View source for Jewish prayer

{{Short description|Observance of recitation in religious Judaism}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
[[File:Jews-pray-in-the-Western-Wall-1.jpg|thumb|Jews praying at the [[Western Wall]] ''(Kotel)'' in Jerusalem, 2010]]
{{Judaism}}
[[File:Channel 2 - Jewish prayer.webm|thumb|Video-clips of Jews praying, from the archive of the [[Israeli News Company]] of Israel's [[Channel 2 (Israel)|Channel 2]]]]

'''Jewish prayer''' ({{langx|he|תְּפִילָּה}}, '''{{Transliteration|he|tefilla}}''' {{IPA|he|tfiˈla|}}; plural {{Script/Hebrew|תְּפִילּוֹת}} {{Transliteration|he|tefillot}} {{IPA|he|tfiˈlot|}}; {{langx|yi|תּפֿלה|tfile}} {{IPA|yi|ˈtfɪlə|}}, plural {{lang|yi|תּפֿלות}} {{Transliteration|yi|tfilles}} {{IPA|yi|ˈtfɪləs|}}; [[Yiddish words used in English|Yinglish]]: '''davening''' {{IPAc-en|'|d|ɑː|v|ən|ɪ|ŋ}} from Yiddish {{lang|yi|דאַוון}} {{Transliteration|yi|davn}} 'pray') is the [[prayer]] recitation that forms part of the observance of [[Rabbinic Judaism]]. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the ''[[Siddur]]'', the traditional Jewish prayer book.

Prayer, as a "service of the heart," is in principle a Torah-based [[mitzvah|commandment]].<ref>Tractate [[Ta'anit (Talmud)|Ta’anit]] 2a</ref> It is mandatory for Jewish women and men.<ref name="AS-Prayer">{{cite book |last1=Steinsaltz |first1=Adin |title=A guide to Jewish prayer |year=2000 |publisher=Schocken Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0805211474 |pages=26ff|edition=1st American paperback |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XazXAAAAMAAJ&q=to+engage+in+prayer%2C+which+is+in+principle+a+Torah-based |access-date=25 April 2016}}</ref> However, the rabbinic requirement to recite a specific prayer text does differentiate between men and women: Jewish men are obligated to recite three prayers each day within specific time ranges (''[[zmanim]]''), while, according to many approaches, women are only required to pray once or twice a day, and may not be required to recite a specific text.<ref name="MS-Women-Tefilah">{{cite web|last1=Bar-Hayim|first1=David (Rabbi, Posek)|title=Women and Davening: Shemone Esre, Keriyath Shem|url=http://machonshilo.org/en/he/component/content/article/34-featured/845-women-and-davening-shemone-esre-keriyath-shema-and-birkoth-hashahar-rabbi-david-bar-hayim-speaks |publisher=machonshilo.org|access-date=25 April 2016|archive-date=9 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509131904/http://machonshilo.org/en/he/component/content/article/34-featured/845-women-and-davening-shemone-esre-keriyath-shema-and-birkoth-hashahar-rabbi-david-bar-hayim-speaks|url-status=live}}</ref>

Traditionally, three prayer services are recited daily:

* Morning prayer: ''[[Shacharit]]'' or ''Shaharit'' ({{Script/Hebrew|שַחֲרִית}}, "of the dawn")
* Afternoon prayer: ''[[Mincha]]'' or ''Minha'' ({{Script/Hebrew|מִנְחָה}}), named for the flour offering that accompanied sacrifices at the [[Temple in Jerusalem]],
* Evening prayer:<ref name="KTB-Berakhot-176">{{cite book|editor1-last=Weinreb|editor1-first=Tzvi Hersh|editor2-last=Berger|editor2-first=Shalom Z.|editor3-last=Schreier|editor3-first=Joshua|others=Even-Israel (Steinsaltz), Adin |title=[Talmud Bavli] = Koren Talmud Bavli|year=2012|publisher=Shefa Foundation|location=Jerusalem|isbn=9789653015630|pages=176|edition=1st Hebrew/English|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=05XKjgEACAAJ&q=Koren+Talmud+Bavli+Berakhot|access-date=25 April 2016}}</ref> ''Arvit'' ({{Script/Hebrew|עַרְבִית}}, "of the evening") or ''[[Maariv]]'' ({{Script/Hebrew|מַעֲרִיב}}, "bringing on night")
Two additional services are recited on [[Shabbat]] and holidays:
* ''[[Musaf]]'' ({{Script/Hebrew|מוּסָף}}, "additional") are recited by [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] and [[Conservative Judaism|Conservative]] congregations on [[Shabbat]], major [[Jewish holiday]]s (including [[Chol HaMoed]]), and [[Rosh Chodesh]].
* ''[[Ne'ila]]'' ({{Script/Hebrew|נְעִילָה}}, "closing"), was traditionally recited on communal fast days and is now recited only on [[Yom Kippur]].

A distinction is made between individual prayer and communal prayer, which requires a [[quorum]] known as a ''[[minyan]]'', with communal prayer being preferable as it permits the inclusion of prayers that otherwise would be omitted.<ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |title=Communal Prayer |url=https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/communal-prayer/ |website=My Jewish Learning |publisher=70 Faces Media |access-date=24 July 2025}}</ref>

According to tradition, many of the current standard prayers were composed by the sages of the [[Great Assembly]] in the early [[Second Temple period]] (516 BCE – 70 CE). The language of the prayers, while clearly from this period, often employs biblical idiom. The main structure of the modern prayer service was fixed in the [[Tannaim|Tannaic]] era (1st–2nd centuries CE), with some additions and the exact text of blessings coming later. Jewish prayerbooks emerged during the early [[Middle Ages]] during the period of the [[Geonim]] of [[Babylonia]] (6th–11th centuries CE).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.library.upenn.edu/exhibits/cajs/exhibit1996/Liturgy.html|title=Jewish Liturgy: The Siddur and the Mahzor|author=Center for Judaic Studies, University of Pennsylvania|access-date=2009-03-12 |archive-date=18 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218232053/http://www.library.upenn.edu/exhibits/cajs/exhibit1996/Liturgy.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Over the last 2000 years, traditional variations have emerged among the traditional [[liturgy|liturgical]] [[Minhag|customs]] of different Jewish communities, such as [[Ashkenazic]], [[Sephardic]], [[Yemenite Jews|Yemenite]], [[Palestinian minhag|Eretz Yisrael]] and others, or rather recent liturgical inventions such as [[Nusach Sefard]] and [[Nusach Ari]]. However the differences are minor compared with the commonalities. Much of the Jewish liturgy is sung or chanted with traditional melodies or [[Hebrew cantillation|trope]]. [[Synagogue]]s may designate or employ a professional or lay ''[[hazzan]]'' (cantor) for the purpose of leading the congregation in prayer, especially on Shabbat or holy holidays.

==Origin and history==

===Biblical origin===
According to the [[Babylonian Talmud]], prayer is a [[mitzvah|biblical command]]:

{{Blockquote|You shall serve God with your whole heart'<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse|Deuteronomy|11:13|HE}}</ref> – What service is performed with the heart? This is prayer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sefaria.org/Taanit.2a.11|title=Taanit 2a:11|website=www.sefaria.org|access-date=12 December 2021|archive-date=6 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506160146/https://www.sefaria.org/Taanit.2a.11|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

Based on this passage, [[Maimonides]] categorizes daily prayer as one of the [[613 commandments]].<ref>[[Mishneh Torah]], Laws of Prayer 1:1; [[Sefer Hamitzvot]], positive commandment 5</ref> He rules that the commandment is fulfilled by any prayer at any time in the day, not a specific text; and thus is not time-dependent, and is mandatory for both Jewish men and women.<ref name="AS-Prayer"/> In contrast, the requirement to say specific prayers at specific times is based not on biblical law, but rather [[De'oraita and derabanan|rabbinic decree]].<ref name=mt14>Mishneh Torah, Laws of Prayer 1:4</ref>

===The number of prayers per day===
[[File:Israel Meir Poupko, tefillin.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Rabbi [[Yisrael Meir Kagan|Yisrael Meir HaCohen Kagan]], the "[[Chofetz Chaim]]", at prayer towards the end of his life]]
Additional references in the [[Hebrew Bible]] have been interpreted to suggest that [[David|King David]] and the prophet [[Daniel (biblical figure)|Daniel]] prayed three times a day. In [[Book of Psalms|Psalms]], David states:

{{blockquote|Evening, morning, and noontime, I speak and moan, and [[God in Judaism|He]] hearkened to my voice.<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse|Psalm|55:17|HE}}</ref>}}

And in the [[Book of Daniel]]:

{{blockquote|And Daniel, when he knew that a writ had been inscribed, came to his house, where there were open windows in his upper chamber, opposite Jerusalem, and three times a day he kneeled on his knees and prayed and offered thanks before his God just as he had done prior to this.<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse|Daniel|6:11|HE}}</ref>}}

The [[Talmud]] gives two reasons why there are three basic prayers each day:<ref>Babylonian Talmud, [https://www.sefaria.org.il/Berakhot.26b.5?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en Berachot 26b]; Jerusalem Talmud, [https://www.sefaria.org.il/Jerusalem_Talmud_Berakhot.29b.1?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en Brachot 4:1 (29b)]</ref>
# Each service was instituted parallel to a sacrificial act in the [[Temple in Jerusalem]]: the morning ''Tamid'' [[korban|offering]], the afternoon ''Tamid'' offering, and the overnight burning of this last offering.
# According to Rabbi [[Jose bar Hanina]], each of the [[Patriarchs (Bible)|Patriarchs]] instituted one prayer: [[Abraham]] the morning, [[Isaac]] the afternoon and [[Jacob]] the evening prayers. This view is supported with biblical quotes indicating that the Patriarchs prayed at the times mentioned. However, even according to this view, the exact times of when the services are held, and moreover the entire concept of a ''mussaf'' service, are still based on the sacrifices.

===Development of the prayer text===
{{See also|Siddur}}
The earliest parts of Jewish prayer are the ''[[Shema Yisrael]]'' and the [[Priestly Blessing]], which are in the [[Torah]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Benedictions |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/benedictions |access-date=2022-06-27 |website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org}}</ref>

[[Maimonides]] asserts that until the [[Babylonian captivity|Babylonian exile]], all Jews composed their own prayers. After the exile, however, when the exiles' understanding of Hebrew diminished and they found it difficult to compose prayers in Hebrew, [[Ezra]] and his court composed the ''[[Amidah]]'' prayer.<ref name=mt14/> Modern scholarship dating from the [[Wissenschaft des Judentums]] movement of 19th-century Germany, as well as textual analysis influenced by the 20th-century discovery of the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]], suggests that dating from the Second Temple period there existed "liturgical formulations of a communal nature designated for particular occasions and conducted in a centre totally independent of Jerusalem and the Temple, making use of terminology and theological concepts that were later to become dominant in Jewish and, in some cases, Christian prayer."<ref>{{cite web|author=Reif, Stefan C.|title=The Second Temple Period, Qumran Research and Rabbinic Liturgy: Some Contextual and Linguistic Comparisons|url=http://orion.mscc.huji.ac.il/symposiums/5th/reif00.html|access-date=2009-03-11|date=19–23 January 2000|work=Fifth Orion International Symposium LITURGICAL PERSPECTIVES: PRAYER AND POETRY IN LIGHT OF THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS|publisher=The Orion Center for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Associated Literature|archive-date=26 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081026103052/http://orion.mscc.huji.ac.il/symposiums/5th/reif00.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The structure of the modern Jewish prayer service was established during the period of the [[Tannaim]], "from their traditions, later committed to writing, we learn that the generation of rabbis active at the time of the destruction of the Second Temple (70 CE) gave Jewish prayer its structure and, in outline form at least, its contents."<ref name="Overview: History of Jewish Prayer">{{cite web|title=Overview: History of Jewish Prayer|url=http://www.myjewishlearning.com/practices/Ritual/Prayer/History.shtml?PRRI|access-date=2009-03-12|archive-date=5 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605012043/http://www.myjewishlearning.com/practices/Ritual/Prayer/History.shtml?PRRI|url-status=live}}</ref> This liturgy included the twice-daily recitation of the Shema, the [[Amidah]], and the cycle of public [[Torah reading]].<ref name="Overview: History of Jewish Prayer"/>

The ''[[Amidah]]'' (or ''Shemoneh Esreh'') prayer is traditionally ascribed to the [[Great Assembly]] (in the time of [[Ezra]], near the end of the biblical period),<ref>{{cite web |title=Anshei Knesset Hagedolah |url=https://www.ou.org/judaism-101/glossary/anshei-knesset-hagedolah/ |website=Orthodox Union |publisher=Orthodox Union |access-date=24 July 2025}}</ref> though other sources suggest it was established by [[Simeon HaPakoli]] in the late 1st century. Even in the 1st century, though, the precise wording of the blessings was not yet fixed, and varied from locale to locale. By the [[Middle Ages]] the texts of the blessings was nearly fixed, and in the form in which they are still used today.

Readings from the [[Torah]] (five books of Moses) and the [[Nevi'im]] ("Prophets") are specified in the [[Mishnah]] and [[Talmud]], as are the order of blessings surrounding the ''Shema''. Other parts of the service, such as [[Pesukei dezimra]], have little mention in early sources, but became established by custom.

The oldest prayer books date from the time of the [[Geonim]] of [[Babylonia]]; "some were composed by respected rabbinic scholars at the request of far-flung communities seeking an authoritative text of the required prayers for daily use, Shabbat, and holidays."<ref name="Overview: History of Jewish Prayer"/> The earliest existing codification of the prayerbook was drawn up by Rav [[Amram Gaon]] of Sura, Babylon, about 850 CE. Half a century later Rav [[Saadia Gaon]], also of Sura, composed a [[Siddur of Saadia Gaon|siddur]], in which the rubrical matter is in [[Arabic language|Arabic]]. These were the basis of Simcha ben Samuel's [[Machzor Vitry]] (11th-century France), which was based on the ideas of his teacher, [[Rashi]]. Another formulation of the prayers was that appended by [[Maimonides]] to the laws of prayer in his [[Mishneh Torah]]: this forms the basis of the Yemenite liturgy, and has had some influence on other rites. From this point forward, all Jewish prayerbooks had the same basic order and contents.

The siddur was printed by [[Soncino family (printers)|Soncino]] in Italy as early as 1486, though a siddur was first mass-distributed only in 1865. The siddur began appearing in the [[vernacular]] as early as 1538. The first English [[translation]], by Gamaliel ben Pedahzur (a [[pseudonym]]), appeared in London in 1738; a different translation was released in the United States in 1837.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://fr.jpost.com/Tags/satellite|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120108185002/http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1176152818456|url-status=dead|title=Satellite News and latest stories &#124; The Jerusalem Post|archivedate=8 January 2012|website=fr.jpost.com}}</ref>

Over the last 2000 years, the various branches of Judaism have resulted in small variations in the Rabbinic liturgy [[Minhag|customs]] among different Jewish communities, with each community having a slightly different [[Minhag#Nusach|nusach]] (customary liturgy). The principal difference is between [[Ashkenazic]] and [[Sephardic]] customs, although there are other communities (e.g., [[Yemenite Jews|Yemenite]] and [[Italian Jews]], and in the past [[Palestinian minhag|Eretz Yisrael]]), and rather recent liturgical inventions such as [[Hassidic]], [[Nusach Ari|Chabad]] and other communities also have distinct customs, variations, and special prayers. However, the differences between all these customs are quite minor compared with the commonalities. [[Reform Judaism#Practice|Reform Judaism]] also has its own version.

===Text and language===
According to [[halakha]], all individual prayers and virtually all communal prayers may be said in any language that the person praying understands. For example, the ''[[Mishnah]]'' mentions that the ''[[Shema]]'' need not be said in Hebrew.<ref>[[s:Mishnah/Seder Zeraim/Tractate Berakhot/Chapter 2/3|Berakhot 2:3]]</ref> A list of prayers that must be said in Hebrew is given in the Mishna,<ref>[[s:Mishnah/Seder Nashim/Tractate Sotah/Chapter 7/2|Sotah 7:2]]</ref> and among these only the [[Priestly Blessing]] is in use today, as the others are prayers that are to be said only in a [[Temple in Jerusalem]], by a [[Kohen|priest]], or by a reigning [[Jewish Messiah|King]].

Despite this, the tradition of most [[Ashkenazi]] [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] synagogues is to use Hebrew for all except a small number of prayers, including [[Kaddish]] and [[Yekum Purkan]] in [[Aramaic]], and [[God of Abraham (prayer)|Gott Fun Avraham]], which was written in Yiddish. In other streams of Judaism there is considerable variability: [[Sephardic]] communities may use [[Ladino language|Ladino]] or [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] for many prayers, although usually only for added prayers and not for the established prayers; [[Conservative Judaism|Conservative]] synagogues tend to use the local language to a varying degree; and at some [[Reform Judaism|Reform]] synagogues almost the whole service may be in the local language.

The language of the prayers, while clearly being from the Second Temple period,<ref name="KTB-Berakhot-175">"Some explain that this means that prayers were instituted{{nbsp}}[...] after the destruction of the Temple to replace the offerings. However, these prayers were already extant throughout the Second Temple era with virtually the same formula that was instituted later, with certain known differences. Furthermore, there were already synagogues at that time, some even in close proximity to the Temple. There is a dispute in the Talmud about whether the prayers were instituted to parallel the offerings, or whether they have an independent source, unrelated to the Temple service." {{cite book|editor1-last=Weinreb|editor1-first=Tzvi Hersh|editor2-last=Berger|editor2-first=Shalom Z.|editor3-last=Schreier|editor3-first=Joshua|others=Even-Israel (Steinsaltz), Adin |title=[Talmud Bavli] = Koren Talmud Bavli|year=2012|publisher=Shefa Foundation|location=Jerusalem|isbn=9789653015630|pages=175 ff|edition=1st Hebrew/English|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=05XKjgEACAAJ&q=Koren+Talmud+Bavli+Berakhot|access-date=25 April 2016}}</ref> often employs biblical idiom, and according to some authorities it should not contain rabbinic or Mishnaic idiom apart from in the sections of Mishnah that are featured.

==Denominational variations==
{{unreferenced section|date=September 2021}}
[[Conservative Judaism|Conservative]] services generally use the same basic format for services as Orthodox Judaism, with some doctrinal leniencies and some prayers in English. In practice, there is wide variation among Conservative congregations. In traditionalist congregations the liturgy can be almost identical to that of Orthodox Judaism, almost entirely in Hebrew (and Aramaic), with a few minor exceptions, including excision of a study session on Temple sacrifices, and modifications of prayers for the restoration of the [[Korban|sacrificial]] system. In more liberal Conservative synagogues there are greater changes to the service, with up to a third of the service in English; abbreviation or omission of many of the preparatory prayers; and replacement of some traditional prayers with more contemporary forms. There are some changes for doctrinal reasons, including [[egalitarian]] language, fewer references to restoring [[Korban|sacrifices]] in the [[Temple in Jerusalem]], and an option to eliminate special roles for [[Kohen|Kohanim]] and [[Levite]]s.

The liturgies of [[Reform Judaism|Reform]] and [[Reconstructionist Judaism|Reconstructionist]] are based on traditional elements, but contain language more reflective of liberal belief than the traditional liturgy. Doctrinal revisions generally include revising or omitting references to traditional doctrines such as bodily [[resurrection]], a personal [[Jewish Messiah]], and other elements of traditional [[Jewish eschatology]], Divine revelation of the [[Torah]] at [[Mount Sinai]], [[Jewish Angelarchy|angels]], conceptions of reward and punishment, and other personal miraculous and supernatural elements. Services are often from 40% to 90% in the vernacular.

[[Reform Judaism]] has made greater alterations to the traditional service in accord with its more liberal [[theology]] including dropping references to traditional elements of [[Jewish eschatology]] such as a personal [[Jewish Messiah|Messiah]], a bodily [[resurrection]] of the dead, and others. The Hebrew portion of the service is substantially abbreviated and modernized and modern prayers substituted for traditional ones. In addition, in keeping with their view that the laws of [[Shabbat]] (including a traditional prohibition on playing instruments) are inapplicable to modern circumstances, Reform services often play instrumental or recorded music with prayers on the [[Shabbat|Jewish Sabbath]]. All Reform synagogues are [[Egalitarian]] with respect to gender roles.

==Philosophy of prayer==
[[File:Soldiertefillinkotel.JPG|thumb|upright|An Israeli soldier lays [[tefillin]] at the Western Wall prior to prayer.]]

In [[Jewish philosophy]] and in [[Rabbinic literature]], it is noted that the Hebrew verb for prayer—{{transliteration|he|hitpallel}} ({{lang|he|התפלל}})—is in fact the [[reflexive verb|reflexive form]] of {{transliteration|he|palal}} ({{lang|he|פלל}}), to judge. Thus, "to pray" conveys the notion of "judging oneself":{{efn|This interpretation is [[homily|homiletic]] rather than scholarly, as it is historically more likely that the root meaning of {{transliteration|he|hitpallel}} is "to seek judgement for oneself", in other words to present a legal pleading.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}}} ultimately, the purpose of prayer—{{transliteration|he|tefillah}} ({{lang|he|תפלה}})—is to transform oneself.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tilb.org/sermons/moskowitzhRH5767.html |title=Temple Israel Long Beach |access-date=2008-06-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723193422/http://www.tilb.org/sermons/moskowitzhRH5767.html |archive-date=23 July 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/39928/jewish/The-Cosmology-of-the-Mitzvot.htm|title=The Cosmology of the Mitzvot|access-date=6 October 2008|archive-date=2 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081002000711/http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/39928/jewish/The-Cosmology-of-the-Mitzvot.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

This [[etymology]] is consistent with the [[Divine simplicity#In Jewish thought|Jewish conception]] of [[divine simplicity]]. It is not God that changes through one's prayer—man does not influence God as a defendant influences a human judge who has emotions and is subject to change—rather it is man himself who is changed.<ref name="mesora.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.mesora.org/prayer.html|title=Prayer|access-date=7 July 2008|archive-date=13 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113123713/http://www.mesora.org/prayer.html|url-status=live}}</ref> It is further consistent with [[Maimonides]]' [[Divine providence (Judaism)#Maimonides|view]] on [[Divine Providence]]. Here, Tefillah is the medium which God gave to man by means of which he can change himself, and thereby establish a new ''relationship'' with God—and thus a new destiny for himself in life;<ref name="mesora.org"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ou.org/torah/weiss/5758/behaalotecha58.htm |title=Parashat Beha'alotecha - June 13, 1998. Sivan 19, 5758 - A Taste of Torah in Honor of Shabbat & Yom Tov by Rabbi Avi Weiss |access-date=2008-10-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081019123653/http://www.ou.org/torah/weiss/5758/behaalotecha58.htm |archive-date=19 October 2008}}</ref> see [[Psalms#Use in Jewish ritual|also]] under [[Psalms]].

===Kabbalistic view===
[[Kabbalah]] (esoteric Jewish mysticism) uses a series of ''[[kavanot]]'', directions of intent, to specify the path the prayer ascends in the dialogue with God, to increase its chances of being answered favorably. Kabbalism ascribes a higher meaning to the purpose of prayer, which is no less than affecting the very fabric of reality itself, restructuring and repairing the universe in a real fashion. In this view, every word of every prayer, and indeed, even every letter of every word, has a precise meaning and a precise effect. Prayers thus literally affect the mystical forces of the universe, and repair the fabric of creation.

This approach has been taken by the [[Chassidei Ashkenaz]] (German pietists of the Middle-Ages), the [[Zohar]], the [[Isaac Luria|Arizal's]] Kabbalist tradition, the [[Moshe Chaim Luzzatto|Ramchal]], most of [[Hasidic Judaism|Hassidism]], the [[Vilna Gaon]] and [[Jacob Emden]].

[[Hasidic Judaism|Hassidism]], although incorporating the kabbalistic worldview and its corresponding kavanot, also emphasized straightforward sincerity and depth of emotional engagement in prayer.<ref>Green, Arthur et al, ''Speaking Torah: Spiritual Teachings From Around the Maggid's Table'', Jewish Lights, 2013, p.13.</ref> The [[Baal Shem Tov]]'s great-grandson, [[Nachman of Breslov|Rebbe Nachman of Breslov]], particularly emphasized speaking to God in one's own words, which he called [[Hitbodedut]] (self-seclusion) and advised setting aside an hour to do this every day.<ref>Likutei Moharan 2:25</ref>

Chabad-Lubavitch developed a distinctive approach to prayer that diverged from prevailing Hasidic norms by prioritizing contemplative intellect [[hitbonenut]] over spontaneous emotional fervor. Rooted in the teachings of [[Shneur Zalman of Liadi]], this method emphasized sustained meditation on divine unity as a necessary precursor to meaningful supplication. Rather than viewing prayer as primarily expressive, Chabad redefined it as a disciplined internal practice, wherein intellectual grasp of mystical principles evokes authentic emotional response. This innovation is codified in the [[Tanya (Hasidic text)|Tanya]] and operationalized through the ''[[Siddur Im Dach]]'', which interweaves [[liturgy]] with Hasidic discourse to structure inner focus. The movement further distinguished itself by articulating dual meditative pathways—the “long way” of rational contemplation and the “short way” of faith-based intensity—both aimed at producing ''[[kavanah]]'' (intention) rooted in cognitive awareness.<ref>Loewenthal, Naftali. ''Communicating the Infinite: The Emergence of the Habad School''. University of Chicago Press, 1990, pp. 182–186. ISBN 9780226490450.</ref><ref>Ross, Tamar. ''Expanding the Palace of Torah: Orthodoxy and Feminism''. Brandeis University Press, 2004, p. 193. ISBN 9781584654622.</ref><ref>Rubin, Benjamin. “Contemplative Prayer in 20th-Century Chabad: Rationalism and Emotion in Hasidic Spirituality.” ''Nashim'', no. 38, Fall 2020, pp. 60–85. Indiana University Press. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/nashim.38.1.07</ref>

==Methodology and terminology==

===Terms for praying===
''Daven'' is the originally exclusively Eastern Yiddish verb meaning "pray"; it is widely used by [[Ashkenazic]] Orthodox Jews. In [[Yinglish]], this has become the [[Anglicise]]d ''davening''.

The origin of the word is obscure, but is thought by some to have come from [[Arabic]] (from ''diwan'', a collection of poems or prayers), [[French language|French]] (from ''devoner'', 'to devote' or 'dedicate' or possibly from the French 'devant'- 'in front of' with the idea that the person praying is mindful of before whom they stand), [[Latin]] (from ''divin'', 'divine') or even [[English language|English]] (from ''dawn'').<ref name="OzTorah">{{cite web|url=http://www.oztorah.com/2007/10/where-does-daven-come-from-ask-the-rabbi/|title=OzTorah – Where does "Daven" come from – Ask the Rabbi|access-date=2013-05-20|author=Rabbi Raymond Apple|archive-date=2 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202233658/http://www.oztorah.com/2007/10/where-does-daven-come-from-ask-the-rabbi/|url-status=live}}</ref> Others believe that it derives from a [[Slavonic languages|Slavic]] word meaning "to give" ({{langx|ru|давать|davat'}}). Some claim that it originates from an Aramaic word, ''de'avuhon'' or ''d'avinun'', meaning 'of their/our forefathers', as the three prayers are said to have been invented by [[Abraham]], [[Isaac]] and [[Jacob]]. Another Aramaic derivation, proposed by [[Moses Avigdor Chaikin|Avigdor Chaikin]], cites the Talmudic phrase, "''ka davai lamizrach''", 'gazing wistfully to the east'.<ref>Shabbat 35a</ref> Kevin A. Brook<ref>''The Jews of Khazaria'', 3rd ed. Rowman & Littlefield 2018, p. 181–182</ref> cited Zeiden's suggestion<ref>Herbert Zeiden, "Davenen: a Turkic Etymology", Yiddish 10, nos. 2–3 (1996), pp. 96–97</ref> that the word ''daven'' comes from the Turkic root ''tabun-'' meaning 'to pray', and that in [[Kipchaks|Kipchak Turkic]], the initial ''t'' morphs into ''d'', but also cited Beider's opinion that Zeiden's etymology is unlikely.<ref>''Origins of Yiddish Dialects'', Oxford University Press 2015, p. 560</ref>

In Western Yiddish, the term for ''pray'' is ''oren'', a word with clear roots in [[Romance languages]], similar to Spanish and Portuguese ''orar'' and Latin ''orare''.<ref name="Balashon">{{cite web|url=http://www.balashon.com/2007/01/daven.html|title=Balashon – Hebrew Language Detective: daven|access-date=2007-12-09|author=David Curwin|archive-date=28 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928043113/http://www.balashon.com/2007/01/daven.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Minyan (quorum)===
{{Main|Minyan}}
[[File:Givati at Western Wall.jpg|thumb|right|Members of the [[Israel Defense Forces]]' Givati Brigade pray the Evening Service ([[Ma'ariv]]) at the Western Wall, October 2010.]]

Individual prayer is considered acceptable, but prayer with a quorum of ten Jewish adults—a ''[[minyan]]''—is the most highly recommended form of prayer and is required for some prayers. An adult in this context means over the age of 12 or 13 ([[B'nai Mitzvah|''bat'' or ''bar mitzvah'']]). Judaism had originally counted only men in the ''minyan'' for formal prayer, on the basis that one does not count someone who is not obligated to participate. The rabbis had exempted women from almost all time-specific positive mitzvot (commandments), including those parts of the prayer that cannot be recited without a quorum, due to women in the past being bound up in an endless cycle of pregnancy, birthing and nursing from a very early age. Orthodox Judaism still follows this reasoning and excludes women from the minyan.

Since 1973, [[Conservative Judaism|Conservative]] congregations have overwhelmingly become egalitarian and count women in the ''minyan''. A very small number of congregations that identify themselves as Conservative have resisted these changes and continue to exclude women from the minyan. Those Reform and Reconstructionist congregations that consider a ''minyan'' mandatory for communal prayer, count both men and women for a ''minyan''. All denominations of Judaism except for Orthodox Judaism ordain female rabbis and cantors.<ref>Jewish Women's Archive. [http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/cantors-american-jewish-women Cantors: American Jewish Women] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124174546/http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/cantors-american-jewish-women |date=24 November 2010 }}. Retrieved 2015-05-07.</ref>

There is a publicly said prayer, called [[HaGomel|Birkhat HaGomel]], for giving thanks for surviving an illness or danger.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/115308/jewish/The-Laws-of-the-Blessing-of-Thanksgiving.htm|title=Laws of the Blessing of Thanksgiving|access-date=18 September 2019|archive-date=13 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913111618/http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/115308/jewish/The-Laws-of-the-Blessing-of-Thanksgiving.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> which, in addition to needing a ''Minyan'', also needs a Torah scroll taken out for a scheduled Torah reading.

===Attire===
* ''Head covering''. In most synagogues, it is considered a sign of respect for male attendees to wear a head covering, either a dress hat or a [[kippa]] (skull cap, plural ''kipot'', also known by the Yiddish term ''yarmulke''). It is common practice for both Jews and non-Jews who attend a synagogue to wear a head covering.<ref>[[International Council of Christians and Jews]], [http://www.jcrelations.net/en/?item=1152#scull%20cap Jewish-Christian Relations :: A glossary of terms used in the Christian-Jewish dialogue] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927174015/http://www.jcrelations.net/en/?item=1152#scull%20cap |date=27 September 2007 }}, "Non-Jewish male visitors to the synagogue are offered skull caps at the entrance and are asked to wear them."</ref> Some Conservative synagogues may also encourage (but rarely require) women to cover their heads. Many Reform and Progressive temples do not require people to cover their heads, although individual worshipers, both men and women, may choose to. Many Orthodox and some conservative men and women wear a head covering throughout their day, even when not attending religious services.
* ''[[Tallit]]'' (prayer shawl) is traditionally worn during all morning services (with the exception of [[Tisha B'av]] in many communities), during Aliyah to the Torah, as well as during all the services of [[Yom Kippur]]. In many communities, the ''hazzan'' alone wears a tallit during the daily afternoon and evening services. In Orthodox synagogues they are expected to be worn only by men who are halakhically Jewish and though in some Conservative synagogues they should be worn only by men, in other Conservative synagogues both men and women who are halakhically Jewish should wear a tallit. In most Orthodox [[Ashkenazi]] synagogues (except for those who follow German or Hungarian customs) they are worn only by men who are or have been married.<ref>[[Gateways (organization)|Mordechai Becher]], ''Gateway to Judaism: The What, How, And Why of Jewish Life'', [[Mesorah Publications]], 2005, p. 328.</ref><ref>Joyce Eisenberg, Ellen Scolnic, ''Dictionary of Jewish Words'', [[Jewish Publication Society]], 2006, p. 166.</ref>
* [[File:IDF soldier put on tefillin.jpg|thumb|upright|IDF soldier [[Asael Lubotzky]] prays with tefillin.]]''[[Tefillin]]'' (phylacteries) are a set of small cubic leather boxes painted black, containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah. They are tied to the head and arm with leather straps dyed black, and worn by Jews only, during weekday morning prayers. In Orthodox synagogues they are expected to be worn only by men; in Conservative synagogues they are also worn by some women. The Karaite Jews, however, do not don tefillin.
* ''[[Tzeniut]]'' (modesty) applies to men and women. When attending Orthodox synagogues, women will likely be expected to wear long sleeves (past the elbows), long skirts (past the knees), a high neckline (to the collar bone), and if married, to cover their hair with a wig, scarf, hat or a combination of the above. For men, short pants or sleeveless shirts are generally regarded as inappropriate. In some Conservative and Reform synagogues the dress code may be more lax, but still respectful.

===Other laws and customs===
In the event one of the prayers was missed inadvertently, the Amidah prayer is said twice in the next service—a procedure known as ''tefillat tashlumin''.<ref>Brachot 26a</ref>

Many Jews sway their body back and forth during prayer. This practice, referred to as ''[[shuckling]]'' in [[Yiddish language|Yiddish]], is not mandatory.

Many are accustomed to giving charity before, during (especially during [[Vayivarech David]]) or after prayer, in the hopes that this will make their prayer more likely to be heard.

According to the [[Talmud]], during prayer one should face toward [[Jerusalem]], and specifically the site of the [[Temple in Jerusalem]]. This is based on [[Solomon]]'s prayer "...and they will pray to You toward their land, which You gave to their fathers; the city which You have chosen; and the house which I have built for Your name" ({{Bibleverse|1 Kings|8:48|HE}}).<ref>[https://www.sefaria.org/Berakhot.30a Brachot 30a]</ref>

==Daily prayers==
===Shacharit===
{{Main|Shacharit}}
[[File:Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - The Evacuation of Bedolach (26).jpg|thumb|Morning Prayer, 2005]]
The ''Shacharit'' (from ''shachar'', morning light) prayer is recited in the morning. ''Halacha'' limits parts of its recitation to the first three (Shema) or four (Amidah) hours of the day, where "hours" are 1/12 of daylight time, making these times dependent on the season.<ref>See [[Relative hour]].</ref>

Shacharit is generally the lengthiest prayer of the day. Its components include [[Birkot hashachar]], [[Korban#The korbanot section of prayer|Korbanot]], [[Pesukei dezimra]], the ''[[Shema Yisrael]]'' and its blessings, the [[Amidah]], and [[Tachanun]]. Of these, the recitation of Shema Yisrael and the Amidah constitute the core of the Shacharit service. Those Jews who wear [[tallit]] and [[tefillin]] generally only do so during the Shacharit prayer.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tallit: The Jewish Prayer Shawl |url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/530124/jewish/Tallit-The-Jewish-Prayer-Shawl.htm |access-date=March 1, 2023 |website=Chabad}}</ref>

===Mincha===
{{Main|Mincha}}
''Mincha'' or ''Minha'' may be recited from half an hour after ''halachic'' noontime, until sunset. [[Sephardi]]m and [[Italian Jews]] start the Mincha prayers with [[Psalm 84]] and ''Korbanot'',<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse||Numbers|28:1–8|HE}}</ref> and usually continue with the ''Pittum hakketoret''. The opening section is concluded with Malachi 3:4.<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse||Malachi|3:4|HE}}</ref>

[[Ashrei]] is recited, followed by half-[[Kaddish]], the [[Amidah]] (including repetition), ''[[Tachanun]]'', and then the full Kaddish. Sephardim insert a Psalm,<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse-nb||Ps|67|HE}} or {{bibleverse-nb||Ps|93|HE}}</ref> followed by the Mourner's Kaddish. After this follows, in most modern rites, the ''[[Aleinu]]''. Most Ashkenazim then conclude with the Mourner's Kaddish. In Ashkenazic, Italian and Yemenite communities, the service leaders often wears a tallit.

===Ma'ariv/Arvit===
[[Image:JaffaMaariv.jpg|thumb|[[Minyan]] Ma'ariv prayer in a Jaffa [[Tel Aviv]] flea-market shop]]
{{Main|Maariv}}
Generally, the time when ''Maariv'' can first be recited is when the time for reciting ''[[Mincha]]'' ends. But there are varying opinions on this. ''Maariv'' should not begin before 1¼ hours before [[Zmanim#Sunset|sunset]]. Others delay ''Maariv'' until after sunset or after [[Zmanim#Nightfall|dusk]]. If ''Maariv'' is recited prior to dusk, individuals repeat the Shema later in the evening.{{sfn|Donin|1991|pp=340–341}}

The main components of Maariv are the recitation of the [[Shema]] (with two blessings before it and two after it), followed by the [[Amidah]] (which is not repeated, unlike with other recitations of the Amidah). Some communities add a third blessing between the Shema and Amidah. Some additional prayers and biblical verses are recited as well; these vary by community and occasion.

==Prayer on Shabbat==
On [[Shabbat]] (the Sabbath), prayers are similar in structure to those on weekdays, although almost every part is lengthened. One exception is the ''[[Amidah]]'', the main prayer, which is abridged. The first three and last three blessings are recited as usual, but the middle thirteen are replaced with a single blessing known as "''sanctity of the day,''" describing the Sabbath. Atypically, this middle blessing is different for each of the prayers.

===Friday night===
Shabbat services begin on Friday afternoon with the weekday Mincha.  [[Tachnun]] is omitted.  In some Ashkenazic communities, Aleinu is omitted since it will be followed immediately by Kabbalat Shabbat. In recent times, some prefer to daven early mincha on Friday.

Some communities recite the [[Song of Songs]], and then in most communities followed by the ''Kabbalat Shabbat'', the mystical prelude to Shabbat services composed by 16th-century [[Kabbalists]].  Although the service was composed in the 16th century, some communities did not adopt it until much later; for example, it was not recited in the main synagogue in [[Frankfurt am Main]] until the mid-19th century,<ref>''[https://www.hebrewbooks.org/6822 Divre Kehilot]'' testifies that in 1818 it was not recited in the main synagogue in Frankfurt, and it is said to have been introduced by Rabbi [[Samson Raphael Hirsch]] when he was appointed the rabbi of Frankfurt</ref> and it was not recited in [[Worms, Germany|Worms]] even later.<ref>Seder Avodat Yisael says that it "is not recited in Worms" in present tense.</ref> This [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] term literally means "Receiving the Sabbath". In recent decades, some communities have adopted the practice to sing the piyut ''[[Yedid Nefesh]]'' before (or occasionally after) the Kabbalat Shabbat prayers.

In Ashkenazic and some Sephardic communities, Kabbalat Shabbat begins with six Psalms,<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse-nb||Ps|95|HE}} to {{bibleverse-nb||Ps|99|HE}}, and {{bibleverse-nb||Ps|29|HE}}</ref> representing the six weekdays.<ref>The recitation of these Psalms is first mentioned by Rabbi [[Moses ben Jacob Cordovero|Moses Cordovero]].</ref>  In [[Italian Nusach]] and many [[Sephardic]] communinties (including [[Spanish and Portuguese Jews]] and many Middle Eastern Sephardic communities) only [[Psalm 29]] is recited (some add [[Psalm 100]]).<ref>In the writings of Rabbi [[Isaac Luria]], it does not mentioned that he recited the additional Psalms, and therefore this would appear to be his practice.</ref>  Some then recite [[Ana BeKoach]]. After that, the poem ''[[Lekha Dodi]]'' is recited. It based on the words of the [[Talmud]]ic sage Hanina: "Come, let us go out to meet the Queen Sabbath".<ref>Shabbat 119a</ref> Kabbalat Shabbat is concluded by Psalm 92<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse||Psalm|92|HE}}</ref> (in most communities, the recital of which constitutes acceptance of the current Shabbat with all its obligations) and Psalm 93.<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse||Psalm|93|HE}}</ref> Many add a study section here, including ''Bameh Madlikin'' and ''Amar rabbi El'azar'' and the concluding ''Kaddish deRabbanan'' (in the Western Ashkenazic rite, a mourners kaddish is instead recited after ''Bameh Madlikin'') and is then followed by the Maariv service; other communities delay the study session until after Maariv. According to [[Nusach Sefard]], a passage from the [[Zohar]], entitled ''Kegavna'' is recited instead of ''Bameh Madlikin''. In modern times the Kabbalat Shabbat has been set to music by many composers including: [[Robert Strassburg]]<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.milkenarchive.org/artists/view/robert-strassburg/ | title=Strassburg, Robert}}</ref> and [[Samuel Adler (composer)|Samuel Adler]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.milkenarchive.org/music/volumes/view/a-garden-eastward/work/lkha-dodi-adler/|title=L'kha dodi|website=Milken Archive of Jewish Music}}</ref>

The [[Shema Yisrael|Shema]] section of the Friday night service varies in some details from the weekday services—mainly in the different ending of the ''Hashkivenu'' prayer and the omission of [[Baruch HaShem Le'Olam]] prayer in those traditions where this section is otherwise recited. In the [[Italian Jews#Italian rite Jews|Italian rite]], there are also different versions of the ''Ma'ariv aravim'' prayer (beginning ''asher killah'') and the ''Emet Ve-Emunah'' prayer.

Most commemorate the Shabbat at this point with ''VeShameru''.<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible''  {{bibleverse||Exodus|31:16–17|HE}}</ref> The custom to recite these verses appears in many early sources such as Siddur Rav [[Saadya Gaon]] (who recited the blessing [[Baruch Hashem L'Olam (Maariv)|Yiru Eineinu]] after these verses) and is found in the vast majority of old prayer books of a variety of rites. However, it is absent from the [[Yemenite Jews|Yemenite]] ''[[Baladi]]'' tradition (although has been added in most Baladi communities in the last few hundred years), and it is not recited according to the traditions of the [[Vilna Gaon]] or [[Chabad]] who are opposed to adding additional readings to the siddur which are not mentioned in the Talmud.

On Friday night, the middle blessing of the ''[[Amidah]]'' discusses the conclusion of [[Genesis creation narrative|creation]], quoting the relevant verses from [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]]. The Amidah is then followed by the [[Seven-Faceted Blessing]], the [[hazzan]]'s mini-repetition of the Amidah. In some Ashkenazi Orthodox synagogues the second chapter of [[Mishnah]] tractate Shabbat, ''Bameh Madlikin'', is read at this point, instead of earlier. [[Kiddush]] is recited in the synagogue in many Ashkenazic Italian communities. Some communities recite [[Psalm 23]] and the service then follows with [[Aleinu]]. Most Sephardic and many Ashkenazic synagogues end with the singing of ''[[Yigdal]]'', a poetic adaptation of [[Maimonides]]' 13 principles of Jewish faith. Other Ashkenazic synagogues end with ''[[Adon Olam]]'' instead, and some do not recite either poem.

===Shacharit===
{{Main|Shacharit}}
[[Shabbat]] morning prayers differ from weekday morning prayers in several ways: an expanded version of [[Pesukei dezimra]], a longer version of the [[Yotzer ohr]] blessing (in most communities), the seven-blessing Shabbat version of the [[Amidah]], no [[Tachanun]], a longer [[Torah reading]] including the reading of the [[Haftarah]], and some additional prayers after the Torah reading. In many communities, the rabbi (or a learned member of the congregation) delivers a sermon at the very end of Shacharit and before Mussaf, usually on the topic of the Torah reading.

===Mussaf===<!-- This section is linked from [[Abba Arika]] -->
{{Main|Mussaf}}
The ''Musaf'' service starts with the silent recitation of the ''Amidah''. The middle blessing includes the ''Tikanta Shabbat'' reading on the holiness of Shabbat (in Yemenite communities, as well as some Sephardic communities ''Le-Mosheh Tsivita'' is recited instead of ''Tikanta Shabbat''), and then by a reading from the biblical [[Book of Numbers]] about the sacrifices that used to be performed in the [[Temple in Jerusalem]]. Next comes ''Yismechu'', "They shall rejoice in Your sovereignty", and ''Eloheynu'', "Our God and God of our Ancestors, may you be pleased with our rest" (which is recited during all ''[[Amidah]]''s of the Sabbath). After the silent prayer, the leader repeats the prayer, adding an expanded version of [[Kedushah (prayer)|Kedushah]].  In some Sephardic and Yemenite communities, rather than the silent prayer and repetition, the leader recited his own prayer aloud and the congregation prays along with him.

After the ''Amidah'' comes the full Kaddish, followed by ''Ein keloheinu''. In Orthodox Judaism this is followed by a reading from the [[Talmud]] on the [[incense offering]] called ''Pittum Haketoreth'' and daily psalms that used to be recited in the Temple in Jerusalem. These readings are usually omitted by [[Conservative Judaism|Conservative]] Jews, and are always omitted by [[Reform Judaism|Reform]] Jews.

The ''Musaf'' service culminates with the Rabbi's Kaddish (in the Western Ashkenazic rite, the Mourners Kaddish is recited instead), the ''[[Aleinu]]'', followed in many communities by the Mourner's Kaddish. Some [[synagogue]]s conclude with the reading of Shir Hayichud, [[Anim Zemirot]] (sometimes followed by a Mourner's Kaddish), the [[Shir shel yom|Psalm of the Day]] (sometimes followed by a Mourner's Kaddish) - in some communities, these are recited before the Torah reading or at the beginning of services instead. Many communities conclude with either [[Adon Olam]] or Yigdal.

===Mincha===
Mincha commences with [[Ashrei]] and the prayer [[Uva letzion]], after which the first section of the next [[Parsha|weekly portion]] is [[Torah reading|read from the Torah scroll]]. The ''Amidah'' follows the same pattern as the other Shabbat ''Amidah'' prayers, with the middle blessing starting ''Attah Echad''. The short prayer [[Tzidkatcha]] is recited after the ''Amidah'', followed by Kaddish and Aleinu.<ref>As the prayers appear in siddurim.</ref>

===Ma'ariv===
At the conclusion of the Sabbath, the weekday Ma'ariv is recited.  Some communities recite (sometimes sing) [[Psalm 144]] and [[Psalm 67]].<ref>They appear in most [[Nusach Ashkenaz]] siddurim.</ref>  In the amidah, ata chonantanu is added in the fourth blessing. After the conclusion of the Amidah, ''Vihi No'am'', ''[[Veyiten Lecha]]'', and ''[[Havdalah]]'' are recited, followed by [[Aleinu]]; some delay the recitation of Ve-Yitten lekha until after the recitation of Havdalah at home.<ref>As it appears in siddurim.</ref>

==Special observances and circumstances==

===Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur===
{{unreferenced section|date=August 2022}}
{{Teshuva}}
The services for the [[High Holidays|Days of Awe]], [[Rosh Hashana]] and [[Yom Kippur]], take on a solemn tone as befits these days. Traditional solemn tunes are used in the prayers.

The musaf service on Rosh Hashana has nine blessings; the three middle blessings include biblical verses attesting to sovereignty, remembrance and the ''[[shofar]]'', which is sounded during the service.

Yom Kippur is the only day in the year when there are five prayer services. The evening service, containing the Ma'ariv prayer, is widely known as "[[Kol Nidrei]]", the opening declaration made preceding the prayer. During the daytime, shacharit, musaf (which is recited on Shabbat and all festivals) and mincha are followed, as the sun begins to set, by [[Ne'ila]], which is recited just this once a year.

===Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot===
The services for the three festivals of [[Pesach]] ("Passover"), [[Shavuot]] ("Feast of Weeks" or "Pentecost"), and [[Sukkot]] ("Feast of Tabernacles") are alike, except for interpolated [[piyyutim]] and readings for each individual festival.<ref>As it appears in Siddurim.</ref> The preliminaries and conclusions of the prayers are the same as on Shabbat. The Amidah on these festivals only contains seven benedictions, with ''Attah Bechartanu'' as the main one. After the Shacharit Amidah, [[Hallel]] (communal recitation of Psalms 113–118) follows; on the last six days of Passover, Hallal is recited in its abbreviated form and customs vary as to whether a blessing is recited.<ref>Shulchan Aruch 490:4.</ref>

The Musaf service includes Umi-Penei Hata'enu, with reference to the special festival and Temple sacrifices on the occasion.

The [[Priestly Blessing]] ("dukhening") is pronounced during the repetition of the Amidah. While this occurs daily in Israel and most Sephardic congregations, it occurs only on [[Pesach]], [[Shavuot]], [[Sukkot]], [[Rosh Hashanah]], and [[Yom Kippur]] in Ashkenazic (and some Sephardic communities) congregations of the Jewish diaspora. Even when it is omitted, or when there are no kohanim present, a special prayer is instead recited by the ''[[hazzan]]'' after the ''Modim'' ("Thanksgiving") prayer) in commemoration of the priestly blessing. (American Reform Jews omit the Musaf service.)

==Role of women==
[[Image:JerusalemWailingWall.jpg|thumb|right|Jewish women praying by the Western Wall, early 1900s]]
[[Image:Women praying in the Western Wall tunnels by David Shankbone.jpg|thumb|right|Women praying in the [[Western Wall tunnel]] at the closest physical point to the [[Holy of Holies]]]]

===Number of obligatory prayers===
According to [[halakha]], Jewish men are obligated to perform public prayer three times a day, within specific time ranges ([[zmanim]]), plus additional services on [[Jewish holidays]].

According to the [[Talmud]], women are generally exempted from obligations that have to be performed at a certain time. (This has interpreted as being due to the need to constantly care for small children, or due to women's alleged higher spiritual level which makes it unnecessary for them to connect to God at specific times, since they are always connected to God.) In accordance with the general exemption from time-bound obligations, women are not required to recite the morning and evening [[Shema Yisrael|Shema]]<ref>{{Cite book|title=Mishna, Berakhot 3:3}}</ref> (though ''Mishnah Berurah'' suggests that they say it anyway), and most Orthodox authorities have exempted women from reciting [[Maariv]].<ref>''Mishna Berurah, Laws of Evening Prayers''</ref>

Authorities have disagreed on whether this exemption applies to additional prayers. According to (Ashkenazi) [[Avraham Gombiner|Magen Avraham]]<ref>[[Magen Avraham]], on [[Shulkhan Arukh]] section ''[[Orach Chayim]]'', 106:2</ref> and more recently (Sephardi) Rabbi [[Ovadia Yosef]],<ref>''Yabiah Omer'' vol. 6, 17</ref> women are only required to pray once a day, in any form they choose, so long as the prayer contains praise of (brakhot), requests to (bakashot), and thanks of (hodot) God.<ref>[http://www.nishmat.net/article.php?id=2&heading=0 Women's Issues:Women And Prayer When Time is Short] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012185958/http://www.nishmat.net/article.php?id=2&heading=0 |date=12 October 2008 }}, ''[[Nishmat]]''</ref> However, most Orthodox authorities agree that women are not completely exempt from time-bound prayer.<ref>For example: the 19th-century [[posek]] [[Yechiel Michel Epstein]], author of the ''[[Arukh HaShulkhan]]'', notes: "Even though the rabbis set prayer at fixed times in fixed language, it was not their intention to issue a leniency and exempt women from this ritual act".</ref> The ''[[Mishnah Berurah]]'', an important code of [[Ashkenazi Judaism|Ashkenazic]] Jewish law, holds that the Men of the [[Great Assembly]] obligated women to recite ''Shacharit'' and ''Minchah'' each day, "just like men".  Nonetheless, even the most liberal Orthodox authorities hold that women cannot count in a [[minyan]] for purposes of public prayer.

Traditionally, women were also reciting individual [[tkhine]] prayers in Yiddish.

[[Conservative Judaism]] regards the ''halakhic'' system of multiple daily services as mandatory. Since 2002, Jewish women from Conservative congregations have been regarded as having undertaken a communal obligation to pray the same prayers at the same times as men, with traditional communities and individual women permitted to opt out.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/teshuvot/docs/19912000/oh_55_1_2002.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127133632/http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/teshuvot/docs/19912000/oh_55_1_2002.pdf|url-status=dead|title=Rabbi David Fine, ''Women and the Minyan'', Rabbinical Assembly, 2002.|archivedate=27 November 2010}}</ref> [[Reform Judaism|Reform]] and [[Reconstructionist Judaism|Reconstructionist]] congregations do not regard ''halakha'' as binding and hence regard appropriate prayer times as matters of personal spiritual decision rather than a matter of religious requirement.

===Seating===
{{unreferenced section|date=August 2022}}
Throughout [[Orthodox Judaism]], including its most liberal forms, men and women are required to sit in separate sections with a [[mechitza]] (partition) separating them. Historically, a learned woman in the ''weibershul'' (women's section or annex) of a synagogue took on the informal role of precentress or [[firzogerin]] for the women praying in parallel to the main service led in the men's section. Conservative/Masorti Judaism permits mixed seating (almost universally in the United States, but not in all countries). All Reform and Reconstructionist congregations have mixed seating.

===Prayer leaders===
[[Haredi]] and the vast majority of [[Modern Orthodox]] Judaism has a blanket prohibition on women leading public congregational prayers. Conservative Judaism has developed a blanket justification for women leading all or virtually all such prayers, holding that although only obligated individuals can lead prayers and women were not traditionally obligated, Conservative Jewish women in modern times have as a collective whole voluntarily undertaken such an obligation.<ref>[http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/teshuvot/docs/19912000/oh_55_1_2002.pdf] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127133632/http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/teshuvot/docs/19912000/oh_55_1_2002.pdf|date=27 November 2010}}</ref> Reform and Reconstructionist congregations permit women to perform all prayer roles because they do not regard [[halakha]] as binding.

A small liberal wing within Modern Orthodox Judaism, particularly rabbis friendly to the [[Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance]] (JOFA), has begun re-examining the role of women in prayers based on an individual, case-by-case look at the historical role of specific prayers and services, doing so within classical ''halakhic'' interpretation. Accepting that where obligation exists only the obligated can lead, this small group has typically made three general arguments for expanded women's roles:
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# Because women were required to perform certain [[korbanot]] (sacrifices) in the [[Temple in Jerusalem]], women today are required to perform, and hence can lead (and can count in the ''minyan'' for if required), the specific prayers substituting for these specific sacrifices. ''Birchat Hagomel'' falls in this category.
# Because certain parts of the service were added after the [[Talmud]] defined mandatory services, such prayers are equally voluntary on everyone and hence can be led by women (and no ''minyan'' is required). ''Pseukei D'Zimrah'' in the morning and ''Kabbalat Shabbat'' on Friday nights fall in this category.
# In cases where the Talmud indicates that women are generally qualified to lead certain services but do not do so because of the "dignity of the congregation", modern congregations are permitted to waive such dignity if they wish. Torah reading on Shabbat falls in this category. An argument that women are permitted to lead the services removing and replacing the Torah in the Ark on ''Shabbat'' extends from their ability to participate in Torah reading then.

A very small number of Modern Orthodox congregations accept some such arguments, but very few Orthodox congregations or authorities accept all or even most of them. Many of those who do not accept this reasoning point to ''kol isha'', the tradition that prohibits a man from hearing a woman other than his wife or close blood relative sing. JOFA refers to congregations generally accepting such arguments as [[Partnership Minyan]]im. On Shabbat in a Partnership Minyan, women can typically lead ''Kabbalat Shabbat'', the ''P'seukei D'Zimrah'', the services for removing the Torah from and replacing it to the Ark, and Torah reading, as well as give a ''D'Var Torah'' or sermon.

The first Orthodox Jewish women's prayer group was created on the holiday of [[Simhat Torah]] at [[Lincoln Square Synagogue]] in Manhattan in the late 1960s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/womens-tefillah-movement|title=Women's Tefillah Movement|website=Jewish Women's Archive|access-date=12 December 2021|archive-date=29 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029104729/https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/womens-tefillah-movement|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Ephraim Mirvis]], an Orthodox rabbi who serves as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, supports [[Shabbat]] prayer groups for Orthodox women, saying, "Some of our congregations have women prayer groups for Friday night, some Saturday mornings. This is without women reading from the Torah. But for women to come together as a group to pray, this is a good thing."<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/122918/interview-rabbi-ephraim-mirvis| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140921020317/http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/122918/interview-rabbi-ephraim-mirvis| archive-date = 2014-09-21| title = Interview: Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis {{!}} The Jewish Chronicle}} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140921020317/http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/122918/interview-rabbi-ephraim-mirvis |date=21 September 2014 }}</ref>

However, many Modern Orthodox rabbis, including Rabbi [[Hershel Schachter]], Rabbi [[Mordechai Willig]], Rabbi [[Nisson Alpert]] and others have ruled that this practice is not permitted.<ref>Be'ikve ha-tson, [https://tablet.otzar.org/#/b/64098/p/27/t/1663598568693/fs/0/start/0/end/0/c/1663598956443 pages 21-37] (The link is to Otzar Hachochmah, for which the first 40 pages of the file are available to all and the rest is available to subscribers only, such that the Teshuva cuts off in the middle to non-subscribers).</ref>  These practices are also unheard of in the [[Hareidi]] world

==Role of minors==
In most divisions of [[Judaism]] boys prior to [[bar mitzvah]] cannot act as a [[Hazzan|Chazzen]] for prayer services that contain ''devarim sheb'kidusha'', i.e. Kaddish, Barechu, the amida, etc., or receive an ''aliya'' or chant the Torah for the congregation. Since ''Kabbalat Shabbat'' and ''Pesukei D'zimra'' do not technically require a chazzan at all, it is possible for a boy prior to bar mitzvah to lead these services. The conclusion of the service on Shabbat and ''[[Jewish holidays#Terminology used to describe holidays|chagim]]'' may also be led by children. Under the Moroccan, Yemenite, and Mizrachi customs, a boy prior to bar mitzvah may lead certain prayers, read the Torah, and have an aliyah.<ref>Epstein, Morris. ''All About Jewish Holidays and Customs''. Ktav Publishing House, 1959. p. 89</ref> It is customary among many Ashkenazim to have children sing "Adon 'Olam" after Mussaf and "Yigdal" after Shabbat and Holiday Maariv. Among Sefardim, Mizrachim, Yemenites, and some Askenazim, a child leads the congregation in [[Kiryat Shema]].

==Denominational variations==
{{unreferenced section|date=September 2021}}
[[Conservative Judaism|Conservative]] services generally use the same basic format for services as in Orthodox Judaism, with some doctrinal leniencies and some prayers in English. In practice, there is wide variation among Conservative congregations. In traditionalist congregations the liturgy can be almost identical to that of [[Orthodox Judaism]], almost entirely in Hebrew (and Aramaic), with a few minor exceptions, including excision of a study session on Temple sacrifices, and modifications of prayers for the restoration of the [[Korban|sacrificial]] system. In more liberal Conservative synagogues there are greater changes to the service, with up to a third of the service in English; abbreviation or omission of many of the preparatory prayers; and replacement of some traditional prayers with more contemporary forms. There are some changes for doctrinal reasons, including [[egalitarian]] language, fewer references to restoring [[Korban|sacrifices]] in the [[Temple in Jerusalem]], and an option to eliminate special roles for [[Kohen|Kohanim]] and [[Levite]]s.

The liturgies of [[Reform Judaism|Reform]] and [[Reconstructionist Judaism|Reconstructionist]] are based on traditional elements, but contains language more reflective of liberal belief than the traditional liturgy. Doctrinal revisions generally include revising or omitting references to traditional doctrines such as bodily [[resurrection]], a personal [[Jewish Messiah]], and other elements of traditional [[Jewish eschatology]], Divine revelation of the [[Torah]] at [[Mount Sinai]], [[Jewish Angelarchy|angels]], conceptions of reward and punishment, and other personal miraculous and supernatural elements. Services are often from 40% to 90% in the vernacular.

[[Reform Judaism]] has made greater alterations to the traditional service in accord with its more liberal [[theology]] including dropping references to traditional elements of [[Jewish eschatology]] such as a personal [[Jewish Messiah|Messiah]], a bodily [[resurrection]] of the dead, and others. The Hebrew portion of the service is substantially abbreviated and modernized and modern prayers substituted for traditional ones. In addition, in keeping with their view that the laws of [[Shabbat]] (including a traditional prohibition on playing instruments) are inapplicable to modern circumstances, Reform services often play instrumental or recorded music with prayers on the [[Shabbat|Jewish Sabbath]]. All Reform synagogues are egalitarian with respect to gender roles.

==See also==
{{Portal|Jewish|Judaism}}
* [[Baladi-rite prayer]]
* [[Carlebach minyan]]
* [[List of Jewish prayers and blessings]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book|last=Donin|first=Hayim H.|title=To Pray As A Jew: A Guide To The Prayer Book And The Synagogue Service|year=1991|publisher=[[Basic Books]]|location=New York|isbn=978-0-465-08633-7|url=https://archive.org/details/toprayasjewguide00doni|url-access=registration}}
* ''Entering Jewish Prayer'', [[Reuven Hammer]] ({{ISBN|0-8052-1022-9}})
* ''Kavvana: Directing the Heart in Jewish Prayer'', Seth Kadish, Jason Aronson Inc. 1997. {{ISBN|0-7657-5952-7}}.
* ''Or Hadash: A Commentary on [[Siddur Sim Shalom]] for Shabbat and Festivals'', Reuven Hammer, The [[Rabbinical Assembly]] and the [[United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism]]
* [[Seligman Baer|S. Baer]]. ''Siddur Avodath Yisrael'' (newly researched text with commentary Yachin Lashon), 19th century.
* ''A Guide to Jewish Prayer'', Rabbi [[Adin Steinsaltz]], Shocken Books ({{ISBN|0-8052-4174-4}})
* ''Hilchot Tefilla: A Comprehensive Guide to the Laws of Daily Prayer'', [[David Brofsky]], KTAV Publishing House/OU Press/Yeshivat Har Etzion. 2010. ({{ISBN|978-1-60280-164-6}})
* ''God's Favorite Prayers'', Tzvee Zahavy, Talmudic Books. 2011. ({{ISBN|978-0-615-50949-5}})
* ''Holistic Prayer: A Guide to Jewish Spirituality'', Rabbi [[Avi Weiss]], Maggid Books. 2014. ({{ISBN|978-1-592-64334-9}})

==External links==
{{Commons category|Jewish prayers}}
* [http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/862308/jewish/Jewish-Prayer.htm Jewish Prayer – Prayer in Judaism] – Chabad.org
* [http://www.opensiddur.org The Open Siddur Project]
* [http://www.GoDaven.com GoDaven.com – The Worldwide Minyan Database] – GoDaven.com
* [http://www.aish.com/literacy/mitzvahs/Lively_Introduction_to_Prayer.asp Introduction to Jewish Prayer] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130622234603/http://www.aish.com/literacy/mitzvahs/Lively_Introduction_to_Prayer.asp |date=22 June 2013 }} – Aish.com
* [http://www.mincha.com Siddur in PDF]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190325011147/https://sidduraudio.com/ Audio and text of the Siddur] – SiddurAudio.com
* [http://www.yeshiva.co/ask/?cat=10 Q&A about Prayer] – [[Ask the Rabbi]]

{{Jewish prayers}}
{{Jewish life}}
{{Shabbat}}

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