Defining prayer
What does it mean to pray? Prayer (known in Hebrew as tefillah, and also referred to colloquially by the Yiddish term davening) is, quite simply, the experience in which a human being speaks to his Creator.
Prayer can take many forms. Some prayers are spontaneous, while others are conducted on a fixed schedule. Similarly, some prayers may be formulated on the spot, while others consist of an established text. Prayer can emanate from feelings of joy and gratitude to G-d, but it can also emerge from a heart beset by pain, from a sense of urgent need, or from tears and emotional angst. Prayer can be loud, even to the point of a scream, but it can also take the form of silent, albeit heartfelt, crying out to G-d. The common denominator between all forms of prayer is that they involve direct communication with G-d, our Father in Heaven and the Creator of the universe, without resorting to any intermediary whatsoever.
Communication with the Creator is such an intrinsic part of Jewish practice that we begin every day with prayer. Every Jew recites the “Modeh Ani” prayer upon arising in the morning, in which he expresses his gratitude to G-d for returning his soul to him, renewed and refreshed, after a night’s sleep. He then goes on to praise G-d Himself and the incredible world that He created, to thank G-d for His abundant kindness, and to entreat Him to grant all of his requests and supply all of his needs. Such prayer, when it comes from the depths of one’s heart, engenders an awareness that G-d is the Master of the Universe and that everything that takes place in the world is in His Hands., so to speak.
Prayer is a form of spiritual sustenance; it nourishes the soul just as physical food sustains the body. Everyone knows that an appropriate physical diet consists of three well-balanced meals every day. Similarly, our spiritual “diet” calls for three fixed doses of daily prayer, each of which sustains us until the next prayer session.
Every Jew is obligated to pray to G-d every single day.
Why do we need to pray?
What is the purpose of prayer? On a simple level, we can understand that the need to pray makes us aware of our own limitations and fallibilities, of the inherent vulnerability of the human condition. G-d could have created us with all of our needs already met; He could have endowed every human being automatically with health, intelligence, a livelihood, ample food and clothing, and everything else that a person could possibly need. But if he had done so, human beings might have fallen into the trap of arrogance. They might have developed a twisted world view that placed themselves at the center of the universe and rendered them oblivious to the existence of their Creator. In order to remind us of His existence, then, G-d made us continually dependent on Him, constantly needing to beseech Him to supply all of our needs and to thank Him after he has done so.
All this is true, but it also paints a simplistic picture wherein prayer functions much like an ATM; simply insert the requisite recitations, and your needs will be delivered to you. In truth, however, there is a far more profound way to understand the need for prayer.
G-d truly desires to bestow good upon all of His creations. In His great love for His creations, He wishes to provide for the needs of every individual. But the purpose of creation is for man to recognize and be aware of his Creator. In order to bring about such awareness, G-d created man in a situation in which he is constantly in need, constantly lacking something, so that he will have a perpetual need to turn to his Creator and communicate with Him.
This approach reveals a much deeper layer of meaning behind the institution of prayer. We now understand that the fact that G-d responds to our requests is really a tangential effect of prayer. After all, as the omnipotent Master of the Universe, G-d could have supplied all of our needs even without our prayers. Rather, the ultimate purpose of prayer is the very act of prayer itself, the fact that man communicates with G-d and cultivates a relationship with Him. That is both the goal of prayer and the true benefit that accrues from it.
Nusach: The text of the prayers
Since prayer is a fixed daily obligation of every Jew, the Sages instituted a universal text to serve as the basis of our daily prayers. Every Jew is entitled to supplement the regular prayers with his own personal supplications, but Jewish law requires the recitation of the various texts established in our prayer books.
Over the centuries, the traditional text of the prayers was supplemented by various additions, as well as undergoing some minor alterations. Thus, while the essential format of the established prayers was preserved, various communities developed their own versions of the prayers, known as nuschaot (nusach in the singular), which were passed down from generation to generation.
Nowadays, we can identify four primary nuschaot that are accepted by the majority of the general public.
- Nusach Ashkenaz (literally, the nusach of Germany) was first developed in northern France, but it truly took shape in the communities of Germany. It traveled with German Jewish emigres who moved to Eastern Europe, Poland, and Lithuania, and became the primary nusach of most of the descendants of those communities, as well as that of the Jews of America and South Africa.
- Nusach Sephard (literally, the nusach of Spain) was developed by the chassidut movement of Eastern Europe. Today, it has become the primary nusach used by the Jews of Poland and Russia, by many of the Jewish communities in Hungary and Romania, and, of course, by the majority of chassidim. Despite the name of this nusach, it is not the version of prayer utilized by Sephardic Jews; rather, it is one of the main versions of prayer among Ashkenazic Jews.
- Nusach Chabad (which is also known as Nusach Ari) is essentially a subcategory of Nusach Sephard. Nusach Chabad was created by the founder of Chabad, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the author of Tanya. Rabbi Shneur Zalman eliminated the redundancies in Nusach Sephard, corrected all grammatical errors in the texts of the prayer, and preserved the original nusach formulated by the Ari himself. This nusach was compiled from no fewer than 60 distinct versions of the prayers, and Rabbi Shneur Zalman designed this nusach in such a way that it would be appropriate for the entire Jewish nation.
Finally, the nusach utilized by Sephardim and Jews from the East was actually created in Spain (Sephard in Hebrew) before the infamous expulsion of the Jews in the year 1492. Upon the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, this nusach traveled to North Africa, the Middle East, and the various Jewish communities located in Islamic lands. Nowadays, this nusach is practiced by the majority of Jews from eastern lands and by Sephardic Jews.
The Siddur
“Siddur” is the term for a Jewish prayer book, one of the most fundamental texts in Judaism. Every siddur is printed in accordance with a particular nusach. The standard siddur contains all the prayers that are recited on a regular weekday, on the Sabbath, and on all the holidays. The word siddur is related to the Hebrew word “seder” (order), and indeed, the siddur provides, in an organized fashion, all of the appropriate prayers for every moment of our lives.
The siddur’s usefulness does not end when we leave the synagogue. On the contrary, it contains numerous prayers that are meant to be recited for various reasons throughout the daily life of a Jew. A Jew’s entire day is permeated by prayer; there is a prayer, “Modeh Ani,” which is recited immediately upon awakening in the morning, and another prayer, the nighttime recitation of Shema, is said immediately prior to retiring for the night. Furthermore, the standard siddur contains a host of blessings or prayers to be recited for various reasons outside the normal framework of prayer, such as blessings upon beginning or concluding a meal and a prayer to be recited when setting out on a journey. There are also blessings to be said over the sight of blossoming trees in the spring, the sight of a rainbow or a bolt of lightning, the sound of thunder, and many more phenomena.
Siddurim also generally include the passages from the Torah that are read in the synagogue on Monday and Thusrday mornings, the text of Sefer Tehillim (Psalms), the text of the Mishnaic tractate Avos(Ethics of the Fathers), and other useful material. Furthermore, siddurim conclude the appropriate prayers for various life cycle events: a circumcision, a bar mitzvah, a wedding, or the death of a relative.
When do we pray?
As we have mentioned, prayer is, in effect, a form of spiritual sustenance for the soul. Consequently, our Sages ordained that every Jew must pray at least three times a day. These three daily prayers parallel the three times of prayer that, according to Jewish tradition, were established by our forefathers. Tradition teaches us that Abraham instituted the morning prayers, Isaac established the practice of praying in the afternoon, and Jacob was responsible for the institution of the evening prayers.
When the Temple was in existence, there were sacrificial offerings that took place on a daily basis at these times. Nowadays, when we are no longer able to offer sacrifices, our verbal prayers serve as a substitute for the offerings that were brought in the Temple. The morning prayer, Shacharit, takes the place of the daily morning offering in the Temple, while the afternoon prayer, Minchah, is in place of the offering that was brought in the Temple every afternoon. The nighttime prayer, Maariv (also known as Arvit) takes the place of the burning of the leftover limbs of the sacrificial animals, a rite that was performed in the Temple during the nighttime hours.
A fourth prayer service, Mussaf, is added after the morning services on the Sabbath, Festivals, and Rosh Chodesh (the beginning of every Hebrew month), in place of the special Mussaf-offerings that were brought in the Temple on those days.
The exact times when these prayers are recited vary in accordance with fluctuations in the times of sunrise and sunset. We will discuss the appropriate times of the prayers in the context of each individual service.
Kavanah—Involving the Mind
During prayer, it is essential for a person to pay attention to the meaning of the words he is reciting. One should pray slowly and deliberately, remaining constantly aware that he is engaged in communication with the Master of the Universe.
Kavanah (intent) is an integral component of prayer. Prayers that are mouthed without kavanah are likened to a body whose soul has left it; the body is intact but lifeless. Similarly, prayers that are uttered hastily, without paying attention, are considered devoid of life and content even if all the requisite words are said.
Despite the paramount importance of kavanah, one is considered to have fulfilled his obligation to pray even if he fails to do so with the proper focus and intent. There are only a few passages within the daily prayers that must be repeated when they are recited without kavanah: specific portions of the Shema and Shemoneh Esrei prayers.
Praying from a text
Even for a person who knows the text of the prayers by heart, it is still advisable and recommended to use a siddur. Reciting the prayers from a text helps to keep one’s mind from wandering, and, of course, it helps prevent one from skipping words.
Praying with a Minyan
A Jewish man should make every effort to conduct his prayers with a minyan—a quorum of ten adult Jewish males (aged thirteen or above). The effectiveness of one’s prayers is immeasurably enhanced when they take place with a minyan. The Sages teach us that G-d always listens to the supplications of a minyan.
Certain parts of the prayer services are permitted to be recited only in the company of a minyan. These portions of the prayers include Kaddish, Barchu, the chazzan’s repetition of the Shemoneh Esrei, and the reading of the Torah. When one is unable to pray with a minyan, it is permissible to pray alone, but these portions of the prayers—which are considered the most sacred parts of the services—must be omitted.
In general, a minyan meets in a synagogue to pray, but it is permissible for a minyan to gather in any location where Jewish law permits prayer.
Where to pray
Naturally, the best place to pray is a synagogue, and one should make every effort to attend synagogue for each of the three daily prayers. Even when one has missed praying with a minyan and has no choice but to pray alone, it is still preferable for him to pray in a synagogue.
It is advisable for every individual to “adopt” a specific synagogue and attend services there regularly. It is further recommended to establish a specific seat within the synagogue as one’s permanent place of prayer.
In situations when it is impossible to pray in a synagogue, one must still be sure to pray in a location that is suitable for such an activity. The prayer should take place in a room or building that is clean and free from disturbances that might disturb one’s concentration. It is prohibited to pray in a place where there is an offensive odor, such as the smell of sewage, or in the vicinity of a lavatory with an open door.
It is always possible to find an appropriate place for prayer, even for someone who is on the road or outdoors. Travelers may opt to pray alongside a tree, on a street corner, beside a bus stop, and so forth. In such situations, when an optimal place for prayer is not available, one should simply attempt to find a spot that is as clean and free of noise as possible, in order to be able to concentrate properly on one’s prayers.
Prayer for women
While women are exempt from any time-related obligations in Jewish law, they are still required to recite select portions of the daily prayers. Besides being a daily requirement, the requirement to pray mandates communication with G-d, a phenomenon that is not restricted to a specific time.
The most important section of the daily prayers is the recitation of the Shema. Consequently, every woman or girl should be sure to recite at least the first verse of Shema.
Additional details about a woman’s obligation to pray will be described in the category The Jewish Woman
