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    ETSSession4 TheAmidah1

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    Jeffurs Lennon
    The document discusses the Amidah, the central prayer in Judaism. It provides context on the debate among early sages on how many blessings should be included. While known as the "18 Benedictions", it consists of 19 blessings. The document also notes that the early sages opened the Amidah with praise of God before including personal petitions. Finally, it reflects on the importance of both words and silences in prayer.

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    ETSSession4 TheAmidah1

    Uploaded by

    Jeffurs Lennon
    18 views5 pages
    The document discusses the Amidah, the central prayer in Judaism. It provides context on the debate among early sages on how many blessings should be included. While known as the "18 Benedictions", it consists of 19 blessings. The document also notes that the early sages opened the Amidah with praise of God before including personal petitions. Finally, it reflects on the importance of both words and silences in prayer.

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    ETSSession4_TheAmidah1

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    The document discusses the Amidah, the central prayer in Judaism. It provides context on the debate among early sages on how many blessings should be included. While known as the "18 Benedictions", it consists of 19 blessings. The document also notes that the early sages opened the Amidah with praise of God before including personal petitions. Finally, it reflects on the importance of both words and silences in prayer.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    18 views5 pages

    ETSSession4 TheAmidah1

    Uploaded by

    Jeffurs Lennon
    The document discusses the Amidah, the central prayer in Judaism. It provides context on the debate among early sages on how many blessings should be included. While known as the "18 Benedictions", it consists of 19 blessings. The document also notes that the early sages opened the Amidah with praise of God before including personal petitions. Finally, it reflects on the importance of both words and silences in prayer.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 5

    Session 3: The Amidah

    Daring to Ask: Praise Before Petition


    November 18, 2021 | 13 Kislev 5782

    To follow along in the Siddur (prayer book) throughout this series, visit:
    https://www.ccarnet.org/publications/mishkan-tfilah-weekdays-shabbat-festivals/

    1
    Graphic from Larry Hoffman’s My People’s Prayerbook Series (1997)

    Rabban Gamliel says: Every day a person must pray the eighteen [blessings of the Amidah].
    Rabbi Yehoshua says:[One may say an abbreviated [form of the] eighteen [blessings].
    Rabbi Akiva says: If prayer is fluent in their mouths, they must say eighteen; and if it is
    not—an abbreviated eighteen.
    Rabbi Eliezer says: One who makes their prayer fixed, their prayer does not constitute true
    “supplication”
    - Mishnah Berakhot 4:3-4

    Adonai S’fatai- Craig Taubman Mishkan T’filah p. 74 (Psalms 51:17)

    Ya na na na na na...Adonai ‫ׂשפ ַ ָ֣תי ּתִ פ ָ ְּ֑תח ּו֝ ִ֗פי י ַ ִּג֥יד ּתְ ִהּל ֶָתָֽך‬
    ְ ‫֭ ֲאדֹנָי‬
    Ya na na na na na...s’fatai tiftach
    Ya na na na na na...ufi yagid, ufi yagid
    “Eternal God open up my lips that my mouth may
    tehilatecha
    declare your praise”

    The “18”

    Everything about the Amidah is intriguing. We do not know for sure when Jews started saying
    it or even why. Most puzzling of all is how it came to consist of nineteen benedictions, since
    the Amidah is also named the Sh’moneh Esreh-that is, “the Eighteen [not nineteen!]
    Benedictions”...It was the Rabbis’ favorite prayer, after all, known originally as Hat’fillah, that
    is, “The Prayer.” Literally thousands of learned Jews have spent their lives reading and
    rereading those few classical texts that purport to explain how it came about.
    - Lawrence Hoffman (My People’s Prayerbook vol. 2)

    2
    Praise Before Petition

    When the early sages instituted the Amidah for Israel to pray, they did not open with the
    needs of Israel until they had opened with the praise of the Eternal One, based on
    Nechemiah 9:32 "the great, mighty, awesome God”, “who sets free the captive”, "You are holy
    and awesome is Your name," followed by "Heal us," and concluded with "We thank You."

    - Sifrei D’varim (midrash on Deuteronomy) 343:3

    3
    THE SIDDUR AND
    IDEOLOGY

    BLESSING #12

    Traditional

    Mishkan T’filah (p. 88)

    BLESSING #15

    Traditional

    Mishkan T’filah (p. 90)

    4
    SOUND AND SILENCE

    Sh’ma Koleinu- Debbie Friedman Mishkan T’filah p. 90

    Sh’ma Koleinu Adonai Eloheinu


    ‫ׁשמַע קֹולֵ ֽנּו י ְהֹוָה אֱֹלהֵ ֽינּו חּוס ו ְַרחֵם עָלֵ ֽינּו‬
    ְ
    Chus v’racheim aleinu
    ‫ְו ַקּבֵל ּב ְַר ֲחמִים ּוב ְָרצֹון אֶת־ּתְ ִפּל ֵָתֽנּו ּכִי אֵל‬
    V’kabel b’rachamim uv’ratzon et t’filateinu

    Ki El shomeia t’filot v’tachanunim atah


    ‫ׁשֹומֵ ֽ ַע ּתְ פִּלֹות וְתַ חֲנּונִים אָ ּֽתָ ה‬

    “Hear our voices, Eternal our God, have


    compassion upon us, and receive our prayer
    with favor and mercy, for You are a God who
    hears prayer and supplication.”

    Lend us the wit, O God, to speak the lean and simple word;
    give us the strength to speak the found word, the meant word;
    Grant us the humility to speak the friendly word, the answering word.

    And oh, make us sensitive, God


    Sensitive to the sound of the words which others speak-
    Sensitive to the sound of their words-and to the silences between.
    - Mishkan T’filah p. 101

    Yehyu L’ratzon- Dan Nichols Mishkan T’filah p. 100

    Yehyu l’ratzon imrei fi v’hegyon libi l’fanecha


    Adonai tzuri v’goali, Adonai tzuri v’goali ‫יִהְיּו ל ְָרצֹון ִאמ ְֵרי פִי ְו ֶהגְיֹון ִלּבִי ְלפָנֶ ֽיָך‬
    ‫צּורי וְגֹו ֲאלִי‬
    ִ ‫י ְהֹוָה‬
    May the words of my mouth and the
    meditations of my heart
    Be acceptable to You, oh God
    My Rock and my Redeemer

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