Old Jerusalem Hurva Synagogue Morning Prayer

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''Shacharit'' ( ''šaḥăriṯ''), or ''Shacharis'' in Ashkenazi Hebrew, is the morning '' tefillah'' (prayer) of

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

, one of the three daily prayers. Different traditions identify different primary components of ''Shacharit''. Essentially all agree that '' pesukei dezimra'', the Shema Yisrael and its blessings, and the '' Amidah'' are major sections. Some identify the preliminary blessings and readings, as a first, distinct section. Others say that Tachanun is a separate section, as well as the concluding blessings. On certain days, there are additional prayers and services added to shacharit, including Mussaf and a Torah reading.

Etymology

''Shacharit'' comes from the Hebrew root (''shaħar''), meaning dawn.

Origin

According to tradition, ''Shacharit'' was identified as a time of prayer by Abraham, as states, "Abraham arose early in the morning," which traditionally is the first ''Shacharit''. However, Abraham's prayer did not become a standardized prayer. ''Shacharit'' was also instituted in part as a replacement of the daily morning Temple service after the destruction of the Temple. The sages of the Great Assembly may have formulated blessings and prayers that later became part of ''Shacharit'', however the siddur, or prayerbook as we know it, was not fully formed until around the 7th century CE. The prayers said still vary among congregations and Jewish communities.

Service

Weekdays

During or before ''Shacharit'', those Jews who wear tallit or tefillin put them on, in each case accompanied by blessings. Isaac Klein, ''A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice'', Ktav Publishing House, 1979, p.4-5 Some do not eat until they have prayed. The main components of ''Shacharit'' are: * Birkot hashachar, a series of blessings originally recited upon arising, now incorporated into the prayer service. * ''Korbanot'', a series of recitations related to the Temple sacrifices. * '' Pesukei dezimra'', a series of psalms, hymns, and prayers. ''Pesukei dezimra'' is said so that an individual will have praised God before making requests, which might be considered rude. * The '' Shema Yisrael'' and its related blessings. One should "concentrate on fulfilling the positive commandment of reciting the ''Shema''" before reciting it. One should be sure to say it clearly and not to slur words together. * Amidah (''Shemoneh Esreh''), a series of 19 blessings. The blessings cover a variety of topics such as

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, crops, and prayer. * Tachanun, a supplication consisting of a collection of passages from the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' Hallel is recited. * Torah reading (on certain days) * Ashrei and Uva letzion * Aleinu and Shir shel yom Kaddish is recited between most of the above sections.

Shabbat and holidays

Various changes to the Shacharit service take place on Shabbat and holidays: * In '' Pesukei dezimra'', most communities omit Psalm 100 (''Mizmor LeTodah'', the psalm for the thanksgiving offering), because the ''todah'' or thanksgiving offering could not be offered on Shabbat in the days of the

Temple in Jerusalem The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. Accord ...

. Its place is taken in the

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...

tradition by Psalms , , , , , , , , . Sephardic Jews maintain a different order, add several psalms and two religious poems. * The '' Nishmat'' prayer is recited at the end of the ''Pesukei D'Zimrah'', as an expansion of the weekday ''Yishtabah'' blessing. * The blessings before ''Shema'' are expanded, and include the hymn ''El Adon'', which is often sung communally. * The intermediate 13 blessings of the Amidah are replaced by a single blessing on the topic of Shabbat or the holiday. In Nusach Ashkenaz (and Nusach Sefard) the Kedushah (recited during the Hazzan's repetition of the third Amidah blessing) is significantly expanded; in the Sephardic rite, it is recited in the same form as on weekdays. * After the repetition is concluded, some recite the Shir shel yom (others recite it at the end of the Mussaf service) * A Torah reading always takes place on Shabbat and holidays. In the Eastern Ashkenazic rite, the prayers surrounding the reading are much longer than on weekdays, but in the Western Ashkenazic rite, they are almost identical. The weekly portion is read, divided into at least seven Aliyot (plus a "maftir" Aliyah), followed by the '' haftarah''. * In Nusach Ashkenaz (and Nusach Sefard), prayers for the community are recited after the

Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...

reading: '' Yekum Purkan'', as well as the subsequent '' Mi sheberakh'', a blessing for the leaders and patrons of the synagogue. In the Western Ashkenazic rite, the ''Mi sheberakh'' is omitted on the Shabbat before Rosh Chodesh. * In some communities, prayers are then recited for the government of the country, for peace, and/or for the State of

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. On the Shabbat before Rosh Chodesh (''Shabbat mevorchim'') a special prayer blessing the new month is recited. * After these prayers, Ashrei is repeated and the Torah scroll is returned to the Ark in a procession through the Synagogue. Many congregations allow children to come to the front in order to kiss the scroll as it passes. This is followed by the Mussaf service, which generally is recited immediately after Shacharit.

Timing

According to Jewish law, the earliest time to recite the morning service is when there is enough natural light "one can see a familiar acquaintance six feet away." It is a subjective standard. The usual time for this prayer service is between sunrise and a third of the day. If one missed a third of the day, it may be recited until astronomical noon, referred to as ''chatzot.'' After that (technically, half an hour after ''chatzot''), the afternoon service ( mincha) can be recited.

References

External links

* {{Authority control