Amida (prayer)

In the Bible there are repeated indications of the fact of prayers (for example, Genesis 20:17 , 2 Sam. 12:20 ). However, in ancient times, Jewish prayers did not have canonized texts and pronunciations; the main part of the service was sacrifice. Only in the era after the Babylonian captivity (VI century BC) did prayers undergo regulation and it was determined how and when to read the main prayer of the day.

Amida Prayer History

In the Talmud (Brahot, 33a) it is said that the first formulations of the text of the prayer of Amid were compiled by the "Great Assembly" (the Jewish religious-legislative council that existed in the V — III century BC). Before the destruction of the Second Temple (70 CE), the prayer did not have an established text, only a general structure was defined: each part of the prayer ended with the standard formula of blessing (... בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה - Blessed are you, Lord ...), the beginning of the prayer was dedicated to the glorification of God , the end - to the thanksgiving of God, in the middle were actually the requests.

Before the Tannai era, there was a ban on praying according to an established, and even more so recorded text. However, after the destruction of the Temple and the cessation of temple service, prayer became the only possible form of worship and thereby acquired special significance. It was decided that Amida is in some way a replacement for the sacrifices that took place in the Temple, in accordance with the biblical verse “Take with you [prayer] words and turn to the Lord; say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive for good, and we shall offer a sacrifice of our mouths ”( Hosea 14: 3 ). Therefore, in the II century. n e. under Nasi Gamliel II , it was decided to fix the text of public and private prayers. However, it still differs slightly in various liturgical canons .

The number of blessings was established - eighteen, according to the Talmud - in accordance with the number of mentions of the name of God in the prayer " Shema " and the 29th psalm . Nevertheless, in the final version of the blessings, there was one more - 19. The Talmud explains this by the fact that Gamliel II proposed to draw up an additional blessing for Amida against the apostates and heretics, which was formulated by Shmuel the Little . According to other sources, however, this blessing was included in Amida initially, and an additional blessing appeared as a result of the division into two prayers for the restoration of the Temple and the kingdom.

In the Talmud, some blessings are mentioned that are not included in the modern versions of Amida, as well as versions of the text of the prayer, which are recognized as heretical for one reason or another, and therefore prohibited.

The structure and order of reading prayers is discussed in the Talmud (the tract of Brahot , chapters 4-5) and is described in the halachic codes of the Mishneh Torah , Shulchan arukh .

Prayer Reading Time

Since the reading of Amida is a substitute for temple sacrifices, the reading of Amida was established three times a day - in the morning ( shaharit ), afternoon ( minha ) and evening ( maariv ) prayers. The morning and afternoon prayers correspond to the daily burnt offering, brought twice a day ( Num. 28: 4 ), and the evening - to the burning of the remnants of the sacrifices made during the day. On Saturday, Rosh-Hodesh and the holidays, a fourth reading is added - the musaf (corresponding to the additional holiday sacrifice), and on Yom Kippur - also the fifth, neila , corresponding to the special sacrifice of this day. According to the Talmud (Brahot, 26b), the practice of praying three times a day goes back to the forefathers - Abraham , Isaac, and Jacob .

The time for reciting each of these prayers is set in accordance with the time of sacrifice in the Temple. The morning prayer is read from sunrise to the end of the first third of the day, the day prayer is read in the afternoon, the evening prayer is allowed to be read throughout the night, and the musaf throughout the day, between morning and afternoon prayers.

The established reading time does not deprive believers of the right to say the Amida prayer at any time, in addition to compulsory readings.

Amida Structure

The ordinary, everyday Amida, read on all days except Saturdays and holidays, consists of nineteen blessings (although traditionally called "eighteen"). The first three blessings - the glorification of God - are intended to appeal to His mercy and create an appropriate mood for the worshiper. The middle blessings - thirteen of them - contain requests to God: first there are six personal requests, then six public ones concerning the entire Jewish people, the last blessing is a request for a favorable acceptance of prayer. Finally, the last three blessings represent gratitude to God for the opportunity to serve Him.

On Saturdays and holidays, as well as in all musafs, special versions of Amida are read, in which only the first three and last three blessings remain from the everyday version, and the rest are replaced by a blessing dedicated to this day. Such a prayer is called the “Prayer of the Seven Blessings” ( Tfilat Sheva ), although in colloquial speech it is still often called the “Shmone-Esre”. In the musafah, Rosh Hashanah Amida contains nine blessings.

Common to all versions of Amida, both everyday and festive, is that the prayer begins with the standard formula “Blessed are you, Lord ...”, and every blessing ends with it. In any version of the prayer, there are blessings glorifying God (the first three) and blessings of gratitude (the last three).

Prayer Text

Before the prayer, a verse from the psalm is recited ( Psalm 50:17 ):

• Lord Open my mouth, and my mouth will declare thy praise.

First blessing: “Forefathers” ( Avot ):

• Blessed are you, Lord, our God, the God of our ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the great, omnipotent and formidable God, the Most High God, doing good deeds, possessing everything, remembering the merits of the ancestors and sending the savior to their descendants, for the sake of His Name, the King helps, saving and shield! Blessed are you, Lord, the shield of Abraham.

Second blessing: “Power” ( Gvurot ) varies slightly depending on the season. In the winter (when the rainy season is in the land of Israel ) they speak of rain in blessing, in the summer - about dew:

• You are omnipotent forever, Lord! You raise the dead, You are great at salvation, You send down dew ( summer version ) / blow the wind and send down rain ( winter version ). You feed the living by grace, resurrect the dead by great mercy, support the fallen, heal the sick, release the prisoners and remain faithful to your sleeping in the dust. Who, like You, O Almighty, and who is equal to You, the King, who kills and resurrects and allows salvation to be reborn. You are faithful to Your word - to resurrect the dead. Blessed are you, Lord, resurrecting the dead.

Third blessing: “Sanctification of the Name” ( Kedushat Hasham ):

• You are holy, and Your Name is holy, and the saints daily praise You. Blessed are you, Lord, holy God.

Fourth blessing: “Reason”, “Understanding” ( Daat or Bina ):

• You endow a person with reason and teach mortal wisdom. Grant us knowledge, reason and wisdom from us. Blessed are you, O Lord, who bestows intelligence.

Fifth blessing: “Repentance” ( Tshuva ):

• Turn us, our Father, to your Torah, and bring us closer, our King, to your service, and return us by repenting to yourself. Blessed are you, Lord, desiring repentance.

Sixth blessing: “Forgiveness” ( Shekha ):

• Forgive us, Our Father, for we have sinned. Let us go, our King, for we have done wrong; because you let go and forgive! Blessed are you, Lord, implored, multifarious.

Seventh blessing: “Salvation” ( Geula ):

• Look at our calamities and stand up for us, and save us rather for Your Name's sake, for You are a mighty Savior. Blessed are you, Lord, Savior of Israel.

Eighth Blessing: “Healing” ( Refua ):

• Lord, send us health, and we shall be sound; help us - and we will be provided, for You are our Glory. Give us real healing from all our diseases, for You, the King, are a faithful physician and merciful. Blessed are you, Lord, healing the sick people of Your Israel.

Ninth blessing: “Blessing of the Years” ( Birkat Hashanim ), like the second blessing, varies depending on the season. In winter it contains a prayer for rain, in summer it does not. For Sephardic and Yemeni Jews, the entire text of the blessing changes, while for Ashkenazi Jews , a small insert is added in winter (in square brackets):

• Bless us, Lord our God, this year and all its harvests, and blessings [, dew and rain] have come upon the face of the earth, to fill us with our blessings, and bless our years with plenty. Blessed are you, Lord, blessing the years.

Tenth blessing: “Gathering the Exiles” ( kibbutz galuyot ):

• Delight the great horn to our freedom, raise the banner to gather the exiles, gather us together from the four ends of the earth. Blessed are you, Lord, gathering the wanderers of your people, Israel.

Eleventh Blessing: “Restoring Justice” ( Hashivat Hashishpat ):

• Return to us our judges as before and our counselors for the original. Take away our sorrow and groan and reign over us. You alone are gracious and judge us righteously. Blessed are you, Lord, King, loving mercy and justice.

Additional blessing against traitors ( Birkat ha-minim ):

• And there shall be no hope for the slanderers, and all evil perish instantly, and all the enemies of Your people be soon crushed, and the malicious ones uprooted and destroyed, overthrown and subdued in the near future. Blessed are you, Lord, who crushes the enemies and humiliates the malicious.

Twelfth Blessing: “The Righteous” ( Zadikim ):

• Thy mercy be awakened, Lord our God, to the righteous, pious, the elders of your people, the house of Israel, to the remaining writers, righteous proselytes and to us. Give good reward to all who trust in you wholeheartedly, and give us inheritance with them forever, and let us not be ashamed, trusting in you. Blessed are You, Lord, Reliance and Hope of the righteous.

Thirteenth Blessing: “The Restoration of Jerusalem” ( Binyan Yerushalayim ):

• Return graciously to Your city Jerusalem and dwell in it according to Your promise. Arrange it soon, nowadays, forever, and establish the throne of David in him soon. Blessed are you, Lord, arranging Jerusalem.

Fourteenth Blessing: Messiah the Son of David ( Mashiach ben David ):

• Thy son of David thy servant, let him grow soon, and his horn be exalted by thy help. For we trust in your help every day. Blessed are you, Lord, erecting the horn of salvation.

Fifteenth blessing: “He who hears the prayer” ( Shomea tefila ):

• Hear our voice, Lord our God, spare us and have mercy on us and accept our prayers graciously and favorably. After all, You, God, listen to prayers and requests, do not let us go from you with anything, You, graciously listening to the prayers of Your people Israel. Blessed are you, Lord, heeding the prayer.

Sixteenth blessing: “Service” ( Avoda ):

• God bless our God, to his people, Israel, and to his prayers. Restore ministry in your temple and accept the offerings and prayers of Israel gracefully. May the ministry of your people of Israel be continually pleasing to you. May our gracious return to Zion be seen. Blessed are you, Lord, returning again your majesty to Zion.

Seventeenth blessing: “Gratitude” ( hodaa ):

• We acknowledge that you, Lord, our God and the God of our forefathers are always; that You are the Bastion of our life, Protection and Help is ours from generation to generation. We thank you and give praise for our life in your hands, for our souls subject to you, for miracles that happen to us daily, for your wonderful deeds and good deeds, performed hourly, in the evening, in the morning and at noon. O all-good, thy goodness is inexhaustible. O All-Merciful, Your mercy is inexhaustible - we always trust in You. For all this, may Your Name be blessed and exalted, O King of ours, forever and ever. All living things give thanks and praise your name in truth, O God, our help and help. Blessed are you, Lord, whose Name is All-Benevolent, and to whom gratitude befits.

The eighteenth blessing: “Blessing of the world” ( Birkat Hashalom ) exists in two forms - full ( Shem Shalom ) and abbreviated ( Shalom Rav ), which Ashkenazi, as a rule, recite in day and evening prayers. Full blessing form:

• Send peace, kindness and blessing, affection, mercy and sympathy to us and to all your people, Israel. Bless us, Our Father, with the light of Your Face, for with this light You gave us, Lord God, our torus of life, love of virtue, righteousness, justice, blessing, mercy, life and peace. May you be pleased to bless Your people of Israel always and at all times with peace. Blessed are you, Lord, blessing your people, Israel, with the world.

After the prayer, add a verse from the psalm ( Psalm 18:15 ):

• May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, Lord, my stronghold and my Deliverer!

Following this, it is customary to read a small prayer, which was added to Amida during the compilation of the Babylonian Talmud, then they say, “The creating world on its heights may peace be upon us and all Israel” and they complete the reading with a request for the restoration of the Jerusalem Temple.

Additions to Prayer Text

Although the text of the prayer is currently fixed, it is allowed to insert personal requests for which special places are assigned: requests for health are inserted in the blessing “Healing”, other requests in the blessing “Hearer of the prayer” or at the end. Personal requests are not accepted to be inserted into Saturday and holiday prayers.

Shortened Prayer Forms

In case of lack of time, it is allowed to read an abridged version of the prayer Amida. At the same time, the first three and last three blessings are read in full, and the remaining blessings are replaced by one in which the content of all of them is concentrated:

• Give us, Lord our God, a mind to understand your ways. Inspire our hearts with reverence for You, forgive us our sins, eliminate our sufferings from us, bless our harvest, collect those scattered in the four ends of the earth; may the righteous rejoice in the dispensation of your city, the restoration of the temple and house of David, your servant, and the appearance of the offspring of the son of Jesse, your anointed. Answer us before we call upon you. Blessed are you, Lord, heeding the prayer.

Reading the abridged version is considered unacceptable in the winter (when they ask for rain), as well as at the end of Saturday, since there is no place for corresponding inserts in the text of the blessing.

In case of danger, Amida is reduced to a few lines and contains only one blessing; according to halacha, when danger has passed, a full prayer should be read. Text of a brief prayer:

• Great are the needs of your people of Israel, but their consciousness is not clear. Thy will be done, Lord our God, to give everyone everything he needs and every creature all that is lacking for him. Blessed is the hearer of prayer.

Amid’s prayer is read standing, with legs firmly moving and turning toward Jerusalem (and in Jerusalem, toward the Temple Mount . The laws for reading the main prayer in Judaism are very detailed.

Private and Public Prayer

Amida's prayer is read both individually and in public worship, which usually takes place in the synagogue . It is preferable to read the amide in the framework of public service, the necessary condition for which is the presence of a minyan - a quorum, consisting of ten adult male Jews - (women are also included in Minyan reformist Judaism). During a public service, Amidu usually reads quietly at first each prayer, and then loudly leads the service ( hazzan ).

Prayer Focus and Prayer Language

Prayer in Judaism is called the ministry of the heart. The worshiper should not simply read the text mechanically, but sincerely focus on it, create an appropriate mood in himself, which is called a kawana . Therefore, it is considered preferable that a person read a prayer in the language that he knows best. Ideally, however, the prayer should be read in Hebrew , and during public worship in the orthodox community, the Hazzan reads Amida in this language. According to halacha, correct kavana is especially important when reading the first and penultimate blessings.

Ban Interruption Prayer

When reading the prayer, Amida is absolutely forbidden to interrupt, unless it is life threatening. In the Talmud, a story is given that Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa did not interrupt the prayer even when a snake wrapped around his leg (while he remained alive and well, and the snake was soon found dead). According to Halacha, if the snake is poisonous, prayer, of course, should be interrupted. It is forbidden to interfere with the worshiper, in particular, you can not sit or go in front of him too close.

Quiet reading

In individual reading, Amida is pronounced in a whisper, so that others do not hear the prayer; during prayer together, everyone should hear only himself. An example here is the prayer of Hannah (Anna) , the mother of the prophet Shmuel (Samuel) : according to 1 Sam. 1:13 during the prayer, "Anna spoke in her heart, and her mouth only moved, and her voice was not heard."

Standing

The word Amida is translated from Hebrew as "Standing." Amida is always read while standing, with legs tightly closed - it is believed that at the same time the worshiper is likened to angels . In addition, it contributes to proper shroud. In case it is difficult to get up (for example, in a boat, in an airplane) Amida is allowed to read without getting up. During the recitation of Amida by a hazzan for the greater part of it, worshipers are allowed to sit.

Turning to Jerusalem

The reader of Amida must face Jerusalem. The Talmud (Brahot, 30a) says: “He who prays outside the Land of Israel must turn his heart to the Land of Israel, because it is said (1 Kings 8:48 ):“ and they will pray to you, turning to their land. ” He who prays while in the Land of Israel must turn his heart to Jerusalem, because it is said (1 Kings 8:44 : “and he will pray to the Lord, turning to the city that you have chosen.” He who prays in Jerusalem turns his heart to the Temple ... He who prays in the Temple turns his heart to the Holy of Holies ... It turns out that all the people of Israel turn their hearts to one and the same place. ”In practice, the praying Jews in Europe and North America face east, in the European part of Russia - to the south, in the Asian part - to the west etc. and the south-west.

A similar law exists in Islam , where worshipers turn towards the Kaaba .

Three Steps

There is a custom before the prayer Amida to take three steps back, and then three steps forward; after prayer - three steps back to the previous place. At the beginning of prayer, these steps symbolize the departure from the material world and the subsequent approach to God. According to the Midrash (Mehilt to the book of Shemot ), the three steps before prayer are based on the fact that Moses went through three stages of holiness when ascending to God on Mount Sinai .

Three steps back after the prayer symbolize the departure from the altar after the sacrifice, as well as the student leaving his teacher.

Bows

Bows are made at the beginning and at the end of the first and penultimate blessings of Amida - only four times. In the first blessing and at the end of the penultimate one, at the word “Blessed” they bend their knees, at the word “You” they bow, with the word “Lord” they straighten up (as it is said, “The Lord restores the stricken”, Psalm 145: 8 ). At the beginning of the penultimate blessing, they make a simple bow. In all these cases, they bow down so that the vertebrae appear on the back, and the one who is not able to do this simply tilts his head.

In the musafahs of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Ashkenazi bow down by kneeling and touching their foreheads on the floor (these bows are similar to the earthly bows of Muslims during prayer , but are not identical to them). There is an opinion that bowing to the earth should be done in all daily prayers, but this was not included in practice.

General Reading Order of Amida by Khazzan

During a public service, after everyone has read the prayer of Amida quietly, the Hazzan repeats it aloud on behalf of all those present. The loud reading of Amida by Khazzan was the original form of its use in public worship. When an individual reading was later introduced, the Khazan prayer was left as a second reading, primarily for those who did not know how to pray (in ancient times, the text of Amida was not recorded, and it had to be known by heart). Although now there is no such problem - everyone can read the texts of prayers in their native language and from the book - a recitation of Amida nevertheless remained in the liturgy.

All readings of Amida, except for the evening, are repeated, since it does not correspond to the temple sacrifice. If there is no minyan, prayer also does not repeat. The text of the second prayer completely coincides with the text of the personal one, with the exception of the third and penultimate blessings. When repeating the prayer, when the Hazzan reads “Blessed are you, Lord,” the community says “Blessed is He and blessed be His Name,” and at the end of each blessing, “ Amen .” When the Khazzan reads the penultimate blessing, the community, bowing, reads a special prayer “Thanksgiving of our teachers” (“ Modim de Rabanan ”), the content is similar to the text of this blessing. With a lack of time, the repetition can be shortened: Hazzan pronounces the first three blessings aloud, and then everyone reads Amida quietly. In reformist and conservative Judaism, the repetition of Amida by the presenter may also be reduced or even absent.

Kudusha

When Amida Khazan repeats, the third blessing, which in personal prayer consists of only two phrases, expands significantly and is read in the form of a dialogue between the Khazzan and the community. In this form, it is called "Kdusha" ( Heb. קדושה - Sanctification ). When reading Kдуsha, the community of worshipers is likened to an angelic choir, sanctifying the Name of the Most High. The text of Kдушишиa is based on three phrases from the Bible that are pronounced by all together - “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts! the whole earth is full of His glory! ”( Isa. 6: 3 ),“ Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His place! ”( Ezek. 3:12 ) and“ The Lord will reign forever, your God, Zion, into generation and generation. Hallelujah ”( Psalm 145: 10 ). The first two phrases, according to the Bible, are used by angels in praising God.

The text of the Kдушишиa varies with the time of the prayer. The shortest Kdusha is in everyday prayer, in morning prayer it is longer, in Saturday and holiday prayers it is even longer. The most extensive and solemn reading of Kdusha is found in the musafs of Saturdays and holidays and in the prayers of Yom Kippur.

Coen Blessing

In Israel, it is accepted that after the Khazzan reads the penultimate blessing in the morning Amida, the Coens , going forward, stand in front of the prayers and read the Aaronic blessing ( Num. 6: 24-26 ). This ritual is an echo of the temple worship: in the Jerusalem temple, the coens pronounced this blessing after the morning sacrifice. In fasting it is also read in daily prayer, and in Yom Kippur - in Neil's prayer. Thus, it is read in cases where it is assumed that the koens obviously did not drink alcohol (which prohibits them from participating in the temple service ( Lev. 10: 9 ). In the diaspora in Ashkenazi communities, the koens go out for blessing only on holidays, and in other cases, it is read by hazzan.The liberal movements in Judaism do not recognize the status of the coens.

Saturday Amida

On Saturday, Amida is read four times: in evening prayer (in Judaism, the day begins at sunset), in the morning, in additional (musaf) and in day prayer. The first three and last three blessings remain unchanged, and the middle blessings are replaced by one called “Sanctification of the day” ( Kedusha ha-yom ). Its text in each of the four Saturday prayers is different: in the evening prayer it is dedicated to the creation of the world ( Genesis 2: 1-3 ), in the morning - to the giving of the commandment for the Sabbath rest ( Exodus 20: 8-11 ), in the musaf - to the Sabbath sacrifice ( Num. 28: 9-15 ), in daytime prayer, to the celebration of the Sabbath in the present and future.

In Saturday evening prayer, when it is not customary to repeat Amida, the Khazzan instead reads the blessing of “Mein Sheva” - “Like seven” - a brief repetition of the content of Amida.

Festive Amida

On holidays: Passover (first and last days), Shavuot , Sukkot (first day) and Shmini Atzeret - Amida was built in the same way as Saturday. It is also read four times, also consists of seven blessings. The fourth blessing is also called “sanctification of the day,” but, unlike the Sabbath, its text is the same in evening, morning, and afternoon prayers. If the holiday occurred on Saturday, the festive version of the "sanctification of the day" with insets devoted to the Sabbath is read. Outside the land of Israel, each of the above holidays lasts two days instead of one, and on each of these days a festive Amida is laid.

Amida Prayer Musaf

The fourth, additional prayer of the day - the musaf - is read on the days when the Torah prescribes an extra sacrifice ( Numbers 28-29 ): on Saturday, Rosh-godesh, on all the days of Passover and Sukkot, in Shavuot, Shmini Atzeret, Rosh Ha Shana and Yom Kippur. The amida of the musaf prayer, as in all festive versions, always consists of seven blessings, the middle of which is called “blessing of the day” (the exception is the musaf of Rosh Hashanah, where Amida contains nine blessings). The fourth blessing of the musaf in Orthodox Judaism is always dedicated to the festive sacrifice, contains a corresponding fragment from the Torah and a request for the restoration of the Jerusalem Temple and the resumption of the sacrifices. After personal prayer follows her chazan repeat.

Although halachah permits the musaf to be read all day, in practice he always joins the morning worship service.

In reformist and conservative Judaism, the musaf usually does not contain any mention of sacrifice, or is not read at all.

Amida Reading in Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur

In Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Amida, although it retains a common structure, is significantly different from the usual one.

Amida these days, like all holidays, consists of seven blessings. The first three and last three blessings are generally the same as in all the prayers of the year, but their text is greatly expanded. The fourth blessing - “sanctification of the day” - is the same in evening, morning and afternoon prayers, in the musaf it is dedicated to the holiday sacrifice. In the musafah, Rosh Hashanah Amida consists of nine blessings (the only occasion of the year); its middle part, respectively, of the three. The first contains ten passages from the Bible that mention God as king (the description of the festive sacrifice is also inserted here), the second contains ten passages that mention God as remembering everything, the third contains ten passages that mention the shofar (ram's horn), one of essential attributes of the celebration of Rosh Hashanah (they blow into it during prayer).

The recitation of the Hazzan prayers in Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is done in a special solemn style and includes many additional fragments; for this reason, reading Amida these days takes significantly longer compared to the rest of the year.

Amida Neela Prayer

The reading of the Neil prayer was introduced in the Talmudic period. The full name of the prayer - Neilat Shearim - is translated as “locking the [heavenly] gates” and means that it is read at sunset. Prayer was read only in special cases - during fasting days, as well as in communities that sent their representatives to Jerusalem to participate in temple services (Talmud, Taanit, Ch. 4). In modern practice, the Neil is read only once a year - in Yom Kippur. Amida prayer Neil consists, like all prayers of Yom Kippur, of the seven blessings, but has significant differences in the text. After personal prayer follows her chazan repeat. Throughout this rather long service, it is customary to stand.

Prayers for Rain and Dew

When a hazzan reads Amida the musaf prayer on the autumn holiday of Shmini Atzeret, he inserts a special prayer into her for the sending of rain (since the rainy season begins in Israel shortly after this holiday). Similarly, when repeating Amida the musaf on the first day of the spring holiday of Passover (the beginning of the dry season in Israel), a prayer for dew is inserted into it.

Avdala

In the evening prayer, read at the end of a Saturday or holiday, in the fourth blessing there is a special insert - avdala (or havdala - “Separation”). It gives thanks to God for teaching people to separate holidays from everyday life. There is a special ritual of transition to weekdays, also called “avdala”. If a holiday follows after the Sabbath, then the evening festive prayer also reads avdal, but it already speaks of separating not “the saint from the everyday”, but the “saint from the saint”.

Remorse Days Inserts

In the days of remorse (from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur), special inserts are read in the first two and last two blessings. It is believed that these days a person has a chance to change for the better the verdict of a heavenly court rendered to him. Therefore, in these inserts, the worshiper calls for God's mercy and asks for his name to be included in the Book of Life (and in the last prayer of Yom Kippur asks to seal this record).

In addition, during the days of repentance, the endings of the third and eleventh blessings were changed: in the third, instead of “Holy God” they say “King of the Holy”, and in the eleventh instead of “King who loves justice and justice,” they say “King of justice”. These changes are designed to remind worshipers of the verdict.

Inserts in public post days

During public fasting days in the morning and afternoon prayers, the Hazzan adds a special “Blessing of Fasting” to them. Thus, in these days, twenty blessings are recited in the recitation of Amida. In daytime Amida, every person who prays also reads the blessing of the fast, not as a separate blessing, but as an insert in the request for acceptance of the prayer. The blessing of the world in the daytime prayer of fasting is always read in full form.

In Fasting the Ninth of Ava , the blessing containing the request for the restoration of Jerusalem is significantly expanded in the daytime prayer.

Holiday Insert

In Rosh-Chodesh (New Moon) and on the intermediate days of the Passover and Sukkot holidays, the usual, everyday Amida is read. But due to the special status of these days, the festive prayer of Yaale ve-yavo (“Let him rise and come ...”) is inserted into Amida, in a blessing dedicated to the temple service. The same prayer is present in Amida of real holidays as part of the blessing “Sanctification of the day”.

Hanukkah and Purim Insets

In the days of Hanukkah and in Purim, the usual Amida is also laid (since these holidays are not mentioned in the Torah), but in the penultimate blessing, insets devoted to the events of these holidays are read.

Recent Changes to Amida's Text

In the sixteenth century, Arizal made changes to the text of Amida, who made an attempt to combine the Ashkenazi and Sephardic texts of prayer in accordance with his understanding of Kabbalah . After the Six Day War , with the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967, religious circles began to discuss the question of changing the insert in prayer to the ninth Ava.

In the liberal areas of Judaism, the changes are mainly due to the fact that they do not consider Amid's prayer as a substitute for sacrifices and deny the fundamental need for their renewal. Therefore, the prayer either does not mention the temple and the sacrifices at all, or there is only mention of them without a request for the restoration of the temple service. In reformist Judaism, Amida is not tied to a specific time of day, and the musaf is usually absent.

In reformist Judaism, in the first blessing, they mention not only the forefathers, but also the foremothers of the Jewish people; thus the prayer begins: "Blessed are you, Lord, our God, the God of our fathers and mothers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Sarah , Rebekah , Leah and Rachel ." The words “sending a savior” are changed to “sending a salvation,” thus removing the mention of the Messiah . In the second blessing, the mention of the resurrection of the dead is omitted, saying in the final formula instead of “resurrecting the dead” - “giving life to all living things”. In the blessing of “Service,” the request for the resumption of temple service is replaced by a request to God “Turn to Your servants and be kind to us, pour Your Spirit on us.”

• Rabbi Uri Amos Sherki. “Open my mouth”
• Amida - article from the Electronic Jewish Encyclopedia
• Comments on the discussion of the laws of reading Amida in the Talmud