הלכה על ברכות 4:1
Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim
They do not “prostrate themselves” (i.e., they do not say the taḥanun10The taḥanun, תחנון, prayer is the name of a prayer which is a confession of sins and a petition for grace. It is normally part of the daily Morning, Shaḥarit (see footnote 17), and Afternoon, Minḥah (see footnote 40), Services. It is recited after the reader’s repetition of the Amidah (see footnote 43). The taḥanun begins silently with a selection from II Samuel 24:14 which was uttered by King David after he was rebuked by the prophet Gad for sinning by numbering the people: “let us fall, I pray thee, into the hand of the Lord, for his mercies are many, but let me not fall into the hands of man.” The prayer is referred to literally as the “prostration prayer” because the Bible mentions the fact that one prostrates oneself during petitions (Deuteronomy 9:18; Joshua 7:6), and the prayer taḥanun was therefore customarily recited in the prostrate position. Today the prayer is recited while one is seated with one’s head bowed into the bend of one’s arm when a Torah Scroll is present to indicate the sanctity of the location. The Sephardi ritual begins the taḥanun with a silent confession of sins, viddui (see footnote 39) followed by the verse from II Samuel 24:14. The central part of the prayer for the Ashkenazim is Psalm 6 and for the Sephardim the penitential psalm, Psalm 25. In addition to this there are penitential prayers of piyyutim, or liturgical poems (see footnote 149). The taḥanun prayer is omitted on the Sabbath, festivals, semiholidays, New Moons, and from the Minḥah Service preceding these special days, during the month of Nisan and on the Ninth of Av. The taḥanun is also omitted at a circumcision in a synagogue, when a bridegroom attends the service during the first seven days following his wedding, and at the prayers held at the homes of mourners since the theme “I have sinned before thee” is deemed inappropriate.
Meir Ydit, E. J., v. 15, p. 702. prayers) on the Eve of Yom Kippur.
Hagah: They also do not say “למנצח11למנצח, “For the Chief Musician, a Psalm of David” is Psalm 19, and it is recited normally during the Shaḥarit, Morning prayers on the Sabbath and festivals (see footnote 17). The theme of the prayer is the double revelation of God in nature, in religion and in Torah.
Dr. Joseph H. Hertz, The Authorized Daily Prayer Book, New York, Bloch Publishing Company, 1957, p. 60” and “מזמור לתודה12מזמור לתודה, “A Psalm of Thanksgiving” is Psalm 100. The theme of the psalm is to let all the world join in the worship of God. The psalm is normally recited during the Shaḥarit Morning prayers on the weekday (see footnote 17). In addition to the day before Yom Kippur, it is also omitted on Sabbaths, festivals, the day before Passover, and on the intermediate days of Passover.”, (מנהגים).13Minhagim, מנהגים, “customs” when used by Isserles denotes an anonymous collection of Ashkenazi customs in his glosses that were not part of the customs practiced by the Sephardi Jewish community. Additions such as these gave Ashkenazi Jewry the possibility of accepting the Shulḥan Arukh as a binding and authoritative code of Jewish law in that the additions of Isserles enabled the total Shulḥan Arukh to be a work common to all of world Jewry. There was no one book from which Isserles drew his minhagim, his customs, but rather he drew them from various minhagim books available to him and from customs he was familiar with in daily life. Many of the minhagim from which Isserles drew were contained in a book entitled Minahage Maharil or Sefer Maharil published in 1556 in Sabionetta which was compiled by Zalman of Saint Goar. It contained halakhic statements, explanations, and customs that Zalman heard from his great teacher the Maharil, Jacob ben Moses Moellin (see footnote 8). Also they do not say before dawn many “seliḥot14Seliḥot, סליחות, means “prayers of forgiveness”. When this word is used in its singular form seliḥah, סליחה, it means “forgiveness” and it usually refers to a liturgical poem, piyyut (see footnote 149), who’s subject is a plea for forgiveness. When the term is used in the plural, seliḥot, it refers to a special order of service which consists of non-statuatory additional prayers which are recited on all fast days, on occasions of special intercession, and during the Penitential season which begins with a special Seliḥot Service usually held at midnight on the Saturday night immediately preceding Rosh HaShanah and concludes with Yom Kippur. The Mishna (Ta’an 2:1-4) gives the order of the service for public fasts which were often proclaimed during periods of drought and it provided for six additional blessings inserted into the daily Amidah after the sixth blessing which is a prayer for forgiveness of sins (see footnote 43).
The first mention of any kind of definite order of Seliḥot is found in Tanna de-Vei, Eliyahu Zuta (23 end). The order of Sheliḥot was not found until the ninth century in the Seder of R. Amram which included “May He Who answered” and the biblical verse “Thee Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious longsuffering and abundent in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6) along with others.
Over the centuries many more piyyutim with the theme of forgiveness have been added to the Seliḥot prayers. Because of the many liturgical poems added at various times, many Jewish communities have had their own distinct rites evolve. It became a Palestinian custom not to say the Seliḥot prayers during the Amidah but after it, and this became the custom generally accepted (Shulḥan Arukh, Oraḥ Ḥayyim, 566:4).
Seliḥot prayers were originally confined to fast days. God was just, and it was felt that if one confessed one’s sins and prayed for forgiveness, calamities which were the result of Israel’s sins, would be averted. In modern times the Seliḥot prayers were first recited in conjunction with the six fast days prior to Rosh HaShanah and then they were extended to include the ten days of Penitence including Yom Kippur but not Rosh HaShanah in the Ashkenazi ritual. Among Sephardi Jews it was a custom to recite Seliḥot for forty days from Rosh Ḥodesh Elul (the New Moon of the month of Elul, the last month of the Hebrew year preceding the New Year beginning with Rosh HaShanah on the New Moon of Tishrei) until Yom Kippur. The Ashkenazi custom was evolved in our day to recite Seliḥot from midnight on the Saturday night prior to Rosh HaShanah or the week before that should Rosh HaShanah fall on a Monday or a Tuesday. (Shulḥan Arukh, Oraḥ Ḥayyim, 581 with the Isserles). Only on the first night is Seliḥot recited at midnight. On all other days it is recited in the Morning Service.
Present day customs also allow individuals to recite Seliḥot on semi-official voluntary fasts.
Louis Isaac Rabinowitz, E. J., v. 14, pp. 1133-34.” (prayers of forgiveness), but there are places where it is customary to increase seliḥot. All (this should be done) according to the (local) custom. But concerning the matter of the saying of “אבינו מלכנו15Avinu Malkhenu, אבינו מלכנו “Our Father our King” is a prayer recited during the ten days of Penitence between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur immediately after the Amidah (see footnote 43). The prayer is not said during Friday Minḥah Afternoon, on the Sabbath, or on the day before Yom Kippur. If the day before Yom Kippur is a Friday then the prayer is recited during the Morning, Shaḥarit Service (see footnote 17). Each of the forty-four invocations of the prayer begins “Avinu Malkhenu”, “Our Father our King”. This litancy has the elements of a confessional and petitionary prayer. The prayer is quite old and the Talmud attributes some of the lines to Rabbi Akiba when they were spoken on a fast day due to a drought. The prayer was expanded over the centuries to include prayers for life, pardon, and the needs and trials of human existence. Toward the end are references to the terrible massacres during the Black Death in the fourteenth century where much of German Jewry was annihilated.
Hertz, op. cit., pp. 161-67.”, (Our Father, our King”), on the Eve of Yom Kippur, there is a disagreement among the aḥronim16Aḥronim, אחרונים, the later scholars or authorities. This term is used to designate the later rabbinic authorities as opposed to the rishonim or the earlier authorities. There is no clear line of demarkation separating the aḥronim from the rishonim. Some scholars date the aḥronim as early as the tosafists in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries while others start the period in the beginning of the fourteenth century where the appearance of the Sha’arei Dura of Isaac ben Meir Dueren. Most scholars agree that the period of the rishonim ends with the death of Israel Isserlein in 1460 (see footnote 96) and that the aḥronim begin with the Shulḥan Arukh including the glosses of Isserles (1525-30-1572). The later authorities are therefore thought of as the collection of all the predecessors of the Jewish world of sages in both the Sephardi and Ashkenazi communities included by both Caro and Isserles. When Isserles then referred to the aḥronim, he referred to his contemporaries and those authorities immediately preceding him.
Some of the greatest aḥronim were produced in Poland during the end of the sixteenth century where the study of the Torah and Talmud became quite intensive.
Aḥronim is a term now used to refer to all rabbinic authorities after 1500 who decide halakhah even to this day.
Yehoshua Horowitz, E. J., v. 1973 Year Book, pp.153-57., (later scholars). The custom in my city is not to say it unless Yom Kippur falls on Shabbat; since we do not say on the Shabbat “אבינו מלכנו”, therefore we say it in the Shaḥarit17Shaḥarit, שחרית Morning Service, or actually the dawn prayer. The Shaḥarit prayers are the most elaborate of the three daily prayer services (the Shaḥarit, Morning; Minḥah, Afternoon; and Aravit, Evening). It has been traditionally attributed to Abraham. “And Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the Lord,” (Genesis 19:27). After the destruction of the Temple the rabbis made the recitation of the Shaḥarit prayer obligatory to replace the daily morning sacrafice called the Tamid which had been performed in the Temple (Ber. 26b).
There are basically eight parts to the Shaḥarit Service and they are the following: (1) The Morning Benedictions or Birkhot ha-Shaḥar, ברכות השחר, these are preliminaries to the Morning Service and they consist of hymns, blessings, and meditations, the themes of which are generally concerned with the change of night to day and of sleep to wakefulness. There are also readings from the Torah and rabbinical writings to get the soul ready for worship. Originally this part of the service was to be read at home before coming to the synagogue for communal prayer.
Hertz, op. cit., p. 4.
(2) The Psalms and Passages of Song or Pesukai de-Zimra, פסוקי דזמרא. This section of psalms and anthems is intended to serve as the transference from private worship in the first section to public prayer. The tradition says that pious men during the days of the Second Temple would completely read the entire Book of Psalms everyday. This was an ideal that men with necessary work could never emulate, thus it became the custom to read at least six psalms in the morning, Psalms 145-150. There have been additions to this nucleus. Prior to the above mentioned psalms, are recited other psalm-like selections, I Chronicles 16:8-36, a collection of Biblical verses, Psalm 100, and more Biblical verses. Psalms 145-150 are followed by responses of adoration (“doxologies”), the benediction of David, I Chronicles 29:10-13; the prayer of Nehemiah 9:6-11; and the Song of Moses, Exodus 14:30 - 15:18. Therefore this section contains no formal prayers but only psalm-like material. It was brought into the Morning Service by Rabbi Meir of Rothenburg (1230-1293).
ibid., pp. 50-1.
(3) Reading of the Shema, קריאת שמע, and its benedictions. This is truely the central part of the Morning (and the Evening) Service. It is Israel’s confession of faith in the One God. The worshipper, by reciting it, proclaims his allegiance to the Kingdom of Heaven and his submission to God’s commandments. The Shema is preceded by two blessings; (1) The Yotzer, יוצר, Prayer which is a prayer of thanksgiving for the creation of physical life, for the actual light of day and for God’s renewal of creation which is demonstrated by the fact that the sun, the light, returns; and (2) The Ahavah Rabbah, אהבה רבה, a gracious prayer of thanksgiving, gives thanks to God for the light of Torah which he gave to Israel and its moral teachings.
The Shema in the Shaḥarit Service is followed by two prayers; (1) the Emet Veyaẓiv, אמת ויציב, which means (True and Firm). The prayer confirms the faith in the declarations that were made in the Shema. (2) and the prayer Go’el Israel, גואל ישראל, the Redeemer of Israel which praises God.
ibid., p. 108.
The Shema itself consists of three Torah sections, Deuteronomy 6:4-8; 11:13-22; and Numbers 15:37-42. It is a proclamation of God’s Unity and Oneness, Israel’s total loyalty to God and his commandments, the belief in Divine Justice, the rememberance of the liberation from Egypt, and the choosing of Israel. Together these form the foundation of Jewish faith.
ibid., p. 116.
(4) The Amidah, עמידה, is the most central and important part of the service next to the Shema. It is also referred to as the Tefillah, התפילה, “The Prayer” and the Shemoneh Esreh. שמונה עשרה, or eighteen benedictions because it originally contained eighteen separate benedictions but which has come down to us as a prayer consisting of nineteen benedictions during the regular daily worship service. The Prayer is recited three times a day silently while standing, therefore the name Amidah which means “standing” became associated with it. The benedictions contain expressions of praise, thanksgiving, confession, and petition to God.
The Amidah contains three basic parts. The first part consists of three opening benedictions which are praises. They glorify God, His everlasting love and His infinite holiness. The second part of the weekday Amidah contains thirteen blessings (which were originally only twelve) which are petitions for the individual as well as for the nation. This middle section of the Amidah is different on the Sabbath and festivals. On the Sabbath there is only one benediction in the middle of the Amidah (therefore only a total of seven benedictions) and it concerns the special nature of the day. A Kedusha or a sanctification of the name of God, is included in this section of the Sabbath morning Amidah. On the festivals this is also the case with a special middle benediction which concerns the unique nature of the holiday. This is true of all festivals except Rosh HaShanah which contains three central blessings in its Musaf Amidah (see footnote 166), thus making a total of nine benedictions.
The third part of the Amidah consists of three closing benedictions whose theme is one of thanksgiving. The first three and last three benedictions never change regardless of which service the Amidah is found in or on what day it is recited. The prayer is first recited privately in silence and it is then repeated out loud by the reader (except for the Evening Service, see footnote 144) for the benefit of those who are unable to say it themselves (see also footnote 42).
ibid., pp. 130-31.
(5) The Taḥanun, תחנון, prayers of confession; see footnote 10.
(6) The Torah reading on the mornings that it is required, namely on the Sabbath, festivals, Mondays, Thursdays, New Moons, the intermediate days of Passover and Succot, Purim and public fast days. Normally, that is on most Sabbaths, Mondays and Thursdays the Torah is read according to its regular weekly division of fifty-four (on a leap year and fifty on a non-leap year) portions. On special Sabbaths, festivals, and other occasions specially designated portions are read which have a relationship with that particular occasion.
(7) Ashrei. אשרי, “Happy are they” is basically Psalm 20 and a collection of Biblical quotations. It is in essence a prophetic lesson and a second sanctification.
(8) Aleinu le-Shabbe’aḥ, עלינו לשבח, “It is our duty to praise the Lord” is recited at the conclusion of the Morning Service. It is usually preceded by a full Kaddish (see footnote 177) read by the reader and it is followed by a Mourner’s Kaddish. The Aleinu or adoration prayer since the fourteenth century has been a proclaimation of God as the Supreme King of the Universe and the God of a United Humanity. In the first part Israel aknowledges that it has been selected for service to God and the second half proclaims Israel’s faith and hope that all idolatry will disappear and that all activity will be turned to God. All will be united under the Kingship of God.
Hertz, op. cit., p. 208.
The Shaḥarit Service remains fairly constant in the prayers recited every morning except for the Amidah which changes according to the occasion as described above. There are also additions to the pesukei de-zimra (2) on Sabbaths and festivals, and on festivals and New Moons the Hallel (special psalms of praise and thanksgiving which consist of Psalms 113-118 with various Psalms omitted on certain festivals) is added. Special piyyutim (see footnote 149) are also inserted on certain Sabbaths and festivals during the Shaḥarit Service.
The Mishna and Talmud discuss when the Shaḥarit Service should be recited. The Shema must be recited from the period of time which begins with daybreak and ends after a quarter of the day has passed (Ber. 1:2; Shulḥan Arukh, Oraḥ Ḥayyim, 58:1). One must recite the Amidah during the hours encompassed by sunrise and a third of the day (Ber. 4:1; Shulḥan Arukh, Oraḥ Ḥayyim, 89:1). If by chance the recitation of the daily prayers was delayed they could be recited until midday (Ber. 4:1; Shulḥan Arukh, Oraḥ Ḥayyim 89:1). If the Shaḥarit Amidah is not recited, an extra Amidah is added during the Minḥaḥ, Afternoon Service.
During the daily weekday Shaḥarit Service the tallit, prayer shawl, and the tefillin, phylacteries, are worn. On the Sabbath and festivals only the tallit is worn. One wears neither tallit nor tefillin on the Ninth day of Av for the Shaḥarit Serivce but wears them instead for the Minḥah Service. One must not interupt one’s prayer by speaking from the prayer “Barukh she-Amar” which precedes the pesukei de-zimra until after the Amidah.
Editorial Staff, E. J., v. 14, pp. 1257-58. (Morning Prayers) on the Eve of Yom Kippur.
Meir Ydit, E. J., v. 15, p. 702. prayers) on the Eve of Yom Kippur.
Hagah: They also do not say “למנצח11למנצח, “For the Chief Musician, a Psalm of David” is Psalm 19, and it is recited normally during the Shaḥarit, Morning prayers on the Sabbath and festivals (see footnote 17). The theme of the prayer is the double revelation of God in nature, in religion and in Torah.
Dr. Joseph H. Hertz, The Authorized Daily Prayer Book, New York, Bloch Publishing Company, 1957, p. 60” and “מזמור לתודה12מזמור לתודה, “A Psalm of Thanksgiving” is Psalm 100. The theme of the psalm is to let all the world join in the worship of God. The psalm is normally recited during the Shaḥarit Morning prayers on the weekday (see footnote 17). In addition to the day before Yom Kippur, it is also omitted on Sabbaths, festivals, the day before Passover, and on the intermediate days of Passover.”, (מנהגים).13Minhagim, מנהגים, “customs” when used by Isserles denotes an anonymous collection of Ashkenazi customs in his glosses that were not part of the customs practiced by the Sephardi Jewish community. Additions such as these gave Ashkenazi Jewry the possibility of accepting the Shulḥan Arukh as a binding and authoritative code of Jewish law in that the additions of Isserles enabled the total Shulḥan Arukh to be a work common to all of world Jewry. There was no one book from which Isserles drew his minhagim, his customs, but rather he drew them from various minhagim books available to him and from customs he was familiar with in daily life. Many of the minhagim from which Isserles drew were contained in a book entitled Minahage Maharil or Sefer Maharil published in 1556 in Sabionetta which was compiled by Zalman of Saint Goar. It contained halakhic statements, explanations, and customs that Zalman heard from his great teacher the Maharil, Jacob ben Moses Moellin (see footnote 8). Also they do not say before dawn many “seliḥot14Seliḥot, סליחות, means “prayers of forgiveness”. When this word is used in its singular form seliḥah, סליחה, it means “forgiveness” and it usually refers to a liturgical poem, piyyut (see footnote 149), who’s subject is a plea for forgiveness. When the term is used in the plural, seliḥot, it refers to a special order of service which consists of non-statuatory additional prayers which are recited on all fast days, on occasions of special intercession, and during the Penitential season which begins with a special Seliḥot Service usually held at midnight on the Saturday night immediately preceding Rosh HaShanah and concludes with Yom Kippur. The Mishna (Ta’an 2:1-4) gives the order of the service for public fasts which were often proclaimed during periods of drought and it provided for six additional blessings inserted into the daily Amidah after the sixth blessing which is a prayer for forgiveness of sins (see footnote 43).
The first mention of any kind of definite order of Seliḥot is found in Tanna de-Vei, Eliyahu Zuta (23 end). The order of Sheliḥot was not found until the ninth century in the Seder of R. Amram which included “May He Who answered” and the biblical verse “Thee Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious longsuffering and abundent in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6) along with others.
Over the centuries many more piyyutim with the theme of forgiveness have been added to the Seliḥot prayers. Because of the many liturgical poems added at various times, many Jewish communities have had their own distinct rites evolve. It became a Palestinian custom not to say the Seliḥot prayers during the Amidah but after it, and this became the custom generally accepted (Shulḥan Arukh, Oraḥ Ḥayyim, 566:4).
Seliḥot prayers were originally confined to fast days. God was just, and it was felt that if one confessed one’s sins and prayed for forgiveness, calamities which were the result of Israel’s sins, would be averted. In modern times the Seliḥot prayers were first recited in conjunction with the six fast days prior to Rosh HaShanah and then they were extended to include the ten days of Penitence including Yom Kippur but not Rosh HaShanah in the Ashkenazi ritual. Among Sephardi Jews it was a custom to recite Seliḥot for forty days from Rosh Ḥodesh Elul (the New Moon of the month of Elul, the last month of the Hebrew year preceding the New Year beginning with Rosh HaShanah on the New Moon of Tishrei) until Yom Kippur. The Ashkenazi custom was evolved in our day to recite Seliḥot from midnight on the Saturday night prior to Rosh HaShanah or the week before that should Rosh HaShanah fall on a Monday or a Tuesday. (Shulḥan Arukh, Oraḥ Ḥayyim, 581 with the Isserles). Only on the first night is Seliḥot recited at midnight. On all other days it is recited in the Morning Service.
Present day customs also allow individuals to recite Seliḥot on semi-official voluntary fasts.
Louis Isaac Rabinowitz, E. J., v. 14, pp. 1133-34.” (prayers of forgiveness), but there are places where it is customary to increase seliḥot. All (this should be done) according to the (local) custom. But concerning the matter of the saying of “אבינו מלכנו15Avinu Malkhenu, אבינו מלכנו “Our Father our King” is a prayer recited during the ten days of Penitence between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur immediately after the Amidah (see footnote 43). The prayer is not said during Friday Minḥah Afternoon, on the Sabbath, or on the day before Yom Kippur. If the day before Yom Kippur is a Friday then the prayer is recited during the Morning, Shaḥarit Service (see footnote 17). Each of the forty-four invocations of the prayer begins “Avinu Malkhenu”, “Our Father our King”. This litancy has the elements of a confessional and petitionary prayer. The prayer is quite old and the Talmud attributes some of the lines to Rabbi Akiba when they were spoken on a fast day due to a drought. The prayer was expanded over the centuries to include prayers for life, pardon, and the needs and trials of human existence. Toward the end are references to the terrible massacres during the Black Death in the fourteenth century where much of German Jewry was annihilated.
Hertz, op. cit., pp. 161-67.”, (Our Father, our King”), on the Eve of Yom Kippur, there is a disagreement among the aḥronim16Aḥronim, אחרונים, the later scholars or authorities. This term is used to designate the later rabbinic authorities as opposed to the rishonim or the earlier authorities. There is no clear line of demarkation separating the aḥronim from the rishonim. Some scholars date the aḥronim as early as the tosafists in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries while others start the period in the beginning of the fourteenth century where the appearance of the Sha’arei Dura of Isaac ben Meir Dueren. Most scholars agree that the period of the rishonim ends with the death of Israel Isserlein in 1460 (see footnote 96) and that the aḥronim begin with the Shulḥan Arukh including the glosses of Isserles (1525-30-1572). The later authorities are therefore thought of as the collection of all the predecessors of the Jewish world of sages in both the Sephardi and Ashkenazi communities included by both Caro and Isserles. When Isserles then referred to the aḥronim, he referred to his contemporaries and those authorities immediately preceding him.
Some of the greatest aḥronim were produced in Poland during the end of the sixteenth century where the study of the Torah and Talmud became quite intensive.
Aḥronim is a term now used to refer to all rabbinic authorities after 1500 who decide halakhah even to this day.
Yehoshua Horowitz, E. J., v. 1973 Year Book, pp.153-57., (later scholars). The custom in my city is not to say it unless Yom Kippur falls on Shabbat; since we do not say on the Shabbat “אבינו מלכנו”, therefore we say it in the Shaḥarit17Shaḥarit, שחרית Morning Service, or actually the dawn prayer. The Shaḥarit prayers are the most elaborate of the three daily prayer services (the Shaḥarit, Morning; Minḥah, Afternoon; and Aravit, Evening). It has been traditionally attributed to Abraham. “And Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the Lord,” (Genesis 19:27). After the destruction of the Temple the rabbis made the recitation of the Shaḥarit prayer obligatory to replace the daily morning sacrafice called the Tamid which had been performed in the Temple (Ber. 26b).
There are basically eight parts to the Shaḥarit Service and they are the following: (1) The Morning Benedictions or Birkhot ha-Shaḥar, ברכות השחר, these are preliminaries to the Morning Service and they consist of hymns, blessings, and meditations, the themes of which are generally concerned with the change of night to day and of sleep to wakefulness. There are also readings from the Torah and rabbinical writings to get the soul ready for worship. Originally this part of the service was to be read at home before coming to the synagogue for communal prayer.
Hertz, op. cit., p. 4.
(2) The Psalms and Passages of Song or Pesukai de-Zimra, פסוקי דזמרא. This section of psalms and anthems is intended to serve as the transference from private worship in the first section to public prayer. The tradition says that pious men during the days of the Second Temple would completely read the entire Book of Psalms everyday. This was an ideal that men with necessary work could never emulate, thus it became the custom to read at least six psalms in the morning, Psalms 145-150. There have been additions to this nucleus. Prior to the above mentioned psalms, are recited other psalm-like selections, I Chronicles 16:8-36, a collection of Biblical verses, Psalm 100, and more Biblical verses. Psalms 145-150 are followed by responses of adoration (“doxologies”), the benediction of David, I Chronicles 29:10-13; the prayer of Nehemiah 9:6-11; and the Song of Moses, Exodus 14:30 - 15:18. Therefore this section contains no formal prayers but only psalm-like material. It was brought into the Morning Service by Rabbi Meir of Rothenburg (1230-1293).
ibid., pp. 50-1.
(3) Reading of the Shema, קריאת שמע, and its benedictions. This is truely the central part of the Morning (and the Evening) Service. It is Israel’s confession of faith in the One God. The worshipper, by reciting it, proclaims his allegiance to the Kingdom of Heaven and his submission to God’s commandments. The Shema is preceded by two blessings; (1) The Yotzer, יוצר, Prayer which is a prayer of thanksgiving for the creation of physical life, for the actual light of day and for God’s renewal of creation which is demonstrated by the fact that the sun, the light, returns; and (2) The Ahavah Rabbah, אהבה רבה, a gracious prayer of thanksgiving, gives thanks to God for the light of Torah which he gave to Israel and its moral teachings.
The Shema in the Shaḥarit Service is followed by two prayers; (1) the Emet Veyaẓiv, אמת ויציב, which means (True and Firm). The prayer confirms the faith in the declarations that were made in the Shema. (2) and the prayer Go’el Israel, גואל ישראל, the Redeemer of Israel which praises God.
ibid., p. 108.
The Shema itself consists of three Torah sections, Deuteronomy 6:4-8; 11:13-22; and Numbers 15:37-42. It is a proclamation of God’s Unity and Oneness, Israel’s total loyalty to God and his commandments, the belief in Divine Justice, the rememberance of the liberation from Egypt, and the choosing of Israel. Together these form the foundation of Jewish faith.
ibid., p. 116.
(4) The Amidah, עמידה, is the most central and important part of the service next to the Shema. It is also referred to as the Tefillah, התפילה, “The Prayer” and the Shemoneh Esreh. שמונה עשרה, or eighteen benedictions because it originally contained eighteen separate benedictions but which has come down to us as a prayer consisting of nineteen benedictions during the regular daily worship service. The Prayer is recited three times a day silently while standing, therefore the name Amidah which means “standing” became associated with it. The benedictions contain expressions of praise, thanksgiving, confession, and petition to God.
The Amidah contains three basic parts. The first part consists of three opening benedictions which are praises. They glorify God, His everlasting love and His infinite holiness. The second part of the weekday Amidah contains thirteen blessings (which were originally only twelve) which are petitions for the individual as well as for the nation. This middle section of the Amidah is different on the Sabbath and festivals. On the Sabbath there is only one benediction in the middle of the Amidah (therefore only a total of seven benedictions) and it concerns the special nature of the day. A Kedusha or a sanctification of the name of God, is included in this section of the Sabbath morning Amidah. On the festivals this is also the case with a special middle benediction which concerns the unique nature of the holiday. This is true of all festivals except Rosh HaShanah which contains three central blessings in its Musaf Amidah (see footnote 166), thus making a total of nine benedictions.
The third part of the Amidah consists of three closing benedictions whose theme is one of thanksgiving. The first three and last three benedictions never change regardless of which service the Amidah is found in or on what day it is recited. The prayer is first recited privately in silence and it is then repeated out loud by the reader (except for the Evening Service, see footnote 144) for the benefit of those who are unable to say it themselves (see also footnote 42).
ibid., pp. 130-31.
(5) The Taḥanun, תחנון, prayers of confession; see footnote 10.
(6) The Torah reading on the mornings that it is required, namely on the Sabbath, festivals, Mondays, Thursdays, New Moons, the intermediate days of Passover and Succot, Purim and public fast days. Normally, that is on most Sabbaths, Mondays and Thursdays the Torah is read according to its regular weekly division of fifty-four (on a leap year and fifty on a non-leap year) portions. On special Sabbaths, festivals, and other occasions specially designated portions are read which have a relationship with that particular occasion.
(7) Ashrei. אשרי, “Happy are they” is basically Psalm 20 and a collection of Biblical quotations. It is in essence a prophetic lesson and a second sanctification.
(8) Aleinu le-Shabbe’aḥ, עלינו לשבח, “It is our duty to praise the Lord” is recited at the conclusion of the Morning Service. It is usually preceded by a full Kaddish (see footnote 177) read by the reader and it is followed by a Mourner’s Kaddish. The Aleinu or adoration prayer since the fourteenth century has been a proclaimation of God as the Supreme King of the Universe and the God of a United Humanity. In the first part Israel aknowledges that it has been selected for service to God and the second half proclaims Israel’s faith and hope that all idolatry will disappear and that all activity will be turned to God. All will be united under the Kingship of God.
Hertz, op. cit., p. 208.
The Shaḥarit Service remains fairly constant in the prayers recited every morning except for the Amidah which changes according to the occasion as described above. There are also additions to the pesukei de-zimra (2) on Sabbaths and festivals, and on festivals and New Moons the Hallel (special psalms of praise and thanksgiving which consist of Psalms 113-118 with various Psalms omitted on certain festivals) is added. Special piyyutim (see footnote 149) are also inserted on certain Sabbaths and festivals during the Shaḥarit Service.
The Mishna and Talmud discuss when the Shaḥarit Service should be recited. The Shema must be recited from the period of time which begins with daybreak and ends after a quarter of the day has passed (Ber. 1:2; Shulḥan Arukh, Oraḥ Ḥayyim, 58:1). One must recite the Amidah during the hours encompassed by sunrise and a third of the day (Ber. 4:1; Shulḥan Arukh, Oraḥ Ḥayyim, 89:1). If by chance the recitation of the daily prayers was delayed they could be recited until midday (Ber. 4:1; Shulḥan Arukh, Oraḥ Ḥayyim 89:1). If the Shaḥarit Amidah is not recited, an extra Amidah is added during the Minḥaḥ, Afternoon Service.
During the daily weekday Shaḥarit Service the tallit, prayer shawl, and the tefillin, phylacteries, are worn. On the Sabbath and festivals only the tallit is worn. One wears neither tallit nor tefillin on the Ninth day of Av for the Shaḥarit Serivce but wears them instead for the Minḥah Service. One must not interupt one’s prayer by speaking from the prayer “Barukh she-Amar” which precedes the pesukei de-zimra until after the Amidah.
Editorial Staff, E. J., v. 14, pp. 1257-58. (Morning Prayers) on the Eve of Yom Kippur.
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Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim
“The order of confession (of sins)39Viddui, ודוי, confession of sins, is a prerequisite for expiation and atonement in the Bible for sins committed individually or collectively. In the Bible there is usually a pardoning by God following the confession. Examples of this are found in the stories of Cain, (Genesis 4:13) David, (Psalms 32,41,51, and 69), Judah with Tamar (Genesis 36:26), Achan and the spoils of Jerico (Joshua 7:19-21), Saul and the Amalekite booty (I Samuel 15:24-25). There are also examples of Biblical confessions made for the nation; Moses and the golden calf worshipping (Exodus 32:31), the high priest’s confession on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:6, 11, 21) and the confession of Ezra (9:6, 7, 15) and Nehemiah (1:6,7;9:2,33-35).
Prior to the destruction of the Temple confessions had to precede special sin and guilt sacrificial offerings. The person confessing had to place his hands upon the head of the animal sacrifice to transfer his sins to the animal (Leviticus 1:4). The Bible gives no wording for these confessions but there is in the Mishna the wording for the confession of the high priest on Yom Kippur: “O God, I have committed iniquity, transgressed, and sinned before Thee, I and my house. O God forgive the iniquities and transgressions and sins which I have committed and transgressed and sinned before Thee I and my house as it is written in the Law of Thy servant Moses, ‘For on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins shall ye be clean before the Lord’” (Leviticus 16:30; Yoma 3:8).
In rabbinic times it became an accepted custom to confess one's sins before seeking atonement and the confession of sins became an integral part of the synagogue ritual. On the Day of Atonement it became a focal point of the service. According to the Talmud (Yoma 87b) the simple statement "Truly, we have sinned" is sufficient for confession, but elaborate formulas of confession have evolved. The Ashamnu "We have incurred guilt" is the prayer on Yom Kippur that is inserted into the fourth benediction of the reader's repetition of the Amidah (see footnote 43). The prayer consists of two parts, each of which contains an alphabetical listing of sins probably committed by people during the year for which they are seeking atonement on Yom Kippur. The first alphabetical confession is known as the Viddui Katan, the "Small Confession". The second part of the Ashamnu is known as the Viddui Gadol, the "Great Confession". It is also known as the Al Ḥet "For the sin which I committed before Thee" which is the statement that precedes each specified sin. These confessionals are first mentioned in geonic liturgy (see footnote 19). Additions to the enumerated sins have evolved to include all possible transgressions since a person might have unintentionally forgotten about a sin during the year which must be confessed in order to receive atonement. The sins are all confessed in the first person plural, "we", communally, thus a person may even confess a sin he is sure he did not commit.
In addition to Yom Kippur, the Ashamnu is also recited during the Seliḥot Services prior to Yom Kippur (see footnote 14). It is also recited in the Minḥah Afternoon Service on the Eve of Yom Kippur and ten times during the Day itself.
The Ashamnu is also included in the daily service of the Ḥasidic rite, and on Monday and Thursday it is recited by the Sephardi, Italian, and Yemenite communities.
The viddui, confession of sins, can also be said by individuals silently at appropriate occasions especially when one is about to die. The viddui said on the Day of Atonement in the singular has become acceptable as a death confessional. A bridegroom also recites this viddui in the singular during the Minḥah Service before his wedding, the wedding day being considered a day of judgment for the bride and groom.
Editorial Staff, E. J., v. 5, pp. 878-80. during Minḥah40Minḥah, מנחה, is the Afternoon Service which is one of the three daily services, the Morning Service being called the Shaḥarit (see footnote 17) and the Evening Service being called the Arvit or Ma'ariv Service (see footnote 144). The Minḥah Service possibly derives its name from the minḥah sacrificial offering performed at the Temple in Jerusalem in the afternoon. A lamb was sacrificed at the Temple at dusk. The Minḥah Service consists of the following parts: the Ashrei (Psalm 145 preceded by Psalms 84:5 and 144:15 and closed by Psalm 115:18); the Amidah (see footnote 17); the Taḥanun (see footnote 10); and it is concluded with the Aleinu (see footnote 17).
On the Sabbath and on fast days a portion of the Torah is read before the Amidah and in some rites portions dealing with daily sacrifices are read before the Ashrei. On Sabbaths part of the portion from the Torah of the coming week is read.
The Minḥah Prayer can begin any time after the sixth and one-half hour of the day, which mean any time after 12:30 P. M. If Minḥah is prayed at this time of the day it is called Minḥah Gedolah or the "major" Minḥah. If Minḥah is prayed after the nine and one-half hour, which means after 3:30 P. M., it is called Minḥah Ketannah or the "minor" Minḥah. The Minḥah Service must though be completed before the twelfth hour, that is, before sunset, (Ber. 4:1; Ber 26b-27a).
The Shulḥan Arukh, Oraḥ Ḥayyim, 324 states that one may pray both Minḥah Gedolah and Minḥah Ketannah provided that one is obligatory (ḥovah) and the other is a voluntary act (reshut). But this is only allowed for the extremely pious.
The third meal on the Sabbath, Se'udah Shelishit is usually eaten between the Minḥah, Afternoon Service, and the Ma'ariv, or Evening Service. It has become the custom during the daily service to wait and begin the Minḥah Service shortly before sunset, so that the congregation can wait a few moments and then not have to reassemble (for a third time, having also assembled in the morning for Shaḥarit) for the Evening, Ma'ariv Service which on Sabbaths and holidays can be recited immediately following the sunset. On weekdays, it can be recited even before sunset.
cf., Aaron Rothkoff, E. J., v. 12, pp. 31-32. (the Afternoon Prayer) on the Eve of Yom Kippur” - Containing six paragraphs.
One needs to confess during Minḥah (the Afternoon Prayer) before the (last) meal before fasting.41Se'udah ha-Mafseket, סעודה המפסקת, is the term given to the last meal which is eaten immediately prior to the fast of Yom Kippur and the fast of Tishah be-Av. It contains the last food which is eaten until the fast has been completed.
Hagah: If one is alone he says it (the confessional) after he finished his Silent Prayer, but the public reader42Shelia'aḥ Ẓibbur, שליח צבור, is the public reader or the envoy or messenger of the community. It is the term given to an individual in public synagogue worship who officiates as the reader or the cantor, ḥazzan, the one who chants the liturgy. The main function of the sheli'aḥ ẓibbur is to lead the congregation in communal worship by chanting (or reading) aloud certain prayers or parts of them. He also recites the doxology of calling the congregation to worship (Barekhu) and he repeats the Amidah (see footnote 17 and 43). He also recites most Kaddish (see footnote 177) prayers which is a prayer in praise of God, and he leads the congregation in responsive readings and hymns. The Shulḥan Arukh, Oraḥ Ḥayyim, 53:4-9 lists the qualifications of a sheli'aḥ ẓibbur. He must have humility, be acceptable to the congregation, know the rules of prayer, and the proper pronunciation of the Hebrew text, have an agreeable voice, be properly dressed, and have a beard. The beard however was later not required except on the High Holydays. Except for the recital of hymns and psalms (e.g., pesukei de-zimra, see footnote 17) the sheli'aḥ ẓibbur had to be a male past the age of bar mitzvah, thirteen years old.
c.f., Editorial Staff, E. J., v. 14, pp. 1355-56. says his (confessional) on Yom Kippur during the Silent Prayer,43Ha-Tefillah, התפילה, "The Prayer" is a synonym for the Amidah, עמידה, the Silent Prayer said standing which is recited individually during each of the daily services, the Shaḥarit, Morning Service (see footnote 17), Minḥah, Afternoon Service (see footnote 40), and the Arvit (or Ma'ariv), the Evening Service (see footnote 144). It is also recited for the Musaf, the Additional Service (see footnote 166) on the Sabbath and festivals, and on Yom Kippur for a fifth time during the Ne'ilah, the concluding prayer (see footnote 191). During a congregational prayer that is when there is a minyan, a quorum of at least ten adult males, the reader (see footnote 41) repeats the Amidah outloud and on festivals a number of additions are made. Originally the repetition was for the uneducated people who did not know the prayers. Upon hearing each blessing they could respond, "Amen" and thus fulfill their religious obligation of reciting the Amidah. The Amidah of Arvit, the Evening Service, was originally optional but it long ago became obligatory to recite it silently but it is not repeated outloud except on the Sabbath eve when an abbreviated version of it in one single benediction is recited.
The word Ha-Tefillah for this prayer originated in the Talmud where it was referred to as "The Prayer" par excellence. It is also known as the Amidah for it is said "standing" and as the Shemoneh-Esreh (18) for it originally had eighteen benedictions in the daily worship while today it contains ninteen.
The Amidah takes on various forms for different occasions. On weekdays there are ninteen benedictions, on fast days an additional benediction is added when the reader repeats the prayer, (in ancient times on some public fasts six prayers were added to the regular ones, Ta'an. 2:2-4). On Sabbaths and festivals there are only seven benedictions in the Amidah except for the Musaf Service (see footnote 166) on Rosh HaShanah where there are nine. All the various forms of the Amidah have six blessings in common, the first and last three, with the middle changing according to the occasion. The first three benedictions praise God and the last three basically express thanksgiving. On the weekdays the intermediate benedictions are petitions and the Amidah is therefore predominantly a prayer of supplication where praise, petition, and thanksgiving are included. In most of the benedictions the one praying addresses God as "Thou" for it is through the Amidah that one communicates with God. The pronoun, "we" is also used throughout the Amidah which indicates that it is to be a communal prayer. Even though at times it is said individually, the worshipper is considered a member of the congregation. On Sabbaths and on festivals the central prayer concerns the specialness of the day or one aspect of that part of the day (that is, morning, afternoon, or evening on the Sabbath), and there is no petition, only praise, the special blessing of the day, and thanksgiving.
On the Day of Atonement the central blessing called Kedushat ha-Yom, the sanctification of the day, is concluded specially as follows: "Barukh…Melekh moḥel ve-sole'aḥ le-avonoteinu…mekaddesh Yisrael ve-Yom ha-Kippurim," "Blessed…King who pardons and forgives our iniquities…who sanctifies Israel and the Day of Atonement". On Yom Kippur also the third blessing (of the first three standard blessings of praise) is elaborated to contain the prayer "u-Vekhen Ten Paḥekha", "Now therefore impose Thy awe", which is an ancient petition for the eschatological Kingdom of God. On the Day of Atonement the silent recital of the Amidah is followed by the viddui, a confession of sins (see footnote 39) which is not written as a benediction. When the reader repeats the Amidah the viddui is inserted into the fourth, the central, benediction. Two confessions are recited, one short and one long which are both arranged in alphabetical order. The sins which every person might have committed during the year are included and enumerated upon. Since this prayer is part of community worship, the pronoun "we" is used, "we have transgressed, etc." (see also footnote 17).
Joseph Heinemann, E. J., v. 2, pp. 838-45. (טור).44Tur, טור, see footnote 23.
Prior to the destruction of the Temple confessions had to precede special sin and guilt sacrificial offerings. The person confessing had to place his hands upon the head of the animal sacrifice to transfer his sins to the animal (Leviticus 1:4). The Bible gives no wording for these confessions but there is in the Mishna the wording for the confession of the high priest on Yom Kippur: “O God, I have committed iniquity, transgressed, and sinned before Thee, I and my house. O God forgive the iniquities and transgressions and sins which I have committed and transgressed and sinned before Thee I and my house as it is written in the Law of Thy servant Moses, ‘For on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins shall ye be clean before the Lord’” (Leviticus 16:30; Yoma 3:8).
In rabbinic times it became an accepted custom to confess one's sins before seeking atonement and the confession of sins became an integral part of the synagogue ritual. On the Day of Atonement it became a focal point of the service. According to the Talmud (Yoma 87b) the simple statement "Truly, we have sinned" is sufficient for confession, but elaborate formulas of confession have evolved. The Ashamnu "We have incurred guilt" is the prayer on Yom Kippur that is inserted into the fourth benediction of the reader's repetition of the Amidah (see footnote 43). The prayer consists of two parts, each of which contains an alphabetical listing of sins probably committed by people during the year for which they are seeking atonement on Yom Kippur. The first alphabetical confession is known as the Viddui Katan, the "Small Confession". The second part of the Ashamnu is known as the Viddui Gadol, the "Great Confession". It is also known as the Al Ḥet "For the sin which I committed before Thee" which is the statement that precedes each specified sin. These confessionals are first mentioned in geonic liturgy (see footnote 19). Additions to the enumerated sins have evolved to include all possible transgressions since a person might have unintentionally forgotten about a sin during the year which must be confessed in order to receive atonement. The sins are all confessed in the first person plural, "we", communally, thus a person may even confess a sin he is sure he did not commit.
In addition to Yom Kippur, the Ashamnu is also recited during the Seliḥot Services prior to Yom Kippur (see footnote 14). It is also recited in the Minḥah Afternoon Service on the Eve of Yom Kippur and ten times during the Day itself.
The Ashamnu is also included in the daily service of the Ḥasidic rite, and on Monday and Thursday it is recited by the Sephardi, Italian, and Yemenite communities.
The viddui, confession of sins, can also be said by individuals silently at appropriate occasions especially when one is about to die. The viddui said on the Day of Atonement in the singular has become acceptable as a death confessional. A bridegroom also recites this viddui in the singular during the Minḥah Service before his wedding, the wedding day being considered a day of judgment for the bride and groom.
Editorial Staff, E. J., v. 5, pp. 878-80. during Minḥah40Minḥah, מנחה, is the Afternoon Service which is one of the three daily services, the Morning Service being called the Shaḥarit (see footnote 17) and the Evening Service being called the Arvit or Ma'ariv Service (see footnote 144). The Minḥah Service possibly derives its name from the minḥah sacrificial offering performed at the Temple in Jerusalem in the afternoon. A lamb was sacrificed at the Temple at dusk. The Minḥah Service consists of the following parts: the Ashrei (Psalm 145 preceded by Psalms 84:5 and 144:15 and closed by Psalm 115:18); the Amidah (see footnote 17); the Taḥanun (see footnote 10); and it is concluded with the Aleinu (see footnote 17).
On the Sabbath and on fast days a portion of the Torah is read before the Amidah and in some rites portions dealing with daily sacrifices are read before the Ashrei. On Sabbaths part of the portion from the Torah of the coming week is read.
The Minḥah Prayer can begin any time after the sixth and one-half hour of the day, which mean any time after 12:30 P. M. If Minḥah is prayed at this time of the day it is called Minḥah Gedolah or the "major" Minḥah. If Minḥah is prayed after the nine and one-half hour, which means after 3:30 P. M., it is called Minḥah Ketannah or the "minor" Minḥah. The Minḥah Service must though be completed before the twelfth hour, that is, before sunset, (Ber. 4:1; Ber 26b-27a).
The Shulḥan Arukh, Oraḥ Ḥayyim, 324 states that one may pray both Minḥah Gedolah and Minḥah Ketannah provided that one is obligatory (ḥovah) and the other is a voluntary act (reshut). But this is only allowed for the extremely pious.
The third meal on the Sabbath, Se'udah Shelishit is usually eaten between the Minḥah, Afternoon Service, and the Ma'ariv, or Evening Service. It has become the custom during the daily service to wait and begin the Minḥah Service shortly before sunset, so that the congregation can wait a few moments and then not have to reassemble (for a third time, having also assembled in the morning for Shaḥarit) for the Evening, Ma'ariv Service which on Sabbaths and holidays can be recited immediately following the sunset. On weekdays, it can be recited even before sunset.
cf., Aaron Rothkoff, E. J., v. 12, pp. 31-32. (the Afternoon Prayer) on the Eve of Yom Kippur” - Containing six paragraphs.
One needs to confess during Minḥah (the Afternoon Prayer) before the (last) meal before fasting.41Se'udah ha-Mafseket, סעודה המפסקת, is the term given to the last meal which is eaten immediately prior to the fast of Yom Kippur and the fast of Tishah be-Av. It contains the last food which is eaten until the fast has been completed.
Hagah: If one is alone he says it (the confessional) after he finished his Silent Prayer, but the public reader42Shelia'aḥ Ẓibbur, שליח צבור, is the public reader or the envoy or messenger of the community. It is the term given to an individual in public synagogue worship who officiates as the reader or the cantor, ḥazzan, the one who chants the liturgy. The main function of the sheli'aḥ ẓibbur is to lead the congregation in communal worship by chanting (or reading) aloud certain prayers or parts of them. He also recites the doxology of calling the congregation to worship (Barekhu) and he repeats the Amidah (see footnote 17 and 43). He also recites most Kaddish (see footnote 177) prayers which is a prayer in praise of God, and he leads the congregation in responsive readings and hymns. The Shulḥan Arukh, Oraḥ Ḥayyim, 53:4-9 lists the qualifications of a sheli'aḥ ẓibbur. He must have humility, be acceptable to the congregation, know the rules of prayer, and the proper pronunciation of the Hebrew text, have an agreeable voice, be properly dressed, and have a beard. The beard however was later not required except on the High Holydays. Except for the recital of hymns and psalms (e.g., pesukei de-zimra, see footnote 17) the sheli'aḥ ẓibbur had to be a male past the age of bar mitzvah, thirteen years old.
c.f., Editorial Staff, E. J., v. 14, pp. 1355-56. says his (confessional) on Yom Kippur during the Silent Prayer,43Ha-Tefillah, התפילה, "The Prayer" is a synonym for the Amidah, עמידה, the Silent Prayer said standing which is recited individually during each of the daily services, the Shaḥarit, Morning Service (see footnote 17), Minḥah, Afternoon Service (see footnote 40), and the Arvit (or Ma'ariv), the Evening Service (see footnote 144). It is also recited for the Musaf, the Additional Service (see footnote 166) on the Sabbath and festivals, and on Yom Kippur for a fifth time during the Ne'ilah, the concluding prayer (see footnote 191). During a congregational prayer that is when there is a minyan, a quorum of at least ten adult males, the reader (see footnote 41) repeats the Amidah outloud and on festivals a number of additions are made. Originally the repetition was for the uneducated people who did not know the prayers. Upon hearing each blessing they could respond, "Amen" and thus fulfill their religious obligation of reciting the Amidah. The Amidah of Arvit, the Evening Service, was originally optional but it long ago became obligatory to recite it silently but it is not repeated outloud except on the Sabbath eve when an abbreviated version of it in one single benediction is recited.
The word Ha-Tefillah for this prayer originated in the Talmud where it was referred to as "The Prayer" par excellence. It is also known as the Amidah for it is said "standing" and as the Shemoneh-Esreh (18) for it originally had eighteen benedictions in the daily worship while today it contains ninteen.
The Amidah takes on various forms for different occasions. On weekdays there are ninteen benedictions, on fast days an additional benediction is added when the reader repeats the prayer, (in ancient times on some public fasts six prayers were added to the regular ones, Ta'an. 2:2-4). On Sabbaths and festivals there are only seven benedictions in the Amidah except for the Musaf Service (see footnote 166) on Rosh HaShanah where there are nine. All the various forms of the Amidah have six blessings in common, the first and last three, with the middle changing according to the occasion. The first three benedictions praise God and the last three basically express thanksgiving. On the weekdays the intermediate benedictions are petitions and the Amidah is therefore predominantly a prayer of supplication where praise, petition, and thanksgiving are included. In most of the benedictions the one praying addresses God as "Thou" for it is through the Amidah that one communicates with God. The pronoun, "we" is also used throughout the Amidah which indicates that it is to be a communal prayer. Even though at times it is said individually, the worshipper is considered a member of the congregation. On Sabbaths and on festivals the central prayer concerns the specialness of the day or one aspect of that part of the day (that is, morning, afternoon, or evening on the Sabbath), and there is no petition, only praise, the special blessing of the day, and thanksgiving.
On the Day of Atonement the central blessing called Kedushat ha-Yom, the sanctification of the day, is concluded specially as follows: "Barukh…Melekh moḥel ve-sole'aḥ le-avonoteinu…mekaddesh Yisrael ve-Yom ha-Kippurim," "Blessed…King who pardons and forgives our iniquities…who sanctifies Israel and the Day of Atonement". On Yom Kippur also the third blessing (of the first three standard blessings of praise) is elaborated to contain the prayer "u-Vekhen Ten Paḥekha", "Now therefore impose Thy awe", which is an ancient petition for the eschatological Kingdom of God. On the Day of Atonement the silent recital of the Amidah is followed by the viddui, a confession of sins (see footnote 39) which is not written as a benediction. When the reader repeats the Amidah the viddui is inserted into the fourth, the central, benediction. Two confessions are recited, one short and one long which are both arranged in alphabetical order. The sins which every person might have committed during the year are included and enumerated upon. Since this prayer is part of community worship, the pronoun "we" is used, "we have transgressed, etc." (see also footnote 17).
Joseph Heinemann, E. J., v. 2, pp. 838-45. (טור).44Tur, טור, see footnote 23.
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