Prayers

Judaism's central declaration of faith — said morning and night, and the first prayer most learners want to read. By the end of this you will be able to say it aloud.

The very first words a Jew says on waking — a short thank-you for being given another day. Twelve words, no blessing formula, easy to say by heart.

The blessing over washing the hands before bread. It opens with the six-word formula every blessing shares — learn it once and you can read dozens of blessings.

The blessing said over bread — the one you'll hear at every Shabbat table. Same opening six words as the hand-washing blessing, then four new ones.

The call to prayer that opens the formal service. The leader calls, the congregation answers — you will recognize it at every service.

The blessing said over the Shabbat candles — the act that begins Shabbat in the home. Same six-word opening as every blessing, then four new words.

The song that opens the Shabbat table, welcoming the angels home. Four short verses that share one refrain — learn it once and the whole song opens up.

The sanctification of Shabbat over a cup of wine. It opens with the Torah's words about the first Shabbat, then the blessing over the wine you'll use all year.

The start of the Amidah, the standing prayer at the heart of every service: a whispered request for words, then the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The body and seal of the Amidah's first blessing — the great, mighty, awesome God who bestows kindness (חֶסֶד), sealed “Shield of Abraham.”

The Amidah's second blessing — God's power, “mighty forever,” who sustains the living and revives the dead.

The Amidah's blessing of thanks — “we give thanks to You.” Its first word shares the root of Modeh Ani, the gratitude you wake with.

The first of the weekday Amidah's requests — for knowledge and understanding. On a weekday, thirteen such requests sit between the opening and closing blessings.

The Amidah's request for healing — “heal us and we shall be healed.” The blessing into which people add the names of those who are ill.

The Amidah's open-ended request — “hear our voice” — into which any prayer of the heart can be poured. It seals, “who hears prayer.”

The “holy, holy, holy” the congregation says together, rising on its toes, during the leader's repetition of the Amidah — the words the prophets heard the angels say.

“Happy are those who dwell in Your house.” Psalm 145, said three times every day — once you can read its opening, you'll recognize it at every service.

The blessing the person called up to the Torah says before the reading — “who chose us from all the peoples and gave us His Torah.” The words you'll say at your own first aliyah.

The prayer that marks the turns of the service — and is said by mourners. It is in Aramaic, not Hebrew, but reads with the same letters. Learn the response everyone says together.

“Master of the world.” The hymn that ends the service, sung to a hundred different tunes — its first verses declare the God who was before, and will be after, all that is.

The line that ends the Amidah and the Kaddish, often sung aloud: “May the One who makes peace in the heavens make peace for us, and for all Israel.”

On Shabbat, the Amidah's weekday requests give way to rest. These Torah verses — sung in the service — call keeping Shabbat an eternal covenant, a sign between God and Israel.

The lines right after the Shema. After loving God “with all your heart,” the words turn to action — teach them, bind them on hand and head (tefillin), write them on your doorposts (mezuzah).

The blessing said after eating. Its very commandment is a verse of Torah — “you shall eat, be satisfied, and bless” — and its first blessing thanks the One who feeds all.

The prayer that closes every service — a declaration of duty to praise God, and the bow that goes with it. Two anchors here; the full paragraph comes later.