Practices in JudaismWorship

For Jews, worship can take place either in the synagogue or at home. It is often more important to practise faith at home. For example, this is the case for the practices related to Shabbat.

One of the key mitzvah is worship, which is a duty as part of the covenant with God. Worship is also important to Jews because it brings the community together.

Worship in the synagogue includes daily services, rites of passage and festivals. Worship at home includes prayers, Shabbat meals and study.

Worshipping in the synagogue

Orthodox synagogues hold three daily services in Hebrew. The person leading the congregation faces the aron hakodesh. Men and women sit separately, and men cover their heads with a skull cap or kippah. Married women wear a scarf over their head, which shows respect for God. Orthodox Jews often sway, which helps them to concentrate on the words being said.

Orthodox Jewish men wear a tallit and often a tefillin. The tallit reminds Jews that they are obeying God’s word whenever they wear it. The tefillin makes them concentrate on God when they are praying.

Reform synagogues don’t have daily services like those held in Orthodox synagogues, but when they do the services is in both Hebrew and the language of the country the synagogue is in. In the UK, this is English. Reform synagogues hold services on Shabbat. Men and women sit together and often musical instruments are played.

The service

Services are usually led by a rabbi but anyone with religious knowledge can lead worship. For Orthodox Jews the rabbi must be a man, but Reform Jewish rabbis can be women.

Often a cantor, called the hazzan, stands at the front facing the aron hakodesh to lead prayers, which are often sung or chanted.

The siddur is used during each service. It contains the daily prayers.

Opening prayers are usually said, and these are followed by a recitation of the Shema. The Shema is the Jewish declaration of faith, and Jews have a duty to recite it three times a day.

The Amidah is a prayer that is central to Jewish worship. It is performed standing and in silence while facing Jerusalem. Worshippers think over the words in their minds rather than saying them out loud.

Services also contain readings from the Torah. These are followed by final prayers, such as the Aleinu, which is a prayer to praise God.

The Amidah

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

Worshipping at home

Jews pray three times a day at home. As well as prayer, there are often other reminders of God found in the home, eg on the doorpost there may be a mezuzah.