“A practical explanation of Jewish worship from a spiritual slant.”
—Detroit Free Press
“Readers familiar with Rabbi Steinsaltz’s high level of descriptive prose, which appeals to people with varying levels of Jewish knowledge, will find this volume similarly of great interest.”
—The Jewish Week
Introduction / xvii
PART ONE • Prayer
CHAPER 1. The Prayer Book / 3
CHAPTER 2. The Essence of Prayer / 8
CHAPTER 3. Individual and Communal Prayer / 14
The Nature of Communal Prayer / 15
The Communality of Prayer / 18
Individuality of Prayer / 19
The Meaning of Communal Prayer / 22
Individual Prayer Within Communal Prayer / 24
CHAPTER 4. Men and Women / 26
The Commandment to Pray Applies to All / 26
Differences in the Concept of Prayer / 26
Historical Causes / 28
Women’s Prayer Texts / 30
The Women’s Gallery (Ezrat Nashim) / 31
CHAPTER 5. Kavvanah / 34
The Importance of Kavvanah / 34
Levels of Kavvanah / 35
Kavvanah and the Regularity of Prayer / 38
Achieving Kavvanah / 40
PART TWO • History
CHAPTER 6. The History of the Siddur / 47
The Creation of Standard Prayer Texts / 48
Prayer in Mishnaic and Talmudic Times / 51
Liturgical Poets and Devotional Poetry (Piyyut) / 53
Suddurim and Mahzorim / 57
The Influence of the Kabbalah / 58
Recent Generations / 61
CHAPTER 7. Prayer Rites / 62
Antiquity of the Prayer Rites / 63
Justification for the Different Prayer Rites / 64
Prayer Rites Today / 66
Nusaḥ Ashkenaz—The Ashkenazic Rite / 66
Nusaḥ Sepharad—The Sephardic (Hasidic) Rite / 69
The Oriental (Sephardic) Rite / 71
The Yemenite Rite / 73
The Italian Rite / 75
Extinct Prayer Rites / 77
PART THREE • The Order of Prayer Services
CHAPTER 8. Weekday Prayer Services / 83
Prayer and the Life Cycle / 83
The Daily Prayers / 84
Tikkun Ḥazot / 84
The Sharḥarit Service / 86
The Minḥah Prayer / 96
The Ma’ariv (Arvit) Prayer Service / 98
Shema Upon Retiring to Bed / 101
CHAPTER 9. Shabbat / 104
The Order of the Shabbat Day / 105
Shabbat Prayer Services / 107
The Friday Minḥah Prayer / 107
Kabbalat Shabbat—The Reception of Shabbat / 107
The Shabbat Ma’ariv Service / 110
The Shaḥarit Service / 112
Torah Reading / 114
The Musaf Service / 115
The Minḥah Service / 116
The Ma’ariv Service on Motza’ei Shabbat (“The Conclusion of Shabbat”) / 118
The Departure of Shabbat / 119
The Havdalah Ceremony / 120
After the Havdalah / 123
Shabbat Meals / 124
The Kiddush of Shabbat Eve, and the First Shabbat Meal / 126
Preparations for the Kiddush / 127
Some of the Laws and Customs of the Kiddush / 128
The Second and Third Shabbat Meals / 130
Study on Shabbat Afternoon / 131
Melaveh Malkah / 132
Special Sabbaths / 133
Shabbat Mervarkhim / 133
Shabbat Rosh Ḥodesh / 134
Shabbat That Falls on Festival Days / 136
Shabbat Ḥol ha-Mo’ed / 137
Shabbat of Ḥanukkah / 139
Shabbat Rosh Ḥodesh on Ḥanukkah / 140
The Arba Parshiyyot (“Four Portions”) / 140
Shabbat on Days When Taḥanun Is Not Recited / 142
Shabbat ha-Gadol / 142
Shabbat Teshuvah (Shuvah) / 143
The Sabbaths of Evil Dispensation / 144
The Sabbaths of Comfort / 144
Other Sabbaths / 145
CHAPTER 10. Festivals / 146
Festival Days / 146
The Three Pilgrimage Festivals / 147
The Second Days in the Diaspora / 148
Festival Prayers in General / 150
The Ma’ariv Service / 150
The Shaḥarit Service / 153
Torah Readings / 153
The Musaf Service / 154
The Minḥah Service / 155
Conclusion of the Festival / 156
The Pesaḥ Festival / 156
The Beginning of the Pesaḥ Festival / 156
The Pesaḥ Seder / 157
The Shaḥarit Service / 161
The Musaf Service / 162
The Minḥah and the Ma’ariv Services / 162
The Second Day of Pesaḥ (in the Diaspora) / 162
The Seventh Day of Pesaḥ / 163
The Last Day of Pesaḥ (in the Diaspora) / 164
The Shavu’ot Festival / 165
Shavu’ot Prayer Services / 166
The Second Day of Shavu’ot (in the Diaspora) / 168
The Sukkot Festival / 168
Sukkot Prayer Services / 170
The Second Day of Sukkot (in the Diaspora) / 171
Shemini Atzeret and Simḥat Torah / 172
Shemini Atzeret (in the Diaspora) / 173
Simḥat Torah / 174
CHAPTER 11. Days of Awe / 177
Rosh ha-Shanah—The New Year Festival / 178
The Minḥah Service on Rosh ha-Shanah Eve / 180
The Ma’ariv Service / 180
Kiddush and the Festive Meal / 182
The Shaḥarit Service / 183
Torah Readings / 184
Teki’ot—The Blowing of the Shofar / 185
The Musaf Service / 188
The Minḥah Service / 192
Tashlikh / 192
The Second Day of Rosh ha-Shanah / 192
Prayer Services on the Second Day of Rosh ha-Shanah / 194
Yom Kippur—The Day of Atonement / 195
Yom Kippur Eve / 197
Kol Nidrei / 198
The Ma’ariv Service / 201
The Shaḥarit Service / 203
Torah Readings / 204
The Musaf Service / 205
The Minḥah Service / 207
The Ne’ilah Service / 208
Conclusion of the Festival / 211
CHAPTER 12. Special Days / 213
Rosh Ḥodesh—The New Moon / 213
Ḥol ha-Mo’ed—The Intermediate Days of a Festival / 217
Ḥol ha-Mo’ed of Pesaḥ / 219
Ḥol ha-Mo’ed of Sukkot / 220
Ḥosha’na Rabbah / 221
Shabbat Ḥol ha-Mo’ed / 222
Hanukkah / 222
Rosh Ḥodesh During Hanukkah / 225
Purim / 225
Shushan Purim / 227
Fast Days / 229
The Ninth of Av (Tish’ah be-Av) / 229
Memorial Fast Days / 233
The Twentieth of Sivan—A Fast Day of Remembrance / 236
Fast Days for Repentance and Atonement / 237
Other Fixed Fast Days / 239
Nonfixed Fast Day / 240
Special Time Perios / 243
The Ten Days of Repentance / 243
The Month of Nisan / 244
The Counting of the Omer / 244
The Three Weeks (Bein ha-Meitzarim) / 245
The Month of Elul / 245
Days of Joy / 246
Local Purims / 247
Lag ba-Omier—The Thirty-third Day of the Omer Period / 247
The Day of Independence and Jerusalem Day / 248
Other Days When Taḥanun Is Not Recited / 249
CHAPTER 13. Torah Readings / 253
The Cycle of Torah Readings / 254
Taking the Torah Scrolls Out of the Ark / 256
The Order of Calling Up to the Torah / 258
Blessings for the Torah / 260
Torah-Reading Customs / 263
Hagbahah (“Raising”) and Gelilah (“Winding”) of the Torah Scroll / 265
Returning the Torah Scrools to the Ark / 267
The People Called Up to the Torah Reading / 268
The Torah Scroll / 270
Wrappings and Decorations of the Torah Scroll / 274
The Pointer (Yad) / 276
Cantillation of the Torah Reading (Ta’amei he-Mikra) / 277
Emperor Accents / 279
King Accents / 279
Minister Accents / 280
PART FOUR • The Synagogue and Communal Prayer
CHAPTER 14. The Synagogue / 285
Ancient Origins of the Synagogue / 285
Ancient Synagogues / 286
Synagogues Outside the City / 287
The Structure of the Synagogue / 288
The Women’s Gallery / 290
Orientation / 290
Synagogue Accessories / 292
The Holy Ark / 292
The Bimah / 292
Ner Tamid—The Eternal Light / 293
The Prayers Lectern / 293
Candles and Lamps / 294
The Basin / 294
Seating / 295
Additional Accessories / 295
Synagogue Architecture / 297
Ornamentation / 298
Small Synagogues / 300
Minyanim / 301
The Shtibel / 302
Synagogue Laws / 303
The Synagogue and the Beit Midrash (“House of Study”) / 305
Official Functions and Appointments / 306
Head of the Synagogue (Rosh ha-Knesset) / 306
Parnas / 307
Gabbai / 308
Ḥazzan—Cantor / 309
Shammash / 309
Ba’al Keriah—Torah Reader / 310
Meturgeman—Interpreter / 311
The Ten Batlanim / 312
Rabbi / 312
Other Use of the Synagogue / 313
Talmud Torah—Torah Study School for Children / 214
Communal Meetings / 315
Weddings and Circumcision Ceremonies / 316
Beit Din—Religious Court / 316
Guest House / 317
CHAPTER 15. The Shaliaḥ Tzibbur / 318
The Role of the Shaliaḥ Tzibbur and Its Origins / 318
The Ḥazzan / 319
The Shaliaḥ Tzibbur as Emissary to God / 321
Various Demands on the Shaliaḥ Tzibbur / 324
The Choir / 325
Ḥazzan versus Ba’al Tefillah / 328
The Kavvanah of the Shaliaḥ Tzibbur / 329
CHAPTER 16. Prayer Accessories / 332
Prayer Garments / 332
Head Coverings / 333
The Tallit / 336
When and by Whom the Tallit Is to Be Worn / 337
Significance of the Tallit and Its Blessing / 339
The Tzitzit / 341
Laws and Customs of the Tzitzit / 342
Making the Tzitzit / 344
Making the Tallit / 346
The Tallit Band (Atarah) / 347
The Tallit Bag / 348
The Blue Thread (Tekhelet) / 348
Tefillin / 349
Making the Tefillin / 351
The Content of the Commandment of Tefillin / 354
The Manner of Donning Tefillin / 358
Blessings and Recitations / 361
Tefillin of Rabbenu Tam / 363
Some Laws and Customs of Tefillin / 363
The Prayer Sash / 365
Hand-Held Objects / 366
The Siddur / 367
The Arba’ah Minim (“Four Species”) / 368
CHAPTER 17. The Music of Prayer / 370
Music and Prayer / 370
Music in the Temple / 370
The Loss of Ancient Music / 372
Evolution of Prayer Music / 373
Melodies of Oriental Congregations / 374
Ashkenazic Cantorial Music / 376
New Melodies / 378
Styles of Prayer Music / 381
Musical Expression in Prayer / 382
Appendices
Glossary of Terms / 387
Biographies / 410
Bibliographical Notes / 415
The Jewish Months and the Festivals and Special Days That Occur in Each of Them / 419
Index / 420
