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.

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.

Last week I also presented 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.