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
