Questions tagged [tefilla]
Questions about Jewish prayer (the fixed order of typically-thrice-daily prayers, or prayer generally).
1,904
questions
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Why the change in phrase with the morning blessings?
In the morning blessings, there is a small but seemingly important variation in word usage across three blessings.
In the blessing about the distinction between day and night, G-d is described by the ...
2
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0answers
47 views
Stand-alone musaf [duplicate]
Last rosh chodesh, due to a case of emergency, I had to conclude my morning prayer with Aleinu after having said Ashrei and Uva leTziyon. So instead of proceeding with the musaf, I had to recuperate ...
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1answer
56 views
Can “asher yotzar” be called part of Birkas HaTorah?
My chavrusa suggested that the blessings of “al netilas yodoyim” and “asher yotzar” are part of Birkas HaTorah. Is there any evidence for this please? The implication would be that even if a person ...
4
votes
1answer
328 views
Why do we stop saying Morid Hageshem?
From Pesach until Succos, we stop saying mashiv haruach umorid hageshem in shemoneh esrei.
However, we would normally say it in the second blessing of the amidah, which is where we are only praising ...
2
votes
2answers
75 views
Is וּכְתַבְתָּ֛ם in Shema with Shva Na or Shva Nach
My daughter goes to a chabad school (nusach ari?) and has been taught in class that וּכְתַבְתָּ֛ם in the shema (end of first paragraph) is with a shvah na on the כְ. She also says it has the asterisk ...
9
votes
1answer
601 views
Is davening/learning in a prison cell allowed?
In most prison/custody cells in the UK, and likely elsewhere in the world, there is no seperation between the living/sleeping area and the toilet. Is a person allowed to daven or learn Torah in such a ...
5
votes
1answer
175 views
Fiddler on The Roof — Sabbath Prayer — Authenticity, History, Story behind it
In the movie Fiddler on The Roof, I cry when I see this part of the film, because God is so real to me, and because I long for my fathers blessing, but he is no longer on the earth. I am jealous of ...
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1answer
45 views
Does אנא ever connote thanking?
Does anyone know of an instance where אנא is interpreted as thanking as opposed to a plea or request?
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1answer
335 views
Is the direction of Tefila (temple) always in the direction of sunrise?
Would it be right if I say that the direction of Tefila (temple) is always in the direction of sunrise?
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1answer
64 views
How do you reconcile these two verses: [ואחרי ככלות הכל לבדו ימלוך נורא] — [אף תכון תבל בל תמוט]
If it would have been written like this:
...ואפילו אם ככלות הכל
then it would have made more sense. But the way it's written like this:
...ואחרי ככלות הכל
Makes it sound like it is indeed going to ...
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38 views
Why say bircat hamazon instead of plainly thanking HaShem for the food?
A niece asked me why do we need to say bircat hamazon which is lengthy and with words we don’t understand instead of just saying in English something along the long the lines of “thank you HaShem for ...
7
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1answer
130 views
Shabbat Erev Pesach - Piyyutim for Shabbat HaGadol
Ashkenazi custom is (was?) to recite piyyutim during shacharit of shabbat hagadol (the shabbat before pesach).
As part of the kerovot, the piyyut elo-hei haruchot lechol basar is recited, containing a ...
5
votes
2answers
133 views
Why do we forgive past incarnations every night?
In the first paragraph of Krias Shema Al Hamita, we say that we forgive:
...לְכָל־מִי שֶׁהִכְעִיס וְהִקְנִיט אוֹתִי אוֹ שֶׁחָטָא כְנֶגְדִּי בֵּין בְּגוּפִי בֵּין בְּמָמוֹנִי...
...anyone who has ...
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102 views
Posture / Prostration in Yemenite Tradition [closed]
It is related that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) initially prayed three times a day face to Jerusalem. It is evident that this practice corresponds the Jewish practice.
The Salat prayer in Islam ...
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1answer
94 views
Is there any thing in judaism that says cook your food well at high temprature
Is there any thing in judaism that says cook your food well at high temprature
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1answer
62 views
How many people are needed for a minyan
When making a ‘heicha shemoneh esrei’ where the chazzan will daven until Ha’el hakadosh before the rest of the minyan - is 10 people sufficient or does one need 11 to have 10 people starting shemoneh ...
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58 views
Wording of refaenu for sick person who is not Jewish
The refaenu bracha in the amida has wording to use for praying for someone who is sick. That wording ends "among the other ailing of Israel". Is it appropriate to use that wording for a ...
2
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0answers
29 views
Is the Shechina present when a person is mourning or distraught?
It's said the Shechinah is present only where there's joy (Tractate Shabbat 30b). Yet we are also taught to cry to Hashem during times of suffering, depression, sorrow, mourning, etc. Is the Shechinah ...
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40 views
Quality of Sh'ma repeated in its proper time
Often, I find myself at a ma'ariv minyan that meets before "nightfall" and someone invariably makes the announcement that we should all remember to repeat the sh'ma after tzeit hakochavim. I ...
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If a deaf person is not counted towards a minyan because they cannot hear, does the same rule apply for one who doesn't speak/understand Hebrew?
My understanding is Halacha states a deaf or mute person doesn't count towards a minyan as they do not have the ability to fully participate. The deaf person cannot hear what is being said and the ...
3
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1answer
103 views
Is there a proper order of davening for one who learns before minyan?
For someone who learns before davening with a minyan, is it proper to say korbanot before learning? Or is it more proper to wait until after learning to say it with the minyanim. I am curious if there ...
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1answer
77 views
What prayers are obligated to say
What prayers are Jews obligated to say? I’ve heard that the average liturgy is 30 minutes but Rabbi David Bay Hayim does one that’s only 9.
2
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1answer
51 views
Malchus in Birkas Haminim
Many nuschaos of Birkas Haminim say "Malchus Zadon" instead of "v'hazeidim" (this is the german nusach I believe as well as that used by some chasidim). Nusach Chabad also says ...
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17 views
Why do we recite the Tikkun Hachalomot during the Duchan? [duplicate]
When the Kohanim are blessing the klal we recite the Tikkun Hachalomot tefillah. Why is this the time for this tefillah?
5
votes
1answer
125 views
A minor (?) issue with spelling in Nusach Ari
Last Shabbes, I noticed that in two different nusach Ari siddurim (Torah Or and Tehillas Hashem), Modim in the Shemoneh Esrei either possesses or lacks a waw depending on whether it is a Shabbes or a ...
4
votes
2answers
139 views
If a composer of a nigun is accused of a serious offense should his nigun no longer be sung?
If someone who is well respected in the community writes wonderful inspiring nigunim that are used in tefila, and then allegations appear that the individual is suspected of, or implicated in, serious ...
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2answers
78 views
Why doesn’t מזמור שיר ליום השבת mention Shabbos?
The song of the day for Shabbos is מזמור שיר ליום השבת. Yet it doesn’t seem to mention Shabbos at all! Why is this?
Also, why does this Tehillim refer to a specific day of the week at all?
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46 views
Candles for praying at home
In schul we light candles before starting davening. If someone is praying at home, can they light candles as well (without a minian)? Does it have to be two? Or one is sufficient to remember the Ner ...
2
votes
1answer
95 views
מנ"ע - Talking to a person but intent towards Hashem
I've seen in a few places the concept that we sometimes find a person talking to another, but their intent is really to Hashem. Some examples are the Vilna Gaon (Esther 7:6), Noam Elimelech (...
3
votes
1answer
397 views
Father is sick but he's not Jewish
My mother is Jewish and I was raised Jewish. My dad converted in the reform tradition and I know what that means. Recently he's become ill, I am scared of what that means. I am incredibly close with ...
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0answers
93 views
Should people davening alone daven together?
If a few men know there will be no minyan so they choose to daven biyechidut, is there merit to their staying "together" either in shul or not? Is there a notion of "kahal" or &...
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0answers
39 views
Why is chosenness removed in the evening prayer?
In the morning service we say Ahavah Rabbah:
Baruch atta HaShem ha-bocher b'ammo Yisrael be-ahava (Blessed are You, O Lord, Who has chosen His people Israel with love.)
In the evening service we say ...
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42 views
Why K“Yatom and not K”Derobonnon?
In my Artscroll Siddur Yitzchak Yair Hashalem, after the section called Vayiten L'cha there is a small piece of instruction:
בכמה קהילות אמרים כאן קדיש יתום
In some congregations [people] say here ...
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3answers
106 views
Why can't you give a bracha to yourself?
I didn't find anywhere people giving brachas to oneself. We find in Tanach people giving brachas to others. It seems one can't give a bracha to oneself. Why not?
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36 views
What's the source that there is תשלומין for tefilla?
What's the source that there is תשלומין for tefilla? Is it learnt out from תשלומין of korbanos?
Also related to this: do the daily karbanos, such as the tamid, have תשלומין if they weren’t brought at ...
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vote
1answer
51 views
Does one learning individually say the yehi ratzon?
In every Schottenstein Gemara, the front cover comes equipped with two Yehi Ratzon prayers, one before and one after learning. These prayers include phrases that mention learning with a friend/partner....
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2answers
51 views
What did Avrohom know about the war in Shechem (Rashi on Beraishis 12 (6))?
Rashi on Beraishis 12 (6) says
And Abram passed through the land until the place of Shechem: to pray
for Jacob’s sons when they would come to wage war in Shechem.
So Avrohom knew (prophetically) ...
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2answers
202 views
Kavanah, Prayer and OCD
Shalom,
Well to start off, since a very young age I have suffered from quite severe and crushing OCD (as the title would suggest). Now of course I am used to having such a wicked condition interfere ...
0
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1answer
77 views
Answering Amen after Yihyu Leratzon
If someone, for some reason, forgot to say the 1st Yihyu Leratzon during Shemoneh Esrei and started Elokai Netzor, is he allowed to answer Amen to Kadish as he would be having recited the 1st Yihyu ...
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0answers
25 views
Could one make a mi'shebeirach for a sick animal under these specific circumstances? [duplicate]
The general rule that I am aware of is that we don't make mi'shebeirach for a sick animal. The problem is two-fold (according to my understanding)
The animal lacks a Hebrew name.
You do not know the ...
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0answers
120 views
Is there a Jewish equivalent of “Pray as if everything depended on God; act as if everything depended on you.”?
A popular phrase, frequently and wrongly attributed to the Talmud, is "Pray as if everything depended on God; act as if everything depended on you."
I am trying to find out if there is ...
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2answers
115 views
To whom do the terms rishonim and acharonim refer, as used in the morning davening?
The terms rishonim and acharonim are in the morning davening, in the second paragraph after the Shema. To what do these terms refer, as used there?
We use those terms to refer to a sages of different ...
3
votes
2answers
70 views
Birchos Hashachar (Morning Brachos) - 'Who spreads the earth above the waters' - why the strange expression?
The Gemoro in Brachos 60b writes that it used to be the practise that as a person woke up, at each stage of him getting ready for the day, he said the relevant bracho.
Upon hearing the sound of the ...
2
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0answers
72 views
What is ‘kedusha desidra’?
I sometimes see the kedusha of uva letzion referred to as kedusha desidra (e.g. in Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 132:2).
What is the origin of this phrase? What does it mean?
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0answers
62 views
How accurate do I have to be in performing mitzvos to time?
We can now measure time more accurately than in the past (see this question). What are the implications? I do not ask about situations where the time is critical for a Torah law where obviously one ...
2
votes
1answer
56 views
Which Hoshana teffilot and Musaf Korbonos go with which days in Israel?
I have an Artscroll siddur which lists the different Hoshanos to say on which days of Chol Hamoed
Sukkos in America, and also in the Musaf which korbonos to say for each day, but it seems to be ...
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0answers
36 views
Why do we need to state 2 reasons not to cry out?
During the mi shebeirach for cholim we insert the reason that we temper our cries. On Shabbat, we say "shabbat hi miliz'ok" (the Shabbat forbids us from crying out) and on Yom Tov, we say &...
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0answers
53 views
Date to Begin Asking for Rain in the Diaspora
In the US we usually start asking for rain in the amida on the
fourth of December at night. The halacha states that this is on
the sixtieth days of tekufat Tishri (the fall season). But the
fall ...
2
votes
3answers
76 views
Do the Five books in Avinu malkeinu have any connection to the book of righteous/sefer Tzadikim?
In Avinu Malkeinu we mention five books,
ספר חיים טובים, - book of good life
ספר גאולה וישועה, - book of redemption and salvation
ספר זכויות, - book of merits
ספר פרנסה וכלכלה, - book of income and ...
2
votes
0answers
80 views
Can one say Shir Hamaalos without a Minyan?
During the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, many congregations say שיר המעלות after Yishtabach. Is there any problem saying שיר המעלות without a minyan?
