name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever.
When affixing a mezuzah on the door
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לִקְבּוֹעַ מְזוּזָה.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu likbo'a m'zuza.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to affix the mezuzah.
When immersing in a mikveh, either for conversion or niddah.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ עַל הַטְּבִילָה.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu al ha't'vila.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning immersion.
When immersing vessels in a mikveh.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ עַל הַטְּבִילַת כֵּלִים.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu al t'vilat kelim.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning the immersion of vessels.
N'tilat Yadayim (Ritual washing of hands)[edit]
The hands are ritually washed before partaking of certain staples of life.
In the Ashkenazic tradition and some Sephardic and other communities, it is done before eating bread. In some Sephardic rites and in the German community originating in Frankfurt it is done before drinking wine and or eating bread, alone or with the wine (such as would be done before a Sabbath or festive meal) at which time this blessing is said:
After washing but before drying the hands, the following blessing below is said.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בּמִצְוֹתָיו, וצִוָּנוּ עַל נְטִילַת יָדָיִם.
Barukh ata Adonai Elohenu, melekh ha`olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu `al netilat yadayim.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning the taking (drying) of hands.
Blessing prior to food[edit]
Hamotzi
Bread made from one or all of: wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, הַמּוֹצִיא לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, hamotzi lehem min ha'aretz.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth.
M'zonot
Non-bread (e.g. cake) products of wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt (and rice, according to many opinions).
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא מִינֵי מְזוֹנוֹת.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, Melekh ha'olam, bo're minei m'zonot.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who creates varieties of nourishment.
HaGafen
Wine made from grapes, or grape juice. Not said for any other drink or any other grape-based product.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגֶּפֶן.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, Melekh ha'olam, bo're p'ri hagefen.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine.
HaEtz
Any fruit from trees.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָעֵץ.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, Melekh ha'olam, bo're p'ri ha'etz.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the tree.
HaAdama
Produce that grew directly from the earth.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, Melekh ha`olam, bo're p'ri ha'adama.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the ground.
SheHaKol
Any foods or drinks not in the first five categories.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁהַכֹּל נִהְיָה בִּדְבָרוֹ.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, Melekh ha'olam, shehakol nih'ye bidvaro.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, through Whose word everything comes into being.
After the meal[edit]
Main article: Birkat Hamazon
The combined blessing of Birkat Hamazon is made only after eating a meal containing bread (including matza) made from one or all of wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt.
After Birkat Hamazon, many Sephardic Jews of the Spanish and Portuguese rite recite Ya Comimos or sing Bendigamos. These prayers are similar in content to Birkat Hamazon.
Pleasant smelling trees and shrubs
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא עֲצֵי בְשָׂמִים.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, bo're atzei b'samim
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who creates fragrant trees.
Pleasant smelling grasses herbs or flowers
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא עִשְּׂבֵי בְשָׂמִים.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, bo're issvei b'samim
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who creates fragrant grasses.
Pleasant smelling fruits
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, הַנוֹתֵן רֵיחַ טוֹב בַּפֵּרוֹת.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, ha'noten re'ah tov ba'peirot
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who gives pleasant smells to fruit.
Pleasant smelling oils
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא שֶׁמֶן עָרֵב.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, bo're shemen arev
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who creates pleasing perfumes.
All other smells
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא מִינֵי בְשָׂמִים.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, bo're min'ei be'samim
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who creates various spices.
Seeing wonders of nature, lightning
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, עוֹשֶׂה מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, o'seh ma'ase be'reshit
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who makes all creation.
Hearing thunder
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁכֹּחוֹ וּגְבוּרָתוֹ מָלַא עוֹלָם.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, she'koho u'gevurato maleh olam
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Whose power and strength fill the world.
Seeing a rainbow
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, זוֹכֵר הַבְּרִית וְנֶאֱמָן בִּבְרִיתוֹ וְקַיָם בְּמַאֲמָרוֹ.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, zocher ha'brit ve'ne'eman bi'vrito ve'kayam b'ma'amaro
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who remembers the covenant and who is trustworthy in his covenants and fulfills His word.
Seeing the ocean or large body of water for the first time in 30 days
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁעָשָׂה אֶת הַיָם הַגָּדוֹל.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, she'asa et ha'yam ha'gadol
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who made the large bodies of water.
Seeing trees blossom for the first time in the spring
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁלֹּא חִסַּר בְּעוֹלָמוֹ כְּלוּם וּבָרָא בוֹ בְּרִיוֹת טוֹבוֹת וְאִילָנוֹת טוֹבִים לְהַנּוֹת בָּהֶם בְּנֵי אָדָם.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, she'lo chisar b'olamo klum u'vara vo beri'ot tovot ve'ilanot tovim le'hanot bahem benei adam
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who left out nothing in His world and created pleasant creations and good trees so that people can derive benefit from them.
Seeing people or creatures who are very special/unique in their appearance
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם מְשַנֶּה הַבְּרִיּוֹת
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, Meshane habriyot
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, changer of creations.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הַעוֹלָם, שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה
Baruch atah Adonai Elohenu, melekh ha'olam, shehecheyanu vekiymanu vehigi'anu lazman hazeh.
Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.
For positive new experiences, including the first time a mitzvah is being done, new clothes or a new annual fruit.
Ha'tov ve'hametiv
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הַעוֹלָם, הַטוֹב וְהַמֵטִיב׃
Baruch atah Adonai Elohenu, melekh ha'olam, ha'tov ve'ha'metiv.
Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who is good and does good.
For good news and positive experiences.
Dayan ha'emet
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הַעוֹלָם, דָיַן הַאֱמֶת׃
Baruch atah Adonai Elohenu, melekh ha'olam, dayan ha'emet.
Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the Universe, the just judge.
For bad news and negative experiences. Also said at a funeral by the mourners prior to tearing the clothes.
Hagomel
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵינוּּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, הַגּוֹמֵל לַחַיָּבִים טוֹבוֹת שֶׁגְּמָלַנִי כָּל טוֹב.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, hagomel lahayavim tovot, sheg'molani kol tov.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, Who bestows good things upon the unworthy, and has bestowed upon me every goodness.
For surviving life-threatening situations, such as illness or childbirth.
^ "Siddur Ashkenaz, Weekday, Shacharit, Preparatory Prayers, Tzitzit (**Includes Yehi Ratzon) 1". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
^ "Siddur Sefard, Upon Arising, Modeh Ani 5". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
Where To Print Your Printable
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Siddur
Siddur
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the sculptor, see Vadim Sidur.
The oldest known siddur in the world. From the 9th century[1]
A siddur (Hebrew: סִדּוּר sīddūr, [siˈduʁ, 'sɪdəʁ]; plural siddurim סִדּוּרִים [siduˈʁim]) is a Jewish prayer book containing a set order of daily prayers. The word siddur comes from the Hebrew root ס־ד־ר, meaning 'order.'
Other terms for prayer books are tefillot (תְּפִלּוֹת) among Sephardi Jews, tefillah among German Jews, and tiklāl (תכלאל) among Yemenite Jews.
The earliest parts of Jewish prayer books are the Shema Yisrael ("Hear O Israel") (Deuteronomy 6:4 et seq) and the Priestly Blessing (Numbers 6:24-26), which are in the Torah. A set of eighteen (currently nineteen) blessings called the Shemoneh Esreh or the Amidah (Hebrew, "standing [prayer]"), is traditionally ascribed to the Great Assembly in the time of Ezra, at the end of the biblical period.[2]
The name Shemoneh Esreh, literally "eighteen", is a historical anachronism, since it now contains nineteen blessings. It was only near the end of the Second Temple period that the eighteen prayers of the weekday Amidah became standardized. Even at that time their precise wording and order was not yet fixed, and varied from locale to locale. Many modern scholars[who?] believe that parts of the Amidah came from the Hebrew apocryphal work Ben Sira.[citation needed]
According to the Talmud, soon after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem a formal version of the Amidah was adopted at a rabbinical council in Yavne, under the leadership of Gamaliel II and his colleagues. However, the precise wording was still left open. The order, general ideas, opening and closing lines were fixed. Most of the wording was left to the individual reader. It was not until several centuries later that the prayers began to be formally fixed. By the Middle Ages the texts of the prayers were nearly fixed, and in the form in which they are still used today.
The Siddur was printed by Soncino in Italy as early as 1486, though a Siddur was first mass-distributed only in 1865.[3] The Siddur began appearing in the vernacular as early as 1538.[3] The first English translation was published in London in 1738 by an author writing under the pseudonym Gamaliel ben Pedahzur; a different translation was released in the United States in 1837.[3]
Readings from the Torah (five books of Moses) and the Nevi'im ("Prophets") form part of the prayer services. To this framework various Jewish sages added, from time to time, various prayers, and, for festivals especially, numerous hymns.
The earliest existing codification of the prayerbook was drawn up by Amram ben Sheshna of Sura Academy in Sawad, the Abbasid Caliphate, an area known as "Babylonia" in Jewish texts, about 850 CE (Seder Rav ʿAmram). Half a century later, Saadia Gaon, also of Sura, composed a siddur (see Siddur of Saadia Gaon), in which the rubrical matter is in Judeo-Arabic. These were the basis of Simhah ben Samuel of Vitry's 11th century Machzor Vitry, which was based on the ideas of his teacher, Rashi. Another formulation of the prayers was that appended by Maimonides to the Book of Love in his Mishneh Torah: this forms the basis of the Yemenite liturgy, and has had some influence on other rites. From this point forward all Jewish prayerbooks had the same basic order and contents.
Two authoritative versions of the Ashkenazi siddur were those of Shabbetai Sofer in the 16th century and Seligman Baer in the 19th century; siddurim have also been published reflecting the views of Jacob Emden and the Vilna Gaon.
Main article: Nusach (Jewish custom)
Nusach Ashkenaz Siddur from Irkutsk, Russia, printed in 1918
There are differences among, amongst others, the Sephardic (including Spanish and Portuguese and Mizrachim), Teimani (Yemenite), Hasidic, Ashkenazic (divided into German, Polish and other European and eastern-European rites), Bené Roma or Italkim, Romaniote (Greek, once extending to Turkey, Crimea and the southern Italian peninsula) and also Persian, Kurdish, Bukharian, Georgian, Mountain Jewish, Ethiopian and Cochin-Jewish liturgies. Most of these are slight differences in the wording of the prayers; for instance, Oriental Sephardic and some Hasidic prayer books state "חננו מאתך חכמה בינה ודעת", "Graciously bestow upon us from You wisdom (ḥochmah), understanding (binah) and knowledge (daat)", in allusion to the Kabbalistic sefirot of those names, while the Nusach Ashkenaz, as well as Western Sephardic and other Hasidic versions retain the older wording "חננו מאתך דעה בינה והשכל", "Graciously bestow upon us from You knowledge, understanding, and reason". In some cases, however, the order of the preparation for the Amidah is drastically different, reflecting the different halakhic and kabbalistic formulae that the various scholars relied on in assembling their prayer books, as well as the minhagim, or customs, or their locales.
Some forms of the Sephardic rite are considered to be very overtly kabbalistic, depending on how far they reflect the ritual of Isaac Luria (see Lurianic Kabbalah). This is partly because the Tetragrammaton frequently appears with varying vowel points beneath the letters (unpronounced, but to be meditated upon) and different Names of God appear in small print within the final hei (ה) of the Tetragrammaton. In some editions, there is a Psalm in the preparations for the Amidah that is printed in the outline of a menorah, and the worshipper meditates on this shape as he recites the psalm.
While the Ashkenazic rite does contain some kabbalistic elements, such as acrostics and allusions to the sefirot ("To You, God, is the greatness [gedullah], and the might [gevurah], and the glory [tiferet], longevity [netzach],..." etc.), these are not easily seen unless the reader is already initiated. It is notable that although many other traditions avoid using the poem Anim Zemiroth on the Sabbath, for fear that its holiness would be less appreciated due to the frequency of the Sabbath, the poem is usually sung by Ashkenazi congregations before concluding the Sabbath Musaf service with the daily psalm. The ark is opened for the duration of the song.
Hasidim, though usually ethnically Ashkenazi, usually use liturgies with varying degrees of Sephardic influence, such as Nusach Sefard and Nusach Ari, in order to follow the order of the prayers set by Rabbi Isaac Luria, often called "Ari HaKadosh", or "The Holy Lion". Although the Ari himself was born Ashkenazi, he borrowed many elements from Sephardi and other traditions, since he felt that they followed Kabbalah and Halacha more faithfully. The Ari did not publish any siddur, but orally transmitted his particular usages to his students with interpretations and certain meditations.[4] Many siddurim containing some form of the Sephardic rite together with the usages of the Ari were published, both by actual Sephardic communities and for the use of Hasidim and other Ashkenazim interested in Kabbalah. In 1803, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi compiled an authoritative siddur from the sixty siddurim that he checked for compliance with Hebrew grammar, Jewish law, and Kabbalah: some call this siddur "Nusach Ari", and is used by Lubavitch Hasidim. Those that use Nusach HaAri claim that it is an all-encompassing nusach that is valid for any Jew, no matter what his ancestral tribe or identity,[5] a view attributed to the Maggid of Mezeritch.[citation needed]
The Mahzor of each rite is distinguished by hymns (piyyutim). The most important writers are Jose ben Jose, probably in the 4th-5th century CE, chiefly known for his compositions for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur; Yanai; Eleazar Kalir, the founder of the payyetanic style, perhaps in the 7th century; Saadia Gaon; the Spanish school, consisting of Joseph ibn Abitur (died in 970), ibn Gabirol, Isaac Gayyath, Moses ibn Ezra, Abraham ibn Ezra and Judah ha-Levi, Moses ben Nahman (Nahmanides) and Isaac Luria; and the Ashkenazic and French schools including Shimon bar Yitzchak, Meir bar Yitzchak and many others.
The Ari recited only early piyyutim, such as those by Eleazar Kalir, but did not like the Sephardic piyyutim.[6] Therefore, on holidays he would daven (recite the prescribed liturgical prayers) with Ashkenazim -- as opposed to his practice the rest of the year to daven with Sephardim -- in order to recite their piyyutim, which include many more earlier piyyutim. For this reason, many Hasidim (such Belz and Viznitz) recite many piyyutim on Yom Tov and the sabbaths of the four special portions preceding Passover in accordance with the practice of the Ari. However, in Sephardic communities which accepted most of the practices of the Ari, they never accepted the Ashkenazic piyyutim.
Some siddurim have only prayers for weekdays; others have prayers for weekdays and Shabbat. Many have prayers for weekdays, Shabbat, and the three Biblical festivals, Sukkot (the feast of Tabernacles), Shavuot (the feast of weeks) and Pesach (Passover). The latter are referred to as a Siddur Shalem ("complete siddur").
A siddur created on the occasion of a wedding in 1971, Oświęcim. Collection of the Auschwitz Jewish Center
There are many additional liturgical variations and additions to the siddur for the Yamim Noraim (The "Days of Awe"; High Holy Days, i.e. Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur). As such, a special siddur has developed for just this period, known as a mahzor (also: machzor). The mahzor contains not only the basic liturgy, but also many piyyutim, Hebrew liturgical poems. Sometimes the term mahzor is also used for the prayer books for the Three Pilgrimage Festivals, Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot.
On Tisha b'Av, a special siddur is used that includes the text of the Book of Lamentations, the Torah and Haftarah readings for that day, and Kinnot or special mournful piyyutim for that day. This siddur is usually called "Kinot" as well. Traditionally, every year many Jews hope that the Messiah will come and the Third Temple will be rebuilt, so Tisha b'Av will not happen again. So after the fast ends, many traditions place their Kinot siddurim in a geniza, or a burial place for sacred texts.
Below are listed many popular siddurim used by religious Jews. This list mostly excludes prayer books specifically for the High Holidays; see Machzor (Popular versions).
Main articles: Ashkenazi Jews and Orthodox Judaism
Siddur Avodat HaLev, ed. Rabbi Basil Herring (the new siddur from the Rabbinical Council of America, published 2018)
The Authorised Daily Prayer Book (also known as the "Hertz Siddur"), ed. Joseph Hertz. NY, Block Publ'g Co., rev. ed. 1948. (an annotated edition of "Singer's Prayer Book" of 1890)(Hebrew-English)
Siddur Ha-Shalem (also known as the Birnbaum Siddur) Ed. Philip Birnbaum. The Hebrew Publishing Company. ISBN 0-88482-054-8 (Hebrew-English)
The Metsudah Siddur: A New Linear Prayer Book Ziontalis. (Hebrew-English)
The Authorised Daily Prayer Book of the British Commonwealth, translation by Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks (the new version of "Singer's Prayer Book") (Hebrew-English)
The Artscroll Siddur, Mesorah Publications (multiple editions, including an interlinear translation) (Hebrew, Hebrew-English, Hebrew-Russian, Hebrew-Spanish, Hebrew-French) The "great innovation" of the Artscroll was that it was the first siddur that "made it possible for even a neophyte ba’al teshuvah (returnee to the faith) to function gracefully in the act of prayer, bowing at the correct junctures, standing, sitting and stepping back" at the correct place in the service.[7]
Siddur Saffah Berurah and Sfat Emet, also known as the Rodelheim Siddur. Edited by Wolf Heidenheim and in use in many editions for the last two hundred years, and they are still used in many Yekkish communities. In the same general family is the Siddur Avodat Yisrael, edited by Seligman Baer; the siddur contains the piyyutim for shabbatot, and there are two version containing the piyyutim of the Western and Eastern Ashkenazic rites.
Siddur Rinat Yisrael, Hotsa'at Moreshet, Bnei Brak, Israel. (In a number of versions, popular in Israel.) (Hebrew)
Siddur Siach Yitzchak (Hebrew and Dutch), Nederlands-Israelitisch Kerkgenootschap, Amsterdam 1975 (in a number of editions since 1975) ISBN 978-90-71727-04-7
Siddur Tefilas Kol Peh (Hebrew)
Siddur Tefilas Sh'ai, Feldheim Publishers : Israel/New York (Hebrew)
Siddur HaGra (reflecting views of the Vilna Gaon)
Siddur Aliyos Eliyahu (Popular among followers of the Vilna Gaon who live in Israel and abroad) (Hebrew)
Siddur Ezor Eliyahu - An attempt to reconstruct the actual Nusach of the Vilna Gaon
Siddur Kol Bo (Hebrew)
Koren Sacks Siddur (Hebrew-English), Koren Publishers Jerusalem: based on latest Singer's prayer book, above (described as the first siddur to "pose a fresh challenge to the ArtScroll dominance."[8])
Siddur Nehalel beShabbat, the complete Shabbat siddur in the projected siddur Nehalel series (Nevarech Press, Hebrew and English), which contain photographs juxtaposed with the text to depict its meaning and enhance kavanah, a central requirement of authentic prayer.[citation needed]
A rendering of both the siddur and the entire high holy day prayer book into English rhymed verse has been made by Rabbi Dr. Jeffrey M Cohen. The Siddur in Poetry (London, Gnesia Publications, 2012) and The Machzor in Poetry (London, Gnesia Publications, 2012).
Hasidic or Nusach Sefard Siddurim[edit]
Seder Hatefillah, Zolkeve 1781. This is the siddur of the Kloyze in Brod, and is arguably the first Nusach Sefard siddur.
"Siddur Tefilah Yesharah," first published circa 1800, was later reprinted with the early Hasidic commentary "Keser Nehora" by Rabbi Aharon Hakohen (Katz) of Zhelichov. This became known as the "Berditchever Siddur." (The commentary received approbations from early Hasidic luminaries Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev, the Maggid of Kozhnitz, the Seer of Lublin, and the non-Hasidic Chief Rabbi of Lublin.) The Berditchever Siddur has been reprinted many times, more recently by Rabbi Meir Yechezkel Weiner (Jerusalem 2011) and Pe’er (Kiryas Joel 2015).
Beis Aharon V'Yisrael is the second published siddur ever produced by Karliner Chassidim. It superseded Siddur Beis Aharon V'Yisrael published by Rebbe Yochanan Perlow (1900–1956).
The Breslov Siddur published in a 2014 hardcover edition (828 pages in length) is one of the few Hasidic siddurim available in an English language translation (and contains the original text). Translated by Avraham Sutton and Chaim Kramer. Y. Hall is the editor.[9] ISBN 978-1928822-83-7
Siddur Tehillat HaShem (the version currently used by Chabad), available in a Hebrew-English version. Also available in Hebrew-Russian and Hebrew-German[10] as well as in Hebrew-French, Hebrew-Spanish and Hebrew only.
Siddur Torah Or (a previous edition of the Chabad siddur).
Siddur Tefillah La-El Chayi (Hebrew-English siddur released in 2014 with commentary based on the teachings of Nachman of Breslov)
Many publishing houses have Nusach Sefard versions of the siddur, including (among others) ArtScroll, Tefillat Kol Peh, Koren-Sacks and Rinat Yisrael. However, a number of Hasidic groups have published their own variations of Nusach Sefard, including the communities of Spinka, Bobov, Munkatch, Slonim, Vizhnitz, Biala and Boston (who use the nusach of the Berditchever Siddur with a few minor variations). Many Hasidim follow a unique version of Nusach Sefard - for example, all of the branches of Chernobyl hasidim recite ויקרב קץ משיחיה in the Kaddish. In Belz and Dushinsky, the Shemoneh Esrei (except for kedusha and a few other minor changes) is recited similarly to the Ashkenazic rite.
Main articles: Italian Jews and Italian Nusach
1486 Italian Machzor. This is the first machzor of any type ever printed.
The Complete Italian Rite Machazor (3 vols.)
Mahzor Ke-Minhag Roma, ed. Robert Bonfil, Jerusalem 2012, ISBN 978-965-493-621-7
Angelo Piattelli and Hillel Sermoneta (eds.), Seder Tefilloth ke-minhag benè Roma, Jerusalem 2014. A full set of Machzorim is also available here.
Main article: Romaniote Jews
The Romaniote Rite, 2017/18 (a series containing the Siddur, Piyyutim, the Haftarot readings and a Haggadah according to the old Romaniote Rite[11][12]
Romaniote Machzor, Venice 1524.
Romaniote Machzor, Venice 1665. Most of the piyyutim included in the previous edition have been eliminated.
"Mekor Chayim: A Reform Liturgy for Erev Shabbat Based on the Romaniote Rite", Greenberg, Yonatan, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati, 236 pages, 2018.
1803 Sephardic prayer book, in the Jewish Museum of Switzerland’s collection.
Main article: List of Sephardic prayer books
Israel and diaspora[edit]
Siddur Rinat Yisrael Sephardic and Edot ha-Mizrach Nusach edited by Rabbi Amram Aburbeh. (Hebrew, big clear modern Hebrew fonts)
Israeli, following Rabbi Ovadia Yosef[edit]
These siddurim follow the halakha of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef (1920–2013)[13] a Talmudic scholar, and authority on Jewish religious law, and spiritual leader of Israel's ultra-orthodox Shas party. Yosef believed that the Sephardic halakhic tradition favoured leniency, and these principles are reflected in his siddurim. please note, these siddurim are also for the Edot Ha-mizrach communities.
Ohr V’Derech Sephardic Siddur
Siddur Yeḥavveh Daat
Siddur Avodat Ha-shem
Siddur Ḥazon Ovadia
Siddur L'maan Shmo
Siddur Ha-Miforash Kavanat Halev
Sephardic Women's Siddur[edit]
Some notable editions are:
Avodat Hashem -l'bat yisrael- with psalms
Ha-Siddur Ha-Meforash Kavanat Halev -l'bat yisrael- with psalms
Avodah Shebalev- L'bat yisrael- with psalms
Spanish and Portuguese Jews[edit]
Main article: Spanish and Portuguese Jews
(Characterised by relative absence of Kabbalistic elements:)
Book of Prayer: According to the Custom of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews David de Sola Pool, New York: Union of Sephardic Congregations, 1979
Book of Prayer of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews’ Congregation, London. Volume One: Daily and occasional prayers. Oxford (Oxford Univ. Press, Vivian Ridler), 5725 - 1965.
Greek, Turkish and Balkan Sephardim[edit]
(Usually characterised by presence of Kabbalistic elements:)
Mahzor LeYom Kippur-Proseuchologion tes hemeras tou Exilasmou (Hebrew-Greek) According to the Sephardic Rite of Thessalonike, Athens 1969
Siddur Sha'arei Tefillah-Ai Pylai ton Proseuchon (Hebrew-Greek) Prayerbook for the whole year, Athens 1974
Siddur Zehut Yosef (Daily and Shabbat) According to the Rhodes and Turkish Traditions, Hazzan Isaac Azose, Seattle, Washington: Sephardic Traditions Foundation, 2002
North African Jews[edit]
(Usually characterised by presence of Kabbalistic elements, except for the Moroccan siddurim which generally contain fewer Kabbalistic elements:)
Siddur Od Abinu Ḥai ed. Levi Nahum: Jerusalem (Hebrew only, Livorno text, Libyan tradition)
Mahzor Od Abinu Ḥai ed. Levi Nahum (5 vols.): Jerusalem (Hebrew only, Livorno text, Libyan tradition)
Siddur Vezaraḥ Hashemesh, ed. Messas: Jerusalem (Hebrew only, Meknes tradition)
Siddur Ish Matzliaḥ, ed. Mazuz, Machon ha-Rav Matzliah: B'nei Brak (Hebrew only, Djerba tradition)
Siddur Farḥi (Hebrew with Arabic translation, Egypt)
Siddur Tefillat ha-Ḥodesh, ed. David Levi, Erez : Jerusalem (Hebrew only, Livorno text, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian traditions) [1]
Siddur Patah Eliyahou, ed. Joseph Charbit, Colbo: Paris (Hebrew and French, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian traditions)[2]
Mahzor Zechor le-Avraham, Yarid ha-Sefarim : Jerusalem (Based on the original Zechor le-Abraham: Livorno 1926, Hebrew only, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian traditions, days of awe only)
Siddur Darchei Avot (Moroccan)
Siddur Oro shel Olam
Middle Eastern Mizrachim (Sephardim)[edit]
(Usually characterised by presence of Kabbalistic elements:)
Edot Ha-mizrach (Iraqi)[edit]
Tefillat Yesharim: Jerusalem, Manṣur (Hebrew only)
Siddur Od Yosef Ḥai
Kol Eliyahu, ed. Mordechai Eliyahu
Siddur Rinat Yisrael - (Edot Hamizrach edition), Hotsa'at Moreshet, Bnei Brak, Israel. (Hebrew)
The Aram Soba Siddur: According to the Sephardic Custom of Aleppo Syria Rabbi Moshe Antebi, Jerusalem: Aram Soba Foundation, 1993
Siddur Abodat Haleb / Prayers from the Heart Rabbi Moshe Antebi, Lakewood, New Jersey: Israel Book Shop, 2002
Kol Yaacob: Sephardic Heritage Foundation, New York, 1990.
Bet Yosef ve-Ohel Abraham: Jerusalem, Manṣur (Hebrew only, based on Baghdadi text)
Orḥot Ḥayim, ed. Yedid: Jerusalem 1995 (Hebrew only)
Siddur Kol Mordechai, ed. Faham bros: Jerusalem 1984 (minhah and arbit only)
Abir Yaakob, ed. Haber: Sephardic Press (Hebrew and English, Shabbat only)
Orot Sephardic Siddur, Eliezer Toledano: Lakewood, New Jersey, Orot Inc. (Hebrew and English: Baghdadi text, Syrian variants shown in square brackets)
Maḥzor Shelom Yerushalayim, ed. Albeg: New York, Sephardic Heritage Foundation 1982
Main article: Yemenite Jews
Baladi[edit]
Main article: Baladi-rite prayer
The Baladi Jews (from Arabic balad, country) follow the legal rulings of the Rambam (Maimonides) as codified in his work the Mishneh Torah. Rabbi Yiḥye Tsalaḥ (Maharits) revised this liturgy to end friction between traditionalists (who followed Rambam's rulings and the siddur as it developed in Yemen) and Kabbalists who followed the innovations of the Ari. This prayer book makes very few additions or changes and substantially follows the older Yemenite tradition as it had existed prior to this conflict.
Siddur Tiklal, Yiḥyah Salaḥ ben Yehuda, 1800
Siddur Shivat Tzion, Rabbi Yosef Qafih, 1950s
Siddur Siaḥ Yerushalayim, Rabbi Yosef Qafih (5th edition, Jerusalem 2003)
Siddur Tiklal: Torath Avoth
Tiklal Ha-Mefoar (Maharits) Nosaḥ Baladi, Meyusad Al Pi Ha-Tiklal Im Etz Hayim Ha-Shalem Arukh K'Minhag Yahaduth Teiman: Bene Berak : Or Neriyah ben Mosheh Ozeri, [2001 or 2002]
Shami[edit]
The Shami Jews (from Arabic ash-Sham, the north, referring to Palestine or Damascus) represent those who accepted the Sephardic rite, after being exposed to new inexpensive, typeset prayer books brought from Israel and the Sephardic diaspora by envoys and merchants in the late 17th century and 18th century.[14][15] The "local rabbinic leadership resisted the new versions....Nevertheless, the new prayer books were widely accepted."[15] As part of that process, the Shami modified their rites to accommodate the usages of the Ari to the maximum extent. The text of the Shami siddur now largely follows the Sephardic tradition, though the pronunciation, chant and customs are still Yemenite in flavour.
Siddur Tefillat HaḤodesh - Beit Yaakov, Nusaḥ Sepharadim, Teiman, and Edoth Mizraḥ
Siddur Kavanot HaRashash, Shalom Sharabi, Publisher: Yeshivat HaChaim Ve'Hashalom
Siddur Nusach Eretz Yisrael edited by Rabbi David Bar-Hayim (Machon Shilo, "Shilo Institute") Jerusalem, Israel. (Hebrew, Minhagei Eretz Yisrael),[16][17][18] an attempted reconstruction of the ancient Palestinian minhag from the Jerusalem Talmud, the Cairo Geniza documents and other sources.
Main article: Conservative Judaism
Sabbath and Festival Prayer Book Ed. Morris Silverman with Robert Gordis, 1946. USCJ and RA
Weekday Prayer Book Ed. Morris Silverman, 1956. USCJ
Weekday Prayer Book Ed. Gershon Hadas with Jules Harlow, 1961, RA.
Siddur Sim Shalom Ed. Jules Harlow. 1985, 980 pages, RA and USCJ.
Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Festivals Ed. Lawrence Cahan, 1998, 816 pages. RA and USCJ.
Siddur Sim Shalom for Weekdays Ed. Avram Israel Reisner, 2003, 576 pages. RA and USCJ.
Siddur Va'ani Tefilati Ed. Simchah Roth, 1998, 744 pages. Israeli Masorti Movement and Rabbinical Assembly of Israel. Hebrew.
Va'ani Tefilati: Siddur Yisre'eli Ed. Ze'ev Kenan, 2009, 375 pages. Israeli Masorti Movement and Rabbinical Assembly of Israel. Hebrew.
Siddur Lev Yisrael Ed. Cheryl Magen, 1998, 432 pages. Camp Ramah. Hebrew.
Siddur Lev Shalem for Shabbat and Festivals Ed. Edward Feld, 2016, 466 double pages, RA.
Main article: Reform Judaism
Ha-Avodah Shebalev, The prayer book of The Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism, Ed. The Council of Israel Progressive Rabbis (MARAM), 1982
The Companion to Ha-Avodah Shebalev published by Congregation Har-El Jerusalem in 1992 to help English-speaking immigrants and visitors; Hebrew pages from the original Ha-Avodah Shebalev, English translations from Gates of Prayer: The New Union Prayer Book with additional translations by Adina Ben-Chorin.
Seder ha-Tefillot: Forms of Prayer: Movement for Reform Judaism, London 2008, ISBN 0-947884-13-0; ISBN 978-0-947884-13-0 Official prayer book of the Reform movement in Britain
Liberal Jewish Prayer Book: Vol. 1 (Services for Weekdays, Sabbaths, Etc.), 1926, 1937; Vol. 2 (Services for The Day of Memorial {Rosh Hashanah} and The Day of Atonement), 1923, 1937; Vol. 3 (Services for Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles), 1926; all published by the Liberal Jewish Synagogue, London, U.K.
Service of the Heart: Weekday Sabbath and Festival Services and Prayers for Home and Synagogue, Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues, London, 1967
Vetaher Libenu: Purify Our Hearts, Congregation Beth El, Sudbury, MA 1980
Siddur Lev Chadash, Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues, UK, 1995.
Olat Tamid: Book of Prayers for Jewish Congregations
The English speaking Reform Jewish movement primarily uses Mishkan T'Filah as its prayer book. This book also features a companion machzor and electronic supplements.
All of the following are published by the Central Conference of American Rabbis:
Union Prayer Book, vol. 1 (Sabbath, Festivals, and Weekdays), 1892, 1895, 1918, 1940; vol. 2 (High Holidays), 1894, 1922, 1945
Weekday Afternoon and Evening Services for Use in the Synagogue and the House of Mourning, 1957
Gates of Prayer: The New Union Prayer Book, 1975
Gates of Prayer for Weekdays and at a House of Mourning, 1975
Gates of Prayer: Afternoon and Evening Services and Prayers for the House of Mourning, 1978
Gates of Prayer for Shabbat: A Gender Sensitive Prayerbook, 1992
Gates of Prayer for Weekdays and at a House of Mourning: A Gender Sensitive Prayerbook, 1992
Gates of Prayer for Weekdays: A Gender Sensitive Prayerbook, 1993
Gates of Prayer for Assemblies, 1993
Gates of Prayer for Shabbat and Weekdays: A Gender Sensitive Prayerbook, 1994
Mishkan T'filah [Tabernacle of Prayer]: A Reform Siddur: Weekdays, Shabbat, Festivals, and Other Occasions of Public Worship, 2007; ISBN 0-881231-04-5; ISBN 978-0-881231-03-8
Mishkan T'filah for Gatherings: A Reform Siddur, 2009
Mishkan T'filah for Travelers: A Reform Siddur, 2009
Mishkan T'filah for the House of Mourning, 2010
Mishkan T'filah Journal Edition, 2010
Mishkan T'filah for Children, 2013
Mishkan T'filah for Youth, 2014
Divrei Mishkan T'filah -- Delving into the Siddur, 2018
Chaveirim Kol Yisrae2018il, a Siddur for Chavurot, 2000 a Project of The Progressive Chavurah Siddur Committee of Boston
Seder ha-Tefillot: Forms of Prayer: Movement for Reform Judaism, London 2008, ISBN 0-947884-13-0; ISBN 978-0-947884-13-0 Official prayer book of the Reform movement in Britain
Congregation Beit Simchat Torah's Siddur B'chol L'vav'cha, (With All Your Heart) for Friday night services; Publisher: Congregation Beth Simchat Torah (2008); ISBN 0-979400-90-2; ISBN 978-0-979400-90-2
Siddur Sha'ar Zahav, the first complete prayer book to address the lives and needs of LGBTQ as well as straight Jews; Publisher: J Levine Judaica & Sha'ar Zahav (2009); ISBN 0-982197-91-8; ISBN 978-0982197-91-2
Seder Tov Lehodot: Teksten, gebeden en diensten voor weekdagen, Sjabbat en andere gelegenheden, Amsterdam 2000, Verbond van Liberaal-Religieuze Joden in Nederland now Nederlands Verbond voor Progressief Jodendom; ISBN 90-805603-1-6
Main article: Reconstructionist Judaism
Kol Haneshamah: Shabbat Vehagim
Prayer books edited by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan and others:
Sabbath Prayer Book, Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation, 1945
High Holiday Prayer Book (Vol. 1, Prayers for Rosh Hashanah; Vol. 2, Prayers for Yom Kippur), Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation, 1948
Supplementary Prayers and Readings for the High Holidays, Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation, 1960
Festival Prayer Book, Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation, 1958
Daily Prayer Book, Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation, 1963
Hadesh Yameinu (Renew our days): a book of Jewish prayer and meditation, edited and translated by Rabbi Ronald Aigen. Montreal (Cong. Dorshei Emet), 1996.
Kol Haneshamah Prayerbook series, ed. David Teutsch:
Erev Shabbat: Shabbat Eve, Reconstructionist Press, 1989; 2nd edition, 1993
Shirim Uvrahot: Songs, Blessings and Rituals for the Home, Reconstructionist Press, 1991, 1998
Shabbat Vehagim: Sabbath and Festivals, Reconstructionist Press, 1994; 3rd edition (August 1, 1998)
Limot Hol: Daily Prayerbook, Reconstructionist Press, 1996; Reprint edition (September 1, 1998)
Mahzor Leyamim Nora'im: Prayerbook for the Days of Awe, Reconstructionist Press, 1999; Fordham University Press; Bilingual edition (May 1, 2000)
T'filot L'veit HaEvel: Prayers for a House of Mourning, Reconstructionist Press, 2001; Jewish Reconstructionist Federation (October 10, 2001)
Main article: Jewish Renewal
Sh'ma': A Concise Weekday Siddur For Praying in English by Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2010.[self-published source]
Siddur Nashim: a Sabbath prayerbook for women by Naomi Janowitz and Margaret Moers Wenig; 1976.
Siddur Birkat Shalom by the Havurat Shalom Siddur Project; Havurat Shalom, 1991.
Siddur Nashim, by Margaret Wenig and Naomi Janowitz in 1976, was the first Jewish prayer book to refer to God using female pronouns and imagery.[19]
Reconstructionist Rabbi Rebecca Alpert (Reform Judaism, Winter 1991) commented:
The experience of praying with Siddur Nashim... transformed my relationship with God. For the first time, I understood what it meant to be made in God's image. To think of God as a woman like myself, to see Her as both powerful and nurturing, to see Her imaged with a woman's body, with womb, with breasts – this was an experience of ultimate significance. Was this the relationship that men have had with God for all these millennia? How wonderful to gain access to those feelings and perceptions.[citation needed]
Following in the footsteps of feminist prayerbooks, liberal prayerbooks tend increasingly to avoid male-specific words and pronouns, seeking that all references to God in translations be made in gender-neutral language. For example, the UK Liberal movement's Siddur Lev Chadash (1995) does so, as does the UK Reform Movement's Forms of Prayer (2008).[20][21] In Mishkan T'filah, the American Reform Jewish prayer book released in 2007, references to God as “He” have been removed, and whenever Jewish patriarchs are named (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), so also are the matriarchs (Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah).[22]
Celebration: A Ceremonial and Philosophic Guide for Humanists and Humanistic Jews by Sherwin T. Wine; Prometheus Books, 1988
A Humanistic Siddur of Spirituality and Meaning by David Rabeeya; Xlibris Corporation, 2005[self-published source]
Liturgical Experiments: A Siddur for the Sceptical in Hebrew, by Tzemah Yoreh (2010?)[23]
Yoreh writes about his work: "I think prayer is communal and private expression of hopes, fears, an appreciation of aesthetic beauty, good attributes. But that has nothing to do with God."[citation needed]
There are also some Karaite, Samaritan and Sabbatean[24] prayer books.[example needed]
^ The oldest Siddur in the world has been unveiled to the public On the Channel 7 website]
^ Berakhot 33a.
a b c Jager, Elliot (April 17, 2007). "Power and Politics: Prayer books and resurrection". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
^ Nusach HaAri Siddur, published by Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch.
^ Magen Avraham OC 68, in the introduction to the simal.
^ Rosenblatt, Jonathan. "A New Dialogue With The Divine". The Jewish Week. Archived from the original on May 28, 2009. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
^ Harris, Ben (April 5, 2009). "ArtScroll facing challenge from Modern Orthodox". JTA. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
^ Katz, Yossi (September 17, 2014). "Siddur & Umam Updates". Retrieved November 20, 2018.
^ ""Nussach Ari" auf Deutsch". 16 October 2017.
^ Leubner, Florian; Gkoumas, Panagiotis (2017). The Haggadah According to the Custom of the Romaniote Jews of Crete. ISBN 9783743133853. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
^ Sennis, Panagiotis; Leubner, Florian (2018). Prayerbook According to The Rite of The Romaniote Jews. ISBN 9783746091419. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
^ Keinon, Herb; Cashman, Greer Fay; Hoffman, Gil Stern Stern (October 8, 2013). "Netanyahu, Peres Remember 'Torah Giaant'". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
^ Tobi, Yosef (2004). "Caro's Shulhan Arukh Versus Maimonides' Mishne Torah in Yemen". In Lifshitz, Berachyahu (ed.). The Jewish Law Annual. Vol. 15. Routledge. p. PT253. ISBN 9781134298372. Retrieved November 20, 2018. Two additional factors played a crucial role in the eventual adoption by the majority of Yemenite Jewry of the new traditions, traditions that originate, for the most part, in the land of Israel and the Sefardic communities of the Diaspora. One was the total absence of printers in Yemen: no works reflecting the local (baladi) liturgical and ritual customs could be printed, and they remained in manuscript. By contrast, printed books, many of which reflected the Sefardic (shami) traditions, were available, and not surprisingly, more and more Yemenite Jews preferred to acquire the less costly and easier to read printed books, notwithstanding the fact that they expressed a different tradition, rather than their own expensive and difficult to read manuscripts. The second factor was the relatively rich flow of visitors to Yemen, generally emissaries of the Jewish communities and academies in the land of Israel, but also merchants from the Sefardic communities. […] By this slow but continuous process, the Shami liturgical and ritual tradition gained every more sympathy and legitimacy, at the expense of the baladi.
a b Simon, Reeva S.; Laskier, Mikha'el M.; Reguer, Sara (2003). The Jews of the Middle East and North Africa in modern times. Columbia University Press. p. 398. ISBN 9780231107969. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
^ "Torah for Those Who Dare to Think". Machon Shilo. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
^ Nusach Eretz Yisrael- Compact and User-Friendly: The Shabbath Amidah. youtube.com. Machon Shilo. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
^ Hannukah: The Eretz Yisrael Version- Shiur with Rabbi David Bar-Hayim. youtube.com. Machon Shilo. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
^ Shannon Weber (4 June 2019). Feminism in Minutes. Quercus. pp. 286–. ISBN 978-1-63506-142-0.
^ Goldstein, Rabbi Dr Andrew (July 4, 2008). "The slimline siddur with a touch of Bob Dylan". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
^ "Siddur Lev Chadash". Archived from the original on July 5, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
^ Goodstein, Laurie (September 3, 2007). "In New Prayer Book, Signs of Broad Change". The New York Times. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
^ Estrin, Elana (January 13, 2010). "No God? No Problem". Retrieved November 20, 2018.
^ Ben Zvi Institute Manuscript 2276
Jewish Liturgy: A Comprehensive History, Ismar Elbogen, Jewish Publication Society, 1993. This is the most thorough academic study of the Jewish liturgy ever written. Originally published in German in 1913, and updated in a number of Hebrew editions, the latest edition has been translated into English by Raymond P. Scheindlin. This work covers the entire range of Jewish liturgical development, beginning with the early cornerstones of the siddur; through the evolution of the medieval piyyut tradition; to modern prayerbook reform in Germany and the United States.
Joseph Heinemann "Prayer in the Talmud", Gruyter, New York, 1977
Kavvana: Directing the Heart in Jewish Prayer, Seth Kadish, Jason Aronson Inc., 1997.
The Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer Macy Nulman, Jason Aronson Inc.,1993. Provides in one volume information on every prayer recited in the Ashkenazi and Sephardic traditions. Arranged alphabetically by prayer, this book includes information on the prayers, their composers and development, the laws and customs surrounding them, and their place in the service.
Jakob J. Petuchowski "Contributions to the Scientific Study of Jewish Liturgy" Ktav, New York, 1970
Goldschmidt, Meḥqare Tefillah u-Fiyyut (On Jewish Liturgy): Jerusalem 1978
Wieder, Naphtali, The Formation of Jewish Liturgy: In the East and the West
Reif, Stefan, Judaism and Hebrew Prayer: Cambridge 1993. Hardback ISBN 978-0-521-44087-5, ISBN 0-521-44087-4; Paperback ISBN 978-0-521-48341-4, ISBN 0-521-48341-7
Reif, Stefan, Problems with Prayers: Berlin and New York 2006 ISBN 978-3-11-019091-5, ISBN 3-11-019091-5
The Artscroll Siddur, Ed. Nosson Scherman, Mesorah Publications. A popular Orthodox prayerbook with running commentary. The amount of commentary varies by version.
The Authorised Daily Prayer Book of the British Commonwealth, translation by Rabbi Eli Cashdan. An Orthodox prayerbook widely used in the UK and other Commonwealth countries.
Amidah, entry in the Encyclopaedia Judaica, Keter Publishing
Siddur HaEsh (of Fire) in Hebrew Wikibooks
The Koren Avoteinu Series A complete Moroccan Siddur for weekdays and Shabbat.
Siddur Tehillat HaShem Chabad Hebrew-English Siddur
Shabbat Candle Lighting Prayer
Shabbat candles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shabbat candles (Hebrew: נרות שבת) are candles lit on Friday evening before sunset to usher in the Jewish Sabbath.[1] Lighting Shabbat candles is a rabbinically mandated law.[2] Candle-lighting is traditionally done by the woman of the household,[3] but every Jew is obligated to either light or ensure that candles are lit on their behalf.[4]
In Yiddish, lighting the candles is known as licht bentschen ("light-blessing") or licht tsinden ("light-kindling").
According to Tobiah ben Eliezer, the custom is one "which Israel adopted from the time of Moses",[5] while Genesis Rabbah relates that "For all the days that Sarah lived, the Sabbath lamp stayed lit until the next Sabbath eve, and for Rebecca it did the same . . ."[6] According to Leopold Landsberg, the Jews adopted this custom from the Persians.[7] Jacob Zallel Lauterbach disagrees, arguing that it was instituted by the Pharisees to protest against superstition, or perhaps against (some predecessor of) the Karaitic refusal to have any light on Sabbath Eve, even were it lit before the Sabbath.[a][8] According to standard halakhic literature, the purpose of lighting of Shabbat candles is to dignify the Sabbath; before the advent of electric lighting, when the alternative was to eat in the dark, it was necessary to light lamps to create an appropriate environment.[9] One early-modern Yiddish prayer asks for the candles to "burn bright and clear to drive away the evil spirits, demons, and all that come from Lilith".[10]
The practice of lighting an oil lamp before Shabbat is first recorded in the second chapter of m. Shabbat, which already presupposes it as an old and undisputed practice.[8] Persius (d. 62 CE) describes it in Satire V:
At cum Herodis venere dies unctaque fenestra dispositae pinguem nebulam vomuere lucaernae portantes violas . . . labra moves tacitus recutitaque sabbata palles. But when the day of Herod[b] comes round, when the lamps wreathed with violets and ranged round the greasy window-sills have spat forth their thick clouds of smoke . . . you silently twitch your lips, turning pale at the sabbath of the circumcised. (trans. Menachem Stern)
As do Seneca and Josephus.[8][11]
The blessing is never described by Talmudic sources, but was introduced by Geonim to emphasize rejection of the early Karaitic belief that lights could not be lit before the Sabbath.[8] It is attested in a fragment in the St. Petersburg national library (Antonin B, 122, 2); it also appears in a plethora of Gaonic material, including the Seder of Amram Gaon, the responsa of Natronai Gaon, the responsa of Sherira Gaon, and others. Every source quotes it with identical language, exactly correspondent to the modern liturgy.
Shard from a stand for a Shabbat oil lamp etched with the word שבת (Shabbat) in Aramaic script, c. 4th century, from the Horbat 'Uza excavations east of Acre
The lighting is preferably done by a woman. Amoraic sources explain that "the First Man was the world's lamp, but Eve extinguished him. Therefore they gave the commandment of the lamp to the woman".[12] Rashi adds an additional rationale, "and moreover, she is responsible for household needs."[13] Maimonides, who rejects Talmudic rationales based on superstition,[14] writes only: "And women are more obligated in this matter than men, because they are found at home[c] and involved in housework."[15]
Yechiel Michel Epstein writes (cleaned up):
Sabbath lamps are just like Chanukah lamps, in that the obligation falls on the household. Therefore, even if a male member of the household has a separate room of his own, he need not light separately, because the woman's lighting accounts for every room of the house. If a married traveler has his own room, he needs to light separately, because his wife's blessing cannot account for another place entirely, but if he lacks his own room, he does not need to. A single traveler must light even if his parents are lighting on his behalf elsewhere, and if he lacks his own room, he must arrange matters with the proprietor.[16]
Ideally, the woman lights her candles in the place she will be eating dinner. If another woman wants to light there, she may also light in a different room. Similarly, a traveler may light within his room even if he is eating elsewhere.
Today, most Jews light at least two candles. Authorities up to and including Joseph Karo, who wrote that "there are those who employ two wicks, one corresponding to "Remember" and one corresponding to "Keep" (perhaps two wicks in one lamp, reflecting the Talmudic teaching "'Remember' and 'Keep' in a single statement"),[17] advised a maximum of two lamps, with other lamps necessary for other purposes kept carefully at a distance to preserve the tableau.[18] However, Moses Isserles added "and it's possible to add and light three or four lamps, and such is our custom",[19] and Yisrael Meir Kagan added, "and there are those who light seven candles corresponding to the seven days of the week (Lurianics),[20] or ten corresponding to the Ten Commandments".[21] Starting with Yaakov Levi Moelin, rabbinic authorities have required women who forgot to light one week to add an additional lamp to her regular number for the rest of her life.[22]
A recent custom reinterprets the two candles as husband and wife[d] and adds a new candle for every child born; apparently the first to hear of it was Israel Hayyim Friedman, though his essay was not published until 1965,[23] followed by Jacob Zallel Lauterbach, who mentions it in an undated essay published posthumously in 1951.[8] Menachem Mendel Schneerson mentioned it in a 1975 letter.[24] Mordechai Leifer supposedly said, "The women light two candles before children but after their first child they light five, corresponding to the Five Books Of Moses . . . and so it is forever, irrespective of how many children" but this teaching was not published until 1988.[25] Menashe Klein offers two interpretations: either it is based on Moelin's rule and women who miss a week because they were giving birth are not exempted (though all other authorities assume they are exempted) or it is based on comparison with Hanukkah candles, which some medieval authorities recommended be lit one per member of the household.[26]
In the Ashkenazic rite, after the candles are lit, a blessing is said (whereas, in the Sephardic rite, the blessing is said before the lighting). In order to avoid benefiting from the light of the candles before uttering the blessing, Ashkenazic authorities recommend that the lighter cover her eyes for the intervening period.[27] Today, many Jewish women make an exaggerated motion, waving their hands in the air, when covering their eyes; there is no specific source for this in traditional texts.
The Sefer haAsuppot, attributed to the 13th-century scholar Elijah b. Isaac of Carcassonne, records that "I heard that [Rashi's granddaughter] Rabbanit Hannah, the sister of Rabbi Jacob, would warn the women not to begin the blessing until the second candle was lit, lest the women accept the Sabbath and then continue lighting candles."[28][29]
The candles must be lit before the official starting time of Shabbat, which varies from place to place, but is generally 18 or 20 minutes before sunset. In some places the customary time is earlier: 30 minutes before sunset in Haifa and 40 minutes in Jerusalem, perhaps because the mountains in those cities obstructed the horizon and once made it difficult to know if sunset had arrived.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל שַׁבָּת.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, Melekh ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Shabbat.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to light the Shabbat lamp.
In the late 20th century, some apparently began to add the word kodesh ("holy") at the end of the blessing, making "... the lamp of holy Shabbat", a practice with no historical antecedent. At least two earlier sources include this version, the Givat Shaul of Saul Abdullah Joseph (Hong Kong, 1906)[30] and the Yafeh laLev of Rahamim Nissim Palacci (Turkey, 1906)[31] but authorities in the major Orthodox traditions were solicited for responsa only in the late 1960s, and each acknowledges it only as a new and alternative practice. Menachem Mendel Schneerson and Moshe Sternbuch endorsed the innovation[32] but most authorities, including Yitzhak Yosef, ruled that it is forbidden, though it does not nullify the blessing if already performed.[33] Almog Levi attributes this addition to misinformed baalot teshuva.[34] It has never been a widespread custom but its popularity, especially within Chabad, continues to grow.
^ Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 263:2
^ [1]Jewish Virtual Library, Shabbat
^ "Arukh HaShulchan, Orach Chaim 263:5". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
^ "Midrash Lekach Tov, Exodus 35:3:3". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
^ "Bereshit Rabbah 60:16". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
^ "HebrewBooks.org Sefer Detail: חקרי לב - חלק ד -- לנדסברג, יהודה ליב בן ישראל איצק אהרן, 1848-1915". hebrewbooks.org. p. 82ff. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
a b c d e Lauterbach, Jacob Zallel (1951). Rabbinic Essays. Hebrew Union College Press. ISBN 978-0-608-14972-1.
^ "Rashi on Shabbat 25b:3:3". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
^ סדר התפלות מכל השנה: כמנהג פולין, עם פרשיות ... יוצרות, סליחות, הושענות, מערבית, יום כיפור קטן, תהלים, תחינות, אקוראהט כמו דיא מר' ישראל גר ... [וגם] כוונת הפייטן אויף טייטש ... (in Hebrew). דפוס יוסף ויעקב בני אברהם פרופס. 1766.
^ The Jewish Review. Geo. Routledge & Sons. 1910.
^ Jerusalem Talmud, Shabbat 2:6; Genesis Rabbah 17:8, Tanhuma (Buber) Noah 1:1
^ Talmud, Shabbat 32a s.v. hareni
^ Shapiro, Marc B. (2008). "Maimonidean Halakhah and Superstition". Studies in Maimonides and His Interpreters. University of Scranton Press. p. 136. ISBN 1-58966-165-6.
^ "Mishneh Torah, Sabbath 5:3". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2022-11-12.
^ "Arukh HaShulchan, Orach Chaim 263:5". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
^ "Rosh Hashanah 27a:2". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
^ ספר ראבי"ה סי' קצט
^ "Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 263:1". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
^ "Ba'er Hetev on Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 263:2". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
^ "Mishnah Berurah 263:6". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
^ "Mishnah Berurah 263:7". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
^ "לקוטי מהרי"ח - חלק ב - פרידמן, ישראל חיים בן יהודה, 1852-1922 (page 29 of 201)". hebrewbooks.org. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
^ Likkutei Sichot, vol. 11, p. 289 (1998)
^ "ספר גדולת מרדכי : סיפורים ושיחות ... מהרב ... מרדכי מנדבורנא-בושטינא ; וספר קדושת ישראל : תולדות ואורחות חיים ... מבנו ... ר' ישראל יעקב מחוסט / [היו לאחדים בידי והוצאתים לאור ברוך מאיר קליין מדעברעצין] | קליין, ברוך מאיר | | הספרייה הלאומית". www.nli.org.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2022-11-20.
^ "HebrewBooks.org Sefer Detail: משנה הלכות חלק ז -- מנשה קליין". hebrewbooks.org. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
^ "Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 263:5". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2022-11-12.
^ בר-לבב, Liora Elias Bar-Levav (1966-2006) ליאורה אליאס. "מנהג יפה הוא לנשים שלנו : פסיקת הלכה על פי נשים בימי הביניים". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ "ספר האסופות". www.nli.org.il. p. 77a. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
^ p. 251
^ p. 127
^ Igrot Qodesh of 5735 p. 208; Tshuvot v'Hanhagot 1:271
^ Yalkut Yosef 263:51
^ M'Torato shel Maran p. 80
^ Lauterbach claims (p. 456 and p. 458) that such was the Samaritan custom, but cites only sources describing Karaitic practice regarding light and Samaritan custom regarding the cooking of food. According to Geiger and Zunz (op cit.), the Sadducees held to this view, as shown by the (arguably) polemical tone in Midrash Tanchuma וקראת לשבת עונג זו הדלקת נר בשבת וא"ת לישב בחשך אין זו עונג שאין יורדי גיהנם נדונין אלא בחשך.
^ Herod personifies the Jewish people; his "day" is the Sabbath. See Menachem Stern, Greek and Latin Authors vol. 1 p. 436; also Molly Whittaker, Jews and Christians vol. 6 p. 71. In Morton-Braund's edition (2004), pg. 110-113.
^ Maimonides frowns on women leaving home more than once a month. (Ishut 13:11)
^ Elijah Spira writes (1757) that "some say that the lamps represent man and woman, as ner (lamp) in gematriya is 250, and a man has 248 bones while a woman has 252." However, this explanation is intended abstractly and Spira does not imagine that anyone should light more lamps to correspond to a larger family.
Havdalah
Havdalah
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Havdalah (Hebrew: הַבְדָּלָה, romanized: haḇdālā, lit. 'separation', Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: אבדלתא, romanized: aḇdāltā) is a Jewish religious ceremony that marks the symbolic end of Shabbat and ushers in the new week. The ritual involves lighting a special candle with several wicks, blessing a cup of wine, and smelling sweet spices (Hebrew: בְּשָׂמִים, romanized: bǝśāmim, lit. '"besamim"', Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: בסמני, romanized: busmē, lit. 'spice, scent').[1] Shabbat ends on Saturday night after the appearance of three stars in the sky.[2]: 137 Havdalah may be performed as late as sunset of the Tuesday following Shabbat.[3]
Like kiddush, havdalah is recited over a cup of kosher wine or grape juice,[4] although other beverages may be used if wine or grape juice are not available.[2]: 141
Spices, called besamim in Hebrew, often stored in an artistically-decorative spice container in order to beautify and honor the mitzvah, are handed around so that everyone can smell the fragrance.[2]: 143 In many Sefardic and Mizrahi communities, branches of aromatic plants are used for this purpose, while Ashkenazi Jews have traditionally used cloves. A special braided havdalah candle with more than one wick[2]: 145 is lit, and a blessing is recited.[2]: 144 If a special havdalah candle is not available, two candles can be used, and the two flames joined when reciting the blessing.[5]
Either right before or right after reciting the words "Barukh atah Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha'olam, bo're m'orei ha'esh," it is customary for the participants to hold their hands up to the candle and gaze at the reflection of the light in their fingernails.[2]: 145 This custom was first recorded in the Or Zarua II [he] (c. 1300).[6]
At the conclusion of Havdalah, some or all of the leftover wine is poured into a small dish and the candle is extinguished in it, as a sign that the candle was lit solely for the mitzvah of Havdalah; some pour directly onto the candle. Based on Psalms 19:9, "the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes," some Jews dip a finger into the leftover wine and touch their eyes or pockets with it. Because it was used for a mitzvah, the wine is considered a "segulah," or good omen.
After the Havdalah ceremony, it is customary to sing "Eliyahu Hanavi" ("Elijah the Prophet") and/or HaMavdil Bein Kodesh LeChol ("Who separates Holy from ordinary/weekday"), and to bless one another with shavua tov (Hebrew) or gute vokh (Yiddish), meaning "Have a good week".
Havdalah is also recited at the conclusion of the following biblical holidays: Rosh Hashanah; Yom Kippur; the first days of Sukkot; Simchat Torah; Passover, both its first and last days; and Shavuot. The blessing over the wine is said, as well as the prayer separating the holy from the everyday, but not the prayers over the havdalah candle or the spices (except for the conclusion of Yom Kippur when the prayer over the havdalah candle is recited).
When a major holiday follows Shabbat, the Havdalah service is recited as part of the holiday kiddush and the blessing over spices is not said. The special braided Havdalah candle is not used since it may not be extinguished after the service, but rather the blessing is recited over the festival candles. The prayer "distinguishes holiness from the everyday" is changed to "distinguishes holiness from holiness" signifying that the holiness of the holiday is of a lesser degree than the holiness of the concluded Shabbat.
Havdalah is intended to require a person to use all five senses: feel the cup, smell the spices, see the flame of the candle, hear the blessings and taste the wine.[7]
Following a normal Shabbat, the order of the prayers corresponds to the acrostic יבנ"ה Yavneh. This acrostic consists of the initials Yayin (wine), Besamim (spices), Ner (candle), and Havdalah (the Havdalah prayer).[4][2]: 140
The order of elements when Havdalah is combined with kiddush (e.g., on a Saturday night that is Yom Tov ("holiday", literally "Good Day") is known by the acrostic יקנה"ז Yaknhaz.[8] This acrostic consists of the initials Yayin (wine), Kiddush HaYom (blessing the day), Ner (candle), Havdala (the Havdala blessing) and Zman (time, i.e. shehechiyanu).
Near the Qaddesh section in some Ashkenazic versions of the Haggadah (e.g. Mantoba 1560, Prague 1526, Venice 1609 and the Goldschmidt Edition),[9]: 80 there is a picture of a hunter chasing a hare.[9]: 80 This picture is a useful mnemonic for the acrostic יקנה"ז Yaknhaz as it can be described by a Yiddish or German sentence that sounds like Yaknhaz. The Yiddish sentence יאָג 'ן האָז yog 'n hoz means "hunt a/the hare!" (cf. Yiddish יאָג דעם האָז yog dem hoz). The colloquial German sentence Jag 'en Has' [jakenhaz] also means "hunt a/the hare!" (cf. German Jag einen/den Hasen!).[9]: 80–81
See also: List of Jewish prayers and blessings § Havdalah
The Ashkenazi liturgy for havdala after a festival or Shabbat is as follows:
The following paragraph omitted by most communities at all times other than the conclusion of Shabbat.
Introductory Verses
הִנֵּה אֵ‑ל יְשׁוּעָתִי, אֶבְטַח וְלֹא אֶפְחָד, כִּי עָזִּי וְזִמְרָת יָ‑הּ ה', וַיְהִי לִי לִישׁוּעָה. וּשְׁאַבְתֶּם מַֽיִם בְּשָׂשׂוֹן, מִמַּעַיְנֵי הַיְשׁוּעָה. לַה' הַיְשׁוּעָה, עַל עַמְּךָ בִרְכָתֶֽךָ סֶּֽלָה. ה' צְבָ‑אוֹת עִמָּֽנוּ, מִשְׂגָּב לָנוּ אֱ-לֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב סֶֽלָה. (ה' צְבָ‑אוֹת, אַשְרֵי אָדָם בֹּטֵֽחַ בָּךְ. ה' הוֹשִֽׁיעָה, הַמֶּֽלֶךְ יַעֲנֵֽנוּ בְיוֹם קָרְאֵֽנוּ.)[10] לַיְּהוּדִים הָיְתָה אוֹרָה וְשִׂמְחָה וְשָׂשׂוֹן וִיקָר. כֵּן תִּהְיֶה לָּֽנוּ. כּוֹס יְשׁוּעוֹת אֶשָּׂא, וּבְשֵׁם ה' אֶקְרָא
Hinei El yeshuati, evtakh velo efkhad, ki ozi v'zimrat Yah, Adonai vayehi li liyeshuah. U'shavtem mayim besasson mima’anei hayeshuah. La’Adonai hayeshuah, al amkha virchatecha, selah. Adonai Tzeva’ot imanu, misgav lanu, Elohay Ya’akov, selah. (Adonai Tzeva’ot, ashrei adam botayakh bakh. Adonai hoshi’ah, hamelekh ya’anaynu veyom karaynu.)[10] Layehudim hayetah orah vesimcha vesason vikar. Kein tehiyeh lanu. Kos yeshuot esa uveshaym Adonai ekrah.
Behold, God is my savior, I will trust God and not be afraid, for my strong faith and song of praise for God will be my salvation. You will draw water joyously from the wellsprings of salvation. Salvation is the God’s; may Your blessing rest upon Your people. God of the heavenly armies is with us; the Lord of Ya’akov is a fortress protecting us. (God of the heavenly armies, happy is the individual who trusts You. God, redeem us! The King will answer us on the day we call God.)[10] The Jews had light, happiness, joy and honor; may we have the same. I will raise the cup of salvation and call out in the name of the God.
On wine
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', אֱ‑לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן/הַגֶּפֶן.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, Melekh ha'olam, bo're p'ri hagafen/hagefen.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine.
At the conclusion of Yom Kippur one continues with the blessing on the candle. At all other times except for the conclusion of Shabbat, one continues with the blessing on separation. At the conclusion of Festival coinciding with the conclusion of Shabbat, one does it like the conclusion of Shabbat; however, at the conclusion of Yom Kippur coinciding with the conclusion of Shabbat, customs differ as to whether to make this blessing.[11]
On spices
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', אֱ‑לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא מִינֵי בְשָׂמִים.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, bo're minei v'samim.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who creates varieties of spices.
The spices are then passed around and smelled by those present.
On the candle
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱ‑לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם. בּוֹרֵא מְאוֹרֵי הָאֵשׁ.
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, bo're m'orei ha'esh.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who creates the lights of the fire.
The candle is held up in the air and those present look at the reflection of the light on their fingernails. According to some customs, this is done immediately before reciting this blessing.[12]
On separation
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱ‑לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, הַמַּבְדִּיל בֵּין קֹדֶשׁ לְחוֹל, בֵּין אוֹר לְחשֶׁךְ, בֵּין יִשְׂרָאֵל לָעַמִּים, בֵּין יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי לְשֵׁשֶׁת יְמֵי הַמַּעֲשֶׂה: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', הַמַבְדִּיל בֵּין קֹדֶשׁ לְחוֹל:
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, ha'mavdil bein kodesh l'hol, bein or l'hoshekh, bein yisra'el la'amim, bein yom ha'sh'vi'i l'sheshet y'mei ha'ma'a'se. Barukh ata Adonai, ha'mavdil bein kodesh l'hol.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who distinguishes between the sacred and the secular, between light and dark, between Israel and the nations, between the seventh day and the six days of labor. Blessed are You, LORD, Who distinguishes between the sacred and the secular.
The text of the Havdalah service exists in two main forms, Ashkenazic and Sephardic. The introductory verses in the Ashkenazic version (beginning הנה אל, Hinei El)[2]: 140 are taken from the biblical books of Isaiah, Psalms and Esther. In the Sephardic liturgy, the introduction begins with the words ראשון לציון, Rishon L'tsion and consists of biblical verses describing God giving light and success interspersed with later liturgical prose. The four blessings over the wine, spices, candle and praising God for separation between holy and profane are virtually identical between the traditions. The phrase בין ישראל לעמים, bein Yisrael l'amim 'between Israel and the nations' is based on Leviticus 20:26.[13] In Reconstructionist Judaism, however, the phrase is omitted, as part of founder Mordechai Kaplan's rejection of the Biblical idea of chosenness.
Modern tunes for Havdalah are based on melodies by Shlomo Carlebach, Neshama Carlebach and Debbie Friedman.
^ "Havdalah: The Ritual". Archived from the original on 2 June 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
a b c d e f g h Aruch, Shulchan; Chayim, Orach. Mishnah Berurah - Sefer 3 - Part Two: Law of Shabbos (in Hebrew). Retrieved 6 October 2018.
^ "Havdalah - Halachipedia". halachipedia.com. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
a b "Parashat Toldot". Jerusalem, Israel: Shema Yisrael Torah Network. 2005. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
^ Silberberg, Naftali. "The Incense (Besamim) and Havdalah Candle". Retrieved 6 October 2018.
^ "Glossary". Torah.net. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2018. Ritual ceremony marking the end of the Sabbath and the separation between the sacred and the profane. All the senses are used in blessing the wine, the light of a special candle and smelling spices.
^ "Klau Library, Cincinnati Illuminated Haggadah Exhibit". Retrieved 6 October 2018.
a b c Zuckermann, Ghil'ad (2003), Language Contact and Lexical Enrichment in Israeli Hebrew. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781403917232 / ISBN 9781403938695 [1]
a b c The two verses in parentheses appear in most modern Ashkenazic siddurim, but they do not appear in most Siddurim before the 19th century.
^ Shulchan Aruch OC 624:3 and commentaries.
^ Shulchan Aruch Oc 298:3 and commentaries.
^ Rashbam on Pesahim Pesachim 104a (in Hebrew). Retrieved 6 October 2018.
Birkat HaMazon Prayer
Birkat Hamazon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Birkat Hamazon (Hebrew: בִּרְכַּת הַמָּזוׂן, romanized: birkath hammāzôn "The Blessing of the Food"), known in English as the Grace After Meals (Yiddish: בענטשן, romanized: benchen "to bless", [1] Yinglish: Bentsching), is a set of Hebrew blessings that Jewish law prescribes following a meal that includes at least a kezayit (olive-sized) piece of bread. It is understood as a mitzvah (Biblical commandment) based on Deuteronomy 8:10.[2][3]
Birkat Hamazon is recited after a meal containing bread or similar foods that is made from the five grains, with the exception of bread that comes as a dessert (pas haba'ah b'kisanin)[4] and food that does not possess the form or appearance of bread (torisa d'nahama),[5] in which case a blessing that summarizes the first three blessings (birkat me'ein shalosh) is recited instead. It is a matter of rabbinic dispute whether Birkat Hamazon must be said after eating certain other bread-like foods such as pizza.[6]
Except in teaching situations, Birkat Hamazon is typically read individually after ordinary meals. The blessing can be found in almost all siddurs and is often printed in a variety of artistic styles in a small booklet called a birchon (or birkon, בִּרְכּוׂן) in Hebrew or bencher (or bentscher) in Yiddish. The length of the different brakhot hamazon can vary considerably, from bentsching in under half a minute to more than five minutes.[7]
The scriptural source for the requirement to recite a blessing after a meal is Deuteronomy 8:10 "When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He gave you". The process is often referred to as bentsching;[8] the word "bentsch" means to bless.
Birkat Hamazon is made up of four blessings.[9] The first three blessings are regarded as required by scriptural law:
The food: A blessing of thanks for the food was traditionally composed by Moses (Berakhot 48b) in gratitude for the manna which the Children of Israel ate in the wilderness during the Exodus from Egypt.
The land: A blessing of thanks for the Land of Israel, is attributed to Joshua after he led the Jewish people into Israel.
Jerusalem: Concerns Jerusalem, is ascribed to David, who established it as the capital of Israel and Solomon, who built the Temple in Jerusalem.
God's goodness: A blessing of thanks for God's goodness, written by Rabban Gamliel in Yavneh. The obligation to recite this blessing is generally[9][10] regarded as a rabbinic obligation.
Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook described the order of these four blessings as a “ladder of prayer,” as we raise our sights and aspirations. The first blessing refers to one's personal needs; the second, the physical needs of the nation (through the Land of Israel); the third, the nation's spiritual aspirations (Jerusalem and the Temple); and the fourth blessing, our ultimate aspiration to be a “light unto the nations.”[11]
The statutory birkat hamazon ends at the end of these four blessings, with the words, al yechasrenu.[12] After these four blessings, there is a series of short prayers, each beginning with the word Harachaman (the Merciful One), which ask for God's compassion.
There are several known texts for birkat hamazon. The most widely available is the Ashkenazic. There are also Sephardic, Yemenite and Italian versions. All of these texts follow the same structure described above, but the wording varies. In particular, the Italian version preserves the ancient practice of commencing the second paragraph with Nachamenu on Shabbat.[13]
On weekdays, some recite Psalm 137, Al Naharot Bavel (By the rivers of Babylon) before Birkat Hamazon. This psalm describes the reactions of the Jews in exile as would have been expressed during the Babylonian captivity (See Mishna Berura quoting the Shelah).
Psalm 126 Shir Hama'alot (Song of Ascents), which expresses the Jewish hope of return to Zion following their final redemption, is widely recited by Ashkenazi Jews before Birkat Hamazon on Shabbat, Jewish holidays, and certain other days or special occasions (such as weddings, Brit Millah, Pidyon HaBen). Some follow this by two or four additional verses from Psalms (145:21; 115:18; 118:1; 106:2); this addition is known as Tehillat Hashem after its first words, and is based on teachings by the Arizal.[14] (The rumor that these verses were added in order to neutralize the allegedly "Zionist" implications of Psalm 126 is incorrect, as the verses were already recited in the 1600s.[15]) Some Spanish and Portuguese Jews precede Birkat Hamazon with "Ein Keloheinu" on Shabbat and holidays.
Tzur Mishelo Achalnu is sung in some communities as "an introduction to the Grace after Meals in all joyous occasions."[16] Whereas it is commonly found among the songs printed for singing Friday night,[17] among those who use it for zimun it is never sung in the middle of a meal, since it would signal the meal's end.[16]
Additional sections are added on special occasions.
On Shabbat the retzei paragraph is recited, just before the end of the third blessing.
On Jewish holidays, the ya'aleh ve-Yavo paragraph is added in the same place[18]
On Hanukkah and Purim al ha-Nissim is added to the middle of the second blessing.[19]
If one forgets Retzei or ya'aleh ve-Yavo, one inserts a short blessing before the fourth blessing. If this is also forgotten, then at the first two meals of Shabbat and major holidays (with the possible exception of the Rosh Hashanah day meal), one must repeat the entire Birkat Hamazon. At later meals, or on Rosh Chodesh or Chol Hamoed, nothing need be done.
If one forgets al ha-Nissim, one does not repeat Birkat Hamazon, although one recites a special Harachaman toward the very end, followed by the paragraph Bimei, which describes the respective holidays. If this prayer is also forgotten, nothing need be done.
When birkat hamazon takes place at the Sheva Brachot (seven blessings) following a traditional Jewish marriage, in Ashkenazic communities special opening lines reflecting the joy of the occasion are added to the zimmun (invitation to grace) beginning with Devai Haser; in all communities Sheha-Simchah bi-m'ono is added. At the conclusion of birkat hamazon, a further seven special blessings are recited. While the seven blessings can only be recited with Panim Chadashot (new people who hadn't been at previous celebrations) and in the presence of a minyan, Devai Haser can be recited even without these requirements as long as there is a Zimmun. Furthermore, according to Talmudic law, Sheha-Simchah bi-m'ono (and presumably Devai Haser) can be recited for up to thirty days, or even a year if the meal was made specifically in honor of the couple; nevertheless, this is not practiced today.[20]
At birkat hamazon concluding the celebratory meal of a brit milah (ritual circumcision), in the Eastern Ashkenazic rite, additional introductory lines, known as Nodeh Leshimcha, are added at the beginning and special ha-Rachaman prayers are inserted. In the Western Ashkenazic rite, the Zimmun is recited as normal without any additions, but a long piyyut from Rabbi Ephraim of Bonn is inserted in the middle of the second blessing; special ha-Rachaman prayers are added, but they are different from those of the Eastern Ashkenazic rite.
An abbreviated text is sometime used when time is lacking. It contains the four essential blessings in a somewhat shortened form, with fewer preliminaries and additions. In liberal branches of Judaism, there is no standard text to be recited and customs vary accordingly. Many Sephardi Jews, especially Spanish and Portuguese Jews often sing a hymn in Spanish (not Ladino as is commonly assumed), called Bendigamos,[21] before or after birkat hamazon. An additional abbreviated form of birkat hamazon in Ladino, called Ya Comimos, may also be said.
According to Halakha when a minimum of three adult Jewish males eat bread as part of a meal together they are obligated to form a mezuman (a "prepared gathering") with the addition of a few extra opening words whereby one man "invites" the others to join him in birkat hamazon. (This invitation is called a zimmun). When those present at the meal form a minyan (a quorum of ten adult Jewish men) there are further additions to the invitation. A Zimmun of 10 is called a Zimmun B'Shem.
The zimmun is sometimes referred to as a mezuman; this appears to be from Yiddish.
The Talmud states that women are obligated to say birkat hamazon and that accordingly, three women can constitute a zimmun and lead it.[22] Accordingly, the Shulchan Aruch rules that three women may choose to make a zimmun among themselves, but are not required to do so.[23] However, ten women cannot make the Zimmun B'Shem,[24] and men and women cannot combine to form the three members of an ordinary zimmun.[25] If three men and three women are present, the three men make the zimmun, and the women are required to answer to it.[23]
According to the one opinion in the Talmud,[26] there are special versions of the zimmun if birkat hamazon is said by at least 100, 1000 or 10000 seated at one meal. When 100 are present, the leader says "Blessed is HaShem our God, of Whose we have eaten and of Whose goodness we have lived", and the group responds "Blessed is HaShem our God, of Whose we have eaten, and of Whose goodness we have lived." When 1000 are present, the leader of the Zimmun says "Let us bless HaShem our God, the God of Israel, of Whose we have eaten, and of Whose goodness we have lived", and the crowd responds, "Blessed is HaShem our God, the God of Israel, of Whose we have eaten, and of Whose goodness we have lived." When at least 10000 are present, the leader of the zimmun says "Let us bless Hashem our God, the God of Israel, who dwells among the cherubim, of Whose we have eaten, and of Whose goodness we have lived," and the multitude responds, "Blessed is Hashem our God, the God of Israel, who dwells among the cherubim, of Whose we have eaten, and of Whose goodness we have lived." However, the Shulchan Aruch rules like the other opinion in the Talmud and we do not use any of these variations.[27]
It is customary for the person leading the zimmun to recite the blessings over a cup of wine called the kos shel beracha (cup of blessing). Although sometimes done at ordinary meals, it is more commonly done on Shabbat and Jewish Holidays, and almost universally done at meals celebrating special events. At a Passover Seder, the cup of blessing is drunk by everyone present, and functions as the "Third Cup". The practice of a cup of blessing is mentioned in the Talmud.[28]
Many have the custom - especially after a Shabbat meal - of sharing a Dvar Torah ("word of Torah"; Yiddish, "vort"), before the invitation. This is based on Pirkei Avot 3:3: "If three have eaten at one table, and have spoken there words of Torah, [it is] as if they had eaten at the table of the All-Present, blessed be He..."
Main article: Handwashing in Judaism § After eating bread (Mayim Acharonim)
There is a practice in many Orthodox communities to wash the hands before reciting birkat hamazon. This practice is called mayim acharonim (final waters). While the Talmud and Shulchan Aruch rule this practice to be obligatory, Tosafot and other sources rule it to be unnecessary in current circumstances, and thus many do not perform the practice.
Bentschers (/ˈbɛntʃər/; or benchers, birkhonim, birkhon, birchon, birchonim) are small Birkat Hamazon booklets usually handed out at bar and bat mitzvahs, weddings and other celebratory events. Traditionally, the cover of the bentscher is customized to reflect the event. Some bentschers now feature photography of Israel throughout. There are several services currently available that customize the bentscher using graphics, logos and/or photographs. [29] They often contain other texts such as kiddush and the Shabbat zemirot, in addition to Birkat Hamazon itself.
In the early modern era (1563-1780), Birkat Hamazon was used the title for a book that included a wider variety of prayers that are not part of the daily prayer routine, such as the wedding ceremony and eruv tavshilin, in addition to Birkat Hamazon and kiddush and zemirot.[30]
The Talmud relates that at the time of the Resurrection of the Dead, a special feast will take place. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and Joshua will all claim unworthiness to lead the grace and the Cup of Blessing will pass to King David, who will accept the honour.[31]
The giving of thanks for the food received dates back to the first Jewish Patriarch, Abraham. A Midrash says that his tent for hospitality had openings on all four sides. He invited guests bless the Heavenly source of the food. If they refused, he told them that he would have to pay 10 gold coins for bread, ten for wine and ten for hospitality. To their amazement for the excessive price he replied that that price corresponded to those delights difficult to find in the desert; then they accepted God and thanked Him.[32][which?]
^ Palley, Kate. "What is Birkat Hamazon, or Benching?". MyJewishLearning.com. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
^ Klein, Isaac. "A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice". www.jtsa.edu. Jewish Theological Seminary of America, NY, 1988. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
^ Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 168:6
^ Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 168:11. See the Rema's gloss, which defines what torisa denahama means.
^ The shortest known Birkat Hamazon would be that in the Siddur of Saadia Gaon. From: Bar-Hayim, David. "Birkat HaMazon: Is There Just One 'Proper' Nusah?". machonshilo.org/en/eng/component/content/article/34-featured/810-zimun-a-birkat-hamazon-how-does-it-work. Machon Shilo. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
^ "Food brings Jewish, Muslim communities in Charleston together". Charleston Post courier. January 26, 2019. In the Jewish faith, "benching" (the Birkat Hamazon) is ...
a b Rabbi Michael Bernstein (July 26, 2002). "The mystery of the fourth blessing". The Jewish Press. p. 43. There is a difference of opinion... Biblical ... or a Rabbinic enactment.
^ The article ends "Excerpted from Windows To the Soul ... ArtScroll"
^ Kook, Abraham Isaac Kook; Morrison, Chanan (2013). Sapphire from the Land of Israel: A new light on Weekly Torah Portion from the writings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook. Chanan Morrison. pp. 288–291. ISBN 978-1490909363.
^ "How do Benè Romì tie tzitzit?". tzitzit.tallit-shop.com (Ben's Tallit Shop). .. Italian siddur and Nachamenu in Birkat Hamazon for Shabbos ...
^ Hashem and Other Verses Before Birkat Ha-Mazon.com/2009/11/birkat-hamazon-preliminary-tehillim/ Birkat Hamazon: Preliminary Tehillim
^ Zvi Ron, Tehillat Hashem and Other Verses Before Birkat Ha-Mazon
^ After "ReTzei" on Shabbat
^ Some Religious Zionist communities also add versions of "al Ha-Nissim" on Yom HaAtzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim.
^ Shulchan Aruch Even Haezer 62:13.
^ E. Seroussi; Studia Rosenthaliana; JSTOR (2012). The Odyssey of Bendigamos: Stranger than Ever.
^ Berachot 45b
^ "Frimer, "Women and Minyan"". Archived from the original on 2019-09-12. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
^ Chaim Navon, Women and Zimmun
^ Orach Chaim 192:1
^ "Let's Bench Custom Benchers Made in Israel - Celebrate with Photos". Let’s Bench. Retrieved 2018-07-10.
^ The Birkhat ha-Mazon as an Early Modern Supplementary Prayerbook
^ Medrash
Ashrei
Ashrei
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ashrei (Hebrew: אַשְׁרֵי) is a prayer that is recited at least three times daily in Jewish prayers, twice during Shacharit (morning service) and once during Mincha (afternoon service). The prayer is composed primarily of Psalm 145 in its entirety, with Psalms 84:5 and Psalms 144:15 added to the beginning, and Psalms 115:18 added to the end. The first two verses that are added both start with the Hebrew word ashrei (translating to 'happy is he who...', 'praiseworthy' or 'fortunate'), hence the prayer's name.[1]
The Talmud does not refer to the psalm by the (current) title of Ashrei, but rather as the opening words, Tehillah l'David.[2]
Ashrei is recited three times daily during the full course of Jewish prayers, in accordance with the Talmudic statement that one who recites Ashrei three times daily is guaranteed a place in the World to Come.[3] For this reason, not only is Ashrei recited these three times, but many of its verses occur throughout liturgy.[4]
Ashrei is recited twice during Shacharit (once during Pesukei D'Zimrah and once between Tachanun/Torah reading and Psalm 20/Uva Letzion or in this place when any of these are omitted), and once as the introduction to Mincha; it is also recited in many customs at the commencement of Selichot services. On Yom Kippur, Ashkenazi Jews recite it during Ne'ila instead of during Mincha, whereas Sephardim and Italkim recite it during both Mincha and Ne'ila.[5]
The majority of Ashrei is Psalm 145 in full. Psalm 145 is an alphabetic acrostic of 21 verses, each starting with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet arranged alphabetically. This makes Ashrei easy to memorize.[6] The only Hebrew letter that does not begin a verse of Psalm 145 is nun (נ). This omission is discussed at greater length in the Wikipedia article on Psalm 145. Although the Septuagint and some other non-Massoretic versions of the Bible have such a line, no Jewish prayerbook inserts a line beginning with nun.[7]
The first two verses are from Psalms 84:4-5 and Psalms 144:15 respectively. The final verse is Psalm 115:18. The Rome liturgy adds to this Psalm 119:1 and Machzor Vitry (12th century) adds four (possibly five) other verses beginning with the same word ("Ashrei") (namely Psalms 119:1-2, 84:6, 112:1, and 89:16), and it appears that originally the general practice was to have more introductory verses than the two now used by Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews.[8]
It is customary for the congregants to be seated while reciting Ashrei, as the introductory verse, "Happy are the people who dwell in Your house", describes the congregants as part of the household, not strangers or mere visitors, so they sit to demonstrate that connection. The word ישב, here translated as "dwell", also means "sit down" (as in Exodus 17:12, I Kings 2:12, and Psalm 122:5).[citation needed]
Verse 7 (ז): It has been noticed[9] that, while the majority of Hebrew Bibles spell the first word of this verse with a long vowel - זֵכֶר (zaykher), many prayerbooks print this word with a short vowel - זֶכֶר (zekher) -- the two variants being described as "five dots" and "six dots" respectively. There is no difference in meaning, both variants mean the same thing, a "remembrance" or a "reminder", and both occur elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, although the long vowel form occurs more often.[10]
The short vowel (six dots) reading does appear in this verse in several important early editions of the Hebrew Bible, such as the first four editions of the complete Hebrew Bible, and the Complutensian Polyglot and the First Rabbinic Bible (by Pratensis). But the long vowel (five dots) reading is found in virtually all the more recent and more authoritative editions, including the Aleppo Codex, the Leningrad Codex, the Second Rabbinic Bible (by Ben-Hayyim), the Letteris edition, the Ginsburg editions, the Koren edition, the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, etc. Siddurim that carry the short vowel reading include, among others, the widely used ArtScroll Siddur (although the ArtScroll editions of the Bible and of the Psalms have here the long vowel reading). It would appear that prayerbook quotations of the Bible are sometimes copied as they appeared in earlier prayerbooks, without doublechecking the Bible itself (a similar effect has been noticed in the 19th and 20th century editions of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, which perpetuated quotations from the Bishops' Bible instead of using the wording of the King James Version).[citation needed]
Verse 16 (פ). "You open Your hand ..." This is a most important verse and the universal practice is that it must be said with much concentration on its meaning and with sincerity.[11] In the weekday morning services, especially among Ashkenazim, when the worshippers are wearing their tefillin, it is common reverently to touch the arm tefillin during the first half of the verse ("Your hand") and then the head tefillin during the second half ("its desire").[12] At other times, when tefillin are not worn, in addition to the concentration on the meaning of the verse, it is a custom (primarily Mizrahi but also practiced by others) to lift up one's upturned hands as if to receive God's gifts.[13]
The final verse of the prayer is Psalm 115:18. From as early as the time of Seder Rav Amram Gaon, this was explained as instituted in order to provide a concluding "Halleluyah" for the psalm, in line with the pattern of Psalms 146-150. Additionally, the addendum broadens the psalm by saying “we” and not just “I”.[14]
Ashrei is about three concepts. These are:[6]
People are happy when they are close to God.
God cares about the poor and oppressed.
God rewards good behavior and punishes evil.
The Psalm praises God whose justice and mercy applies to all peoples. In verse 9 (ט) we are told "The LORD is good to all and His mercy extends to all He has created." By verse 21 (ת) - "All flesh shall praise Your name ...." - all mankind expresses its gratitude.[15]
Also significantly, this prayer is entirely praise of God, without asking for anything.[16]
Also emphasized in Ashrei is God's kingship over all the universe; in particular, Psalm 145:1 is the Bible's only use of the phrase "God the King" (as distinguished from many occurrences of "my king" or "our king").[17]
Hebrew Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Ashrei. Structure of the Psalm 145. myjewishlearning.com
^ Russell, James (September 2017). "Reclaiming the Sermon on the Mount: On the composition of the prayer Ashrei". Real and Imaginary: Interaction in Time and Space; Formation of Culture in Diaspora.
^ Apple, Raymond (2016). "Addenda to Psalm 145". The Jewish Bible Quarterly. 44 (4): 227. ISSN 0792-3910.
^ 1,001 Questions and Answers on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur By Jeffrey M. Cohen, pages 164-65
^ Nulman, Macy, Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer (1993, NJ, Jason Aronson) s.v. Ashray, pages 42-43.
a b Every person's guide to Jewish prayer By Ronald H. Isaacs, page 114
^ See, e.g., Baer, Seligman, Siddur Avodat Yisroel (1868 Roedelheim) page 69.
^ Elbogen, Ismar, Jewish Liturgy: A comprehensive history (orig. 1913, Engl. transl. 1993, Philadelphia, Jewish Publ'n Society) pages 75 and 214, and an examination of the Mahzor Vitry.
^ For example, because of some doubt about the proper vowel points for the same word in Deuteronomy 25:19 (the Parshas Zakhor, recited the Sabbath before Purim), some authorities made a point of reading the verse twice, once each way. Scherman, Nosson, The Chumash: The Stone Edition (1993, Brooklyn, Mesorah Publications) page 1067; Gelbard, Shmuel Pinchas, Rite and Reason: 1050 Jewish customs and their sources (Engl. transl. 1998, Israel, Mifal Rashi Publ'g) page 161. The standard Biblical Hebrew dictionaries, such as Furst, Brown-Driver-Briggs, Harkavy, et al., treat the two forms as being the same word. Brown-Driver-Briggs cites but one instance of the short vowel, and Mandelkern's Concordance lumps the two forms together for a list of six appearances either way -- but, in all the authoritative Hebrew Bibles (Ben-Chayyim, Ginsburg, Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, Koren, Leningrad Codex, Aleppo Codex) all six instances listed by Mandelkern, including the one listed by Brown, have the long vowel.
^ Complete ArtScroll Siddur (Ashkenaz) pages 68-69, 150-151, 232-233, 392-393, 502-503; Complete ArtScroll Siddur (Sefard) pages 72-73; 154-155, 254-255, 428-429, 496-497, 546-547.
^ Complete ArtScroll Siddur (Ashkenaz) pages 68-69, 150-151; Complete ArtScroll Siddur (Sefard) pages 72-73, 154-155; Nulman, Macy, Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer (1993, NJ, Jason Aronson) s.v. Ashray, page 43.
^ Orot Sephardic Weekday Siddur (1994) pages 105, 233, 306; and [2], described by Ben Ish Chai (19th century Baghdad); and Nulman, Macy, Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer (1993, NJ, Jason Aronson) s.v. Ashray, page 43.
^ Apple, Raymond, "Addenda to Psalm 145, "Jewish Bible Quarterly", Vol. 44, no. 4, October-December 2016 [3].
^ Abrahams, Israel, Companion to the Authorised Daily Prayer Book (2nd ed. 1922, London) page [36]; Kimelman, Reuven, Psalm 145: Theme, Structure, and Impact, Journal of Biblical Literature, vol. 113, nr. 1 (Spring 1994) pages 51. Indeed, Rabbi David Kimhi (13th century) believed this verse meant that all creation, including animals, expresses praise of the Creator. Jacobson, Bernhard S., The Weekday Siddur (2nd Engl. ed. 1978, Tel-Aviv, Sinai) page 95.
^ Abrahams, Israel, Companion to the Authorised Daily Prayer Book (2nd ed. 1922, London) page [36].
^ Kimelman, Reuven, Psalm 145: Theme, Structure, and Impact, Journal of Biblical Literature, vol. 113, nr. 1 (Spring 1994) pages 40-41 (this unique occurrence was noticed by Abraham ibn-Ezra in the 12th century).
Baruch Hashem Le'olam
Baruch HaShem Le'Olam
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Baruch Adonai L'Olam (Maariv))
Baruch HaShem Le'Olam (Hebrew: ברוך השם לעולם, Blessed is HaShem Forever)[note 1][note 2] is a compilation of 18 verses from Tanach that is recited by some minyanim during weekday Maariv between Shema and Amidah. Its name is from the first 3 words of the first verse.
The first four verses are recited by all Orthodox Jewish communities. It is said every day of the week during Shacharit when the daily Hallel in Pesukei Dezimra is recited.
The prayer was compiled during post-talmudic times when Ashkenazi Jews in Europe faced various threats when saying Maariv in the evening. Commentators describe these threats in overlapping ways:
Synagogues could not be built in some residential areas.[1]
Avudraham said that in the Geonic period Jews were banned by decree from taking part in Maariv.[2]
Jews normally returned from working their fields to the city in the late afternoon.[3]: 264
Whatever particular reasons applied, to avoid being harassed or potentially killed, Jews held services in the city's surrounding fields, where many of them worked. However in the evenings when Maariv is said, the darkness made the fields and walking home through the city particularly dangerous.[4]: 62
The Amidah is the longest prayer in most services. It is made up of 18 prayers mentioning HaShem's Great Name 18 times. That is why its other interchangeable name is Shmoneh Esrei (literally "the 18").[5]: 4b(3)(c) The rabbis decreed in terms of the principle of Pikuach nefesh (saving a soul or life), that it was acceptable to replace the communal Maariv Amidah with something shorter to reduce the time it took to say Maariv. This reduced the time in the fields and the trip home could be made earlier.[5]: 4b(3)(c) [4]: 62
The shorter replacement, Baruch HaShem Le'Olam, has 18 verses from the Tanach, mainly Psalms. Theses verses also mention HaShem's Great Name 18 times to further align it with the Amidah.[6]: cxii Immediately after it and Kaddish were said, Maariv ended and congregants could leave for home. The replaced Amidah would then be recited privately in the relative safety of their houses.[4]: 62
After the danger passed, Baruch HaShem Le'Olam remained part of Maariv in some communities where it is said before the communal Maariv Amidah. This is observed in terms of not abolishing practices sanctified by long-term observance originally instituted by rabbinical decree (Tsofot Berachot 4b[5]: 4a(3)(a)-(b) ).[4]: 62
Some Halakhic commentaries say it should not be included because it causes an interruption between Shema (and its blessings) and Amidah.[2] According to Machzor Vitry the verses were allowed to be added as the third blessing of the weekday Maariv Shema by the "heads [rabbis] of the Academy in Persia (Vitry, p. 78, Pardes ii)". They decided that the Halacha of not adding anything between the blessing after Shema and Amidah only applied to Shacharit and Mincha but not to Maariv.[6]: cxii
Whether or not Baruch HaShem Le'Olam is recited during the weekday Maariv depends on the nusach (Jewish custom) followed by a minyan as expressed in the siddur used in their prayer services. For the major nusachim:
Nusach Ashkenaz siddurim include Baruch HaShem Le'Olam, since this nusach was informed by the original danger of praying after dark
Nusach Sefard expressed in the older Siddur Edot HaMizrach does not include Baruch HaShem Le'Olam because Sephardim did not encounter the same persecutions as Ashkenazim
Siddur Sefard which attempts to combine the Ashkenaz, Edot Hamizrach (Sefard), and Ari Nusachim includes the 18 verses because they were imported from Nusach Askenaz although they are not included in Nusach Safard or Ari
Nusach Chabad based largely on Nusach Ari does not include Baruch HaShem Le'Olam
Nusach Ari is the Kabbalah inspired nusach of Isaac Luria, known as Ha'ari, Ha'ari Hakadosh or Arizal. Arizal never created a siddur based on his nusach, but parts of his philosophy were included in other currently used siddurim.
Siddur Ashkenaz
(Nusach Askenaz)
Ashkenazi
Yes[3]: 264-267 [7]: 312-315 [2]
Compiled c.1055 – c.1105 CE. Used by Ashkenazi communities in central and western Europe.
Siddur Edot HaMizrach
(Nusach Sefard)
Sephardi (majority), Mizrahi (all)
No[9]
Yes[10]
Originated in Iraq. Popular in majority of Sephardi and all Mizrachi communities.
Siddur Sefard
(Nusach Askenaz, Sefard and Ari)
Sephardi (minority), Chasidic (excl. Chabad)
Yes[11]
Yes[12]
Compiled c.1710 – c.1810 CE. Aim's to reconcile Siddur Ashkenaz with Arizal's Kabbalah, and Edot HaMizrach.
Siddur Chabad
(Nusach Ari)
Chabad-Lubavitch
No[13]
Yes[14]
c.1765 – c.1795 CE. Based on the Arizal's kabbala. Edited by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of Chabad.
Shema said before going to bed at night.
Today the 18 verses are mainly included in Ashkenazi siddurim during weekly Maariv as a reminder of its history.[5]: 4a(3)(a)-(b) . They are not recited by the followers of the Vilna Gaon.[citation needed]
A minority of Sephardim, and some Chasidic communities (excluding Chabad-Lubavich), who follow Siddur Sefard written closer to modern times, do include the verses. This siddur was written to align Ashkenazi and Sephardi rites, including the use of Baruch HaShem Le'Olam. It was not significantly adopted by Sephardim.[11]
Denominations who follow the Siddur Ashkenaz[3]: 264–267 [7]: 312–315 [2] and the Siddur Safard[11] nusachim say the full 18 verses between Shema and Amidah on weekdays. The verses are not said when the weekday Amidah is replaced by the Festival Amidah.[7]: 313
Exceptions[edit]
In those denominations which retain Baruch HaShem Le'Olam during the weekday Maariv, it is not recited under certain circumstances.
Since it was implemented for working people, it is said on weekdays when work is allowed, but not on days on which work is not allowed (Shabbat or Festivals). Also, because work is not done or restricted, some minyanim do not say it during Maariv immediately after Shabbat and Festivals, or on Chol HaMoed (intermediate days during the Pesach and Sukkot Festivals).[3]: 265
Those denomination which recite the 18 verses in the Galut (Jewish diaspora/Exile), do not recite it in Israel, [citation needed] since the danger which it was implemented to minimize didn't occur in Israel. Some Chasidic rebbes from Europe continued saying it when they came to Israel, while the native Israeli minyan waited for them, but this practice died out with those rebbes.[citation needed] It is recited in Israel by minyanim associated with the Yemenite, Italian and Machon Moreshes Ashkenaz (Germany based Ashkenazim) nusachim.[citation needed].
Excluded completely from Maariv[edit]
Sephardi and Mizrachi communities, who did not experience the same persecution and follow the older Siddur Edot HaMizrach, do not include it in their Maariv.[9] It appears in old printings of Sephardi siddurim (including Venice and Livorno), although it has been largely dropped by Sephardi communities.[citation needed]
Minyanim following Siddur Edot HaMizrach[9] and Siddur Chabad[13] do not include the verses in their Maariv services.
The inclusion of the first 4 verses in the Shacharit service is not related to the reasons for the replacement of the Amidah by the full 18 verses in the weekday Maariv service (peril of life). These 4 verses are a common part of the daily Shacharit service. They are recited every day of the week (including Shabbat)[15] when the daily Hallel in Pesukei Dezimra using Ps 145–150 is recited.
Therefore, Sephardi,[10][12] Ashkenazi[3]: 264-267 [7]: 312-315 [8] and Chabad[14] minyanim all say the 4 verses as part of their Shacharit Pesukei Dezimra.
Exceptions[edit]
The 4 verses are not included on those days when the daily Hallel in Pesukei Dezimra is replaced by the Festival Hallel using amongst others Ps 113–118. The Festival Hallel, in full or reduced form, is recited on Pesach, Sukkot, Shavuot, Chanukah and Rosh Chodesh (first day of the Jewish new month).[3]: 632
Shema al HaMitah (Shema before going to sleep at night),[7]: 996-1004 includes the last 4 verses as part of the readings after the bedtime Shema.[7]: 1001-1002
The first 4 verses are said by all denominations, during Shacharit at the end of the daily Hallel of Pesukei Dezimra (except certain festivals)
Ashkenazim and some Sephardim say all 18 verses in weekday Maariv between Shema and Amidah.
Blessed is HaShem forever, Amen and Amen!
Baruch HaShem le'olam amen ve'amen
בָּרוּךְ השם לְעוֹלָם אָמֵן וְאָמֵן
2
Blessed is HaShem from Zion Who dwells in Jerusalem, Hallelujah.
Baruch HaShem mitziyyon shochen yerushalami hallelujah
בָּרוּךְ השם מִצִּיּוֹן שֹׁכֵן יְרוּשָׁלָֽםִ הַלְ֒לוּיָהּ
3
Blessed is HaShem our G-d, G-d of Israel Who alone performs wonders.
Baruch HaShem Elokim Eloki yisra'el oseh nifla'ot levaddo
בָּרוּךְ השם אֱלֹקִים אֱלֹקֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עֹשֵׂה נִפְלָאוֹת לְבַדּוֹ
4
Blessed is the Name of His glory forever and may His glory fill the whole earth; Amen and Amen!
U'baruch shem kevodo le'olam veyimmale chevodo et-kol-ha'aretz amen ve'amen
וּבָרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹדוֹ לְעוֹלָם וְיִמָּלֵא כְבוֹדוֹ אֶת־כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ אָמֵן וְאָמֵן
5
The Glory of HaShem will endure forever; HaShem will rejoice in His works.
Yehi chevod HaShem le'olam yismach HaShem bema'asav
יְהִי כְבוֹד השם לְעוֹלָם יִשְׂמַח השם בְּמַעֲשָׂיו
6
The Name of HaShem will be blessed from now forever.
Yehi shem HaShem mevorach me'attah ve'ad-olam
יְהִי שֵׁם השם מְבֹרָךְ מֵעַתָּה וְעַד־עוֹלָם
7
For HaShem will not cast off His people, for the sake of His great Name, because HaShem has determined to make you His people.
Ki lo yittosh HaShem et-ammo ba'avur shemo haggadol ki ho'il HaShem la'asot etchem lo le'am
כִּי לֹא יִטּשׁ השם אֶת־עַמּוֹ בַּעֲבוּר שְׁמוֹ הַגָּדוֹל כִּי הוֹאִיל השם לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶתְכֶם לוֹ לְעָם
8
And all the people saw it and they fell on their faces, and proclaimed, "HaShem, He is G-d! HaShem, He is G-d!"
Va'yar kol-ha'am va'yippelu al peneihem va'yomru HaShem hu ha'Elokim HaShem hu ha'Elokim
וַיַּרְא כָּל־הָעָם וַיִּפְּ֒לוּ עַל פְּנֵיהֶם וַיֹּאמְ֒רוּ השם הוּא הָאֱלִֹקִים השם הוּא הָאֱלִֹקִים
9
And HaShem will be King over the whole earth; on that day HaShem will be One and His Name One.
Ve'hayah HaShem le'melech al kol-ha'aretz bayyom hahu yihyeh HaShem echad ushemo echad
וְהָיָה השם לְמֶֽלֶךְ עַל כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא השם אֶחָד וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד
10
HaShem, may Your kindness be upon us as we have hoped for You.
Yehi-chasdecha HaShem aleinu ka'asher yichalnu lach
יְהִי־חַסְדְּ֒ךָ השם עָלֵֽינוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר יִחַֽלְנוּ לָךְ
11
Deliver us, HaShem, our G-d, gather us from the nations to give thanks to Your Holy Name, to be extolled in Your praise.
Hoshi'enu HaShem Eloheinu vekabbetzenu min-haggoyim lehodot leshem kodshecha lehishtabbeach bithillatecha
הוֹשִׁיעֵֽנוּ השם אֱלֹקֵינוּ וְקַבְּ֒צֵֽנוּ מִן־הַגּוֹיִם לְהוֹדוֹת לְשֵׁם קָדְשֶֽׁךָ לְהִשְׁתַּבֵּֽחִַ בִּתְהִלָּתֶֽךָ
12
All the nations which You have made will come and bow down before You, my L-rd, and they will give honor to Your Name.
Kol-goyim asher asita yavo'u veyishtachavu lefaneicha Ad-nai vichabbedu lishmecha
כָּל־גּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר עָשִֽׂיתָ יָבֹֽאוּ וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְפָנֶֽיךָ אֲדֹקָי וִיכַבְּ֒דוּ לִשְׁמֶֽךָ
13
For You are great and do wondrous things, You alone are G-d.
Ki-gadol attah ve'oseh nifla'ot attah Elokim levaddecha
כִּי־גָדוֹלאַתָּה וְעֹשֵׂה נִפְלָאוֹת אַתָּה אֱלֹקִים לְבַדֶּֽךָ
14
And we, Your people, the sheep of Your pasture, will give thanks to You forever, from generation to generation we will recount Your praise.
Va'anachnu ammecha vetzon mar'itecha nodeh lecha le'olam ledor vador nesapper tehillatecha
וַאֲנַֽחְנוּ עַמְּ֒ךָ וְצֹאן מַרְעִיתֶֽךָ נוֹדֶה לְּךָ לְעוֹלָם לְדוֹר וָדוֹר נְסַפֵּר תְּהִלָּתֶֽךָ
The concluding readings to Shema al HaMitah include the last 4 verses.
15
Blessed is HaShem by day, Blessed is HaShem by night, Blessed is HaShem when we lie down, Blessed is HaShem when we rise.
Baruch HaShem bayyom baruch HaShem ballayelah baruch HaShem beshachevenu baruch HaShem bekumenu
בָּרוּךְ השם בַּיּוֹם בָּרוּךְ השם בַּלָּֽיְלָה בָּרוּךְ השם בְּשָׁכְבֵֽנוּ בָּרוּךְ השם בְּקוּמֵֽנוּ
16
For in Your hand are the souls of the living and the dead: for in His hand is the soul of every living thing, and the spirit of every human being.
Ki veyadecha nafshot hachayyim vehammetim asher beyado nefesh kol-chai veruach kol-besar-ish
כִּי בְיָדְ֒ךָ נַפְשׁוֹת הַחַיִּים וְהַמֵּתִים אֲשֶׁר בְּיָדוֹ נֶֽפֶשׁ כָּל־חָי וְרֽוּחַ כָּל־בְּשַׂר־אִישׁ
17
In Your hand, I commit my spirit; You have liberated me HaShem, G-d of truth.
Beyadecha afkid ruchi paditah oti HaShem Kel emet
בְּיָדְ֒ךָ אַפְקִיד רוּחִי פָּדִֽיתָה אוֹתִי השם קֵל אֱמֶת
18
Our G-d in heaven, reveal the unity of Your Name, preserve Your kingdom always and reign over us forever and ever.
Elokeinu shebbashamayim yached shimcha vekayyem malchutecha tamid u'meloch aleinu le'olam va'ed
אֱלֹקֵינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַֽיִם יַחֵד שִׁמְךָ וְקַיֵּם מַלְכוּתְ֒ךָ תָּמִיד וּמְלֹךְ עָלֵֽינוּ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד
The 18 verses mention the glory, love and justice of God, pray for redemption, security, peace, and recognition by the whole world of God's oneness. The verses have common themes especially universalism and redemption.[7]: 313 [6]: cxiii
Eitz Yosef notes that each of the first 4 verses begin with the word "Baruch" (בָּרוּךְ), Hebrew for "blessed". This is not intended to be understood as the reader blessing HaShem, but rather referring to HaShem as the source of all blessing. These verses are a sort of blessing marking the end of the preceding 6 Psalms in the Hallel of Pesukei Dezimra (Ps 145–150), which are considered the essence of Pesukei Dezimra. These Psalms enumerate many of the blessings referred to in the 4 verses.[3]: 75 [8]
The four verses are recited following the daily Hallel in the Shacharit Pesukei Dezimra to relate Hallel to blessing.[citation needed]
Unusually, the word Amen is recited twice at the end of the first and third verses as an extra emphasis of the truth of the statements.[3]: 75
^ Eisenberg, Ronald L (2008), JPS Guide to Jewish Traditions, Philadelphia, United States: Jewish Publication Society (published September 2008), p. 420, ISBN 978-0-8276-0882-5
a b c d "Siddur Askenaz: Weekday Maariv, Blessings of the Shema, Third Blessing after Shema", Sefaria (in Hebrew and English), n.d. [composed in France c. 1055 – c. 1105 CE], retrieved 11 November 2023
a b c d e f g h i Scherman, Rabbi Nossen (1984), Zlotowitz, Rabbi Meir and Brander, Rabbi Sheah (eds.), The Complete Artscroll Siddur: Nusach Ashkenaz: Weekday / Sabbath / Festival (in Hebrew and English) (First ed.), Brooklyn, NY, United States: Mesorah Publications Ltd as Artscroll (published July 1985), pp. 74–76, 264–267, 632, ISBN 0-89906-654-2
a b c d Katz, Rabbi Mordechai (1981), לשמור ולעשות: A Guide to Basic Principles of Jewish Law and their Applications in Theory and in Practice, Rothman Foundation Series (in English and Hebrew), Jerusalem, Israel: Feldheim Publishers Ltd (published September 1981), p. 62, ISBN 0-87306-974-9
a b c d "Babylonian Talmud: Berachot 4b(3)(a)-(c): Tosfot D"H D'amar Rebbi Yochanan Eizhu Ben Olam Ha'ba etc.", Daf Yomi (in Hebrew and English), Babylon, n.d. [c.3rd - c.8th century CE], retrieved 11 November 2023
a b c Abrahams, Israel (1922) [First Edition 1914], "A companion to the Authorised Daily Prayer Book of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Empire: Historical and Explanatory Notes, and Additional Matters, Compiled in Accordance with the Plans of the Rev. S Singer", hebrewbooks.org (Revised ed.), London, British Empire: Eyre and Spottiswoode (Bible Warehouse) Ltd, pp. cxii–cxiii, retrieved 11 November 2023
a b c d e f g h i Hertz, Dr J H (1976), The Authorised Daily Prayer Book: Hebrew Text English Translation with Commentaries and Notes (in Hebrew and English) (Revised ed.), London, United Kingdom: The Soncino Press Ltd, pp. 96–97, 312–315, 996–1004
a b c "Siddur Askenaz: Weekday, Shacharit, Pesukei Dezimra, Closing Verses", Sefaria (in Hebrew and English), n.d. [composed in France c. 1055 – c. 1105 CE], retrieved 11 November 2023
a b c "Siddur Edot HaMizrach: Weekday Arvit, The Shema", Sefaria (in English and English), retrieved 11 November 2023
a b "Siddur Edot Hamizrach: Weekday Shacharit, Pesukei D'Zimra", Sefaria (in Hebrew and English), retrieved 11 November 2023
a b c "Siddur Sefard: Weekday, Maariv, the Shema", Sefaria (in Hebrew and English), n.d. [composed c.1710 – c.1810 CE], retrieved 11 November 2023
a b "Siddur Sefard: Weekday Shacharit, Hodu", Sefaria (in Hebrew and English), n.d. [composed c.1710 – c.1810 CE], retrieved 11 November 2023
a b Zalman, Rabbi Shneur, ed. (n.d.) [composed c.1765 – c.1795 CE], "Siddur Chabad: Weekday Maariv", Sefaria (in Hebrew and English), retrieved 11 November 2023
a b Zalman, Rabbi Shneur (ed.), "Siddur Chabad: Weekday Shacharit, Pesukei Dezimra", Sefaria (in Hebrew and English), retrieved 11 November 2023
^ "Siddur Askenaz: Shabbat, Shacharit, Pesukei Dezimra, Baruch Hashem", Sefaria (in Hebrew and English), n.d. [composed in France c. 1055 – c. 1105 CE], retrieved 11 November 2023
Shacharit Prayer
Shacharit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shacharit [ʃaχaˈʁit] (Hebrew: שַחֲרִית šaḥăriṯ),[1] or Shacharis in Ashkenazi Hebrew, is the morning tefillah (prayer) of Judaism, one of the three daily prayers.
Different traditions identify different primary components of Shacharit. Essentially all agree that pesukei dezimra, the Shema Yisrael and its blessings, and the Amidah are major sections. Some identify the preliminary blessings and readings, as a first, distinct section. Others say that Tachanun is a separate section, as well as the concluding blessings.[2] On certain days, there are additional prayers and services added to shacharit, including Mussaf and a Torah reading.
Shacharit comes from the Hebrew root שחר (shaħar), meaning dawn.
According to tradition, Shacharit was identified as a time of prayer by Abraham, as Genesis 19:27 states, "Abraham arose early in the morning," which traditionally is the first Shacharit.[3] However, Abraham's prayer did not become a standardized prayer.
Shacharit was also instituted in part as a replacement of the daily morning Temple service after the destruction of the Temple. The sages of the Great Assembly may have formulated blessings and prayers that later became part of Shacharit,[4] however the siddur, or prayerbook as we know it, was not fully formed until around the 7th century CE. The prayers said still vary among congregations and Jewish communities.
Further information: Jewish prayer
During or before Shacharit, those Jews who wear tallit or tefillin put them on, in each case accompanied by blessings.[5] Some do not eat until they have prayed.[citation needed]
The main components of Shacharit are:
Birkot hashachar, a series of blessings originally recited upon arising, now incorporated into the prayer service
Korbanot, a series of recitations related to the Temple sacrifices
Pesukei dezimra, a series of psalms, hymns, and prayers. Pesukei dezimra is said so that an individual will have praised God before making requests, which might be considered rude.
The Shema Yisrael and its related blessings. One should "concentrate on fulfilling the positive commandment of reciting the Shema" before reciting it. One should be sure to say it clearly and not to slur words together.[6]
Amidah (Shemoneh Esreh), a series of 19 blessings. The blessings cover a variety of topics such as Jerusalem, crops, and prayer.
Tachanun, a supplication consisting of a collection of passages from the Hebrew bible (Tanakh). On Mondays and Thursdays, a longer version is recited. Tachanun is omitted on holidays and certain other "happy" days.
On certain holidays, Hallel is recited.
Torah reading (on certain days)
Ashrei and Uva letzion
Aleinu and Shir shel yom
Kaddish is recited in between most of the above sections.
Various changes to the Shacharit service take place on Shabbat and holidays:
In pesukei dezimra, most communities omit Psalm 100 (Mizmor LeTodah, the psalm for the Thanksgiving offering), because the todah or Thanksgiving offering could not be offered on Shabbat in the days of the Temple in Jerusalem.[7] Its place is taken in the Ashkenazi tradition by Psalms 19, 34, 90, 91, 135, 136, 33, 92, 93. Sephardic Jews maintain a different order, add several psalms and two religious poems.
The Nishmat prayer is recited at the end of the Pesukei D'Zimrah, as an expansion of the weekday Yishtabah blessing.
The blessings before Shema are expanded, and include the hymn El Adon, which is often sung communally.
The intermediate 13 blessings of the Amidah are replaced by a single blessing on the topic of Shabbat or the holiday. In Nusach Ashkenaz (and Nusach Sefard) the Kedushah (recited during the Hazzan's repetition of the third Amidah blessing) is significantly expanded; in the Sephardic rite, it is recited in the same form as on weekdays.
After the repetition is concluded, some recite the Shir shel yom (others recite it at the end of the Mussaf service)
A Torah reading always takes place on Shabbat and holidays. In the Eastern Ashkenazic rite, the prayers surrounding the reading are much longer than on weekdays, but in the Western Ashkenazic rite, they are almost identical. The weekly portion is read, divided into at least seven Aliyot (plus a "maftir" Aliyah), followed by the haftarah.
In Nusach Ashkenaz (and Nusach Sefard), prayers for the community are recited after the Torah reading: Yekum Purkan, as well as the subsequent Mi sheberakh, a blessing for the leaders and patrons of the synagogue. In the Western Ashkenazic rite, the Mi sheberakh is omitted on the Shabbat before Rosh Chodesh.
In some communities, prayers are then recited for the government of the country, for peace, and/or for the State of Israel. On the Shabbat before Rosh Chodesh (Shabbat mevorchim) a special prayer blessing the new month is recited.
After these prayers, Ashrei is repeated and the Torah scroll is returned to the Ark in a procession through the Synagogue. Many congregations allow children to come to the front in order to kiss the scroll as it passes.
This is followed by the Mussaf service, which generally is recited immediately after Shacharit.
See also: Zmanim
According to Jewish law, the earliest time to recite the morning service is when there is enough natural light "one can see a familiar acquaintance six feet away." It is a subjective standard. The usual time for this prayer service is between sunrise and a third of the day. If one missed a third of the day, it may be recited until astronomical noon, referred to as chatzot.[8] After that (technically, half an hour after chatzot), the afternoon service (mincha) can be recited.
^ Shachrith (Hebrew: שַׁחרִית) – with a שוא נח – in the Yemenite tradition.
^ "What is Shacharit?". Askmoses.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved 2013-04-07.
^ "Daily Services". Jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 2013-04-07.
^ Mishneh Torah, Laws of Prayer 1:4
^ Isaac Klein, A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice, Ktav Publishing House, 1979, p.4-5
^ The Artscroll Siddur, Second Edition
^ In the Italian Nusach, however, this psalm is recited only on the Sabbath and holidays and omitted on weekdays.
^ "Torah Tidbits – Shabbat Parshat B'chuotai". Orthodox Union Israel Center. Archived from the original on 2012-09-07.
Media related to Shacharit at Wikimedia Commons
Hashkiveinu
Hashkiveinu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In Judaism, Hashkiveinu is the second blessing following the Shema during Maariv. It is a petitionary prayer to be able to lie down in peace at night and to return to life the following day.[1]
On weekdays, this prayer ends with the words Shomer Amo Yisrael L'Ad. This is seen as appropriate for weekdays, when men go in and out in their weekday pursuits, and come in need of divine protection.[2]
On Shabbat and Yom Tov, a longer version of this blessing is recited. The blessing is ended with the words Who spreads the shelter of peace upon us, upon all of his people Israel, and upon Jerusalem. The words And spread over us the shelter of Your peace that are normally recited earlier in the paragraph are repeated prior to the closing. This is a reflection of the peace that comes along with these special days,[3] and that putting Jerusalem above everything else is important.
In the Babylonian rite, they always recited Shomer Amo Yisrael L'Ad even on the Sabbath,[4] and in the Land of Israel they always recited the longer version even on weekdays. The contemporary custom, which has been adopted in virtually all communities, is a compromise.
The prayer's text, in each of the Hebrew script, Hebrew as transliterated into the Roman alphabet, and English:
הַשְׁכִּיבֵנוּ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ לְשָׁלוֹם וְהַעֲמִידֵנוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ לְחַיִּים.
וּפְרוֹשׂ עָלֵינוּ סֻכַּת שְׁלוֹמֶךָ
וְתַקְּנֵנוּ בְּעֵצָה טוֹבָה מִלְּפָנֶיךָ
וְהוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ לְמַעַן שְׁמֶךָ
וְהָגֵן בַּעֲדֵנוּ. וְהָסֵר מֵעָלֵינוּ אוֹיֵב דֶּבֶר וְחֶרֶב וְרָעָב וְיָגוֹן
וְהָסֵר שָׂטָן מִלְּפָנֵינוּ וּמֵאַחֲרֵינוּ
וּבְצֵל כְּנָפֶיךָ תַּסְתִּירֵנוּ
כִּי אֵל שׁוֹמְרֵנוּ וּלְשָׁלוֹם מֵעַתָּה וְעַד עוֹלָם.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ הַפּוֹרֵשׂ סֻכַּת שָׁלוֹם עָלֵינוּ
וְעַל כָּל עַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַל יְרוּשָׁלָיִם.
Hashkiveinu ADONAI eloheinu l'shalom, v'ha-amideinu malkeinu l'ḥayim.
Ufros aleinu sukat sh'lomecha,
V'tak'neinu b'eitza tova mil'fanecha,
V'hoshieinu l'ma-an sh'mecha.
V'hagein ba-adeinu, v'haseir mei-aleinu, oyeiv, dever, v'cherev, v'raav, v'yagon;
V'haseir satan mil'faneinu umei-aḥareinu,
Uv'tzeil k'nafecha tastireinu –
Ki Eil shom'reinu (umatzileinu ata;
Ki Eil melech chanun v'rachum ata.
Ushmor tzeiteinu uvo-einu – l'ḥayim) ul'shalom mei-ata v'ad olam.
Baruch ata ADONAI, haporeis sukat shalom aleinu,
V'al kol amo Yisrael v'al Y'rushalayim.
Lay us down, LORD God, in peace, and raise us up again, our King, to [new] life.
Spread over us Your tabernacle of peace,
And guide us with Your good counsel.
Save us for Your name's sake.
Shield us from every enemy, plague, sword, famine, and sorrow.
Remove the adversary from before and behind us.
Shelter us in the shadow of Your wings,
Guard (our going out and our coming in, and grant us life) and peace, now and always.
Blessed are You, LORD, who spreads Your tabernacle of peace over us,
And over all His people Israel and over Jerusalem.
There may be slight differences, depending which nusach (regional liturgical rite) one follows.
Modeh Ani
Modeh Ani
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Modeh Ani (Hebrew: מודה אני; "I give thanks") is a Jewish prayer that observant Jews recite daily upon waking, while still in bed.
Male
מוֹדֶה אֲנִי לְפָנֶֽיךָ מֶֽלֶךְ חַי וְקַיָּים. שֶׁהֶֽחֱזַֽרְתָּ בִּי נִשְׁמָתִי ,בְּחֶמְלָה. רַבָּה אֱמֽוּנָתֶֽךָ׃
Modeh ani lefanekha melekh cḥai vekayam sheheḥezarta bi nishmati b'ḥemlah, rabah emunatekha.
I give thanks before you, King living and eternal, for You have returned within me my soul with compassion; abundant is Your faithfulness.
Female[1]
מוֹדָה אֲנִי לְפָנֶֽיךָ מֶֽלֶךְ חַי וְקַיָּים. שֶׁהֶֽחֱזַֽרְתָּ בִּי נִשְׁמָתִי ,בְּחֶמְלָה. רַבָּה אֱמֽוּנָתֶֽךָ׃
Modah ani lefanekha melekh cḥai vekayam sheheḥezarta bi nishmati b'ḥemlah, rabah emunatekha.
Lamentations states that "The Lord's mercies are not consumed, surely His compassions do not fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."[3] From this, the Shulchan Aruch deduces that every morning, God renews every person as a new creation. This prayer serves the purpose of expressing gratitude to God for restoring one's soul each morning.
The specific prayer Modeh Ani, however, is not mentioned in the Talmud or Shulchan Aruch, and first appears in the work Seder haYom by the 16th century rabbi Moshe ben Machir.[4]
As this prayer does not include any of the names of God, observant Jews may recite it before washing their hands. According to the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, one should pause slightly between the words "compassion" and "abundant".
In Talmudic times, Jews traditionally recited Elohai Neshamah (Hebrew: אֱלהַי נְשָׁמָה, "My God, the soul") upon waking. The prayer was later moved to the morning synagogue services.[5]
^ Some prayer books (especially Ashkenazic) do not differentiate, and women also recite the masculine version.
^ Artscroll Interlinear Siddur: The Schottenstein Edition. Brooklyn, N.Y., 11232: Artscroll Mesorah Publications. 2003. p. 2. ISBN 9781578197309.
^ Nulman, Macy (1996). The Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer: The Ashkenazic and Sephardic Rites. Jason Aronson, Inc. p. 125. ISBN 978-1568218854.
Jewish Holidays - Wikipedia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the Gregorian dates of Jewish holidays, see Jewish and Israeli holidays 2000–2050.
Jewish holidays, also known as Jewish festivals or Yamim Tovim (Hebrew: ימים טובים, romanized: yāmim ṭoḇim, lit. 'Good Days', or singular Hebrew: יום טוב Yom Tov, in transliterated Hebrew [English: /ˈjɔːm ˈtɔːv, joʊm ˈtoʊv/]),[1] are holidays observed by Jews throughout the Hebrew calendar.[Note 1] They include religious, cultural and national elements, derived from three sources: mitzvot ("biblical commandments"), rabbinic mandates, the history of Judaism, and the State of Israel.
Jewish holidays occur on the same dates every year in the Hebrew calendar, but the dates vary in the Gregorian. This is because the Hebrew calendar is a lunisolar calendar (based on the cycles of both the sun and moon), whereas the Gregorian is a solar calendar. Each holiday can only occur on certain days of the week, four for most, but five for holidays in Tevet and Shevat and six for Hanukkah (see Days of week on Hebrew calendar).
Holiday
Date range
Rosh Hashanah
5 Sep to 5 Oct
Yom Kippur
14 Sep to 14 Oct
Sukkot (first of seven days)
19 Sep to 19 Oct
Shemini Atzeret
26 Sep to 26 Oct
Simchat Torah
27 Sep to 27 Oct
Hanukkah (first of eight days)
28 Nov to 27 Dec
Tu Bishvat
15 Jan to 13 Feb
Purim
24 Feb to 26 Mar
Shushan Purim
25 Feb to 27 Mar
Yom HaAliyah
21 Mar to 20 Apr
Passover (first of seven/eight days)
26 Mar to 25 Apr
Yom HaShoah
Yom Ha'atzmaut
Lag B'Omer
28 Apr to 28 May
Yom Yerushalayim
8 May to 7 Jun
Shavuot
15 May to 14 Jun
Tzom Tammuz
25 Jun to 25 Jul
Tisha B'Av
16 Jul to 15 Aug
Tu B'Av
22 Jul to 21 Aug
Certain terms are used very commonly for groups of holidays.
The Hebrew-language term Yom Tov (Hebrew: יום טוב), sometimes referred to as "festival day", usually refers to the six biblically mandated festival dates on which all activities prohibited on Shabbat are prohibited, except for some related to food preparation.[7] These include the first and seventh days of Passover (the Feast of Unleavened Bread / the Feast of Matzot – Exodus 23:15, Deuteronomy 16:16), [first day of] Shavuot, both days of Rosh Hashanah, first day of Sukkot, and [first day of] Shemini Atzeret. By extension, outside the Land of Israel, the second-day holidays known under the rubric Yom tov sheni shel galuyot (literally, "Second Yom Tov of the Diaspora")—including Simchat Torah—are also included in this grouping. Colloquially, Yom Kippur, a biblically mandated date on which even food preparation is prohibited, is often included in this grouping. The tradition of keeping two days of Yom Tov in the diaspora has existed since roughly 300 BCE.
The English-language term High Holy Days or High Holidays refers to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur collectively. Its Hebrew analogue, "Days of Awe" (Hebrew: ימים נוראים), is more flexible: it can refer just to those holidays, or to the Ten Days of Repentance, or to the entire penitential period, starting as early as the beginning of Elul, and (more rarely) ending as late as Shemini Atzeret.
The term Three Pilgrimage Festivals (Hebrew: שלוש רגלים, romanized: shalosh rəġalim or Hebrew: חגים ḥaġim) refers to Passover (the Feast of Unleavened Bread / Feast of Matzot), Shavuot and Sukkot. Within this grouping Sukkot normally includes Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.
Ma'agal Hashana (Hebrew: מעגל השנה, romanized: maʿgal haš-šānā; "year cycle"), a more general term, is often used – especially in educational settings [8][9][10] – to refer to the overall study of the Jewish calendar, outlining the month by month events, with mitzvot and minhagim, and philosophical material, that occur over the course of the year.
Certain terminology is used in referring to different categories of holidays, depending on their source and their nature:
Shabbat (Hebrew: שבת) (Ashkenazi pron. from Yiddish shabbos), or Sabbath, is referred to by that name exclusively. Similarly, Rosh Chodesh (Hebrew: ראש חודש) is referred to by that name exclusively.
Yom tov (Hebrew: יום טוב) (Ashkenazi pron. from Yid. yontif) (lit., "good day"): See "Groupings" above.
Moed (Hebrew: מועד) ("festive season"), plural moadim (Hebrew: מועדים), refers to any of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals of Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot. When used in comparison to Yom Tov, it refers to Chol HaMoed, the intermediate days of Passover and Sukkot.
Ḥag or chag (Hebrew: חג) ("festival"), plural chagim (Hebrew: חגים), can be used whenever yom tov or moed is. It is also used to describe Hanukkah and Purim, as well as Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day) and Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day).
Ta'anit (Hebrew: תענית), or, less commonly, tzom (Hebrew: צום), refers to a fast. These terms are generally used to describe the rabbinic fasts, although tzom is used liturgically to refer to Yom Kippur as well.[11]
Main article: 39 Melakhot
The most notable common feature of Shabbat and the biblical festivals is the requirement to refrain from the 39 Melakhot on these days.[Note 2] Melakha is most commonly translated as "work"; perhaps a better translation is "creative-constructive work". Strictly speaking, melakha is defined in halakha (Jewish law) by 39 categories of labor that were used in constructing the Tabernacle while the Jews wandered in the desert. As understood traditionally and in Orthodox Judaism:
On Shabbat and Yom Kippur all melakha is prohibited.
On a holiday other than Yom Kippur which falls on a weekday, not Shabbat, most melakha is prohibited. Some melacha related to the preparation of food is permitted.[Note 3][Note 4]
On weekdays during Chol HaMoed, melakha is not prohibited per se. However, melakha should be limited to that required either to enhance the enjoyment of the remainder of the festival or to avoid great financial loss.
On other days, there are no restrictions on melakha.[Note 5]
In principle, Conservative Judaism understands the requirement to refrain from melakha in the same way as Orthodox Judaism. In practice, Conservative rabbis frequently rule on prohibitions around melakha differently from Orthodox authorities.[14] Still, there are some Conservative/Masorti communities around the world where Shabbat and festival observance fairly closely resembles Orthodox observance.[Note 6]
However, many, if not most, lay members of Conservative congregations in North America do not consider themselves Shabbat observant, even by Conservative standards.[15] At the same time, adherents of Reform Judaism and Reconstructionist Judaism do not accept traditional halakha, and therefore restrictions on melakha, as binding at all.[Note 7] Jews fitting any of these descriptions refrain from melakha in practice only as they see fit.
Shabbat and holiday work restrictions are always put aside in cases of pikuach nefesh, which are actions to save a human life. At the most fundamental level, if there is any possibility whatsoever that action must be taken to save a life, Shabbat restrictions are set aside immediately, and without reservation.[Note 8] Where the danger to life is present but less immediate, there is some preference to minimize violation of Shabbat work restrictions where possible. The laws in this area are complex.[16]
Main article: Yom tov sheni shel galuyot
The Torah specifies a single date on the Jewish calendar for observance of holidays. Nevertheless, festivals of biblical origin other than Shabbat and Yom Kippur are observed for two days outside the land of Israel, and Rosh Hashanah is observed for two days even inside the land of Israel.
Dates for holidays on the Jewish calendar are expressed in the Torah as "day x of month y". Accordingly, the beginning of month y needs to be determined before the proper date of the holiday on day x can be fixed. Months in the Jewish calendar are lunar, and originally were thought to have been proclaimed by the blowing of a shofar.[17] Later, the Sanhedrin received testimony of witnesses saying they saw the new crescent moon.[Note 9] Then the Sanhedrin would inform Jewish communities away from its meeting place that it had proclaimed a new moon. The practice of observing a second festival day stemmed from delays in disseminating that information.[18]
Rosh Hashanah. Because of holiday restrictions on travel, messengers could not even leave the seat of the Sanhedrin until the holiday was over. Inherently, there was no possible way for anyone living away from the seat of the Sanhedrin to receive news of the proclamation of the new month until messengers arrived after the fact. Accordingly, the practice emerged that Rosh Hashanah was observed on both possible days, as calculated from the previous month's start, everywhere in the world.[19][Note 10]
Three Pilgrimage Festivals. Sukkot and Passover fall on the 15th day of their respective months. This gave messengers two weeks to inform communities about the proclamation of the new month. Normally, they would reach most communities within the land of Israel within that time, but they might fail to reach communities farther away (such as those in Babylonia or overseas). Consequently, the practice developed that these holidays be observed for one day within Israel, but for two days (both possible days as calculated from the previous month's start) outside Israel. This practice is known as yom tov sheni shel galuyot, "second day of festivals in exile communities".[20]
For Shavuot, calculated as the fiftieth day from Passover, the above issue did not pertain directly, as the "correct" date for Passover would be known by then. Nevertheless, the Talmud applies the same rule to Shavuot, and to the Seventh Day of Passover and Shemini Atzeret, for consistency.[21]
Yom Kippur is not observed for two days anywhere because of the difficulty of maintaining a fast over two days.[Note 11]
Shabbat is not observed based on a calendar date, but simply at intervals of seven days. Accordingly, there is never a doubt of the date of Shabbat, and it need never be observed for two days.[Note 12]
Adherents of Reform Judaism and Reconstructionist Judaism generally do not observe the second day of festivals,[22] although some do observe two days of Rosh Hashanah.[23]
Theories concerning possible non-Jewish sources for biblical holidays are beyond the scope of this article. Please see individual holiday articles, particularly Shabbat (History).
Shabbat candles and kiddush cup
Main article: Shabbat
Jewish law (halacha) accords Shabbat (Hebrew: שבת) the status of a holiday, a day of rest celebrated on the seventh day of each week. Jewish law defines a day as ending at either sundown or nightfall, when the next day then begins. Thus,
Shabbat begins just before sundown Friday night. Its start is marked by the lighting of Shabbat candles and the recitation of Kiddush over a cup of wine.
Shabbat ends at nightfall Saturday night. Its conclusion is marked by the prayer known as Havdalah.
The fundamental rituals and observances of Shabbat include:
Reading of the Weekly Torah portion
Abbreviation of the Amidah in the three regular daily services to eliminate requests for everyday needs
Addition of a musaf service to the daily prayer services
Enjoyment of three meals, often elaborate or ritualized, through the course of the day
Restraint from performing melacha (see above).
In many ways, halakha (Jewish law) sees Shabbat as the most important holy day in the Jewish calendar.
It is the first holiday mentioned in the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), and God was the first one to observe it (Genesis).
The Torah reading on Shabbat has more sections of parshiot (Torah readings) than on Yom Kippur or any other Jewish holiday.
The prescribed penalty in the Torah for a transgression of Shabbat prohibitions is death by stoning (Exodus 31), while for other holidays the penalty is (relatively) less severe.
Observance of Shabbat is the benchmark used in halacha to determine whether an individual is a religiously observant, religiously reliable member of the community.
Main article: Rosh Chodesh
Rosh Chodesh (Hebrew: ראש חודש, romanized: roš ḥoḏeš, lit. 'head of the month') is a minor holiday or observance occurring on the first day of each month of the Jewish calendar, as well as the last day of the preceding month if it has thirty days.
Rosh Chodesh observance during at least a portion of the period of the Nevi'im could be fairly elaborate. See, for example, 1 Samuel 20
Over time there have been varying levels of observance of a custom that women are excused from certain types of work, as in Megilla 22b:4: "the days of the New Moon, when it is customary for women to refrain from work".
Fasting is normally prohibited on Rosh Chodesh.
Beyond the preceding, current observance is limited to changes in liturgy.
In the month of Tishrei, this observance is superseded by the observance of Rosh Hashanah, a major holiday.
Related observances:
The date of the forthcoming Rosh Chodesh is announced in synagogue on the preceding Sabbath.
There are special prayers, the kiddush levana, said upon observing the waxing moon for the first time each month.
Selichot[edit]
The month of Elul that precedes Rosh Hashanah is considered to be a propitious time for repentance.[24] For this reason, additional penitential prayers called Selichot are added to the daily prayers, except on Shabbat. Sephardi Jews add these prayers each weekday during Elul. Ashkenazi Jews recite them from the last Sunday (or Saturday night) preceding Rosh Hashanah that allows at least four days of recitations.
Rosh Hashanah[edit]
Rosh Hashana symbols: shofar, apples and honey, pomegranates, kiddush wine
Main article: Rosh Hashanah
Erev Rosh Hashanah (eve of the first day): 29 Elul
Rosh Hashanah: 1–2 Tishrei
According to oral tradition, Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew: ראש השנה) (lit., "Head of the Year") is the Day of Memorial or Remembrance (Hebrew: יום הזכרון, Yom HaZikaron),[25] and the day of judgment (Hebrew: יום הדין, Yom HaDin).[26] God appears in the role of King, remembering and judging each person individually according to his/her deeds, and making a decree for each person for the following year.[27]
The holiday is characterized by one specific mitzvah: blowing the shofar.[28] According to the Torah, this is the first day of the seventh month of the calendar year,[28] and marks the beginning of a ten-day period leading up to Yom Kippur. According to one of two Talmudic opinions, the creation of the world was completed on Rosh Hashanah.[29]
Morning prayer services are lengthy on Rosh Hashanah, and focus on the themes described above: majesty and judgment, remembrance, the birth of the world, and the blowing of the shofar. Ashkenazi Jews recite the brief Tashlikh prayer, a symbolic casting off of the previous year's sins, during the afternoon of Rosh Hashanah.
The Bible specifies Rosh Hashanah as a one-day holiday,[28] but it is traditionally celebrated for two days, even within the Land of Israel. (See Second day of biblical festivals, above.)
Four New Years[edit]
The Torah itself does not use any term like "New Year" in reference to Rosh Hashanah. The Mishnah in Rosh Hashanah[30] specifies four different "New Year's Days" for different purposes:
1 Tishrei (conventional "Rosh Hashanah"): "new year" for calculating calendar years, sabbatical-year (shmita) and jubilee cycles, and the age of trees for purposes of Jewish law; and for separating grain tithes.
15 Shevat (Tu Bishvat): "new year" for trees–i.e., their current agricultural cycle and related tithes.
1 Nisan: "New Year" for counting months and major festivals and for calculating the years of the reign of a Jewish king
In biblical times, the day following 29 Adar, Year 1 of the reign of ___, would be followed by 1 Nisan, Year 2 of the reign of ___.
In modern times, although the Jewish calendar year number changes on Rosh Hashanah, the months are still numbered from Nisan.
The three pilgrimage festivals are always reckoned as coming in the order Passover-Shavuot-Sukkot. This can have religious law consequences even in modern times.
1 Elul (Rosh Hashanah LeMa'sar Behemah): "new year" for animal tithes.
Aseret Yemei Teshuva—Ten Days of Repentance[edit]
Main article: Ten Days of Repentance
The first ten days of Tishrei (from the beginning of Rosh Hashana until the end of Yom Kippur) are known as the Ten Days of Repentance (עשרת ימי תשובה, Aseret Yemei Teshuva). During this time, in anticipation of Yom Kippur, it is "exceedingly appropriate"[31] for Jews to practice repentance, an examination of one's deeds and repentance for sins one has committed against other people and God. This repentance can take the form of additional supplications, confessing one's deeds before God, fasting, self-reflection, and an increase of involvement with, or donations to, tzedakah "charity".
Main article: Fast of Gedalia
Tzom Gedalia: 3 Tishrei
The Fast of Gedalia (Hebrew: צום גדליה) is a minor Jewish fast day. It commemorates the assassination of the governor of Yehud province, Gedaliah, which ended any level of Jewish rule following the destruction of Solomon's Temple.
The assassination occurred on Rosh Hashanah (1 Tishrei),[32] but the fast is postponed to 3 Tishrei in respect for the holiday. It is further postponed to 4 Tishrei if 3 Tishrei is Shabbat.
As on all minor fast days, fasting from dawn to dusk is required, but other laws of mourning are not normally observed. A Torah reading is included in both the Shaharit and Minha prayers, and a haftarah is also included at Mincha. There are also some additions to the liturgy of both services.[33]
Main article: Yom Kippur
A man in a tallit blows the shofar
Erev Yom Kippur: 9 Tishrei
Yom Kippur: 10 Tishrei (begins at sunset)
Yom Kippur (Hebrew: יום כיפור) is the holiest day of the year for Jews.[Note 13] Its central theme is atonement and reconciliation. This is accomplished through prayer and complete fasting—including abstinence from all food and drink (including water)—by all healthy adults.[Note 14] Bathing, wearing of perfume or cologne, wearing of leather shoes, and sexual relations are some of the other prohibitions on Yom Kippur—all them designed to ensure one's attention is completely and absolutely focused on the quest for atonement with God. Yom Kippur is also unique among holidays as having work-related restrictions identical to those of Shabbat. The fast and other prohibitions commence on 10 Tishrei at sunset—sunset being the beginning of the day in Jewish tradition.
A traditional prayer in Aramaic called Kol Nidre ("All Vows") is traditionally recited just before sunset. Although often regarded as the start of the Yom Kippur evening service—to such a degree that Erev Yom Kippur ("Yom Kippur Evening") is often called "Kol Nidre" (also spelled "Kol Nidrei")—it is technically a separate tradition. This is especially so because, being recited before sunset, it is actually recited on 9 Tishrei, which is the day before Yom Kippur; it is not recited on Yom Kippur itself (on 10 Tishrei, which begins after the sun sets).
The words of Kol Nidre differ slightly between Ashkenazic and Sephardic traditions. In both, the supplicant prays to be released from all personal vows made to God during the year, so that any unfulfilled promises made to God will be annulled and, thus, forgiven. In Ashkenazi tradition, the reference is to the coming year; in Sephardic tradition, the reference is to the year just ended. Only vows between the supplicant and God are relevant. Vows made between the supplicant and other people remain perfectly valid, since they are unaffected by the prayer.
A Tallit (four-cornered prayer shawl) is donned for evening and afternoon prayers–the only day of the year in which this is done. In traditional Ashkenazi communities, men wear the kittel throughout the day's prayers. The prayers on Yom Kippur evening are lengthier than on any other night of the year. Once services reconvene in the morning, the services (in all traditions) are the longest of the year. In some traditional synagogues prayers run continuously from morning until nightfall, or nearly so. Two highlights of the morning prayers in traditional synagogues are the recitation of Yizkor, the prayer of remembrance, and of liturgical poems (piyyutim) describing the temple service of Yom Kippur.
Two other highlights happen late in the day. During the Minchah prayer, the haftarah reading features the entire Book of Jonah. Finally, the day concludes with Ne'ilah, a special service recited only on the day of Yom Kippur. Ne'ilah deals with the closing of the holiday, and contains a fervent final plea to God for forgiveness just before the conclusion of the fast. Yom Kippur comes to an end with the blowing of the shofar, which marks the conclusion of the fast. It is always observed as a one-day holiday, both inside and outside the boundaries of the Land of Israel.
Yom Kippur is considered, along with 15th of Av, as the happiest days of the year (Talmud Bavli—Tractate Ta'anit).[34]
A sukkah booth
Main article: Sukkot
Erev Sukkot: 14 Tishrei
Sukkot: 15–21 Tishrei (22 outside Israel)
The first day of Sukkot is (outside Israel, first two days are) full yom tov, while the remainder of Sukkot has the status of Chol Hamoed, "intermediate days".
Sukkot (Hebrew: סוכות or Hebrew: סֻכּוֹת, sukkōt) or Succoth is a seven-day festival, also known as the Feast of Booths, the Feast of Tabernacles, or just Tabernacles. It is one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals (shalosh regalim) mentioned in the Bible. Sukkot commemorates the years that the Jews spent in the desert on their way to the Promised Land, and celebrates the way in which God protected them under difficult desert conditions. The word sukkot is the plural of the Hebrew word sukkah, meaning booth. Jews are commanded to "dwell" in booths during the holiday.[35] This generally means taking meals, but some sleep in the sukkah as well, particularly in Israel. There are specific rules for constructing a sukkah.
Along with dwelling in a sukkah, the principal ritual unique to this holiday is use of the Four Species: lulav (palm), hadass (myrtle), aravah (willow) and etrog (citron).[36] On each day of the holiday other than Shabbat, these are waved in association with the recitation of Hallel in the synagogue, then walked in a procession around the synagogue called the Hoshanot.
The seventh day of the Sukkot is called Hoshanah Rabbah, the "Great Hoshanah" (singular of Hoshanot and the source of the English word hosanna). The climax of the day's prayers includes seven processions of Hoshanot around the synagogue. This tradition mimics practices from the Temple in Jerusalem. Many aspects of the day's customs also resemble those of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Hoshanah Rabbah is traditionally taken to be the day of the "delivery" of the final judgment of Yom Kippur, and offers a last opportunity for pleas of repentance before the holiday season closes.
Main articles: Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah
Dancing with the Torah
Shemini Atzeret: 22 Tishrei (combined with Simchat Torah in Israel)
Simchat Torah outside Israel: 23 Tishrei
The holiday of Shemini Atzeret (Hebrew: שמיני עצרת) immediately follows the conclusion of the holiday of Sukkot. The Hebrew word shemini means "eighth", and refers to its position on "the eighth day" of Sukkot, actually a seven-day holiday. This name reflects the fact that while in many respects Shemini Atzeret is a separate holiday in its own right, in certain respects its celebration is linked to that of Sukkot. Outside Israel, meals are still taken in the Sukkah on this day.
The main notable custom of this holiday is the celebration of Simchat Torah (Hebrew: שמחת תורה), meaning "rejoicing with the Torah". This name originally referred to a special "ceremony": the last weekly Torah portion is read from Deuteronomy, completing the annual cycle, and is followed immediately by the reading of the first chapter of Genesis, beginning the new annual cycle. Services are especially joyous, and all attendees, young and old, are involved.
This ceremony so dominates the holiday that in Israel, where the holiday is one day long, the whole holiday is often referred to as Simchat Torah. Outside Israel, the holiday is two days long; the name Shemini Atzeret is used for the first day, while the second is normally called Simchat Torah.
Main article: Hanukkah
The story of Hanukkah (Hebrew: חנוכה) is preserved in the books of the First and Second Maccabees. These books are not part of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), they are apocryphal books instead. The miracle of the one-day supply of olive oil miraculously lasting eight days is first described in the Talmud (Shabbat 21b), written about 600 years after the events described in the books of Maccabees.[37]
Hanukkah marks the defeat of Seleucid Empire forces that had tried to prevent the people of Israel from practicing Judaism. Judah Maccabee and his brothers destroyed overwhelming forces, and rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem. The eight-day festival is marked by the kindling of lights—one on the first night, two on the second, and so on—using a special candle holder called a Hanukkiah, or a Hanukkah menorah.
Religiously, Hanukkah is a minor holiday. Except on Shabbat, restrictions on work do not apply.[Note 15] Aside from the kindling of lights, formal religious observance is restricted to changes in liturgy. Hanukkah celebration tends to be informal and based on custom rather than law. Three widely practiced customs include:
Consumption of foods prepared in oil, such as potato pancakes or sufganiyot, commemorating the miracle of oil
Playing the game of dreidel (called a sevivon in Hebrew), symbolizing Jews' disguising of illegal Torah study sessions as gambling meetings during the period leading to the Maccabees' revolt[Note 16]
Giving children money, especially coins, called Hanukkah gelt. However, the custom of giving presents is of far more recent, North American, origin, and is connected to the gift economy prevalent around North American Christmas celebrations.[Note 17]
Main article: Tenth of Tevet
Asarah B'Tevet: 10 Tevet
The Tenth of Tevet (Hebrew: עשרה בטבת, Asarah B'Tevet) is a minor fast day, marking the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem as outlined in 2 Kings 25:1
And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it; and they built forts against it round about.
This fast's commemoration also includes other events occurring on 8, 9 and 10 Tevet.
This fast is observed like other minor fasts (see Tzom Gedalia, above). This is the only minor fast that can fall on a Friday under the current fixed Jewish calendar.
Main article: Tu Bishvat
Nuts and dried fruits, traditionally eaten on Tu Bishvat
Tu Bishvat: 15 Shevat
Tu Bishvat (ט"ו בשבט) (lit., "fifteenth of Shevat", as ט״ו is the number "15" in Hebrew letters), is the new year for trees. It is also known as חג האילנות (Ḥag ha-Ilanot, Festival of Trees), or ראש השנה לאילנות (Rosh ha-Shanah la-Ilanot, New Year for Trees). According to the Mishnah, it marks the day from which fruit tithes are counted each year. Starting on this date, the biblical prohibition on eating the first three years of fruit (orlah) and the requirement to bring the fourth year fruit (neta revai) to the Temple in Jerusalem were counted.[38]
During the 17th century, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria of Safed and his disciples created a short seder, called Hemdat ha‑Yamim, reminiscent of the seder that Jews observe on Passover, that explores the holiday's Kabbalistic themes.[39] This Tu Bishvat seder has witnessed a revival in recent years. More generally, Tu Bishvat is celebrated in modern times by eating various fruits and nuts associated with the Land of Israel.
Traditionally, trees are planted on this day.[40] Many children collect funds leading up to this day to plant trees in Israel. Trees are usually planted locally as well.
Main article: Purim
Fast of Esther: normally 13 Adar
Purim: 14 Adar
Shushan Purim: 15 Adar
In leap years on the Hebrew calendar, the above dates are observed in the Second Adar (Adar Sheni). The 14th and 15th of First Adar (Adar Rishon) are known as Purim Katan
Purim Katan[edit]
Purim Katan (פורים קטן) (lit., "small Purim") is observed on the 14th and 15th of First Adar in leap years. These days are marked by a small increase in festivity, including a prohibition on fasting, and slight changes in the liturgy.
Ta'anit Esther–Fast of Esther[edit]
Main article: Fast of Esther
The opening chapter of a hand-written scroll of the Book of Esther, with reader's pointer
Ta'anit Esther (תענית אסתר), or "Fast of Esther", is named in honor of the fast of Esther and her court as Esther prepared to approach the king unbidden to invite him and Haman to a banquet.[41] It commemorates that fast, as well as one alluded to later in the Book of Esther,[42] undertaken as the Jews prepared to battle their enemies.
This fast is observed like other minor fasts (see Tzom Gedalia, above). While normally observed on 13 Adar, the eve of Purim, this fast is advanced to Thursday, 11 Adar, when 13 Adar falls on Shabbat.
Purim and Shushan Purim[edit]
Main article: Purim
Purim (פורים) commemorates the events that took place in the Book of Esther. The principal celebrations or commemorations include:[43]
The reading of the Megillah. Traditionally, this is read from a scroll twice during Purim–once in the evening and again in the morning. Ashkenazim have a custom of making disparaging noises at every mention of Haman's name during the reading.
The giving of Mishloakh Manot, gifts of food and drink to friends and neighbors.
The giving of Matanot La'evyonim, gifts to the poor and the needy.
The Purim meal (Se'udat Purim or Purim Se'udah). This meal is traditionally accompanied by consumption of alcohol, often heavy,[44] although Jewish sages have warned about the need to adhere to all religious laws even in a drunken state.[Note 18]
Several customs have evolved from these principal commemorations. One widespread custom to act out the story of Purim. The Purim spiel, or Purim play, has its origins in this, although the Purim spiel is not limited to that subject.[45] Wearing of costumes and masks is also very common. These may be an outgrowth of Purim plays, but there are several theories as to the origin of the custom, most related in some way to the "hidden" nature of the miracles of Purim.[Note 19]
Purim carnivals of various types have also become customary. In Israel there are festive parades, known as Ad-D'lo-Yada,[46] in the town's main street. The largest and most renowned is in Holon.[47]
Most Jews celebrate Purim on 14 Adar, the day of celebration after the Jews defeated their enemies. Because Jews in the capital city of Shushan fought with their enemies an extra day, Purim is celebrated a day later there, on the day known as שושן פורים, Shushan Purim. This observance was expanded to "walled cities",[43] which are defined as cities "walled since the time of Joshua".[48] In practice, there are no Jews living in Shushan (Shush, Iran), and Shushan Purim is observed fully only in Jerusalem. Cities like Safed and Tiberias also partially observe Shushan Purim. Elsewhere, Shushan Purim is marked only by a small increase in festivity, including a prohibition on fasting, and slight changes in the liturgy.
Erev Pesach and Fast of the Firstborn, ("Ta'anit Bechorot"): 14 Nisan
Pesach[Note 20] (Passover): 15–21 Nisan (outside Israel 15–22 Nisan)
The first day and last day of Passover (outside Israel, first two and last two days) are full yom tov, while the remainder of Passover has the status of Chol Hamoed, "intermediate days".
Pesach Sheni (second Passover): 14 Iyar
Month of Nisan[edit]
As a rule, the month of Nisan is considered to be one of extra joy. Traditionally, throughout the entire month, Tahanun is omitted from the prayer service, many public mourning practices (such as delivering a eulogy at a funeral) are eliminated, and voluntary fasting is prohibited.[49] However, practices sometimes vary.[50]
Eve of Passover and Fast of the Firstborn[edit]
Traditional arrangement of symbolic foods on a Passover Seder Plate
The day before Passover (Erev Pesach, lit., "Passover eve") is significant for three reasons:
It is the day that all of the involved preparations for Passover, especially elimination of leavened food, or chametz, must be completed. In particular, a formal search for remaining chametz is done during the evening of Erev Pesach, and all remaining chametz is finally destroyed, disposed of or nullified during the morning of Erev Pesach.[51]
It is the day observed as the Fast of the Firstborn (תענית בכורות). Jews who are firstborn[Note 21] fast, in remembrance of the tenth plague, when God killed the Egyptian firstborn, while sparing the Jewish firstborn.[52] This fast is overridden by a seudat mitzvah, a meal celebrating the fulfillment of a commandment; accordingly, it is almost universal for firstborn Jews to attend such a meal on this day[Note 22] so as to obviate their need to fast.
During the era of the Temple in Jerusalem, the Korban Pesach, or sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb, was carried out the afternoon of 14 Nisan in anticipation of its consumption on Passover night.[51]
When Passover starts on Sunday, and the eve of Passover is therefore Shabbat, the above schedule is altered. See Eve of Passover on Shabbat for details.
Passover[edit]
Main article: Passover
Passover (פּסח) (Pesach), also known liturgically as חג המצות ("Ḥag haMatzot", the "Festival of Unleavened Bread"), is one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals (shalosh regalim) mentioned in the Torah. Passover commemorates the Exodus, the liberation of the Israelite slaves from Egypt.[53][54] No chametz (leavened food) is eaten, or even owned, during the week of Passover, in commemoration of the biblical narrative in which the Israelites left Egypt so quickly that their bread did not have enough time to rise.[55] Observant Jews go to great lengths to remove all chametz from their homes and offices in the run-up to Passover.[56]
Along with the avoidance of chametz, the principal ritual unique to this holiday is the seder. The seder, meaning "order", is an ordered ritual meal eaten on the first night of Passover, and outside Israel also on the second night. This meal is known for its distinctive ritual foods—matzo (unleavened bread), maror (bitter herbs), and four cups of wine—as well as its prayer text/handbook/study guide, the Haggadah. Participation in a Passover seder is one of the most widely observed Jewish rituals, even among less affiliated or less observant Jews.[57]
Passover lasts seven days in Israel,[58] and eight days outside Israel. The holiday of the last day of Passover (outside Israel, last two days) commemorates the Splitting of the Red Sea; according to tradition this occurred on the seventh day of Passover.[59]
Pesach Sheni[edit]
Main article: Pesach Sheni
Pesach Sheni (פסח שני) ("Second Passover") is a day prescribed in the Torah[60] to allow those who did not bring the Paschal Lamb offering (Korban Pesach) a second chance to do so. Eligibility was limited to those who were distant from Jerusalem on Passover, or those who were ritually impure and ineligible to participate in a sacrificial offering. Today, some have the custom to eat matzo on Pesach Sheni, and some make a small change to the liturgy.
Main article: Counting of the Omer
Sefirah (lit. "Counting"; more fully, Sefirat HaOmer, "Counting of the Omer") (ספירת העומר), is the 49-day period between the biblical pilgrimage festivals of Passover and Shavuot. The Torah states[61] that this period is to be counted, both in days and in weeks. The first day of this period[Note 23] is the day of the first grain offering of the new year's crop, an omer of barley. The day following the 49th day of the period is the festival of Shavuot; the Torah specifies a grain offering of wheat on that day.[61]
Symbolically, this period has come to represent the spiritual development of the Israelites from slaves in the polytheistic society of Ancient Egypt to free, monotheistic people worthy of the revelation of the Torah, traditionally said to have occurred on Shavuot. Spiritual development remains a key rabbinic teaching of this period.[62]
Sefirah has long been observed as a period of semi-mourning. The customary explanation[63] cites a plague that killed 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva (BT Yevamot 62b).[Note 24] In broad terms, the mourning practices observed include limiting actual celebrations (such as weddings), not listening to music, not wearing new clothing, and not shaving or taking a haircut.[63] There is a wide variety of practice as to the specifics of this observance. See Counting of the Omer (Semi-mourning).
Lag Ba'Omer bonfire
Lag Ba'Omer[edit]
Main article: Lag Ba'Omer
Further information: Hillula of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai
Lag Ba'Omer: 18 Iyar
Lag Ba'Omer (לַ״ג בָּעוֹמֶר) is the 33rd day in the Omer count (לַ״ג is the number 33 in Hebrew). By Ashkenazi practice, the semi-mourning observed during the period of Sefirah (see above) is lifted on Lag Ba'Omer, while Sefardi practice is to lift it at the end of Lag Ba'Omer.[63][64] Minor liturgical changes are made on Lag Ba'omer; because mourning practices are suspended, weddings are often conducted on this day.
Lag Ba'Omer is identified as the Yom Hillula (yahrzeit) of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, one of the leading Tannaim (teachers quoted in the Mishna) and ascribed author of the core text of Kabbalah, the Zohar. Customary celebrations include bonfires, picnics, and bow and arrow play by children.[65] Boys sometimes receive their first haircuts on Lag Ba'Omer,[66] while Hasidic rebbes hold tishes in honor of the day.
In Israel, Lag Ba'Omer is associated with the Bar Kokhba revolt against the Roman Empire. In Zionist thought, the plague that decimated Rabbi Akiva's 24,000 disciples is explained as a veiled reference to the revolt; the 33rd day representing the end of the plague is explained as the day of Bar Kokhba's victory. The traditional bonfires and bow-and-arrow play were thus reinterpreted as celebrations of military victory.[65] In this vein, the order originally creating the Israel Defense Forces was issued on Lag Ba'Omer 1948, 13 days after Israel declared independence.[67]
Cheese blintzes, a traditional food on Shavuot
Main article: Shavuot
Shavuot (שבועות), the Feast of Weeks, is one of the three pilgrimage festivals (Shalosh regalim) ordained in the Torah. Different from other biblical holidays, the date for Shavuot is not explicitly fixed in the Torah. Instead, it is observed on the day following the 49th and final day in the counting of the Omer.[61] In the current era of the fixed Jewish calendar, this puts the date of Shavuot as 6 Sivan. In Israel and in Reform Judaism, it is a one-day holiday; elsewhere, it is a two-day holiday extending through 7 Sivan.[Note 23]
According to Rabbinic tradition, codified in the Talmud at Shabbat 87b, the Ten Commandments were given on this day. In the era of the Temple, there were certain specific offerings mandated for Shavuot, and Shavuot was the first day for bringing of Bikkurim to the Temple. Other than those, there are no explicit mitzvot unique to Shavuot given in the Torah (parallel to matzo on Passover or Sukkah on Sukkot).
Nevertheless, there are a number of widespread customs observed on Shavuot. During this holiday the Torah portion containing the Ten Commandments is read in the synagogue, and the biblical Book of Ruth is read as well. It is traditional to eat dairy meals during Shavuot. In observant circles, all night Torah study is common on the first night of Shavuot, while in Reform Judaism, Shavuot is the customary date for Confirmation ceremonies.
The three-week period starting on 17 Tammuz and concluding after Tisha B'Av has traditionally been observed as a period of mourning for the destruction of Jerusalem and the Holy Temple there.
Fast of the Seventeenth of Tammuz[edit]
Main article: Seventeenth of Tammuz
Shiva Asar B'Tammuz: 17 Tammuz
The Seventeenth of Tamuz (שבעה עשר בתמוז, Shiva Asar B'Tamuz) traditionally marks the first breach in the walls of the Jerusalem during the Roman conquest in 70 CE, at the end of the Second Temple period.[Note 25] According to tradition, this day has had negative connotations since Moses broke the first set of tablets on this day.[68] The Mishnah cites five negative events that happened on 17 Tammuz.[69]
This fast is observed like other minor fasts (see Tzom Gedalia, above). When this fast falls out on Shabbat, its observance is postponed until Sunday.
The Three Weeks and the Nine Days[edit]
Main articles: The Three Weeks and The Nine Days
The Three Weeks: 17 Tammuz – 9 Av
The Nine Days: 1–9 Av
The Week of Tisha B'Av (beginning at the conclusion of Shabbat preceding Tisha B'Av)
The period between the fasts of 17 Tammuz and 9 Av, known as the "Three Weeks" (Hebrew: בין המצרים, "between the straits"[70]), features a steadily increasing level of mourning practices as Tisha B'Av approaches. Ashkenazi Jews refrain from conducting weddings and other joyful events throughout the period unless the date is established by Jewish law (as for a bris or pidyon haben). They do not cut their hair during this period.[71] Starting on the first of Av and throughout the nine days between the 1st and 9th days of Av, Ashkenazim traditionally refrain from eating meat and drinking wine, except on Shabbat or at a Seudat Mitzvah (a Mitzvah meal, such as for a bris or siyum).[71] They also refrain from bathing for pleasure.[71] Sefardic practice varies some from this; the less severe restrictions usually begin on 1 Av, while the more severe restrictions apply during the week of Tisha B'Av itself.[71]
Subject to the variations described above, Orthodox Judaism continues to maintain the traditional prohibitions. In Conservative Judaism, the Rabbinical Assembly's Committee on Jewish Law and Standards has issued several responsa (legal rulings) which hold that the prohibitions against weddings in this timeframe are deeply held traditions, but should not be construed as binding law. Thus, Conservative Jewish practice would allow weddings during this time, except on the 17th of Tammuz and 9th of Av themselves.[Note 26] Rabbis within Reform Judaism and Reconstructionist Judaism hold that halakha (Jewish law) is no longer binding and follow their individual consciences on such matters. Nevertheless, the rabbinical manual of the Reform movement encourages Reform rabbis not to conduct weddings on Tisha B'Av itself "out of historical consciousness and respect" for the Jewish community.[72]
Tisha B'Av—Ninth of Av[edit]
Worshipers seated on the floor of the synagogue before the reading of Lamentations on Tisha B'Av
Main article: Tisha B'Av
Tisha B'Av : 9 Av
Tisha B'Av (תשעה באב) is a major fast day and day of mourning. A Midrashic tradition states that the spies' negative report concerning the Land of Israel was delivered on Tisha B'Av. Consequently, the day became auspicious for negative events in Jewish history. Most notably, both the First Temple, originally built by King Solomon, and the Second Temple of Roman times were destroyed on Tisha B'Av.[69] Other calamities throughout Jewish history are said to have taken place on Tisha B'Av, including King Edward I's edict compelling the Jews to leave England (1290) and the Jewish expulsion from Spain in 1492.
Tisha B'Av is a major fast. It is a 25-hour fast, running from sundown to nightfall. As on Yom Kippur, not only are eating and drinking prohibited, but also bathing, anointing, marital relations and the wearing of leather shoes. Work is not prohibited, as on biblical holidays, but is discouraged. In the evening, the Book of Lamentations is read in the synagogue, while in the morning lengthy kinot, poems of elegy, are recited. From evening until noon mourning rituals resembling those of shiva are observed, including sitting on low stools or the floor; after noon those restrictions are somewhat lightened, in keeping with the tradition that Messiah will be born on Tisha B'Av.[73]
While the fast ends at nightfall of 9–10 Av, the restrictions of the Three Weeks and Nine Days continue through noon on 10 Av because the Second Temple continued to burn through most of that day. When 9 Av falls on Shabbat, when fasting is prohibited, the fast is postponed until 10 Av. In that case, the restrictions of the Three Weeks and Nine Days end with the fast, except for the prohibition against eating meat and drinking wine, which extend until the morning of 10 Av.[73]
Main article: Tu B'Av
Tu B'Av: 15 Av
Tu B'av (ט״ו באב), lit. "15th of Av", is a day mentioned in the Talmud alongside Yom Kippur as "happiest of the year".[34] It was a day celebrating the bringing of wood used for the Temple Service, as well as a day when marriages were arranged. Today, it is marked by a small change in liturgy. In modern Israel, the day has become somewhat of an analog to Valentine's Day.
Main article: Ta'anit
Several other fast days of ancient or medieval origin continue to be observed to some degree in modern times. Such continued observance is usually by Orthodox Jews only, and is not universal today even among Orthodox Jews.[Note 27]
Fasts for droughts and other public troubles. Much of the Talmudic tractate Ta'anit is devoted to the proclamation and execution of public fasts. The most detailed description refers to fasts in times of drought in the Land of Israel.[74] Apparently these fasts included a Ne'ilah (closing) prayer, a prayer now reserved for recitation on Yom Kippur only.[75]
While the specific fasts described in the Mishnah fell into disuse once Jews were exiled from the land of Israel, various Jewish communities have declared fasts over the years, using these as a model. Two examples include a fast among Polish Jews commemorating the massacre of Jews during the Khmelnytsky Uprising and one among Russian Jews during anti-Jewish pogroms of the 1880s.[76][77]
Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel has urged fasting in times of drought.[78]
Behab (בה"ב). The fasts of bet-hey-bet—Monday-Thursday-Monday—were established as a vehicle for atonement from possible excesses during the extended holiday periods of Passover and Sukkot. They are proclaimed on the first Shabbat of the month of Iyar following Passover, and Marcheshvan following Sukkot. Based on the model of Mishnah Ta'anit, they are then observed on the Monday, Thursday and Monday following that Shabbat.
Yom Kippur Katan ("little Yom Kippur"). These fasts originated in the sixteenth-century Kabbalistic community of Safed. They are conceptually linked to the sin-offerings that were brought to the Temple in Jerusalem on each Rosh Chodesh.[79] These fasts are observed on the day before Rosh Chodesh in most months.[80]
Main article: Public holidays in Israel
As a general rule, the biblical Jewish holidays (Sabbath, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot and Purim) are observed as public holidays in Israel. Chanukah is a school holiday, but businesses remain open. On Tisha B'Av, restaurants and places of entertainment are closed. Other Jewish holidays listed above are observed in varying ways and to varying degrees.
Between the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 and the aftermath of the Six-Day War, the Knesset, generally in consultation with the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, established four national holidays or days of remembrance:
Yom HaShoah: Holocaust Remembrance Day
Yom Hazikaron: Memorial Day
Yom Ha'atzmaut: Israel Independence Day
Yom Yerushalayim: Jerusalem Day
The status of these days as religious events is not uniform within the Jewish world. Non-Orthodox, Religious Zionist and Modern Orthodox Jewish religious movements[Note 28] accept these days as religious as well as national in nature.
As a rule, these four days are not accepted as religious observances by most Haredi Jews, including Hasidim. Some ḥaredim are opposed to the existence of the State of Israel altogether on religious grounds; others simply feel that there are not sufficient grounds under Jewish law to justify the establishment of new religious holidays. For details, see Haredim and Zionism.
Observance of these days in Jewish communities outside Israel is typically more muted than their observance in Israel. Events held in government and public venues within Israel are often held in Jewish communal settings (synagogues and community centers) abroad.
More recently, the Knesset established two additional holidays:
Yom HaAliyah: Aliyah Day
A day to commemorate the expulsion of Jews from Arab lands and Iran
Finally, the Israeli government also recognizes several ethnic Jewish observances with holiday status.
A lit Yom HaShoah Yellow Candle
Yom HaShoah: (nominally) 27 Nisan
Yom HaShoah (lit. "Holocaust Day") is a day of remembrance for victims of the Holocaust. Its full name is Yom Hazikaron LaShoah v'LiGevurah (lit. "Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day") (יום הזכרון לשואה ולגבורה), and reflects a desire to recognize martyrs who died in active resistance to the Nazis alongside those who died as passive victims. Its date, 27 Nisan, was chosen because it commemorates the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, the best known of the armed Jewish uprisings.[Note 29][Note 30]
Places of public entertainment are closed throughout Israel in recognition of the day.[81] Public commemoration of Yom HaShoah usually includes religious elements such as the recitation of Psalms, memorial prayers, and kaddish, and the lighting of memorial candles. In Israel, the most notable observances are the State memorial ceremony at Yad Vashem and the sirens marking off a two-minute silence at 10:00 am. Religious Zionist and Modern Orthodox Jews generally participate in such public observances along with secular Jews and Jews who adhere to more liberal religious movements. Outside Israel, Jewish communities observe Yom HaShoah in addition to or instead of their countries' Holocaust Memorial Days.[81] Probably the most notable commemoration is the March of the Living, held at the site of Auschwitz-Birkenau, attended by Jews from all parts of the world.
Outside Orthodoxy, a liturgy for Yom HaShoah is beginning to develop. The Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist prayer books all include liturgical elements for Yom HaShoah, to be added to the regular weekday prayers. Conservative Judaism has written a scroll, called Megillat HaShoah, intended to become a definitive liturgical reading for Yom HaShoah.[82][83] The Orthodox world–even the segment that participates publicly in Yom HaShoah–has been reluctant to write a liturgy for the day, preferring to compose Kinnot (prayers of lamentation) for recitation on Tisha B'Av.[82][Note 31]
In order to ensure that public Yom HaShoah ceremonies in Israel do not violate Shabbat prohibitions, the date for Yom HaShoah varies[Note 32] as follows:
If 27 Nisan occurs on a Friday, the observance of Yom HaShoah is advanced to the previous day (Thursday, 26 Nisan).
If 27 Nisan occurs on a Sunday, the observance of Yom HaShoah is delayed to the following day (Monday, 28 Nisan).
A moment of silence as the siren is sounded in Tel Aviv, Yom Hazikaron 2007
Yom Hazikaron: (nominally) 4 Iyar
Yom Hazikaron (lit. "Memorial Day") is a day of remembrance of the fallen of Israel's wars. During the first years of Israel's independence, this remembrance was observed on Yom Ha'atzmaut (Independence Day) itself. However, by 1951, the memorial observance was separated from the festive celebration of Independence Day and moved to its current date, the day before Yom Ha'atzmaut.[84][Note 33] Since 2000, the scope of the memorial has expanded to include civilians slain by acts of hostile terrorism. Its full name is now יום הזכרון לחללי מערכות ישראל ולנפגעי פעולות האיבה ("Day of Remembrance for the Fallen of the Battles of Israel and the Victims of Terror").[85]
Places of public entertainment are closed throughout Israel in recognition of the day.[86] Many schools, businesses and other institutions conduct memorial services on this day, and it is customary to visit the graves of fallen soldiers and to recite memorial prayers there. The principal public observances are the evening opening ceremony at the Western Wall and the morning services of remembrance at military cemeteries throughout the country, each opened by the sounding of sirens. The public observances conclude with the service at the military cemetery on Mount Herzl that serves as the transition to Yom Ha'atzmaut.
Outside Israel, Yom HaZikaron observances are often folded into Yom Ha'atzmaut celebrations. Within Israel, Yom Hazikaron is always the day before Yom Ha'atzmaut, but that date moves to prevent violation of Sabbath prohibitions during the ceremonies of either day. See following section for details.
The final round of the International Bible Contest (here in 1985) is held on Yom Ha'atzmaut
Jerusalem Day celebrations
Yom Ha'atzmaut: (nominally) 5 Iyar
Yom Ha'atzmaut (יום העצמאות) is Israel's Independence Day. Observance of this day by Jews inside and outside Israel is widespread,[87] and varies in tone from secular (military parades and barbecues) to religious (recitation of Hallel and new liturgies).
Although Israel's independence was declared on a Friday, the Chief Rabbinate has long been mindful of the possibility of Yom Ha'atzmaut (and Yom Hazikaron) observances leading to violation of Sabbath prohibitions. To prevent such violations, the dates of Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha'atzmaut vary[Note 32] as follows:
If 4–5 Iyar occur on a Sunday-Monday, the observances are delayed to Monday-Tuesday, 5–6 Iyar.
If 4–5 Iyar occur on a Tuesday-Wednesday, the observances are not moved.
If 4–5 Iyar occur on a Thursday-Friday, the observances are advanced to Wednesday-Thursday, 3–4 Iyar.
If 4–5 Iyar occur on a Friday-Shabbat, the observances are advanced to Wednesday-Thursday, 2–3 Iyar.
Nearly all non-ḥaredi Jewish religious communities have incorporated changes or enhancements to the liturgy in honor of Yom Ha'atzmaut and suspend the mourning practices of the period of Sefirat Ha'Omer. (See Yom Ha'atzmaut—Religious Customs for details.) Within the Religious Zionist and Modern Orthodox communities, these changes are not without controversy, and customs continue to evolve.[88]
Ḥaredi religious observance of Yom Ha'atzmaut varies widely. A few ḥaredim (especially Sefardic Ḥaredim) celebrate the day in a reasonably similar way to the way non-ḥaredim do.[89] Most ḥaredim simply treat the day indifferently; i.e., as a regular day.[88] And finally others (notably Satmar Ḥasidim and Neturei Karta) mourn on the day because of their opposition to the enterprise of the State of Israel.[90]
Yom Yerushalayim: 28 Iyar
Jerusalem Day (יום ירושלים) marks the 1967 reunification of Jerusalem under Israeli control during the Six-Day War. This marked the first time in 19 years that the Temple Mount was accessible to Jews, and the first time since the destruction of the Second Temple 1897 years earlier that the Temple Mount was under Jewish political control.
As with Yom Ha'atzmaut, celebrations of Yom Yerushalayim range from completely secular (including hikes to Jerusalem and a large parade through downtown Jerusalem) to religious (recitation of Hallel and new liturgies). Although Haredim do not participate in the liturgical changes, they are somewhat more likely to celebrate Yom Yerushalayim than the other modern Israeli holidays because of the importance of the liberation of the Western Wall and the Old City of Jerusalem.[91]
Outside Israel, observance of Yom Yerushalayim is widespread, especially in Orthodox circles. It has not gained as widespread acceptance as Yom Ha'atzmaut, especially among more politically liberal Jews, because of the continuing conflicts over the future of the city.[92]
Yom Yerushalayim has not traditionally moved to avoid Shabbat desecration, although in 2012 the Chief Rabbinate began some efforts in that direction.[93]
Yom HaAliyah: 10 Nisan
Joshua passing the River Jordan with the Ark of the Covenant by Benjamin West
Aliyah Day (יום העלייה) is an Israeli national holiday celebrated annually on the tenth of Nisan.[94] The day was established to acknowledge Aliyah, immigration to the Jewish state, as a core value of the State of Israel, and honor the ongoing contributions of Olim (immigrants) to Israeli society.[95]
Immigration to Israel is a recognized religious value of Judaism, sometimes referred to as the Gathering of Israel.[96] The date chosen for Yom HaAliyah, 10 Nisan, has religious significance: it is the day on which Joshua and the Israelites crossed the Jordan River at Gilgal into the Promised Land. It was thus the first documented "mass Aliyah".[97] The alternative date observed in the school system, 7 Heshvan, falls during the week of the Torah portion in which God instructs Abraham to leave his home and his family and go up to the Land of Israel.[98]
At the present time, observance of this day appears to be secular in nature.[citation needed]
Day to Mark the Departure and Expulsion of Jews from the Arab Countries and Iran: 30 November (on the Gregorian calendar)
The Knesset established this observance in 2014. The purpose of this observance is to recognize the collective trauma of Mizrahi Jews during the period around the establishment of the State of Israel. Many Mizrachi Jews felt that their own suffering was being ignored, both in comparison to the suffering of European Jewry during the Holocaust and in comparison to the Palestinian Nakba. The Gregorian-calendar date chosen is the day after the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine was adopted, as that date marked the beginning of concentrated pressure and hostility against the community.[99]
At the present time, observance of this day appears to be secular in nature.
24 Tishrei (25 Tishrei if 24 Tishrei coincides with Shabbat).
The Israeli government established this national remembrance day in March 2024. It is designed to be a national remembrance day for those who died in the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel and the Israel-Hamas War as a whole.[100]
Main articles: Mimouna, Seharane, and Sigd
The Israeli government officially recognizes three traditional holidays of ethnic Jewish communities in Israel. These days are also observed by their respective communities outside Israel.
Mimouna began as a holiday among Moroccan Jews, while similar celebrations also exist among Turkish Jews and Persian Jews.[101] These festivals are observed on the day after Passover, when the eating of ordinary food ("chametz") resumes. In Israel, the observance of Mimouna has spread widely in recent years; it has been estimated that up to two million Jews who live in Israel now participate in Mimouna celebrations.[102]
On the evening concluding Passover,[Note 34] the celebration centers on visiting the homes of friends and neighbors, Jewish and non-Jewish. A variety of traditional foods are served, and symbols which represent good luck and prosperity are prominently displayed. The next day, barbecues and picnics are among the most widespread activities of the celebration.[103]
The Seharane was celebrated by Kurdish Jews as a multi-day nature festival starting the day after Passover. Communities would leave their villages and camp out for several days, celebrating with eating and drinking, nature walks, singing and dancing.
Its observance was interrupted after the relocation of this community to Israel in the 1950s. In recent years it has been revived. But because of the already-widespread celebration of Mimouna in Israel, the celebration of the Seharane was moved to Chol HaMoed Sukkot.[104]
The Sigd began among the Beta Israel (Ethiopian) community as a variation of the observance of Yom Kippur. Currently that community now observes it in addition to Yom Kippur; its date is 29 Heshvan, 49 days after Yom Kippur. It shares some features of Yom Kippur, Shavuot, and other holidays.[105]
The Sigd is modeled on a ceremony of fasting, study and prayer described in Nehemiah 8, when the Jews rededicated themselves to religious observance on return to Israel after the Babylonian exile.[106] In Ethiopia, the community would gather on a mountaintop and pray for a return to Jerusalem. The modern Sigd is centered on a promenade overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem. The day's observance ends with a celebratory break fast.[107]