Search results for: ""Amida""

Waking Up for Ma'ariv and Havdala...
If you went to sleep before sunset on Saturday and planned to wake up for ma'ariv, yet slept through the night...:
  • Say shacharit Sunday morning;
  • Repeat the amida for tashlumin; then
  • Make havdala.
Note If you did not intend to wake up for ma'ariv, don't say tashlumin at all.
Prayer Leader of 10 Men Should Wait
A prayer service leader for a group of only 10 men including himself should (but is not required to) wait until all 10 men have finished the private amida before he begins the reader's repetition.
  • Shabbat
  • Jewish Festivals
  • Rosh Chodesh musaf.
Reason To have nine men replying amen to each blessing.
Note A minimum of six men must be finished before the reader begins the repetition. If delaying the repetition at mincha will cause the repetition to be finished after sunset, consult a rabbi.
Note If all nine other men will not (or may not) say amen, the leader should intend that his public amida be a “free-will offering” (nedava); otherwise, his public amida may be a bracha l'vatala. He may not intend to offer a "free-will offering" on days or services that this sacrifice was not offered in the Temple in Jerusalem:
  • Shabbat
  • Jewish Festivals
  • Rosh Chodesh musaf.
Rosh Hashana: How Many Shofar Blasts To Hear
Men are required to hear at least 60 shofar blasts on Rosh Hashana (l'chatchila) in order to fulfill the commandment of hearing shofar:  30 before the musaf amida and 30 afterward.  But they fulfill their requirement (b'di'avad) if they have heard at least 30 on each day of Rosh Hashana. 
Women only need to hear 30 shofar blasts on each day of Rosh Hashana.
Note Although 100 shofar blasts are blown each day of Rosh Hashana, hearing all 100 is a non-binding custom.  You do not need to hear the first blasts or any other particular set, but you must hear blasts that include:
  • 3 tashrat (teki'a-shevarim-teru'a-teki'a) +
  • 3 tashat (teki'a-shevarim-teki'a) +
  • 3 tarat (teki'a-teru'a-teki'a).  

When To Pause or Join Minyan: General Prayer Services
Here is when to pause or join the minyan during general prayer services:
  • Ashrei
 You do not need to interrupt your prayers to join the minyan for ashrei.
  • Torah Reading 
 If you are saying the amida, pause only during the actual Torah reading, not during
 the blessings.
  • Kaddish
           During kaddish, you must pause in your amida until the prayer leader finishes the
 line of da'amiran b'alma....  
  • Alenu
  If the minyan says alenu and you are at a part of the prayer service at which you
  are permitted to interrupt, you may join them.
Note It is a proper practice to say alenu with the congregation, even if you have already finished that prayer service.
Reason If you don't, it seems as if you are not accepting ol malchut shamayim.
Jewish Festivals: Ending: Before Havdala: Baruch HaMavdil
Say baruch ha'mavdil bein kodesh l'chol (without saying God's name!) if:
  • It is already “dark” (you can see three medium-size stars--tzeit ha'kochavim), and
  • You want to end the Jewish festival (and Shabbat) before saying ma'ariv's amida or havdala.
Note Saying this formula allows you to do melacha, but you may not eat or drink until you have said or heard havdala.
Note Men must still say the amida and men and women must say or hear havdala later even if they said baruch ha'mavdil bein kodesh l'chol. For how late you may say havdala after a Jewish festival, see Jewish Festival Havdala at Night or Next Day.
100 Blessings on Shabbat and Jewish Festivals
On Shabbat and some Jewish festivals, you might want to fulfill some of the quota for making 100 blessings by:
  • Eating extra fruit or other foods,
  • Hearing and saying amen to the blessings over the:
    • Torah reading,
    • Reader's repetition of the amida for shacharit and musaf, and
    • Haftara by the maftir.
 
Introduction to Shmini Atzeret/Simchat Torah
Timing
In Eretz Yisrael, Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are observed on the same day. Outside of Eretz Yisrael, Simchat Torah is the second day of what becomes a two-day festival.

Prayers
We begin mentioning rain in the second paragraph of the musaf amida of Shmini Atzeret and continue until the first day of Passover.
 
Universal Customs
The universal custom is to complete the reading of the Torah and to begin reading it again on Simchat Torah. Dancing and singing with the Torah scrolls is also a universal custom.
Baruch HaMavdil Bein Kodesh L'Chol To Do Melacha
After it is dark, say Baruch ha'mavdil bein kodesh l'chol (just those words--not God's name or any of the standard words used in blessings!) if you want to end Shabbat and do weekday activities (melachot) before saying ma'ariv's amida or havdala.
Reason This fulfills the commandment of “zachor” for Shabbat and allows you to do melacha. 
Note But it does not allow you to eat or drink, once you have finished se'uda shlishit, until you hear or say havdala.
Tein Bracha If in Eretz Yisrael Cheshvan 7/Dec. 4
If you are in Eretz Yisrael between Cheshvan 7 (when people in Eretz Yisrael begin saying tein tal u'matar l'vracha) and December 4 (when people outside Eretz Yisrael begin saying the phrase):
  • Follow your home custom (say tein bracha in the 9th amida paragraph, bareich aleinu). 
  • Then, add tein tal u'matar l'vracha in the 16th amida paragraph (shema koleinu) between al teshiveinu and ki ata shomei'a.
Reason To cover both situations.
What To Skip To Catch Up in Shacharit
If you arrive late for a shacharit minyan, or if you are lagging behind the leader, you may skip all of psukei d'zimra to catch up--except for:
  • Baruch she'amar,
  • Ashrei, and
  • Yishtabach.
You may also not skip any parts from yishtabach to the amida.
Note After you have said the amida, you do not need to return to say the rest of psukei d'zimra.
Note This should not be done routinely. It is better to pray alone or to say the amida along with the leader during the reader's repetition of the amida in order to allow yourself time to say the psukei d'zimra.
Tefilin: Replacing: Tefilin You Took Off by Choice
If you take off your tefilin without being required to do so and with the intention of replacing them, do not say the blessings when you replace them on your head and arm. 
Note If you took the tefilin off between bar'chu and the end of amida, see the note to Tefilin: Replacing: Tefilin You Had To Take Off or That Fell Off.
Prayers that Require a Minyan
Although it is preferable to join a minyan whenever possible, prayer services may be said without a minyan. However, certain prayers may be said (or omitted) only with a minyan present:
  • Bar'chu (morning and night),
  • The word “Eloheinu” in the birkat ha'mazon introduction,
  • Kaddish,
  • Kedusha,
  • Reader's repetition of the amida,
  • Sheva brachot (the seven blessings) at a wedding,
  • Sheva brachot during the week following the wedding,
  • 13 midot in selichot,
  • Torah reading if there will be aliyot, and
  • Skipping the three introductory words for the shema.
Note A minyan is preferable but not required for a circumcision.
When To Pray: Shacharit: What Time To Finish
You must say the shema no later than the end of the third halachic hour of the day in the morning. If you did not say it in time:
  1. If it is before the fourth halachic hour of the day, say the entire shacharit service, as long as you will complete the amida before the end of the fourth halachic hour.
  2. If it is after the fourth halachic hour of the day but before the end of the sixth halachic hour of the day, say birchot ha'shachar (and you may also say korbanot) and then skip all of shacharit up to the amida, which you should say as soon as possible.
Waist-Bowing and Knee-Bowing
There are two main types of bowing during the prayer services: 
  • Bowing just from the waist (with and without taking steps), and
  • Bowing with the knees, plus two variations on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur (hands and knees on floor).
I. Waist-Bowing (Two Forms)
    A.  Waist-Bowing/No Steps, for:
  • Modim;
  • Modim in reader's repetition of amida;
  • Bar'chu;
  • Lecha Dodi; and
  • Alenu.
          To bow this way, keep your legs straight and bend forward from your waist.
    B.  Waist-Bowing/Take Steps, for:
Oseh shalom at the end of:
  • Amida, and
  • Kaddish.
To bow this way:
  • Bow down from waist with your legs straight.
  • Take three steps backward (left foot, right foot, left foot),
  • Then:
    • Bow from your waist to the left and say, oseh shalom bi'mromav,
    • Bow from your waist to the right and say, hu ya'aseh shalom alenu, and
    • Bow from your waist to the front and say, ve'al kol yisrael v'imru amen.
II.    Knee-Bowing (Three Times during Amida)
  • Beginning of amida's first blessing,
  • End of amida's first blessing, and
  • Next-to-last amida blessing: ha'tov shimcha.
To bow this way:                                                                      
  • Bend knees (at baruch),
  • Bow forward (at ata), and
  • Straighten up (before God's name).
III.  Knee-Bowing to Floor (Two Forms)
       A.  Knee-Bowing to Floor--Hands and Knees Only
  (Rosh Hashana musaf: alenu in reader's repetition of amida)
  To bow this way:
  • Kneel (with your back straight up) (at “hayu kor'im”), and
  • Bow down with hands and knees on floor (at “u'mishtachavim u'modim”), but
  • You are not required to touch your forehead to ground.
    Note You should still bow from your waist (but not to the floor) on Rosh Hashana--even if you are praying alone and even if there is no Torah present.
       B.  Knee-Bowing to Floor--Hands, Knees, Forehead
  (Yom Kippur musaf: alenu reader's repetition of amida describing how the people
  bowed down on Yom Kippur.)
   To bow this way:
  • Kneel (with your back straight up) (at “hayu kor'im”),
  • Bow down with hands and knees on floor (at “u'mishtachavim u'modim”),
  • Touch forehead to floor (at v'noflim al pneihem).
 
NOTE You may not bow down (modim for Yom Kippur) on a bare stone floor (this also includes concrete, terrazzo and other stone-like materials). You must put a cloth, paper, or some other separation on the floor where you will place your forehead and your knees. A talit may be used for this purpose. If you have only one paper towel, put it under your forehead.
NOTE It is customary today to cover any floor, not only if it is bare stone.

Situation You are bowing down (modim for Yom Kippur; also for Rosh Hashana if you bow down this far) on a bare stone floor (concrete, terrazzo, and other stone-like materials).

What To Do You may not touch your forehead or knees (if covered by pants legs or skirt) to the floor. You may cover the floor with some separation such as cloth, paper, or even a talit at the place where your forehead (or knees) will touch.

Reason You might wipe off any dirt from the floor on your pant knees or skirt, which is prohibited on Yom Kippur. There is no need to use a paper towel or other separation for knees if they are bare (for example, due to wearing shorts or a short skirt). 

Note There is no problem with brushing dirt off your hands, so you can touch the bare stone floor with your bare hands during the bowing.


If Doubt Whether You Said Blessings on Torah Study
If you are not certain that you have said any of the morning blessings on studying Torah (from la'asok b'divrei Torah to notein haTorah), you should not say them later.  But when you say “ahava raba” before the morning shema, you may intend it to cover such blessings; then after the amida, you should say some Torah verses (psukim).