Tefillah Blog

Learning

Now that we have reached the height of the service we step back and read from the Five Books of Moses (the Torah). Looking up at the Ark of the Covenant which holds the Torah scrolls you see above it a phrase which reads "know before whom you stand". That sum up this section fairly well it is a time of learning, learning God's law and our history. The practice seems to have originated with Ezra (about 2,400 years ago) upon the return from the first exile as people realized they no longer knew the teachings of God. Eventually around 300 BCE the regular reading of the Torah became accepted practice with local synagogues leading to the ritual we are now familiar with around 1900 years ago. There were two customs an Israeli custom that divided the Torah into a three year cycle and a Babylonian tradition that was an annual cycle. Today's traditional services follow the annual cycle whereas Reform and Conservative services use a three year variant.

This section is called in Hebrew K'riat HaTorah which means the reading of the instruction. The root of reading is koreh which is related closely to the Arabic Koran and follows its meaning. Readings take place on Shabbat, Monday and Thursday mornings along with certain holidays.

• Ein Komocha (None like You)
• Adonai Melech (LORD is King)
• Av HaRachamim (Merciful Father)
• Va'y'hi Binso'a (And the Ark was carried)
• Ki MiTzion (go forth from Zion)
• Baruch Shenatan (Blessed is He who gave us the Torah)
• Adonai, Adonai (LORD, LORD) Exodus 34:6-7
• Sh'ma (Deut 6:4)
• Echad Eloheinu (Our God is One)
• Gadlu l'Adonai (Exalt the LORD) Psalms 34:4
• L'cha Adonai (To You LORD)
• Birchot HaTorah (Torah blessings)
• K'riat HaTorah (Torah reading)
• Birchat HaGomeil (blessing to one who has completed a dangerous experience)
• Mi Sheberach (blessings on behalf of each person called up to the Torah)
• Chatzi Kaddish (section break)
• V'zot HaTorah (Deut 4:44, Numbers 9:23)
• Bichot Haftarah (blessings of the other readings)
• K'riat Haftarah (additional reading linked to weekly Torah portion)
• Y'kum Purkan (Shabbat only - May Salvation Come)
• Prayers for the government
• Birkat HaChodesh (special blessings only upon the new moon)
• Ashrei (Psalm 145)
• Y'hal'lu (Let them praise)
• Hodu al Eretz (Psalm 148:13-14)
• Psalm 29 (on Shabbat)
• Psalm 24 (on Festivals)
• Uv'nucho Yomar (When the Ark rested Moses said)
• Chatzi Kaddish

The Jewish Bible is called the Tanach and corresponds to the Christian Old Testament . The Tanach is made of three sections: Torah, Prophets and Writings. The Haftarah is a reading from the Prophets or Writings.

When the Ark is opened the dramatic Va'y'hi Binso'a is sung which recounts how the enemies of Israel were scattered as the Ark was carried. As the Torah scrolls are carried around the sanctuary we kiss the Torah and follow its procession without turning our back on it.

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach told a story that "when the Ark was first lifted it was so heavy that it seemed impossible to carry. But once the Levites had it upon their shoulders it was so light that it carried them" as a parable to our struggle to embrace the Torah yet the effect it can have upon us.

On Shabbat morning seven honors are given to the Torah reading - traditionally given first to a descendant of the High Priests (cohanim) and then to the tribe of Levi followed by the rest of Israel. (Other services get a fewer number of honors.)

Then as the Ark is returned after the Torah service the striking V'zot HaTorah is sung which asks us to return us to God. We call the Torah the Tree of Life which in Genesis is considered the key to eternal life. Indeed deeds, remembering and learning are core to Jewish life.

The Prayer

We have now reached the core of the local worship experience with is the Amidah (also called the Sh'moneh Esrei or Eighteen Blessings and also called Tefillah or The Prayer.) The structure of these 18 blessings is thought to have originated after the destruction of the Temple around 1900 years ago and was meant to replace the Temple sacrificial services. Amidah means "standing" which is one of the traditional positions one would show respect and reverence (similarly kneeling or face down in prostration) as one might address a King. (Some say their is a remarkable similarity between the Jewish Amidah and the Christian core Lord's Prayer which were adopted around the same time. Perhaps a similar notion could also be considered with the Islamic Salat or Sura 1 in that these prayers all deal with similar concepts in addressing God.) A 19th blessing was added in the 2nd century and a personal meditation in the 4th century but we still call it the 18 blessings.

We progressed from the Sh'ma section directly into the Amidah with the tradition that this is to be a transition without interruption. If we use my metaphor of climbing the mountain (Praise) then approaching the Sanctuary (Sh'ma) then in the Amidah we now enter into God's Presence (or Holiness). A nice analogy to not interrupting the flow would be like knocking on the door of the King's palace but leaving before He could answer it.

We begin quietly with an introductory phrase and facing toward Jerusalem take three small steps forward ending in a bow that begins the first blessing:

Blessings of Praise:
1. Avot (Fathers) - The God of our ancestors
2. G'vurot (Strength) - The God who raises the dead and great to bring salvation
3. Kedushah (Holiness) - The God who is Holy (we literally rise up three times upon our toes recalling how the Angels praise God and is LORD of the Armies)

Prayers of Personal Petition:
4. Binah (Wisdom) - Teach us understanding (a great way to begin to ask is to request the wisdom to ask for the right things)
5. T'shuvah (Repentance) - Turn us back to You 
6. Slichah (Forgiveness) - Forgive us
7. G'ulah (Salvation) - Redeem us
8. Refu'ah (Healing) - Heal us completely
9. Shanim (Years of sustenance) - Bless us with your bounty and produce of the land

Prayers of Communal Petition:
10. Galuyot (Exile) - Gather us back from the exile
11. Din (Judgement) - Restore our judges, God of justice
12. Oyevim (Enemies) - God who shatters our enemies (19th prayer added originally due to sectarians)
13. Tzadikim (Righteous) - We have faith in God
14. Yerushalim (Jerusalem) - Jerusalem is where the throne of David will sit
15. Mashiach (Messiah) - We wait for the light of deliverance
16. Shomei Tefillah (Hear our prayers) - God hears our prayers

Prayers of Thanksgiving:
17. Avodah (Worship) - May our worship always be according to God's will
18. Modim (Thanks) - We give thanks to God who holds our lives and souls
19. Shalom (Wholeness) - God makes us complete and at peace

(On Shabbat the prayers of petition are replaced by a prayer thanking God for the Sabbath.)

At the conclusion of the Amidah we add personal prayers silently and meditation by this point our problems are now in perspective and alignment with God's will helping us to present them properly.

I also used this particular class to present the use of Tefillin since the Amidah is the apex of Jewish prayer and the Tefillin are a Holy expression of our relationship with God. It is a typically Jewish way of taking a very abstract thing and making it concrete. We wear a little box on our head and an arm with passages that remind us that God's guidance is to be sign on our hands and a memorial between our eyes and God's word shall be in our mouth. Perhaps wearing the box on our head blesses our mind and the one on the arm gives us strength. Tefillin are worn during weekday morning services by males who have reached Bar Mitzvah although women may wear them as well.

A passage in the Talmud teaches us that our Tefillin talk to God about loving him and doing his works and God puts on Tefillin that talk abut His hopes for us.

Some see the manner in which we wrap the leather strips around our fingers as a marriage ceremony between us and God as we repeat Hosea 2:21-22 (Hosea 2:19-20 in Christian bibles - we tend to count verses a bit differently). Just as with the Amidah the Tefillin can be a very powerful and personal observance.

Approaching the Sanctuary

The third section of the morning service is Sh'ma Uvirchotecha which embodies the central creed of Judaism.  The evening service contains the same basic components:

1. Call to Worship
2. Creation
3. Revelation
4. Sh'ma (Mitzvot)
5. Redemption

The specific passages per service are:

Evening Service (Ma'ariv)

• Barchu (call to worship)
• Ma'ariv (creation)
• Ahavat Olam (revelation)
• Sh'ma (Deuteronomy 6:4)
• Geulah (redemption)
• Hashkiveinu
• Baruch Adonai L'olam
• V'shamru (Shabbat only)

Morning Service (Shacharit)

• Barchu (call to worship)
• Yotzer Or (creation)
• Ahavah Rabbah (revelation)
• Sh'ma
• Ge'ulah (redemption)
• Tzur Israel (arise rock of Israel)

The barchu is a communal call to worship and reinforces the concept of group prayer. The reference in Psalm 82:1 to the congregation is also used in Numbers 14:27 to refer to the ten spies and is seen in Jewish tradition as one reason ten adults are required within a minyan. This is the formal beginning of worship and as imagery you can consider that we have climbed up to the Temple mount and are approaching the Holy Sanctuary.

The next blessing reminds us of that we are God's creation that He controls time and the universe. Our first steps proceed in a mind set of humility.

The next blessing reveals that God loves us and invests in us. One of the greatest gifts is the Torah (or guidance) and commandments (also known as mitzvot or sometimes called good deeds). After the previous realization this is very reassuring.

Then we get to the core of the Sh'ma: Hear O Israel the LORD is our God, there is one LORD. (Where LORD is the name of God.) This is where we attest that there is nothing greater that we worship and we put all in perspective.

Finally the reminder of redemption removes doubt that we are unable to soon enter God's presence. Our deliverance from Egypt is a regular reminder of God's salvation available to us and takes us into the next section (when we get to Amidah).

In class we also discussed the kippah (skullcap) and tallit (prayer shawl) as symbols of Judaism and how they are used. Some of the blessings in this section have specific tradition associated with the use of tallit as well as tefillin. The kippah is strictly a custom (or minhag) and as such is optional although traditionally worn by men. Women will sometimes wear the kippah in less traditional settings but often other head coverings are worn instead. The tallit is considered required in daytime services for Jewish men over 13 (in some groups just married men) due to biblical commandment but optional for women (since they are not under obligation).