Jewish Prayer

1
Jewish Prayer Liturgy

• Hear, O Israel! The LORD our God, the LORD is
  One!
• And you shall love the LORD your God with all
  your heart, and with all your soul, and with all
  your strength.
• (Deut 64-5 see also Judaism A Very Short
  Introduction, p. 76)

Prepared by Brian Moon
2
What is Prayer?

• Service of the Heart
• Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast
  to him and take your oaths in his name. (Deut
  1020)
• Individual Communal
• Communion with God Prayer in Community(esp. on
  Shabbat / Sabbath)
• Types of Prayer
• Praise (Hallel Hallelu-Ya)
• Blessing (Berakah)
• Petition
• Repentance
• Kavvana (direction, intention)
• Outpouring of the Soul Cry from the Depths

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To Whom?

• The Thirteen Principles of Faith Maimonides
• The Creator is Author and Guide of everything
  that exists.
• The Creator is One His unity is unlike that of
  anything elseHe is our God and exists
  eternally.
• The Creator has no body or physical
  characteristics, and cannot be compared with
  anything that exists.
• The Creator is first and last of all beings.
• It is right to pray to the Creator, but to no
  other being.
• Moses Maimonides, Commentary on the Mishnah, ca.
  1160 CE.
• Source Judaism VSI, p. 136 see also
  http//www.jewfaq.org/beliefs.htm.

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Congregational Prayer

• Shekhina (Divine Presence)
• Camp of Israel (during Exodus)
• House of God (Jerusalem Temple)
• Minyan (quorum 10 or more) 10 adult males,
  min. age 13
• Names of Jewish Communities Today
• Synagogue (lit. gathering together)
• Congregation (also gathering or assembly)
• Temple (mostly Reform branch)
• Bet ha-Midrash (house of Torah-study Schul)

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Liturgy

• Prayer Books
• Siddur (lit. Order of Service)
• Book of Psalms (HB other music)
• Order of Services
• Maariv (Aravit) Evening Service
• Shacharit Morning Service
• Musaf Additional Service on Sabbaths
  Festivals
• Minchah Afternoon Service
• Services Structure around Two Main Prayers
• Shema Declaration of Gods Unity (Deut 64-9
  morn eve)
• Shemoneh Esrei or Amidah Praise, petitions,
  thanksgiving
• Middle end of service to be improvised

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Shema, Israel(Hear, O Israel)

• Shema, Israel YHWH Elohenu, YHWH Ehad
• Hear, O Israel (Deut 64-9 cf. Deut
  1113-21 Num 1537-41)
• And you shall love the Lord your God with all
  your heart, and with all your soul, and with all
  your might.
• Alternate Translations of v. 4
• The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
• The LORD our God is one LORD.
• The LORD is our God, the LORD is one.
• The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.
• Literal Applications of vv. 6-9
• And these words that I command you today
  shall be in your heart. And you shall teach them
  diligently to your children, and you shall speak
  of them when you sit at home, and when you walk
  along the way, and when you lie down and when you
  rise up. And you shall bind them as a sign on
  your hand, and they shall be for frontlets
  between your eyes. And you shall write them on
  the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
• Online Version http//www.jewfaq.org/prayer/shema
  .htm

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Shemoneh Esrei (or Amidah)

• The Eighteen Blessings
• Three Main Parts
• Three blessings praising God
• Thirteen blessings making requests
• Three blessings expressing gratitude
• not all 18 spoken in all services today
• 19 against Heretics added ca. 90 CE little
  used today
• Online Versions
• http//www.hebrew4christians.com/Prayers/Daily_Pra
  yers/Shemoneh_Esrei/shemoneh_esrei.html
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amidah

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Aleinu

• Praise to God
• For allowing the Jewish people to serve Him
• Hope that the whole world will come to God
  abandon idolatry
• Excerpt
• It is our duty to praise the Master of all, to
  ascribe greatness to the Molder of primeval
  creation... Therefore, we put our hope in you,
  LORD our God, that we may soon see Your mighty
  splendor... On that day, the LORD will be One
  and His Name will be One.
• Source http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleinu

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Kaddish

• Glorification of Gods Name
• Various Versions
• "Complete Kaddish" or "Whole Kaddish"
• "Half Kaddish"
• "Kaddish of the Rabbis"
• "Orphan's Kaddish," usually called "Mourners'
  Kaddish
• "Kaddish after a Burial"
• Opening
• Exalted and sanctified is God's great name in
  the world which He has created according to His
  will and may He establish His kingdom in your
  lifetime and your days and in the lifetimes of
  all the House of Israel speedily and soon.
  Amen.
• Source http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaddish

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Readings from Torah Prophets

• 54 Sections (Parshah pl. Parshiyot)
• One read/studied each week in leap years
• Shorter ones doubled up in non-leap years
• Ends/Begins annually on Feast of Simchat Torah
• Readings during Services
• Torah Scroll first paraded around synagogue
• 2 Readings from Torah and Haftarah (Prophets)
• Morning Services on Shabbat Holidays
• Mon Thurs morning services also read part of
  that weeks Torah portion

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Structure of Services

• Evening Service (Ma'ariv)
• Shema (and its blessings and related passages)
• Shemoneh Esrei
• Aleinu
• At end, often Kaddish prayers (for mourners)
• After, usually food community social gathering

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Structure of Services (cont.)

• Morning Service (Shacharit)
• Morning Blessings
• Pesukei d'Zimra
• Shema (and its blessings and related passages)
• Shemoneh Esrei
• Hallel (Psalms of Praise on certain days)
• Torah Reading (Mon, Thurs, Shabbat, holidays)
• Aleinu, Ashrei (Ps 145 otherclosing prayers,
  Psalms, hymns recited at the end of Musaf on
  Shabbat and holidays)

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Structure of Services (cont.)

• Additional Service (Musaf)
• On Shabbat holidays only recited right after
  Shacharit
• Shemoneh Esrei
• Aleinu other closing prayers, Psalms, hymns
• Afternoon Service (Minchah)
• Ashrei (Psalm 145)
• Shemoneh Esrei
• Aleinu
• Source http//www.jewfaq.org/liturgy.htmOutline

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Attitude Posture

• Amida
• Pray quietly Concentration
• Shema
• Position does not matter
• Opening commits self to God
• Kneeling and Prostration
• Formerly done in Temple
• No longer common
• Aleinu prayer of the Musaf for Rosh Hashanah and
  Yom Kippur
• Standing and Bowing
• During some prayers, facing Ark

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Special Clothing

• Kippa (head covering)
• A.k.a. Yarmulka
• Tallit (prayer shawl)
• Used for morning prayer
• Teffilin (prayer boxes)
• On forehead left arm
• See picture, Judaism VSI, 87
• Tzeniut (modesty)
• Variation by Branches
• Men only (Orthodox Conservative)
• Women (optional for Reform Reconstructionist)
• Source http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_liturg
  y

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Synagogue Furnishings

• Ner Tamid (Eternal Flame)
• Represents the Menorah of the Jerusalem Temple
• Symbolizes Gods eternal presence
• Ark
• Houses the synagogues Torah Scrolls
• Located on wall closest to Jerusalem