Questions tagged [tefilla]
Questions about Jewish prayer (the fixed order of typically-thrice-daily prayers, or prayer generally).
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Catching Up When Saying Tachanun M/Th
On Mondays and Thursdays I often fall very behind during tachanun. I see two options — I can start with the congregation after having listened with proper intent during chazarat hashatz, or I can ...
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Minyan, netz hachamoh, and precision in time
There are halachic sources that discuss the importance of davening shemona esrei at netz (at sunrise), some of which state that it is preferable to daven at netz over davening with a minyan (at least ...
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List of “essential prayers”?
If someone is learning how to pray and wants to start with the essentials - to not be overwhelmed by too much at once - or if someone is limited in time available to pray, what are the core (most ...
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Is it more preferable to pray with concentration alone or with a minyan in shul?
There's a בית כנסת nearby that has מנינים every half hour between 6:00am until 9:20am. There's another one that has two מנינים, one at 6:40am and one at 7:40am.
The בית כנסת that goes later has one ...
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Why say tachanun in selichos but not in davenning when say a sandek is in Shul?
If someone (eg sandek, mohel) is in Shul (the synagogue) whose presence stops the kehillo (congregation) saying tachanun, why is it that we do say tachanun in Selichos but not in davenning (the prayer ...
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Vihi Noam customs
In my siddur, I noticed when reciting Psalm 91 (for example, Kriyas Shema shel Mitah, Pesukei Dezimra Shabbos morning, Maariv Motzei Shabbos), there are two unusual things indicated:
The last verse ...
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How are all 613 mitzvot dependent on one mitzvah?
There is a line said before donning the tzitzit, talit and the tefillin, and the shaking of the lulav which reads (text adapted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jewish_prayers_and_blessings ...
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Alarm clock in place of a shomer
There is an idea that one can an appoint a shomer (guard) to daven maariv (shma) and some achronim extend this idea to lighting the menorah. What this does is allows one to do work and eat something ...
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"Bizchus Avrohom ovinu". Why is it said as a response to “bircas kohanim”?
Why do some answer the bircas kohanim pesukim with “kein yehi rotzon bizchus Avrohom ovinu” etc. How does the “bizchus” phrase help?
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Am I yotzei in my davening if I believe that God communicated with Mohammad?
I have been reading through the various questions about Islam and its relationship to Judaism, and about the Rambam's view that Islam is a monotheistic religion and not idolatry and I am wondering: If ...
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What is the source of the additions before תתקבל צלותהון, יהא שלמא, עושה שלום in Kaddish Tiskabel?
In Kaddish Tiskabel, there are parts to be said (see page 131) by the congregation just before the three phrases that begin: תתקבל צלותהון, יהא שלמא, עושה שלום.
These do not appear in all siddurim ...
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Mi Shebeirach for one that is ill - if you do not know the mother's name
Can one make a Mi Shebeirach for an ill person if they do not know the mother's name?
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If one is mentally drained, should a person still daven? Even if that person cannot concentrate?
Is there any point at all in davening in such a situation?
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May someone say the prayer for the ill for someone who is emotionally "ill"?
Lo Aleinu. Let's say someone's friend's teen-age daughter died from a terrible sickness. The parents have been distraught and "disabled" for year because of the emotional trauma. They isolate ...
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Why must not we cry out/make petitions in Shabbat? (Shabbat 12a)
Why we must not cry out/make petitions in Shabbat? (Shabbat 12a)
Our Rabbis taught: If one enters [a house] to visit a sick person [on
the Sabbath], he should say, 'It is the Sabbath, when one ...
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Does it still count as a Bracha if one stuttered and repeated words?
What if someone has a stutter and they tend to repeat words when doing a Bracha. As long as they said all of the words, does it still count as a Bracha?
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Shabbat in Quarantine
Israel is currently (March 20th, 2020) under lockdown, shuls are closed, and most people will not pray in a minyan or hear the Torah read. I've seen recent psakim about shutting down shuls, but are ...
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Posuk for the name Golda
What posuk for the name Golda is to be said at the end of Shemoneh Esrei?
I spell it with an aleph at the end and the Artscroll siddur doesn't have the gimmel, aleph combination.
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When do you interrupt to answer Kaddish?
Often I find myself in the middle of some part of davening when the chazzan starts saying kaddish. Should I interrupt to answer or does it depend on which part of davening I am holding?
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Tefillat Nedava on Yom Tov
In general, one can pray an extra shmoneh esrei beyond the regular shacharit-mincha-maariv if one wants to do so. This is called a tefillat nedava -- a voluntary prayer.
I know that one cannot do ...
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Are you allowed to drink coffee/water during any part of the prayers?
Is there any part in the tefillah (pesukey dizimra, birchos shema, ashrey/uva letzion, etc) where one is allowed to drink coffee/water?
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Answering the Chazzan from outside a Shul
If one is neither part of a certain Minyan nor Davening at all rather in a different room, but can hear the Chazzan, may he answer to Amen,Kaddish,etc. ?
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ברכות switch between 2nd and 3rd person
Why in a ברכה for a commandment (for example, hand washing, Tefillin etc.) do we switch between 'You' ברוך אתה and 'His' במצותיו ?
Why don't we say במצותיך ?
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Interrupting Amida for a Mitzvah
Avraham leaves Hashem to deal with guests in Vayera - because welcoming guests is greater than Kabolas Pnei HaSh'china.
Does that mean we can interrupt our Shmoneh Esrei to do mitzvahs? At least to ...
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Touching one's hair while putting on Tfillin
I remember to have read (in the Shulchan Aruch I believe) that after doing the Netilat Yadayim one can't touch one's hair, because that would make you impure again. But when I put on and accommodate ...
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Would it be wrong to pray for someone's death?
If I knew someone was languishing in the hospital, suffering constantly and intensely, and about to die, while I can't physically do anything to hasten the death, can I add in my davening a request ...
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Actualizing Avodah Shebalev
Found this online: quote : As the Rav puts it, Avodah Shebalev is a constant requirement (Kiyum Hamitzvah) where Tefilah is one of many ways (Ma’aseh Hamitzvah) of actualizing it.
I thought that ...
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Exactly how should the shaliach bow for Barachu?
In every synagogue I have been in, the shaliach zibur has bowed in some way at Barachu. I presume there must be a foundation for this. If so, there should be a correct way to bow. I am seeking clarity ...
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40 consecutive days of prayer at the Western Wall
I heard that a Jewish tradition says that praying for 40 consecutive days at the Western Wall ensures the prayer will be answered.
Does anyone where the source for this is?
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No Mekadesh Yisrael on Shabbat
The bracha in the amida on Shabbat concludes "Mekadesh haShabbat" but on holidays (including those on Shabbat), the phrase "mekadesh Yisrael" is added.
Why isn't Yisrael 'sanctified' (as I have seen ...
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Source for saying Aramaic parts of davening quietly?
I remember reading somewhere that there is a kabbalistic tradition to say the parts of davening that are in Aramaic (e.g. the targum in Uva Letziyon) quietly. What is the source for this?
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Sources for minhag not saying tachnun on fridays and sundays
I prayed in a chasidic shul in europe. They did not say tachnun in sharis of friday and sunday.
I asked them what the reason is and they answered me that in the days close to shabbes tachnun should ...
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Yehi Ratzon Milfanecha or L'fanecha?
At certain points we say a "Yehi Ratzon." In my siddur Tefillat Hashalem, the construction is almost always "Yehi Ratzon Milfanecha." However, at the end of the Shmoneh Esrei for the end of Shabbat, ...
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Is Shir HaShirim recited on a Yom Tov that falls on Friday?
There are those (Sephardim and Chassidim, I guess) who have the custom to recite Shir HaShirim on Friday, Erev Shabbat. Do they also recite it on a Friday when Yom Tov leads directly into Shabbat?
If ...
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What if there's a Minyan of Aveilim?
It is my understanding that when one is in the year of mourning following the death of certain relatives, he is not allowed to lead ["daven from the amud"] certain prayers (such as those on Shabbos, ...
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Two Yahrtzeits One for Mother one for Father who comes First
All other things being equal Halachically, if you have two people with Yahrtzeits one for a mother and one for a father, who has priority with regards to getting an Aliyah (and/or davening for the ...
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Responding to kaddish in pesukei dezimro
If I am saying pesukei dezimro, I can only make some responses to kaddish (Tefillo Kehilchoso, 10 (50)).
OC 51 (4) [8] and Biur Halocho d.h. tzorich refer to this but do not specify the permitted ...
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Can one switch chazzanim at non-traditional places in the service to accommodate a mourner who came late?
Can one switch chazzanim at non-traditional places in the service to accomodate a mourner who came late? For example, Reuven is asked to lead the prayers (say mincha). He says “Ashrei”, “Kaddish” and ...
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Do communities set public fast days for hurricanes or other natural disasters?
I hear occasionally about fast days in Israel when there's no rain. Some examples are in this answer. From one of the links there, R' Mosheh Lichtenstein is not in favor of fasting for rain in a ...
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Origin for different styles in splitting up El Adon and Lecha Dodi
In most Nusach Ashkenaz shuls that I have attended, the congregation and chazzan sing Lecha Dodi and Kel Adon together.
In most Hassidic minyanim (they are Nusach Sefard. I say "Hassidic" since the ...
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Taking three steps back after every Kaddish
The reasons for taking three steps back and bowing in different directions after one's personal Shemoneh Esreh and for the Chazan towards the end of Kaddish Tiskabbel are provided by poskim (see ...
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Davening for someone to get punished
Are you allowed to daven for someone else to get punished? In other words, if a real Jewish rasha in every sense of the word does bad to you for no good reason and you feel incredibly hurt, can you ...
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Did they daven after the destruction of the first temple?
I learned that tefilla was established in place of the korbanos after the destruction of the second temple. Did any sort of similar thing, meaning standardized prayer service, become instituted after ...
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Rabbi Nachman on connecting to Tzaddikim and Tefillah
Rabbi Nachman M'Breslov in Likutei Moharan (2:6) writes:
(Source from Sefaria.org)
(Partial Quote)
וְצָרִיךְ כָּל אֶחָד לְכַוֵּן בִּתְפִלָּתוֹ, שֶׁיְּקַשֵּׁר עַצְמוֹ לַצַּדִּיקִים שֶׁבַּדּוֹר, כִּי ...
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Saying Birkas Hamazon after leaving your house
If one leaves his house to daven Ma'ariv before he Bentched (Birkas Hamazon) and then comes back home , may he Bentch then
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Is it permitted for a minyan to daven outdoors?
The weather in New York is beautiful recently. It crossed my mind to daven outside in the glory of HaShem's beautiful Creation.
Is it permissible to daven outdoors?
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Shabbat Rosh Chodesh: Ata yatzarta
Why does the Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Musaf have its own special text (Ata Yatzarta Olamecha Mikedem ...) for the middle beracha?
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Reasons for the laws of the prayers in Aramaic
Parts of the davenning are in Aramaic. I understood that the Malochim (Angels) do not understand Aramaic. Since HKB”H does not “attend” prayers with less than a Minyan, one does not say the Aramaic ...
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Order of importance for the chapters of Pesukei Dizimra for someone that arrives late to Synagogue.
What is the exact order of importance of the different parts of Pizukei Dizimra when someone arrives late for Shacharit?
I am looking for something like the following:
Priority #1: Baruch Sheamar &...
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Do we still need 4 amot for davening with benches?
Most shuls nowadays separate rows with benches/chairs and shtenders. If this is the case, must someone avoid walking in front of someone davening, even separated by benches? It seems less likely to ...