Torah and Jewish Idea > Torah and Jewish Idea
Which prayers, and how many times, do I make each day, ideally?
Ari Ben-Canaan:
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!
muman613:
--- Quote from: Ariel Shayn 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!
--- End quote ---
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).
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--- 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.
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muman613:
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...
muman613:
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
Ari Ben-Canaan:
--- Quote from: muman613 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
--- End quote ---
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.
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