Prayer

Jews believe that God is present all the time and through all their actions and life, so prayer is bound up with the way that they live.

"Know Him in all your ways"
(Proverbs 3:6)

There are times of worship with associated formal prayers. These take place three times each day, once a week (The Shabbat) and at various times during the year (Festivals and fasts). In addition there are prayers to be said at mealtimes, on holy days, to the Torah and on special months of the year. Nearly all of these prayers are formal and written. One if the most important of these prayers is called the Amidah.

"O Lord, our God, hear our cry !
Have compassion on us and pity us;
Accept our prayer with loving favour ...
For you mercifully heed Your people's supplication.
Praised are You, O Lord, who is attentive to prayer"
(Part of the Amidah)

The formal prayers take place three times a day, men will usually go to the synagogue, for they have an obligation to pray with a minyan, a group of 10 men; this being the smallest group considered to represent the community. If the day is a festival or Shabbat then the whole family will go to the synagogue. These three daily prayers are said;

Shacharit - the morning prayer, after Abraham who set aside the morning to pray so that he could set time aside to God before turning to his own affairs.

Minchah - the afternoon prayer, after Isaac who halted his affairs so that he could give time to God.

Arvit - the evening prayer, after Jacob who prayer in the evening to thank God for having helped him through the day.

As well as these daily prayers, prayers will be said before and after food, and at various other times during the day. Each type of food has a special blessing. For example before eating bread the prayer will be said,

"Blessed are you O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the ground"

All the occasions of live have special blessings that will be said on their occurrences to remind the devout Jew that God is present in all the occasions in life, not just at the 'holy' ones. There is even a blessing for going to the toilet !

'Clothes' for praying

When a Jew prays they will "dress up". There are three things that a Jew will put on when they pray, as symbols of their beliefs.

The Tallit : A fringed prayer shawl. The Tefillin : Small leather boxes are worn close to the heart and close to the brain. To show that Jews both love God and think about him. The Yarmulka : A small skull-cap to show that Jews have respect for God.

The Shema

"Hear O Israel ! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one ! And you shall love the Lord your God with all you heart and with all your soul and with all your might."

The Shema is the most important of the Jewish prayers, or declaration of faith, since it reminds all Jews of those beliefs which are to be found at the centre of their faith. There are four things to remember about the Shema :

• that God is one
• that all human beings are expected to love God
• that all Jews are under an obligation to learn and to teach about God
• that all Jews are expected to try to live an holy life

The Shema is inside the Mezuzah on the doorpost of a Jewish home, it is written on a small piece of parchment and will be said at each of the three daily prayers, and at the end of each day.

Prayer and daily life

The day for the Jew will begin with prayer and the rite of purification to remind them of the start of the day in the temple. Prayer as with much of the Jewish faith is a link to the events of the past and to the hoped for events for the future. Prayer continues throughout the day both formally and in keeping the 613 Mitzvot (Commandments). There are prayers in Jewish life for all contingencies from cleaning your teeth, surviving a thunderstorm, choosing lunch and even going to the bathroom! Likewise the day will end with prayer, thanking God for the day that has passed and asking for protection for the night ahead.

Important words

• Mezuzah - A small case containing the Shema.
• Torah - The Jewish holy book containing the laws of Judaism.
• Tefillin - Small, leather boxes containing selections from the scriptures
• Kippah /Yarmulke - Skull cap worn during worship, or always by orthodox Jews
• Tallit - Fringed Jewish prayer-shawl of white material striped with black and blue
• Shabbat or Sabbath - Jewish holy day from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset
• Kosher - Those foods that are allowed by the Torah (Leviticus chapter 11)
• Shema - The most important Jewish prayer - a declaration of the Jewish faith
• Amidah - A series of 19 blessings which form the centre of Jewish belief.