Good Afternoon All,

The Jewish way of prayer is interesting. As I mentioned in passing yesterday, the Hebrew word translated as prayer does not mean the same thing in Hebrew as prayer does in English. Jewish prayer is not about asking for something.  Its really about service to God through a realignment of ourselves. 

I thought I would take you through the various steps of the Jewish Morning Service, the Shacharit l'chol. The Jewish prayerbook or siddur (order) is over two thousand years old.  Elements of the prayerbook were recited as early as 300 BCE, most notably, the Sh'ma and the Priestly Blessing.  During the time of tumult before the fall of the Second Temple, the Amidah (18 blessings) or Standing Prayer was added.  Over the next several centuries parts were added, shifted around, text modified, but by the 400s CE the prayerbook was pretty much what it is today.

For the Orthodox our prayerbook is not a guide.  We are to actually recite these prayers two to three times per day, but at least once a day, preferably in the morning.  Conservative and Reform congregations have altered the prayerbook, translated pieces into English, and so on.  Yet today, even the Reform movement has stepped back into a more traditional line with the publication of its Mishkan T'Filah (a Mishkan is a portable sanctuary, T'filah is prayer). 

These are the parts: Morning Blessings (Birkhot Hashachar), Verses of Song (P'sukei D'zimrah), Creed (Sh'ma and its blessings), Petitions (Amidah), Silent Prayer, Torah , Conclusion (Aleinu and Kaddish).

In the morning we thank God for returning our soul to us. We put on a tallit (and if very observant t'fillin).  We thank Him for making us with the right amount of openings so that we can function as human beings, We praise God for daily miracles such as freedom, understanding, and sight. We recite a blessing for the study of Torah and recite the Kaddish D'Rabanan (a blessing to acknowledge those who do, indeed, study Torah).  These are the Morning Blessings.

We then move to the Verses of Praise which are selections from the Psalms.  These psalms were especially selected to help us drop away our self-interest.

From there we recite the Sh'ma and its Blessings.  This is the central affirmation of the oneness of God and the V'ahavta, the aspects of Deuteronomy that ask us to love God with every fiber of our being, to impress our children with the Teachings, to put them on our doorposts, wear them on our heads and arms, and to essentially be mindful throughout the day as to who we are living for.

From here we do the standing Prayer, the Amidah.  This and the Sh'ma are the core prayers in our faith. There are eighteen (actually nineteen, but that's another story) and they are recited under one's breath. With each blessing we are praising God for something.  They include immortality, holiness, intelligence, repentance, forgiveness, redemption, answering the afflicted, healing, blessings of life through the year, gathering of the dispersed, justice, humbling the arrogant, sustaining righteousness, building Jerusalem, assuring deliverance, hearing our prayers, restoring His presence in Zion, beneficence, and making peace.

Next, we study Torah.  I typically read something from the portion of the week or a commentary. We then offer our prayers for those in need of healing.   Lastly we offer aleinu, a thank you for allowing us to praise God and conclude with the mourner's kaddish.

Now, this may sound like a lot on one hand, and something that can be done by rote, on the other hand. Both are true to an extent.  The rabbis caution us not to do these daily prayers by rote, but to try our best to get into the words or even deeper, into the very letters of the words of these prayers.  Why letters?  Because in the spiritual tradition, it is understood that God created the world through His words and letters.

As we render these prayers we render ourselves, opening ourselves, dropping ourselves away, and allowing ourselves to become acceptable to God. 

Yet, standardized prayer, even if ancient, is not the only way or enough.  We practice mindfulness daily.  We keep our hearts open to experiences and offer thanks to our Creator for those experiences. These are often spontaneous prayers, said with the feeling of the moment.  I see the mountains each morning as the sun rises above them: they are truly a miraculous sight, for example. 

May your life be for a blessing,

Harvey Sodaiho Hilbert