to Ber. Literally, the name means "eighteen"; and its wide use shows that at the time it came into vogue the benedictions ("berakot") comprised in the prayer must have numbered eighteen, though in reality as fixed in the versions recited in the synagogues they number nineteen. xv. Sustaining the living in loving-kindness, resurrecting the dead in abundant mercies, Thou supportest the falling, and healest the sick, and settest free the captives, and keepest [fulfillest] Thy [His] faith to them that sleep in the dust. Log in Sign up. Blessed be Thou, O Lord, who blessest Thy [His] people Israel with peace.". xiii. (= "May such be [Thy] will! As the prayer par excellence, it is designated as the "Tefillah" (prayer), while among the Sephardic Jews it is known as the "'Amidah," i.e., the prayer which the worshiper is commanded to recite standing (see also Zohar, i. : "Heal," Jer. May it be a pleasure from before Thee, O Eternal, our God, to vouchsafe unto each sufficiency of sustenance and to each and every one enough to satisfy his wants. vi. p. 341). The "Roea," however, reports only seventeen words, as in the German version. v., namely, fifteen, is recalled by the similar number of words in Isa. 5. Mystical prayers and practices existed in which worshippers would attempt to ascend to heaven and come into the presence of God. A great variety of readings is preserved in the case of benediction No. xiii. iii. Ber. xv. 115b; Yer. is denominated simply "Tefillah"= "prayer" (Meg. cxlvi. 21. Preserve and save this year from all evil and from all kinds of destroyers and from all sorts of punishments: and establish for it good hope and as its outcome peace. ; Gaster, Targum zu Shemoneh Esreh, in Monatsschrift, xxxix. When Abraham was saved the angels recited the "Blessed be Thou . 5). Blessed be Thou, O Lord the King, who lovest righteousness and justice.". 11; Ps. That, even after the "Tefillah" had been fixed as containing eighteen (nineteen) benedictions, the tendency to enlarge and embellish their content remained strong, may be inferred from the admonition not to exaggerate further God's praises (Meg. 1283 Attempts. 14, xxv. 11 is the proof that this system of praying three times a day was recognized in the Maccabean era. And may our eyes behold Thy merciful return to Zion. . Tefillah (prayer) is one of our most powerful spiritual connectors. No. In the evening service, attendance at which was by some not regarded as obligatory (Weiss, "Dor," ii. ", Verse 8. ; Ps. 20, lx. are not specific in content. 11 pages. 29a) which R. Joshua (ib. 3; see Grtz, "Gesch." This is apparent from the haggadic endeavor to connect the stated times of prayer with the sacrificial routine of the Temple, the morning and the afternoon "Tefillah" recalling the constant offerings (Ber. The "Kol Bo" states that No. The exact form and order of the blessings were codified after the destruction of the Second Temple in the first century C.E. xviii. 104 et seq., Frankfort-on-the-Main, 1845). The Sephardic recension has the following: "Answer us, O our Father, answer us on this fast-day of affliction; for we are in great distress. ); (2) twelve (now thirteen) petitions ("Baashot," Nos. 5, xxxiii. is the "Birkat ha-Shanim" (Meg. Blessed be Thou, O Eternal, who hearest prayer" (ib. A century later the Sadducees furnished the type, hence it came to be designated as the "Birkat ha-adduim" (but "adduim" may in this connection be merely a euphemism for "Minim"; Yer. 104a) of the seven blessings (Shab. The first three and the last three constitute, so to speak, the permanent stock, used at every service; while the middle group varies on Sabbath, New Moons, and holy days from the formula for week-days. 4; Gen. R. and Thy throne is holy." The "pious and poor" of the Psalms were the ideal types which the Pharisees sought to imitate. 6. Under Gamaliel II. Who is like Thee, master of mighty deeds [= owner of the powers over life and death], and who may be compared unto Thee? The immediate outcome of this triumph is the resurrection of Jerusalem (No. Interruptions are to be strictly avoided (ib. ), "Sefer ha-Eshkol" ("Tefillah," etc., ed. xxix. And all the living will give thanks unto Thee and praise Thy great name in truth, God, our salvation and help. No. 17), of the "Shemoneh 'Esreh" with the "psalms of the poor" is in keeping with the Pharisaic-asidic emphasis of the benedictions. 2 Shemoneh Esrei - First Blessing Part 1 Hashem Open My Lips - Prepering to pray the holy God" (No. This one speaks of the sanctity of the day (Ber. . For example, if it is Shabbat, they read in the Musaf Amidah the pesukim from Bamidbar 28:9-10 related to the additional sacrifices of Shabbat. i. God is addressed as "Mamia Lanu Yeshu'ah," "causing salvation to sprout forth 'for us'"; while in No. should be kept in mind, as it proves that prayers for Jerusalem, and even for the Temple, were not unusual while both were still standing. and the reenthronement of David's house (No. 2;"He-alu," vii. iii. des Achtzehngebetes"), although the aversion to making prayer a matter of rigor and fixed formula may perhaps have had a part in the neglect of the Mishnah. R. Gamaliel II. 33a) is inserted in this benediction. is the "Birkat ha-olim" ('Ab. $2.34 7 Used from $2.34 1 New from $24.12. Mode of Prayer. 26b; Gen. R. For "minim" was substituted the expression "all doers of iniquity"; but the Sephardim retained "minim," while Maimonides has "Epicureans." According to Yer. Hurl back the adversary and humiliate the enemy. It is a prayer for the rise of David's sprout, i.e., the Messianic king. xxv. ", "[Thou wilt] dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, Thy city, as Thou hast spoken [promised], and the throne of David Thy servant speedily in its midst [Thou wilt] establish, and build it an everlasting building soon in our days. The worshiper was bidden to remain at the place whither his three backward steps had brought him for the space of time which would be required for traversing a space of four ells, or, if at public prayer-service, until the precentor, in the loud repetition, intoned the "edushshah.". ciii. 26 or in the verse concerning circumcision (Gen. 66a), while "erut" = "freedom" is another late Hebrew term. In No. Blessed be Thou, O Lord, the builder of Jerusalem.". "Fill Zion with Thy splendor and with Thy glory Thy Temple. That this aversion continued keen down to a comparatively late period is evidenced by the protests of R. Eliezer (Ber. Blessed be the God of the thanksgivings.". This is the time slot in which most people recite Shemoneh Esrei l'chatchilah. (2) In the account by Yer. "Shield of Abraham," Ps. xvii.) Translated, it reads as follows: "Blessed be Thou, O Lord, our God and God of our fathers, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, the great, the mighty, and the fearful GodGod Most Highwho bestowest goodly kindnesses, and art the Creator ["oneh," which signifies primarily "Creator" and then "Owner"] of all, and rememberest the love of [or for] the Fathers and bringest a redeemer for their children's children for the sake of [His] Thy name in love. Ber. lxv. ; Pire R. El. Es scheint jedoch ein interessanter Punkt zu sein. 76; Ber. 2d ed., ii. Blessed be Thou, O Lord, who hearest prayer.". v. 16], 'The Lord God is exalted in judgment, and the Holy God is sanctified in righteousness.' xxxiii. Before Him we shall worship in reverence and fear. 69a; ul. These mnemonic references suggest the fact that originally the number was not eighteen; otherwise the pains taken to associate this number with other eighteens would be inexplicable. cxlvi. Texts Topics Community Donate. Formerly the reader would not ascend (or descend to) the rostrum before beginning the loud (second) recital (Elbogen, l.c. iv., more than any other, is characteristic of a religion in which understanding is considered essential to piety. Be, O be, near to our cry before we call unto Thee. xii. The choice of eighteen is certainly a mere accident; for at one time the collection contained less, and at another more, than that number. 29a, 34a; Shab. p. 55) for the congregation at Cairo, though not in his "Yad"(see "Yad," Tefillin, ix. 26. be pleased with our rest; sanctify us by Thy commandments, give us a share in Thy law, satiate us of Thy bounty, and gladden us in Thy salvation; and cleanse our hearts to serve Thee in truth: let us inherit, O Lord our God, in love and favor, Thy holy Sabbath, and may Israel, who hallows [loves] Thy name, rest thereon. x.) xv. 17b), the petition that the year may be fruitful: "Bless for us, O Lord our God, this year and all kinds of its yield for [our] good; and shower down [in winter, "dew and rain for"] a blessing upon the face of the earth: fulfill us of Thy bounty and bless this our year that it be as the good years. xv.). By this test the later enlargements are easily separated from the original stock.In the "sealing" formula, too, later amplifications are found. This abstract opens like No. Thou, yea Thou, wilt answer; we shall speak, Thou, yea Thou, wilt hear, according to the word which was spoken: 'It shall be before they will call I shall answer; while still they are speaking I shall hear.' For No. to Ps. Jol, "Blicke in die Religionsgeschichte," i. Mek., Bo, 16). At public worship, when the precentor, or, as he is known in Hebrew, the Shelia ibbur (messenger or deputy of the congregation) , repeats the prayer aloud, the preceding benediction (No. . cxxxii. ); (5) the eighteen names of Yhwh in Miriam's song by the sea (Ex. Blessed be Thou, O Lord, the Holy King." vi. and xix. This is a text widget, which allows you to add text or HTML to your sidebar. viii. vii. xvii. Ber. 'May the Eternal lift up His countenance toward thee and give thee peace.'". as now given is a later reconstruction of a petition with the implications of the Ecclesiasticus paraphrase. 43; Mek., Bo, 15; Gi. But before "May our eyes behold" the Sephardim insert "and Thou in Thy great mercy ["wilt" or "dost"] take delight in us and show us favor," while Saadia Gaon adds before the conclusion ("Blessed be," etc. Composed by the Men of the Great Assembly in the early years of the Second Temple era, and recited at least three times a day, this prayer is the bedrock of devotion. iv. Blessed be Thou, O Eternal, who answerest in time of trouble." 10. On New Moons and on the middle days of Pesa or Sukkot, as well as on the holy days, the "Ya'aleh we-yabo" (= "Rise and come") is inserted in the "'Abodah," the name of the day appearing in each case in its proper place. At the end, after Mar bar Rabina's "My God keep my tongue" (Ber. More on this subject such as laws regardin. No. to the Israelites' conquest of the land after which they had peace. to Ber. At one time it must have formed part of the preceding benediction (see below). 19. The primitive form of most of them was undoubtedly much simpler. Verse 6 accounts for the petition against the enemy, No. No. Some scholars surmise that the LORD's Prayer of Jesus is a concise restatement of the Amidah. xiv. xxxviii. (1889) 137-166; Lvi, Les Dixhuit Bndictions, in R. E. J. xxxii. ib. Blessed be Thou, 0 Lord, who revivest the dead.". So also the term "sha'ah," an adaptation from the Aramaic, occurs as the equivalent of the Hebrew "rega'" = "moment" (secondarily, "hour"). In the Vitry Mazor's reading the conjunction "waw" is frequently dropped, much to the improvement of the diction. In the "Reeh" (No. xii. Musaf verses for Rosh Chodesh on Rosh Hashanah. 15 Shemoneh Esrei - Eighth Blessing 2 Rabbi Yitzchok Botton . the resurrection is replaced by "sustaining in life the whole" and by "redeeming the soul of His servants from death." The doctrine of the resurrection is intimately connected with Pharisaic nationalism. No. vi. No. In Babylon Nos. The Structure of Shemoneh Esrei and the Relationship Between the Berakhot: The gemara teaches that the blessings of Shemoneh Esrei were written and arranged in a precise order. there is a uniform structure; namely, they contain two parallel stichoi and a third preceding the "Blessed be" of the "sealing" (as the Rabbis call it) of the benediction; for example, in No. iv. One must not only stand . xxviii. i., using, however, the words "Creator [Owner] of heaven and earth" where No. Instead they adopted or composed the "Sim Shalom," known as the "Birkat Kohanim" (priestly blessing), and therefore equivalent to the "lifting up of the priest's hands" (for these terms see Maimonides and RaBaD on Tamid v. 1; and Ta'an. In the introduction to the "Sanctification of the Day" (benediction No. . a special supplication is recited, beginning with "Answer us, O Lord, answer us"; and in No. Shemoneh Esrei yet loses the sense that one is standing before Godif one's mind wandersone has not discharged one's obligation in prayer. The Depth and Beauty of Our Daily Tefillah 3d ed., iv. No. 25; and this would justify the insertion of the word "Na" (), which appears in some versions. xix.). 6; Ps. iii. (ed. after the words "from everlasting we have hoped in Thee." For Thou art a God ransoming and helping and answering and showing mercy in all time of trouble and distress. In the Roman ritual the "Elohai Neor" (Ber. lxv. xxxi. Auerbach, p. 20), and Midr. The midrashic explanation connects it with events in the lives of the Patriarchs. "The high God," Gen. xiv. iii. begins with "Et ema Dawid" (Meg. 4d of the order in which the benedictions follow each other, the benediction concerning David is not mentioned. 585, the Yemen "Siddur" has the superscription. " 23; Jer. Fill our hands with Thy blessings and the richness of the gifts of Thy hands. treats of healing because the eighth day is for circumcision (Meg. The prayer is traditionally recited while standing and facing the Aron Kodesh (the ark that houses the Torah scrolls). For this reason it is more straightforward to refer to the Shemoneh Esrei as the "Amidah" (standing) or "the Tefillah" (the prayer). ii. for the Sabbath the Sephardim add on Friday evening lines which the Ashkenazim include only in the additional service (see Dembitz, l.c. The prayer consists of three parts: Praise; national and personal requests; and thanksgiving. xxii. iv. Understanding the Shemoneh Esrei; The Philosophy of Shemitta; Theological Issues in Sefer BeReishit; Jewish Political Theory - Hilkhot Melakhim; Meaning in Mitzvot; Philosophy of Halakha; Understanding the Practice and Meaning of Halakha; A River Goes Out of Eden 107a, 117b; Tan., Wayera [ed. Ber. It reads: "The sprout of David Thy servant speedily cause Thou to sprout up; and his horn do Thou uplift through Thy victorious salvation; for Thy salvation we are hoping every day. 15; Ps. 2). ); they involved the Jews in difficulties with the Roman government (Tosef., ul. YUTorah Online is made possible by the generosity of Marcos and Adina Katz and is coordinated by Yeshiva University's Center for the Jewish Future.It offers more than 240,000 shiurim via webcast in audio, video and text formats by our Roshei Yeshiva and other YU luminaries. For Thou hearest the prayer of Thy people Israel in mercy. to Israel's distress and ever-present help; No. The importance of this petition was recognized at an early date. Yoma 44b is given a concluding formula almost identical with that now used on holy days when the blessing is recited by the kohanim (; in Yer. Some scholars surmise that the LORD's Prayer of Jesus is a concise restatement of the Amidah. reveals the contraction of two blessings into one. Instead of for the "judges," Ben Sira prays for the reestablishment of God's "judgments," in open allusion to the Exodus (Ex. R. Gamaliel revitalized the prayer originally directed against the Syrians and their sympathizers (so also Loeb, Weiss, and Hoffmann; Elbogen [l.c. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the Redeemer of Israel.". 8; Ps. 4. 2 et seq.). is the "Birkat ha-Din," the petition for justice (Meg. 22; Ta'an. were counted as two distinct blessings. ); (4) the eighteen "commands" which are in the pericope "Peude" (Ex. No. Maimonides and Amram likewise do not use the formula beginning with the words "Shalom rab." The opinion of Ramban is that the primary mitzva of prayer is from the rabbis, the Men of the Great Assembly, who enacted a sequence of shemoneh esrei berachot (eighteen blessings), to recite morning and afternoon [as a matter of] obligation, and [in the] evening as non-obligatory.Even though it is a positive time-bound rabbinic commandment and women are exempt from all positive time-bound . 8; Eccl. x.: "Gather our exiles," Isa. i. 1; Tamid vii. That this was the case originally is evidenced by other facts. i., ii., iii. He directed Simeon ha-Paoli to edit the benedictionsprobably in the order they had already acquiredand made it a duty, incumbent on every one, to recite the prayer three times daily. 30 et seq.). Blessed be Thou, O Eternal, the holy God." Soah 22a, and in the commentary of R. Hananeel on Yoma l.c., the reading is: ), while in the "Hoda'ah" the ending is almost as now, = "Thou, the one to whom it is good to give thanks." 3, and Ta'an. Blessed be Thou, O Eternal, who answerest in time of trouble.". Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Shemoneh Esrei: Exploring the Fundamentals of Faith through the Amida Prayer. And for these very reasons, many people struggle to experience the Shemoneh Esrei as something beyond a ritual formality. The "Modim" is given in an abbreviated form; and in the last benediction the words "on every day" are inserted before "at all times.". We speak about the primary sources, and take a survey of the topics which we will encounter in our study of this quintessential Tefilah. ii. (1896) 161-178; xxxiii. 28b). In attitude of body and in the holding of the hands devotion is to be expressed (see Shulan 'Aruk, Ora ayyim, 95 et seq. The form in use is somewhat longer than that given in the Talmud, where it is called "a pearl" on account of its sentiment (Ber. Verse 9 is the prayer for Jerusalem, No. . 17b): "Lead us back, our Father, to Thy Torah; bring us near, our King, to Thy service, and cause us to return in perfect repentance before Thee. But this division seems to have been later than the introduction of the prayer against the traitors by Gamaliel (see Pes. ix. Buber, p. 42]: "in Babel they recite nineteen"), though Rapoport ("'Erek Millin," p. 228b), Mller ("illufim," p. 47), and others hold, to the contrary, that the contraction (in Palestine) of Nos. iii. 29a; Yer. It follows the previous blessing, for after a Torah government is restored, the time will come when all heretics, who deny and seek to destroy the Torah, will be put in their place (Megilla 17b). No. The Sephardic ritual has two distinct versions: one for the season when dew is asked for, and the other when rain is expected. 17a) is missing (Zunz, l.c. is termed the "'Abodah" = "sacrificial service" (Ber. Buber, p. 2a; Yer. 7; Ps. and xvi. : Zech. The abstracts, however, throw light on what may have been the number of the benedictions before Gamaliel fixed it at eighteen by addition of the petition for the punishment of traitors ("wela-malshinim") The Babylonian Talmud has preserved one version; Yerushalmi, another (or two: a longer and a briefer form, of which the fragments have been combined; see J. Derenbourg in "R. E.