Ashrei
We have already mentioned that the Ashrei prayer is recited three times daily. The special character and the content of this prayer are described at length in our section on the Shacharit service. At this point in the prayers, it is recited for the second time of the day. The third recitation takes place during the afternoon (Minchah) prayer service.
- As is the case during the first recitation, when reciting the verse, “You open Your hands and satiate the desires of every living thing,” one should have in mind that G-d watches over all of His creations, prepares their sustenance, and provides all their needs. It is critical to keep this in mind during the course of this recitation; if this verse is recited with no particular intent in mind, it must be repeated.
- While reciting the first words of the verse (“You open Your hands”) one should touch the tefillin of the arm. During the second half of the verse, one should touch the tefillin of the head. One should then kiss the fingertips that touched the tefillin.
Lamenatzeiach—To the Conductor
The Ashrei prayer is followed by Psalms Chapter 20, which begins with the words, “To the conductor, a song for David; may G-d answer you on the day of distress.”
Tradition teaches us that King David composed this prayer after he dispatched Yoav, the general of his army, to do battle with a foe. David declares in this Psalm that while the enemy relies on their iron chariots and war horses to emerge victorious in battle, the Jews place their trust in G-d, Who will cause us to triumph in battle.
In the Book of Psalms, this chapter follows nineteen chapters of praise to the Creator. For that reason, it is appropriate for it to appear here, following the Shemoneh Esrei, which contains the same number of blessings—nineteen.
The Zohar ascribes special significance to this prayer, describing lofty, mystical secrets hidden within its words. It is not for naught that this prayer is customarily recited, even outside the context of the prayer services, by individuals struggling with personal troubles or dangers, or at a time of communal distress.
- On days when Tachanun is not recited (see above for list), Lamenatzeiach is also omitted.
Uva L’Tzion
The prayer of Uva L’Tzion (“A Redeemer Shall Come to Zion”) is a compilation of verses from various places in the Bible, some of which are translated into Aramaic, which was the commonly spoken language during the Talmudic era, so that even the least educated Jews could understand the prayer.
This prayer serves as a last-minute opportunity for prayer, giving those who arrived late to the services and missed the beginning of the prayers a chance to make up for what they missed. For that reason, this prayer covers a number of disparate subjects addressed in other parts of the services; it also includes a version of Kedushah similar to the one recited during the blessings of the Shema and the regular Kedushah, which is a component of the chazzan’s repetition of the Shemoneh Esrei.
The Content of Uva L’Tzion
We begin with a prayer for redemption (“A redeemer shall come to Zion…”), quoting several verses in which G-d promises that His spirit and His Torah will remain eternally a part of the Jewish nation. We then move on to the verses of the Kedushah and their Aramaic translations, followed by a number of verses that describe G-d’s kindness and forgiveness of sins. We praise G-d for having created us to honor Him and having given us the Torah of truth, and we ask Him to “open our hearts” to the study of Torah and to “place” within us feelings of love and reverence for Him. We conclude this section of the prayers by entreating G-d to help us observe all of His commandments, which will cause us to be deserving of eternal life in the World to Come, and we conclude with the verse, “G-d desired for the sake of His righteousness; let the Torah be expanded and mighty.”
- This prayer should be recited with intense focus on the meaning of every word.
- Despite the fact that it functions as a summary of the prayers, reciting this passage alone does not exempt a person from his obligation to recite the entire prayer service. Uva L’Tzion serves merely as an addition to the prayers.
- After the recitation of Uva L’Tzion, it is permissible to remove one’s tefillin. Nevertheless, it is customary to continue wearing them until the final conclusion of the prayer services.
- Uva L’Tzion is followed by the Full Kaddish. On a regular weekday, we then recite the Song of the Day.
Returning the Torah scroll to the Ark
On Mondays and Thursdays, when the Torah is read, it is returned to the Ark at this point in the prayers. The congregant who performed Hagbahah, who has been sitting with the Torah scroll on the bimah, now stands up, holds the Torah scroll on his right, and descends from the bimah on the side opposite where the chazzan ascended it prior to the Torah reading.
- While the scroll is being carried back to the Ark, the congregation recites aloud the prayers that appear in the siddur, beginning with “Let them praise the Name of G-d, for His Name alone is exalted.”
- When the scroll passes by, it is customary to kiss it and to instruct small children to kiss it as well.
- It is customary to accompany the Torah scroll from the bimah to the Ark, as a demonstration of respect.
Additional paragraphs
We recite several additional passages before the Song of the Day:
- Psalms chapter 86: “A Prayer for David.” In this passage, King David pours out his heart before his Creator, bemoaning his many troubles, praising G-d, and pleading with Him to listen to his prayers and save him from his enemies.Because this prayer refers to a “time of distress,” it is not recited on days when Tachanun is omitted.
- “House of Jacob, Let Us Go” and “May G-d our Lord Be With Us.” These prayers consist of verses from the Bible, some of which deal with visions of the End of Days, when the entire world will recognize the G-d of Israel.
- Psalm 124: “A Song of Ascents for David, If Not for G-d Who Was with Us.” This Psalm discusses the fact that the Jewish people is completely dependent on the Creator of the world, especially at times when an immense, mighty enemy threatens the people or when danger lurks at our door. The chapter concludes on an optimistic note that typifies the eternal Jewish nation: “Help us in the Name of G-d, the Creator of heaven and earth.”
The song of the day
When the Temple still stood, the daily sacrificial service in the morning would be followed by a chapter of Psalms recited by the Levites. A different chapter was designated for each day of the week, with content corresponding to that particular day. In commemoration of that ritual, we also recite these chapters. We thus recall the destruction of the Temple and ask G-d to rebuild the Temple and restore our nation to its former glory.
We preface the Song of the Day by mentioning the day of the week. Thus, we state, “Today is the first day of Shabbat,” “Today is the second day of Shabbat,” and so forth. We describe each day relative to the Shabbat because the Torah commands us to remember the Shabbat on every day of the week.
Each day has its own unique chapter of Psalms, which contains an allusion to something that was created or took place on that day.
- Sunday’s “Song of the Day” contains the statement, “The land and its fullness belongs to G-d.” This is fitting for Sunday, the first day of creation, when G-d created the heaven and earth.
- On Monday, we recite, “G-d is great and very much praised.” G-d created the firmament on the second day of creation and separated the “upper waters” from the “lower waters.” This was the first display of G-d’s greatness, which resulted in Him being praised on earth as well.
- On Tuesday we recite the verse, “G-d stands in the congregation of G-d.” On the third day of creation, G-d created boundaries between the land and the sea and created plant life as well. The land that was created on that day includes the Land of Israel. Thus, on Tuesday the foundation was laid for the Land of Israel to be populated by the Jewish people—the “congregation of G-d.”
- Wednesday’s prayer states that G-d is “a G-d of vengeance.” On Wednesday, the sun, moon, and stars were created. After the creation of the world, human beings begin to believe in these luminaries as independent entities, which led to the twisted belief that there are different “gods,” good and evil. This distortion, in turn, led to a breakdown in social order, as the imagined existence of multiple deities made it unnecessary for people to conduct themselves justly and properly in their interactions with each other. This Psalm describes the vengeance that G-d will exact in the future from human beings who worshipped the sun and the moon and from people who treated others in an unjust manner.
- The Psalm of Thursday states, “Sing to G-d of our strength.” This alludes to the first Thursday in history, when fish and birds were created. Contemplating these wondrous beings should cause a person to fill his heart with praise and thanksgiving to the One Above for the incredible world He has created.
- On Friday we recite, “G-d has ruled; He has worn pride,” since Friday marks the day when all other living things were created, including the crown of the world—man himself. A king cannot be considered a monarch without subjects; only when mankind was created to serve as G-d’s subjects was it possible for Him to be our King.
- The Psalm of Shabbat begins with the words, “A song of joy for the Sabbath day” and relates to Shabbat, when G-d ceased performing all “work.”
The Song of the Day is followed by the Orphans’ Kaddish when a mourner or orphan is present.
Beginning on the first day of the Hebrew month of Elul, we recite an additional chapter of Psalms, chapter 27, after the Song of the Day. This passage is recited every day until Hoshana Rabbah, the 21st of Tishrei. It begins with the words, “To David, G-d is my Light and my Salvation” and contains many verses that express a powerful faith in G-d and love for the Creater of the Universe. It also describes the kindness that G-d displays in His dealings with His creations.
These themes are particularly appropriate for this time of year, when we “take leave” of the previous year and prepare for a new year. An additional rationale for the recitation of this Psalm is the fact that it contains allusions to the holidays that take place at this time of year. The words “G-d is my Light” are a reference to Rosh Hashanah, and the term “my Salvation” alludes to Yom Kippur. The Psalmist goes on to allude to Sukkot with the words, “He will protect me in His sukkah.”
Ein K’Elokaynu—There is None Like Our G-d
We then move on to a brief passage beginning with the words “Hope to G-d,” which expresses our unshakeable faith in the Creator of the world, who serves as our support and shield at every moment of our lives. This paragraph is followed by the liturgical composition “Ein K’Elokaynu— There is None Like Our G-d,” which consist of five stanzas, each one containing four brief statements that convey words of praise for the Master of the Universe. The first stanza begins with the declaration, “There is none like our G-d. There is none like our Master. There is none like our King. There is none like our Savior.” The remaining stanzas follow the same pattern of four identical statements calling G-d our G-d, our Master, our King, and our Savior; only the beginning of each statement is changed from one stanza to the next. The second stanza begins with the words, “Who is like our G-d?” The third stanza sates, “We will give thanks to our G-d.” The fourth stanza begins, “Blessed is our G-d,” and the fifth stanza states, “You are our G-d.”
It is interesting to note that this passage begins with the answer, “There is none like our G-d,” even before it presents the question, “Who is like our G-d?”
The ingredients of the Ketoret
This passage is followed by the recitation of the ingredients of the ketoret, the incense that was offered in the Temple every morning and evening.
- The ingredients of the ketoret should be recited slowly and deliberately, to avoid skipping any of them.
- While reciting the names of the component spices of the incense, one should count them with one’s fingers.
Concluding paragraphs
Before Aleinu, we recite two additional Talmudic passages: “Tanna D’vei Eliyahu” and “Rabbi Elazar said.” The recitation of these passages is viewed as a daily dose of Talmud study. Like the Shemoneh Esrei, this prayer ends with a supplication for the one thing that we desire the most—peace: “May G-d give strength to His nation; may G-d bless His nation with peace.”
At a communal prayer service, the Rabbis’ Kaddish is recited at this point. In general, it is recited by a mourner or orphan; if none is present, the chazzan recites it.
Aleinu
Aleinu is one of the most ancient prayers that have been preserved throughout the generations of Jewish history. It is attributed to Joshua, the son of Nun, who was the foremost disciple of Moses and succeeded him in leading the Jewish people.
After the Jews left Egypt, before they entered Israel, Joshua reminded them of the vast difference that exists between the Jewish people and the other nations—that the Jews believe in One G-d. While all the other nations worship “vanity and emptiness,” in the immortal words of Aleinu, the Jewish nation has faith in the King of kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He—the one and only G-d, Who created the world and continues to run it.
We go on to pray for the ultimate redemption, when all human beings will recognize G-d’s sovereignty and all forms of idolatry and wickedness will disappear from the world. All of humanity will then be united in incredible harmony and will submit to G-d’s authority with the clear understanding that “G-d is One and His Name is One.”
This passage appears at the conclusion of all three daily prayer services (Shacharit, Minchah, and Maariv), and serves as their official conclusion. We end the prayers with this passage in order to drive home to ourselves, before we take leave of the prayer services, our faith in One G-d and our hope for redemption. Thus, even after the prayers have ended, when we come in contact with different people and different beliefs, we will remain strongly rooted in our own faith.
- Aleinu should be recited while standing, with intense focus on each word.
- While reciting the words “we kneel and bow,” one should bow forward slightly.
- After the words “that they bow to vanity and emptiness,” one should cover one’s mouth slightly and spit on the floor (but not in the direction of the Ark). We do this to avoid deriving any benefit from the saliva that was created by our speech when we mentioned idolatry. After spitting, one should use one’s shoe to wipe away the spit.
- If a person enters a synagogue and finds the congregation reciting Alelinu, he should join them in reciting the first paragraph (until the words “there is no other”) even if he is not personally in the middle of his prayers.
During a communal prayer service, a mourner or a person who has lost a parent recites the Orphans’ Kaddish after Aleinu.
Al Tira—Do Not Fear
It is customary to recite three verses after Aleinu: “Do not fear,” “Plot a conspiracy and it will be annulled,” and “Until old age, I am He.” The source for this practice appears in a midrash that relates, regarding the Purim miracle, that when Mordechai learned of the evil Haman’s decree “to destroy, to kill, and to obliterate all the Jews,” he went out into the street and encountered three boys who were returning from school. Mordechai asked them what they had learned on that day, and the boys responded with these three verses, all of which have the same theme: that we should not be fearful of the troubles that visit the Jewish people, since G-d will annul them. The evil intent of the enemies of the Jews is meaningless since G-d is always with us. Even when we “grow old,” G-d remains eternally “young” and continues to protect us and save us from trouble.
When Mordechai heard these verses, he knew that the Jewish people had nothing to fear from Haman’s decree—that G-d would save them from that perilous situation. Mordechai proceeded to gather all the children of the Jewish nation for an emergency assembly, where they engaged in Torah study with great enthusiasm and self-sacrifice. At that time, the evil decree was annulled in Heaven.
After these verses, we add an additional verse: “But the righteous will give thanks to Your Name; upright ones will sit before Your Face.”
Tehillim—Psalms
After the conclusion of the Shacharit service, one should recite several chapters of Psalms. The book of Psalms is divided into thirty sections, one for each day of the month. Thus, for instance, on the first day of Nissan, one recites Psalms 1 through 10; on the second day, Psalms 11 through 18; and so forth. Some prayer books contain the entire Book of Psalms with the appropriate divisions for each day of the month.
It is also customary for every individual to recite his “personal Psalm,” corresponding to his age. A twenty-yearold, for instance, would recite Psalm 21, since he is in his twenty-first year of life.
The Tzemach Tzedek—the third Rebbe of Chabad—once said, “If you only knew the power of the verses of Psalms and what they accomplish in Heaven, you would recite them at every moment. You should know that the chapters of Psalms break through all barriers, rise to Heaven without any interference, prostrate themselves before the Master of all the worlds, and achieve their aim with kindness and mercy.”
The recitation of Tehillim is followed by an additional two Kaddishes, after which the prayer services are completely concluded and one may remove one’s tefillin and tallit.
The procedure for removing the Tefillin
- Both the tefillin of the head and the tefillin of the arm should be removed while standing.
- The first step is to loosen the knot and the strap of the arm tefillin that is wound around the finger and palm.
- Next, one should remove the tefillin of the head, using his left or weaker hand in order to demonstrate that he is reluctant to part from the tefillin. It is customary to kiss the tefillin after removing them.
- The head tefillin are placed inside their plastic case, and the straps are wound around both sides of the case (to appear like wings). One should grasp the box itself and wind the straps around it, not vice versa.
- After the straps have been wound around the case, the tefillin should be placed in their bag, on the right side.
- We move on to the tefillin of the arm. The tefillin are removed from the arm, kissed, and placed in their plastic case. The strap is wound around the case on both sides, as was done with the head tefillin; one should hold the case itself.
- The arm tefillin are placed in the bag on the left side. One should remember that they are placed on this side of the bag so that they can be removed and donned the following day before the tefillin of the head.
Rabbeinu Tam’s Tefllin
Background
In many communities, it is customary to don an additional pair of tefillin every morning. This second pair of tefillin is known as the tefillin of Rabbeinu Tam. Rabbeinu Tam’s real name was Rabbi Yaakov the son of Meir, but he was nicknamed “Rabbeinu Tam” after the verse that describes our patriarch Jacob (Yaakov) as a simple man (“ish tam”) who dwelled in tents.
Rabbeinu Tam was the grandson of the most famous biblical commentator, Rashi—Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki—who is known for his commentary on the Bible and the Talmud.
A dispute emerged between Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam regarding the correct order in which the Torah passages are placed inside the tefillin. Rashi maintained that the passages are placed in the tefillin in the following order: “Kadesh,” “V’Hayah Ki Yeviecha,” “Shema Yisrael,” and then “V’Hayah Im Shamoa.” Rabbeinu Tam, however, reversed the order of the last two. Nowadays, most sets of tefillin are made in accordance with Rashi’s view, but some have the custom of donning an additional pair of tefillin in order to fulfill the Biblical precept in accordance with Rabbeinu Tam’s view. The custom in Chabad follows this practice.
It goes without saying that people who wear only the tefillin of Rashi are certainly considered in fulfillment of their obligation of wearing tefillin.
The Procedure for Donning the Tefillin of Rabbeinu Tam
One should remain clad in the tallit and don the tefillin in the same way that he put on the tefillin of Rashi, but without reciting any blessings.
After putting on the tefillin, one should recite the three paragraphs of the Shema, followed by the first two Torah passages that are contained within the tefillin, and then the Six Remembrances.
The Six Remembrances
The Torah instructs us to remember a number of historical events that took place after the Jewish people’s departure from Egypt. These remembrances can take the form of mental recollections, verbal mentions of the events, or the performance of various commandments associated with them. For instance, the obligation to recall the Exodus from Egypt is mentioned repeatedly in the Torah, in our prayers, in the blessings on many mitzvot, on the Shabbat and on holidays. The following are the six primary “Remembrances,” which we recite after the Shacharit prayers. (The full text appears in the siddur.)
- The Exodus. The Torah obligates us to remember our miraculous redemption from slavery in Egypt every day, which took place amidst a flurry of supernatural events and miracles.
- The Revelation at Sinai. We are enjoined to remember the revelation at Mount Sinai, when G-d appeared before the Jewish people’s eyes and gave them the Torah.
- The War Against Amalek and the Commandment to Destroy His Descendants. We are instructed to remember what Amalek did after the Jewish people left Egypt. While the nation was still traveling through the wilderness, Amalek dared to attack them, displaying a complete lack of fear of G-d. We are told to remember his evil deeds and destroy all of the offspring of Amalek.
- The Sin of the Golden Calf. We must always recall the Sin of the Golden Calf, when the Jewish people fashioned an idol of gold despite the fact that G-d had explicitly prohibited them to do so. This angered G-d greatly.
- The Episode of Miriam. Moses’s sister Miriam was punished for speaking ill of her brother. We must always remember that and refrain from speaking ill of other people.
- The Shabbat Day. We must always remember to “sanctify” and honor the Shabbat day, even during the week.
- Even a person who does not wear the tefillin of Rabbeinu Tam should recite these six remembrances at the end of the prayer service.
Removing the Tefillin of Rabbeinu Tam
After the Six Remembrances, the tefillin of Rabbeinu Tam may be removed in the same fashion in which the tefillin of Rashi were removed. The straps should be removed from the hand first, followed by the tefillin of the head and then the arm tefillin themselves. The straps are wound around the plastic cases and placed into the tefillin bag.
Removing the Tallit
Once the tefillin have been put in their proper place, one should remove the tallit from his shoulders, again using his left hand to demonstrate reluctance. One should kiss the edge of the tallit and fold it in such a way that it can fit into its bag.
- There is no specific procedure for folding the tallit; every person may fold it in whatever fashion he desires, but it is important to fold it in a neat way and tuck the fringes into the tallit.
- When using a single bag for the tallit and tefillin, one should be careful to place the tallit above the tefillin so that he will encounter it first when preparing for the prayers the next morning and will thus remember to put on the tallit before the tefillin.
