Author Topic: Which prayers, and how many times, do I make each day, ideally?  (Read 3999 times)

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Offline Ari Ben-Canaan

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Which prayers, and how many times, do I make each day, ideally?
« on: January 26, 2010, 10:43:51 PM »
I really do not know.  I say the, "Sh'ma", at least 3 times a day.  Other impromptu things, like health for my parents, or something of that nature throughout the day.  I have gotten myself a music stand for sheet music, and I have my Siddur [Mishkan T'Filah: A Reform Siddur] on it ready for use.

Chaim says we are to do a specific prayer 3 times a day, and I do not think it is the "Sh'ma", I would like to start including that one.

A check-list may be the ideal answer.  I feel cheezy like I am not doing enough prayers.

http://www.chabadso.com/dailystudy/default.htm
^I do studies on this page from Chabad.  Torah w/ Rashi, some Rambam studies, Tanya...  these are new to me [in this large of a dose!], but well known from my previous studies with a more humble repository of books.

http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/index.htm
^This page, wow!
"You must keep the arab under your boot or he will be at your throat" -Unknown

"When we tell the Arab, ‘Come, I want to help you and see to your needs,’ he doesn’t look at us like gentlemen. He sees weakness and then the wolf shows what he can do.” - Maimonides

 “I am all peace, but when I speak, they are for war.” -Psalms 120:7

"The difference between a Jewish liberal and a Jewish conservative is that when a Jewish liberal walks out of the Holocaust Museum, he feels, "This shows why we need to have more tolerance and multiculturalism." The Jewish conservative feels, "We should have killed a lot more Nazis, and sooner."" - Philip Klein

Offline muman613

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Re: Which prayers, and how many times, do I make each day, ideally?
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2010, 11:07:37 PM »
I really do not know.  I say the, "Sh'ma", at least 3 times a day.  Other impromptu things, like health for my parents, or something of that nature throughout the day.  I have gotten myself a music stand for sheet music, and I have my Siddur [Mishkan T'Filah: A Reform Siddur] on it ready for use.

Chaim says we are to do a specific prayer 3 times a day, and I do not think it is the "Sh'ma", I would like to start including that one.

A check-list may be the ideal answer.  I feel cheezy like I am not doing enough prayers.

http://www.chabadso.com/dailystudy/default.htm
^I do studies on this page from Chabad.  Torah w/ Rashi, some Rambam studies, Tanya...  these are new to me [in this large of a dose!], but well known from my previous studies with a more humble repository of books.

http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/index.htm
^This page, wow!

The most important prayer for the Jew is the Amidah, or the Shemone Esrei {The standing prayer}. We say this prayer during the morning, the noon, and the afternoon prayers...

There are 19 Brachas {Blessings} which compose this prayer...

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/867674/jewish/Translation.htm

Quote
http://www.jewfaq.org/liturgy.htm

Navigating the Siddur

If you've never been to a Jewish religious service, following along can be quite a challenge! Even if you are experienced, it's possible to get lost at times. In fact, a friend of mine tells me she once heard a song called "The I-Don't-Know-What-Page-We're-On-In-The-Siddur Blues"! In most synagogues, the person leading the service will periodically tell you what page they are on, particularly when portions of the service are skipped. In some synagogues, they even have a flip-board with the page numbers on it. Here are a few hints to help you stay with the group, even if the leader isn't providing such assistance:

The biggest trick is being aware of the structure of the siddur itself. The siddurs most commonly used in Orthodox and Conservative synagogues include within a single volume all of the prayers for all four prayer services (Shacharit, Musaf, Minchah and Ma'ariv). Make sure you know which service you are attending. Normally, services are held at two times of the day: morning (Shacharit and Musaf) and early evening (Minchah and Ma'ariv). The morning services are generally at the beginning of the siddur, while the afternoon and evening services are normally in the middle.

Most siddurs include weekdays, Shabbat and most festivals in a single volume. (Exception: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur have such extensive additions that they have their own separate siddur called a machzor). To save space, the sections are not laid out exactly in the order they are recited, so you may need to skip around the book a bit for certain sections. Usually, the prayer leader will tell you when you are skipping around, but sometimes they will not. Watch for notes in the siddur that will tell you to skip to different sections depending on whether it is: 1) Shabbat; 2) a Festival (i.e., non-working day); 3) Chol Ha-Mo'ed (intermediate days of festivals); 4) Rosh Chodesh (the first day of a Jewish month); or 5) a weekday. Most of the major skips will occur at the breaks in sections described above under Outline of Services above. For example, a Shabbat morning service on Rosh Chodesh (the first of the month) in my siddur would begin with a generic Morning Blessings, then would skip 200 pages forward for a Shabbat/Festival P'sukei D'Zimra, Shema and Shemoneh Esrei., then forward 200 pages to pick up Hallel (which is recited on Rosh Chodesh), then back to where I came from for the Torah reading, followed by the Musaf Shemoneh Esrei and the closing blessings.

Another skip that is confusing for most newcomers is the Shemoneh Esrei (also called the Amidah). At the beginning of the Shemoneh Esrei, the congregants stand. They read through the entire prayer silently, skipping the Kedushah blessing and the Priestly Blessing. This is a very long prayer -- 10-20 pages in my siddur. The process may take as much as five minutes, and the end is not always clearly marked. Watch for Oseh Shalom (May He who makes peace in his heights make peace for us and for all Israel, and let us say Amen). The Shemoneh Esrei ends with the paragraph after that one. The leader of the service then begins repeating the entire Shemoneh Esrei aloud, and you must flip back to the beginning to read along with it. (Note: the Shemoneh Esrei is not repeated at Ma'ariv).


Quote
http://www.mechon-mamre.org/jewfaq/liturgy.htm
After the Exile, these daily prayer services continued.  In the 5th century B.C.E., the Men of the Great Assembly composed a basic prayer, covering just about everything you could want to pray about.  This is the "Shemoneh Esrei", which means 18 and refers to the 18 blessings originally contained within the prayer.  It is also referred to as the Amidah (standing, because we stand while we recite it), or Tefillah (prayer, as in The Prayer, because it is the essence of all Jewish prayer).  This prayer is the cornerstone of every Jewish service.

The blessings of the Shemoneh Esrei can be broken down into 3 groups:  three blessings praising God, thirteen making requests (forgiveness, redemption, health, prosperity, rain in its season, ingathering of exiles, etc.), and three expressing gratitude and taking leave.  But wait!  That is 19!  And did we not just say that this prayer is called 18?

One of the thirteen requests (the one against heretics) was added around the 2nd century C.E., in response to the growing threat of heresy (primarily Christianity), but at that time, the prayer was already commonly known as the Shemoneh Esrei, and the name stuck, even though there were now 19 blessings.
You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline muman613

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Re: Which prayers, and how many times, do I make each day, ideally?
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2010, 11:15:22 PM »
By the way, one should daven the entire service as layed out in the siddur and not just pick and choose which prayers to daven... The men of the great assembly composed the order for many mystical and kabbalistic reasons...

You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline muman613

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Re: Which prayers, and how many times, do I make each day, ideally?
« Reply #3 on: January 26, 2010, 11:17:27 PM »
 I also recommend getting a 'real' siddur, not a reform siddur...

I recommend the Artscroll siddur which includes the Hebrew and the translations...

http://www.artscroll.com/Categories/pe1.html
You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline Ari Ben-Canaan

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Re: Which prayers, and how many times, do I make each day, ideally?
« Reply #4 on: January 26, 2010, 11:56:33 PM »
I also recommend getting a 'real' siddur, not a reform siddur...

I recommend the Artscroll siddur which includes the Hebrew and the translations...

http://www.artscroll.com/Categories/pe1.html

I do have a bit of buyers remorse in choosing a Reform Siddur.  It is the same exact kind I use in service if I attend a Reform Synagogue nearby, I dont know why I got the same kind they have, I guess it was more famliar than the rest.  My Reform Siddur will be a nice memory if I get a Siddur I enjoy more, although I enjoy my Reform Synagogue, I am finding myself wanting to branch out more.

-Thank you.
I have been listening to some "Tayna" from Chabadso.com, the website for a Shul I may visit for I live close [enough] by.  I am curious what types of Siddurs they use.  I have heard Chabad is a really good place to learn many things about Judaism.  And their web stuff is really enjoyable.

If I attend a Chabad synagogue, will I be out of place without a black suit and hat?  I usually wear a sports coat, collared shirt, dress pants/socks/shoes etc...  but no tie...  I guess I could solve that with a phone call.
"You must keep the arab under your boot or he will be at your throat" -Unknown

"When we tell the Arab, ‘Come, I want to help you and see to your needs,’ he doesn’t look at us like gentlemen. He sees weakness and then the wolf shows what he can do.” - Maimonides

 “I am all peace, but when I speak, they are for war.” -Psalms 120:7

"The difference between a Jewish liberal and a Jewish conservative is that when a Jewish liberal walks out of the Holocaust Museum, he feels, "This shows why we need to have more tolerance and multiculturalism." The Jewish conservative feels, "We should have killed a lot more Nazis, and sooner."" - Philip Klein

Offline Kahane-Was-Right BT

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Re: Which prayers, and how many times, do I make each day, ideally?
« Reply #5 on: January 27, 2010, 04:57:55 PM »
By the way, one should daven the entire service as layed out in the siddur and not just pick and choose which prayers to daven... The men of the great assembly composed the order for many mystical and kabbalistic reasons...



Uh, ok... But if a person is just starting out, there is no way he can just adopt the entire siddur in one swoop.   When I first became religious my rabbi advised me to start by saying the shema and shemoneh esray.   The shema should be twice a day, once in the morning and once before bed, and the shemoneh esray (amidah) if a person can do it 3 times a day that is ideal, but just starting out it may not be realistic... test the waters with it.  At least try it once a day first if you've never said it before, become accustomed to the prayers and make them heartfelt.

It is certainly not possible to jump in with a minyan 3 times a day right off the bat.... Try for shemoneh esray (the "amidah"), 3 times a day is ideal, (but like I said that may be too much at first) and if you can make to an orthodox shul try also a minyan once in a while, a few times a week, or on Shabbat.  Build up from there.    Shabbat is a good time to daven with a minyan when you're first starting out.  Otherwise build on praying alone until you become more set with it.  My rabbi (one of them anyway, my main rabbi when I first started out) has been through this with many baalei teshuvah, and he knows (he told this to me) that people who try to take on too much too quickly end up burning out and dropping everything.

The real keys to first getting started are threefold:   Shabbat, kashrut, and tefillin.   If you are saying shema and working on these 3 things, everything else will eventually fall into place.    So see if you can spend Shabbat with an Orthodox family and learn about the different customs and laws that make Shabbat beautiful, try to ease kosher food into your diet while phasing out the nonkosher stuff.   Taking on kashrut can be a gradual process, I know it was for me.   If you have access to a pair of tefillin, that is the third pillar for a strategic initiation into Judaism, and all it takes is really 5 minutes to put them on each day and say the shema with them (the one you say in the morning).

So what you are saying muman is not appropriate for someone just getting started with praying.   Why should they be forcing themself to go through korbanot and psukei dzimra etc etc, they havent even said the amida before!   Seriously, you can't go overboard with stuff like this, and muman you should know better since I'm sure you started off gradually yourself in what mitzvahs you took on.   Don't cause people to burn out when they are just getting into Judaism.   

Ariel, it's a growth process that can take time and work and will be gradual.   Start with some very heartfelt and sincere prayers each day and the shema.  The shema is a very critical prayer.   You will only grow from there.   When you feel solid and accustomed to a certain level you can start to do more and try to build on that.  A good idea would be to contact an orthodox rav, one who has experience with baalei teshuvah, to be in contact with him and consult with him about taking on different practices etc.   They will help guide you so that it will be a growth at the right pace and where you will not become overwhelmed.

Offline Kahane-Was-Right BT

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Re: Which prayers, and how many times, do I make each day, ideally?
« Reply #6 on: January 27, 2010, 05:00:26 PM »

If I attend a Chabad synagogue, will I be out of place without a black suit and hat?  I usually wear a sports coat, collared shirt, dress pants/socks/shoes etc...  but no tie...  I guess I could solve that with a phone call.

The Artscroll english translation siddur is a great one which I highly recommend.  That was huge for me when I was getting started.

As to the dress you describe, that should be fine, Chabad is usually very nonjudgemental.  A sports coat and collared shirt with dress pants is very stylish in my opinion.   Just be yourself, I'm sure there will be others not all dressed the same.   But on the bright side, even if you are the only one without a suit, everyone will notice you are a newcomer and all will want to talk to you.   But a call would be a good idea too.

Offline muman613

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Re: Which prayers, and how many times, do I make each day, ideally?
« Reply #7 on: January 27, 2010, 07:16:46 PM »
I agree with KWRBT on this...

Dont burn out trying to do more than you can handle... I would recommend trying to find a good Orthodox Rabbi, if possible, who will discuss with you where you are holding now, and advise you what you can do to take on the mitzvot without overloading.

Also regarding Chabad... They don't care how you dress. Unless you want to become a Lubavitch Chassid then maybe you can take on their style of dress... I attend Chabad wearing my normal work clothes and they have never said or done anything which would lead me to believe they insist I dress like they do...

You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline Ari Ben-Canaan

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Re: Which prayers, and how many times, do I make each day, ideally?
« Reply #8 on: January 27, 2010, 10:10:13 PM »
KWRBT and Muman; thank you both so much.  I have a great, short, powerful thread here with all of my questions answered in a way I can bookmark and come back to.  You guys did some real mitzvoth! :)
"You must keep the arab under your boot or he will be at your throat" -Unknown

"When we tell the Arab, ‘Come, I want to help you and see to your needs,’ he doesn’t look at us like gentlemen. He sees weakness and then the wolf shows what he can do.” - Maimonides

 “I am all peace, but when I speak, they are for war.” -Psalms 120:7

"The difference between a Jewish liberal and a Jewish conservative is that when a Jewish liberal walks out of the Holocaust Museum, he feels, "This shows why we need to have more tolerance and multiculturalism." The Jewish conservative feels, "We should have killed a lot more Nazis, and sooner."" - Philip Klein

Offline muman613

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Re: Which prayers, and how many times, do I make each day, ideally?
« Reply #9 on: January 27, 2010, 10:26:39 PM »
Ariel,

I also find that I learn a lot listening and watching the Rabbis at http://www.torahanytime.com .

I must watch about 2 hours of Torah learning each day, usually regarding this weeks Parasha {Torah portion} and various Halachot {Jewish Laws}...

Latest Topics @ TorahAnyTime:

Rabbi Yossi Mizrachi : Charity and Tithing ENGLISH
Rabbi Daniel Staum : Beracha of Al Hatzadikim part 3
Rabbi Yosef Chaim Schwab     :  Parshas BO
Rabbi Benjamin Geiger :  The Need For The Hidden Kindness of Hashem
Rabbi Yehuda Moses :  Parashat Beshalach: The Splitting of the Red Sea

Every one of these Rabbis, according to my understanding, teaches Yeshiva level Judaism...

You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline Ari Ben-Canaan

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Re: Which prayers, and how many times, do I make each day, ideally?
« Reply #10 on: January 27, 2010, 11:20:41 PM »
Ariel,

I also find that I learn a lot listening and watching the Rabbis at http://www.torahanytime.com .

I must watch about 2 hours of Torah learning each day, usually regarding this weeks Parasha {Torah portion} and various Halachot {Jewish Laws}...

Latest Topics @ TorahAnyTime:

Rabbi Yossi Mizrachi : Charity and Tithing ENGLISH
Rabbi Daniel Staum : Beracha of Al Hatzadikim part 3
Rabbi Yosef Chaim Schwab     :  Parashat BO
Rabbi Benjamin Geiger :  The Need For The Hidden Kindness of Hashem
Rabbi Yehuda Moses :  Parashat Beshalach: The Splitting of the Red Sea

Every one of these Rabbis, according to my understanding, teaches Yeshiva level Judaism...



Thank you, again!

*bookmarked*
 :)
"You must keep the arab under your boot or he will be at your throat" -Unknown

"When we tell the Arab, ‘Come, I want to help you and see to your needs,’ he doesn’t look at us like gentlemen. He sees weakness and then the wolf shows what he can do.” - Maimonides

 “I am all peace, but when I speak, they are for war.” -Psalms 120:7

"The difference between a Jewish liberal and a Jewish conservative is that when a Jewish liberal walks out of the Holocaust Museum, he feels, "This shows why we need to have more tolerance and multiculturalism." The Jewish conservative feels, "We should have killed a lot more Nazis, and sooner."" - Philip Klein