Emet Veyatziv ( he, אמת ויציב, , true and certain) is a blessing recited by
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
during
Shacharit
''Shacharit'' ( he, שַחֲרִית ''šaḥăriṯ''), or ''Shacharis'' in Ashkenazi Hebrew, is the morning ''tefillah'' (prayer) of Judaism, one of the three daily prayers.
Different traditions identify different primary components o ...
, the daily morning prayer. It immediately follows the
Shema
''Shema Yisrael'' (''Shema Israel'' or ''Sh'ma Yisrael''; he , שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ''Šəmaʿ Yīsrāʾēl'', "Hear, O Israel") is a Jewish prayer (known as the Shema) that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewis ...
and precedes the
Amidah.
Themes
It is a recognition of God's kingship and God as the One and only, and thankfulness to God for the exodus from Egypt, the slaying of the firstborn, the splitting of the sea, and the redemption of Israel from exile.
[Talelei oros By Gershon Robinson][The World of Prayer: Commentary and Translation of the Siddur By Elie Munk, page 3]
The word ''Emet'' ("truth") is repeated several times in entire blessing, as the first word of a sentence or paragraph. For this reason,
Orchos Chaim views the blessing as a review of the Shema.
Structure
The first word of the blessing is אמת (''emet''). However, when recited communally, this word is appended to the end of the Shema. Upon finishing the Shema and saying the word ''emet'', one waits for the
chazzan
A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' ( he, חַזָּן , plural ; Yiddish ''khazn''; Ladino ''Hasan'') is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer.
In English, thi ...
to reach this point before continuing with ''veyatziv'' and the remainder of the blessing. This is because
halacha
''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical comman ...
prohibits interrupting between the Shema and this blessing, in order that the phrase אדני אלהיכם אמת (''The Lord your God is true''), whose first two Hebrew words come from the Shema and whose last word from this blessing, be recited.
[The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 95] This practice is already mentioned in the
Mishnah
The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Tor ...
(
Tamid
Tamid ( he, תָמִיד ''ṯāmīḏ''; "daily offerings") is the ninth tractate in the Order of Kodashim, which is the fifth of the six orders of the Mishnah, Tosefta and the Talmud.
The main subject of Tamid is the morning and evening burn ...
5:1).
The structure that appears in most siddurim is as follows:
#Emet Veyatziv is the first paragraph. The word ''emet'' (''truth'') is appended onto the Shema, and ''veyatziv'' appears as the first word. In the Western Ashkenazic rite, when a
Zulat is recited, a shorter form of this prayer is recited instead of the regular form.
#Al Harishonim is the second paragraph. It focuses on the truth of redemption. In both the Eastern and Western Ashkenazic rites, when a
Zulat is recited, a special form of this prayer is recited instead of the regular form.
#Ezrat Avoteinu is the third paragraph, and is an elaboration on the Exodus from Egypt
#The blessing ends with the paragraph Mi Komokha, ending with the blessing Ga'al Yisrael (''Who Redeemed Israel'')
Obligation to recite
The obligation to recite Emet Veyatziv appears in
Brachos 12a. Here, it is stated that whoever does not recite this paragraph has not fulfilled one's obligation ''"To proclaim your kindness in the morning, and your faithfulness at night,"'' (
Psalms 92:3),
[ and therefore his obligation to recite Shema.]
Recitation by women
While it is questionable, according to halakha
''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...
, whether women are required or even allowed to recite the blessings accompanying the Shema, many authorities hold that women are obligated to recite Emet Veyatziv, since doing so fulfills the mitzvah of remembering the exodus from Egypt, which is not a time-bound commandment.[Halichos Bas Yisrael, Volume I By Rabbi Yitzchak Yaacov Fuchs, pages 35-36]
See also
* Emet VeEmunah, the blessing recited after the Shema at night
References
{{Jewish prayers
Shacharit
Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish prayers and blessings