Prayer
Jews believe that praying regularly at home and in the synagogueBuilding for Jewish public prayer, study and assembly. enables a person to build a good relationship with God. When praying, Jews face in the direction of Jerusalem, which in the UK is towards the east. Jewish prayer can be spontaneous – that is, unplanned and unstructured. Personal prayer and reflection, where a person prays privately to God using either a set prayer or their own words, is also an important part of Jewish life.
The Jewish prayer book, which is called a SiddurThe literal meaning is order, ie the order of the synagogue service. The term is used for the daily prayer book used by Jews., has special services contained. They can be followed at home or in the synagogue.
The mitzvot and prayer
There are a number of mitzvotCommandments or laws in Judaism. in the TorahLaw; teaching. The word Torah can be used in a narrow sense to mean the first five books of the Hebrew Bible (The Five Books of Moses) and also in a wider sense to include the whole of the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud. that mention prayer. For instance, Jews are taught to pray to God:
Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name (Deuteronomy 6:13)
Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you (Exodus 23:25)
The Torah also teaches Jews to read the ShemaMajor Jewish prayer affirming belief in one God. The Shema is found in Exodus 20:2-14, Deuteronomy and Numbers. in the morning and at night (Deuteronomy 6:7). Additionally, it teaches them to say payers of thanks after meals (Deuteronomy 8:10).
The Amidah
The AmidahOne of the most important and most ancient prayers in Judaism, prayed in a standing position three times daily. Also called Tefillah (Prayer). is a prayer that is central to Jewish worship. It is performed standing and in silence while facing Jerusalem. It is sometimes called the Standing Prayer. Worshippers think over the words in their minds rather than saying them out loud. This prayer usually forms part of worship in the synagogue.
The Amidah prayer consists of a series of blessings:
- the first three blessings praise God and ask for his mercy
- the middle 13 blessings ask for God’s help
- the final blessing thanks God
Prayer in the home
In Judaism, the home is often regarded as the most important place of worship. Worship at home includes:
- saying prayers three times a day
- observing ShabbatThe seventh day of the week; a day of spiritual renewal and rest commencing at sunset on Friday and terminating at nightfall on Saturday.
- celebrating festivals
- studying the scriptures
The Shema
As part of daily prayers at home, many Jews aim to recite the Shema: Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. (Deuteronomy 6:4) at least twice a day. The Shema declares their belief in only one God. This helps Jews to keep in mind the mitzvot that prohibit believing in or worshipping any other gods.
Modeh Ani
Many Jews aim for recitation of a morning prayer called the Modeh Ani A daily prayer said by Jews upon waking, thanking God for returning their soul to their body after sleep. to be the first thing they do upon waking. Many Jews believe that sleep is almost like death because the soul goes to God, who chooses whether or not to return it to the body. Waking in the morning means that God has chosen to return the soul to the body, so the Modeh Ani thanks God for the gift of another day.
The actual words that are said vary, but one version is: I am thankful before you, living and enduring King, for you have mercifully returned my soul within me. Great is your faithfulness.
Question
How many times do many Jews believe they have a duty to pray each day?
Three.
