The Order of Prayer

The Order of Prayers Throughout the Year.

The people have the custom to recite every day in the morning, after reading the Parashat Tzav and the Priestly Blessing, the following Mishnah: "These are the things that have no fixed measure: the corners of the field (left for the poor), the first fruits, the offerings brought on the festivals, acts of kindness, and the study of Torah. These are the things for which a person enjoys the fruits in this world, while the principal remains for them in the World to Come: honoring one's father and mother, acts of kindness, early attendance at the house of study, hospitality to guests, visiting the sick, providing for a bride, escorting the dead, peace between a person and their fellow, and the study of Torah is equivalent to them all." Rabbi Zeira said, "The daughters of Israel took it upon themselves strictly that even if they see a drop of blood as small as a mustard seed, they will sit upon it for seven clean days." It was taught in the school of Eliyahu: Anyone who recites laws every day is assured that they are destined for the World to Come, as it is said, 'The ways of the world are His'—do not read 'ways' (halikhot) but 'laws' (halakhot). Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rabbi Hanina: "Scholars increase peace in the world, as it is said, 'All your children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.'" A Psalm of David: "Lord, who shall sojourn in Your tent? Who shall dwell upon Your holy mountain? He who walks uprightly and works righteousness." A person should always have reverence for Heaven in private and should acknowledge the truth and speak truth in their heart. They should rise early and say: "Master of the Universe, not because of our own righteousness do we present our supplications before You, but because of Your abundant mercies. What are we? What is our life? What is our kindness? What is our righteousness? What is our strength? What is our might? What can we say before You, Lord our G-d? Are not all the mighty ones as nothing before You, the men of renown as though they had never existed, the wise as if without knowledge, and the intelligent as if without understanding? For most of our deeds are emptiness and our days are a fleeting breath before You, as it is written in Your holy words: 'Surely man walks about like a mere breath.' But we are Your people, the children of Your covenant, the children of Abraham, Your beloved, to whom You swore on Mount Moriah, the offspring of Isaac, his only son, who was bound upon the altar, the community of Jacob, Your firstborn son, whom You loved and rejoiced over, and whom You named Israel and Jeshurun out of Your love and delight in him."

Therefore, we are obligated to thank You and to praise You, to glorify You, and to offer praise and thanks to Your name. We are obligated to say before You every day, evening and morning, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One." Happy are we! How good is our portion, how pleasant is our lot, how beautiful is our heritage! Happy are we, who rise early and stay up late every day, evening and morning, and say, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One." You are the one who existed before the world was created, You are the one who exists after the world was created, You are the one in this world, and You are the one in the World to Come. You are the first, and You are the last. Sanctify Your great and holy name in Your world, and through Your salvation, raise and exalt our horn. Blessed is He who sanctifies His name among the multitude. You are the Lord our G-d in heaven above and on the earth below, and in the highest heavens. You are the first, and You are the last, and besides You, there is no G-d. Gather Your dispersed from the four corners of the earth, so that all the inhabitants of the world will recognize and know that You alone are G-d over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made the heavens and the earth. Who among all Your creations in the upper and lower worlds can say to You, "What are You doing?" Our Father in Heaven, deal with us as You have promised us through Your prophets: "At that time, I will bring you in, and at that time I will gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes," says the Lord. And it is said: "You are the Lord alone. You have made the heavens, the heavens of heavens with all their host, the earth and everything on it, the seas and everything in them, and You give life to them all, and the host of heaven worships You." You are the Lord G-d, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees and named him Abraham. You are the same, and Your years shall not end. The Lord is King, the Lord was King, the Lord shall be King forever and ever. The Lord is King, etc., until "Blessed is the Lord forever, Amen and Amen."

"Blessed is He who spoke, and the world came into being. Blessed is He. Blessed is He who says and does. Blessed is He who decrees and fulfills. Blessed is He who has mercy on the earth. Blessed is He who has mercy on the creatures. Blessed is He who removes darkness and brings light. Blessed is He who rewards those who fear Him. Blessed is He before whom there is no iniquity, no forgetfulness, no falsehood, and no deceit; who shows no favoritism and takes no bribe. Blessed is He, the living G-d, enduring forever and existing eternally. Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, the G-d who is praised by the mouth of His people, lauded and glorified by the tongue of His devout ones and His servants, and by the songs of David, Your servant, Your anointed. We will praise You, Lord our G-d, with praises and songs. We will thank You, and we will praise You, and we will glorify You, and we will mention Your name, our King, our G-d, the One who lives forever. Praised and glorified be His great name forever. Blessed are You, Lord, the King who is praised with praises." Then we recite these verses: "May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in His works" (Psalms 104:31), "Ashrei" (Psalms 145), and continue to the end of the Psalms. Afterward, we recite these verses: "Blessed be the Lord forever. Amen and Amen." (Psalms 89:53), "The Lord will reign forever. Amen and Amen." (Psalms 146:10), "And David blessed the Lord before the entire assembly and said: 'Blessed are You, Lord, the G-d of Israel our father, forever and ever.'" (1 Chronicles 29:10).

"May Your name be praised forever, our King, the great and holy G-d in heaven and on earth. For it is fitting for You, Lord our G-d and the G-d of our ancestors..." (Here, the continuation typically includes praises and acknowledgments specific to the text or tradition.) Then, the hymn (psalm) is recited in its entirety according to the custom of the place. On Shabbat, the entire community has the custom of adding this text before this blessing: "The soul of every living being shall bless Your name, Lord our G-d, and the spirit of all flesh shall glorify and exalt Your memory, our King, forever and ever. From the beginning of time and for all eternity, You are G-d, and there is no G-d besides You. We have no king, redeemer, or savior, liberator, and rescuer in times of distress and trouble but You. You provide sustenance and show mercy, G-d of all creatures, Lord of all generations, praised with many praises. You govern Your world with kindness and Your creatures with abundant mercy. True G-d who does not slumber or sleep, who awakens the sleeping and rouses those who slumber, supports the fallen, and heals the sick, frees the captives, and to You, we give thanks." The final blessing recited after the Verses of Praise is as follows: “Even if our mouths were as full of song as the sea, our tongues with joy like its multitude of waves, our lips with praise like the expanse of the sky, our eyes shining like the sun and the moon, our hands spread out like the eagles of the sky, and our feet as swift as deer, we would still be unable to sufficiently thank You, Lord our G-d and the G-d of our ancestors, or to bless Your name for one of the thousands upon thousands and myriad myriads of the good things, miracles, and mighty deeds that You have done for us and for our ancestors. From the past, from Egypt, You have redeemed us, Lord our G-d; from the house of slavery, You have liberated us. In famine, You sustained us, and in plenty, You supported us. From the sword, You have saved us, and from plague, You have spared us, and from many severe illnesses, You have lifted us. Until now, Your mercies have helped us, Lord our G-d, and Your kindnesses have not abandoned us. Therefore, the organs You have divided within us, the spirit and soul You have breathed into our nostrils, and the tongue You have placed in our mouths, they shall thank and bless Your name, Lord our G-d…” (Here, the continuation typically includes praises and acknowledgments specific to the text or tradition.) They recite the Song (Psalm) in its entirety according to the custom of the place. On Shabbat, the entire community has the custom of adding this text before this blessing: "The soul of every living being shall bless Your name, Lord our G-d, and the spirit of all flesh shall glorify and exalt Your memory, our King, forever and ever. From the beginning of time and for all eternity, You are G-d, and there is no G-d besides You. We have no king, redeemer, or savior, liberator, and rescuer in times of distress and trouble but You. You provide sustenance and show mercy, G-d of all creatures, Lord of all generations, praised with many praises. You govern Your world with kindness and Your creatures with abundant mercy. True G-d who does not slumber or sleep, who awakens the sleeping and rouses those who slumber, supports the fallen, and heals the sick, frees the captives, and to You, we give thanks." They also have the custom of reciting the psalm "A song for the day of Shabbat" before beginning the Verses of Praise on Shabbat and Yom Kippur. In some places, they have the custom of reciting the Great Hallel on Shabbat before the Verses of Praise. In other places, they have the custom of reciting the Song of Ascents. Everything follows their custom.

"Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who forms light and creates darkness..." (continuing through the text) "...who forms the luminaries." The second blessing is: "With an everlasting love You have loved us, Lord our G-d, with great and abundant compassion You have had compassion on us. Our Father, our King..." (continuing through the text) "...upon Your people Israel with love."

"True and certain..." (continuing through the text) "...Blessed are You, Lord, who has redeemed Israel." For the evening service, the first blessing is: "Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who at His word brings on the evenings..." (continuing through the text) "...Blessed are You, Lord, who brings on the evenings." The second blessing is: "With an everlasting love, the house of Israel, Your people, You have loved..." (continuing through the text) "...Blessed are You, Lord, who loves His people Israel."

The first blessing after the recitation of the Shema in the evening is as follows: "True and faithful, all this is established upon us..." (continuing through the text) "...Blessed are You, Lord, who has redeemed Israel."

The final blessing after the evening Shema is as follows: "Grant us peace, Lord our G-d, and so on..." (continuing through the text) "...Blessed are You, Guardian of Your people Israel forever. Blessed be the Lord forever. Amen and amen. Blessed are You, Lord, who has redeemed me, the Lord, the true G-d. May our eyes behold Your return to Zion with mercy. Blessed are You, Lord, the King who redeems Israel."

"Some of the people have the custom to recite verses in the middle of the blessing and they read according to this version: 'Then the people saw and fell on their faces and said: The Lord, He is G-d; the Lord, He is G-d. Save us, O G-d of our salvation, and gather us and deliver us from the nations, to give thanks to Your holy name, and to triumph in Your praise. For the Lord will not forsake His people for His great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for Himself. And they shall come up as saviors on Mount Zion to judge the Mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord's, and the Lord shall be king over all the earth on that day; the Lord shall be one and His name one. Our G-d who is in heaven, Your name called over us, may You establish Your name and Your kingdom continually upon us. In Your hand are the souls of the living and the dead; in Your hand is the soul of every living thing and the spirit of all flesh You commit. You have redeemed me, O Lord, G-d of truth. We are Your people and the sheep of Your pasture; we will give You thanks forever, from generation to generation we will recount Your praise. The Lord shall save my soul from the lying lips, from a deceitful tongue. Israel shall be saved by the Lord, an eternal salvation; you shall neither be ashamed nor disgraced for ever and ever. May the Lord our G-d be with us as He was with our fathers; may He not leave us nor forsake us, to incline our hearts towards Him, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments which He commanded our fathers. Let every soul praise Yah, hallelujah. Blessed are You, Lord, by day; blessed are You, Lord, by night; blessed are You, Lord, when we lie down; blessed are You, Lord, when we rise up. Forever we shall praise You and discuss Your statutes and Your faithfulness. Blessed are You, Lord, who reigns with His glory; He is alive and everlasting. May He reign continually upon us, and so on."

The formula of blessings of the tefillah and their order.

Blessed are You, Lord our G-d and G-d of our ancestors, G-d of Abraham, G-d of Isaac and G-d of Jacob, the great, mighty, and awesome G-d, etc.

You are mighty forever, Lord, You give life to the dead, great is [Your power] to save (causing the dew to fall) (causing the wind to blow and rain to fall). You sustain the living with compassionate love, give life to the dead in great mercy, support the fallen, etc.

You are holy and Your name is Holy and the Holy ones praise you every day. Blessed are You, Lord, the holy G-d.

You graciously endow humans with knowledge and teach people. Grant us knowledge, wisdom, understanding and insight. Blessed are You, Lord, who graciously grants knowledge.

Return us, Our Father, to Your Torah, and cause us to cleave to Your commandments and bring us near to Your service. Cause us to return in complete repentance to You. Blessed are You, Lord, who desires repentance.

Forgive us, Our Father, for we have sinned, pardon us, Our King, for we have transgressed against You. For You are a good and forgiving G-d. Blessed are You, Lord, You are very gracious to forgive.

See our affliction, and fight our fight and judge our cause and quickly redeem us because you are the sovereign G-d, a mighty redeemer. Blessed are You, Lord, Redeemer of Israel.

Heal us, Lord, our G-d, and we will be healed. Save us and we will be saved because You are our praise. Bring complete healing to all of our sick because You are a merciful and healing G-d. Blessed are You, Lord, who heals the sick of his people Israel.

Bless us, Lord, our G-d, in all the works of our hands and bless our years. And give (dew and rain for) blessing upon the face of the entire earth and satisfy the world with your blessings and water the face of the earth. Blessed are You, Lord, who blesses the years.

Sound the great shofar for our freedom and raise a banner to gather all our exiles from the four corners of the earth to our land. Blessed are You, Lord, who gathers the distant ones of his people Israel.

Restore our judges as at first and counsel us as in the beginning, and remove from us sorrow and sighing. May You alone rule over us with lovingkindness and compassion, with righteousness and justice. Blessed are You, Lord, who loves righteousness and justice.

For the slanderers, let there be no hope, and all the heretics, may all of them in a moment be destroyed. And uproot and quickly shatter the kingdom of the evil in our days. Blessed are You. Lord who destroys enemies and humbles the arrogant.

Upon the pious and the righteous and the righteous converts and the remnant of Your people the house of Israel arouse Your mercy, Lord our G-d and grant a good reward to all who truly trust in Your name, etc.

Dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, Your city, as You stated and build it as an everlasting structure soon in our days. Blessed are You, Lord, who builds Jerusalem.

The shoot of David may it soon flower and his horn be raised high by Your salvation. Blessed are You, Lord, who causes the horn of salvation to flower.

Hear our voice, Lord, our G-d, pity and have mercy upon us and receive in mercy and favor our prayer. O King, do not turn us away empty-handed because you hear, etc.

Find favor, Lord, our G-d, in Your people Israel and their time of prayer. And restore the service to the sanctuary of Your house and the fire offerings of Israel and their prayer. Blessed are You, Lord, our G-d, who restores the Divine presence to Zion.

We give thanks to You, that You are the Lord, our G-d and G-d of our ancestors. You are the rock of our life and the shield of our salvation from generation to generation. We will thank You and we recount Your praise for our lives, etc.

Grant peace, goodness and blessing, grace, mercy and compassion to us and to all Your people Israel. Bless all of us from the light of Your Presence and give us Lord, our G-d, Torah and life, love, etc.

During the summer one should say in the second blessing, "great is Your power to save, who causes the dew to fall, You sustain the living with compassionate love, etc." And in the ninth blessing, in this formula, "Bless us Lord, our G-d with all of the work of our hands and bless our years with favorable dew, blessing and generosity as in the good years. Blessed are You, who blesses the years." ...

On the evening following the Sabbath or Yom Kippur or a festival, recite the fourth blessing following this formula. You favor humans with knowledge and teach people wisdom. You distinguish between holy and profane, between light and darkness, between Israel and the [other] nations, between the seventh day and the six days of work, just as you distinguished between holy and profane, this redeem us and save us from all types of destruction and all form of calamity that come into the work and guard us from everything. Graciously give us from you....etc.

On new months and on the intermediate days of festivals add to the 17th blessing in the evening, morning and afternoon and recite it according the this formula. "Find favor, Lord, Our G-d, etc." until "the service of Israel your people" then "Our G-d and the G-d of our ancestors, arise and come, etc." "And cause our eyes to see, etc."

and on the intermediate days of festivals say, "On this holy festival, on this festival day of matzot, on this festival day of Shavuot or on this festival day of Sukkot." ...

On a fast day, an individual recites the sixteenth blessing according to this formula. Hear our voice, Lord our G-d, have pity and mercy on us and receive in mercy and in favor our prayers before you. Do not cause us to return empty-handed, our King. Answer us, our Father, answer us on our fast day because in this great distress we do not turn your face from us and do not block your ears from hearing our pleas and may our salvation be soon. Before we call, you answer, we speak and you listen as it is said, "And it will be that before they call, I will answer (Isaiah 65:23)." They also say, "And I will hear because you hear the prayer of of every mouth." Blessed are You, Adonai, who hears prayer. And the representative of the community recites this blessing on behalf of himself. After the seventh blessing, he says "Answer us, etc." until "because you answer at a time of trouble, redeem and rescue us at every time of trouble and distress. Blessed are You, Lord who answers at times of trouble."

On the ninth of Av, recite the fourteenth blessing according to this formula. Have mercy Lord on us and on Israel Your people and on Jerusalem Your city, the city of mourning, destruction and desolation given over to the hand of strangers. She sits, her head uncovered like a barren woman that has not given birth. Legions have devoured her and idolators have inherited her and given the carcasses of Your servants as food to the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the earth. Therefore Zion weeps bitterly and Jerusalem raises her voice. My heart, my heart grieves for their slain ones; I am in anguish, I am in anguish for those they killed. See her desolation and comfort her because with fire You consumed it and with fire You will rebuild it, as it is written, "And I myself will be, says the Lord, a wall of fire around it and will be its glory within (Zechariah 2:9)." Blessed are You, Lord, who rebuilds Jerusalem.

On Purim, recite the eighteenth blessing according to this formula. We gratefully acknowledge that You are the Lord our G-d...for our lives which are handed over into your hands and for our souls which are entrusted to You for Your miracles that are with us every day and Your wonders that are with us at all times, etc. For the miracles and for the mighty deeds and for the salvations, etc. And for all of these, Lord, our G-d, we gratefully acknowledge You, the goodness which does not cease, etc.

On Chanukah recite this blessing according to this formula. We gratefully acknowledge You, etc. until and for Your wonders that are with us at all times, evening, morning and afternoon...for the miracles, etc. until and then Your children entered, etc.

The agent of the community always blesses the third blessing according to this formula. We sanctify you and we declare you King and three times daily we declare Your holiness as it says by the hand of Your prophet, "And they turned one to the other and said, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is filled with His Glory (Isaiah 6)." His Glory and His Greatness fill the world and His servants ask, 'where is the place of His Glory?' To revere him, those facing praise and say, "Blessed is the glory of G-d from His place (Ezekiel 3)." From Your place, our King, appear and rule over us because we wait for You. When will You rule in Zion? In our lives and in our day may you dwell, be sanctified and be exalted in the midst of Jerusalem, Your city, from generation to generation forever. May our eyes see the kingdom of your strength, as it is said in Your holy writings by the hand of David your righteous anointed one, "The Lord will reign forever, Your G-d O Zion, from generation to generation, Halleluyah(Psalm 146)!" From generation to generation we will declare Your greatness and from eternity to eternity proclaim Your holiness; Your praise, our G-d, shall not cease from our lips because You, G-d, are a great and holy King. Blessed are You, Lord, the holy G-d. At the time when the communal agent says within this blessing, "And one turned to the other," all the people respond, " Holy, holy, holy, etc." And when he says, "Where is the place of Your glory?" All of the people respond, "They praise and say, blessed, etc." And when he says, "In our lives and in our days," all the people respond, "Amen." And when he says, " By the hand of David, Your righteous anointed one," all the people respond, "The Lord will reign forever." And all of these, the words that the congregation responds, he recites with them and does not raise his voice at the time that they respond with him, one for the individual and one for the communal agent. During the ten days from Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur, one says at the end of this blessing, as it is said, the Lord of Hosts is exalted by justice and the holy G-d is sanctified through righteousness. Blessed are you, Lord, the Holy King.

The prayer leader always says Kaddish before and after each prayer. And after he says the order of the day each day, at any time that he should say the order of the day, he should supplicate a little and [then] say Kaddish. And when he finishes reading from the Torah, and at any time that he supplicates with words of supplication, he should say Kaddish when he finshes his supplications.

The text of Kaddish

May His great name be exalted and sanctified in the world which He created according to His will; and may He rule His kingdom, spring forth His redemption, bring His Messiah near and redeem His people. In your lifetime and in your days, and in the lifetime of the entire House of Israel, speedily and in the near future, and say, Amen. May His great Name be blessed for ever and ever. Blessed. etc. At the time that the prayer leader says, "May His great name be exalted and sanctified," all of the people say, "Amen." And when he first says, "And say, Amen," all of the people answer, "Amen. May His great Name be blessed for ever and ever." And it is a commandment of the first Sages to answer, "Amen. May His great Name be blessed for ever and ever," with all of a person's strength. And when he says, "Blessed [etc.]," all the people answer, "Amen." And when he says, "Blessed be He," all the people answer, "Amen." And when he says at the end, "And say, Amen," all the people answer, "Amen." And they answer according to this order for every kaddish. [Concerning] the last kaddish after every kaddish that the prayer leader says after he finishes the prayer, such that he does not say anything after it, but all the people rather hear it and leave, people have the practice of adding this formula at its end: May You accept the prayers and render effective the requests and the prayers and requests of the entire House of Israel before their Father in heaven. May there be abundant peace, assistance and salvation from the Heavens upon you and upon us and upon the congregation of Israel, and say, Amen. He Who makes peace in His high heavens, may He, in His mercy, make peace for us and for all Israel. Amen. The Rabbis' Kaddish: Whenever ten or more Jews finish occupying themselves with study of the Oral Torah - even of Midrash or Aggadah (non-legal sections) - one of them says Kaddish according to this formula: May His great name be exalted and sanctified who in the future will refresh the world, to bring the dead to life, to redeem the living, to build the city of Jerusalem, to complete the holy sanctuary, to uproot the foreign service from the land (of Israel) and to place the service of the Heavens in its place, with its splendor and its uniqueness, etc. [It then concludes:] and the consolations that we say in this world, and say, Amen. Upon the rabbis, and upon their disciples, and upon the disciples of their disciples who occupy themselves with Torah in this place and in every place; may there be favor, kindness, compassion, assistance and ease for them and for you from before their Father who is in the heavens, and say Amen. May there be peace, etc. And this is what is called the Rabbis' Kaddish.