A heptatonic scale is a musical scale that has seven pitches , or tones , per octave . Examples include:
93-458: A Mi Shebeirach is a Jewish prayer used to request a blessing from God . Dating to the 10th or 11th century CE , Mi Shebeirach prayers are used for a wide variety of purposes. Originally in Hebrew but sometimes recited in the vernacular , different versions at different times have been among the prayers most popular with congregants. In contemporary Judaism, a Mi Shebeirach serves as
186-453: A Mi Shebeirach as a prayer of healing. Reform Jews abolished this practice in the 1800s as their conception of healing shifted to be more based in science, but the devastation of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s saw a re-emergence in gay and lesbian synagogues . Debbie Friedman 's Hebrew–English version of the prayer, which she and her then-partner, Rabbi Drorah Setel , wrote in 1987, has become
279-445: A Jewish feminist activist familiar with Mi Shebeirach as a prayer of healing from her Conservative background, asked the couple to write a version of the prayer. Like the Sha'ar Zahav Mi Shebeirach , Friedman and Setel's version emphasized spiritual healing in the face of a disease which most at the time were unlikely to survive. Refuah shleima ('full healing') was defined as
372-874: A "crystal clear" choice and that Friedman's setting had already been "canonized". The prayer is now seen as central to liberal Jewish ritual. In contemporary usage, to say "I'll say a Mi Shebeirach for you" generally refers to the Mi Shebeirach for healing. Starting in the 1990s, Flam and Kahn's idea of a healing service spread across the United States, with the Mi Shebeirach for healing at its core. In time this practice has diminished, as healing has been more incorporated into other aspects of Jewish life. Many synagogues maintain " Mi Shebeirach lists" of names to read on Shabbat. Some Jews include on preoperative checklists that they should be added to their congregations' Mi Shebeirach lists. The lists also serve to make
465-557: A Torah scroll taken out for a scheduled Torah reading. In the event one of the prayers was missed inadvertently, the Amidah prayer is said twice in the next service—a procedure known as tefillat tashlumin . Many Jews sway their body back and forth during prayer. This practice, referred to as shuckling in Yiddish , is not mandatory. Many are accustomed to giving charity before, during (especially during Vayivarech David ) or after prayer, in
558-579: A case that a specific person or group should be blessed—became a popular template for other prayers, including that for a person called to the Torah and those for life events such as brit milah (circumcision) and b'nai mitzvah . The Mi Shebeirach for olim (those called to the Torah) was for a time the central part of the Torah service for less educated European Jews. Since the late medieval period, Jews have used
651-573: A day he kneeled on his knees and prayed and offered thanks before his God just as he had done prior to this. The Talmud gives two reasons why there are three basic prayers each day: The earliest parts of Jewish prayer are the Shema Yisrael and the Priestly Blessing , which are in the Torah . Maimonides asserts that until the Babylonian exile , all Jews composed their own prayers. After
744-445: A day, and may not be required to recite a specific text. Traditionally, three prayer services are recited daily: Two additional services are recited on Shabbat and holidays: A distinction is made between individual prayer and communal prayer, which requires a quorum known as a minyan , with communal prayer being preferable as it permits the inclusion of prayers that otherwise would be omitted. According to tradition, many of
837-519: A logic that as God has previously done a particular thing, so he will again. It is mentioned in the Machzor Vitry , in the writings of David Abudarham , and in Kol Bo . Both Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews traditionally recite the prayer on Shabbat immediately after the haftara during the Torah service ; Sephardic Jews also recite it on Yom Kippur , althoug there are textual variants between
930-470: A melody using a heptatonic scale that is in turn called the misheberak scale . The Mi Shebeirach also came to serve as a template for prayers for specific blessings, and for a time was sometimes prefixed with " Yehi ratzon " ('May it be your will'). Gregg Drinkwater in American Jewish History identifies a five-part structure to such prayers: 1) " Mi shebeirach " and an invocation of
1023-1090: A precise meaning and a precise effect. Prayers thus literally affect the mystical forces of the universe, and repair the fabric of creation. This approach has been taken by the Chassidei Ashkenaz (German pietists of the Middle-Ages), the Zohar , the Arizal's Kabbalist tradition, the Ramchal , most of Hassidism , the Vilna Gaon and Jacob Emden . Hassidism , although incorporating the kabbalistic worldview and its corresponding kavanot, also emphasized straightforward sincerity and depth of emotional engagement in prayer. The Baal Shem Tov 's great-grandson, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov , particularly emphasized speaking to God in one's own words, which he called Hitbodedut (self-seclusion) and advised setting aside an hour to do this every day. Daven
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#17330853616561116-444: A series of kavanot , directions of intent, to specify the path the prayer ascends in the dialogue with God, to increase its chances of being answered favorably. Kabbalism ascribes a higher meaning to the purpose of prayer, which is no less than affecting the very fabric of reality itself, restructuring and repairing the universe in a real fashion. In this view, every word of every prayer, and indeed, even every letter of every word, has
1209-553: A single line praying to "comfort the sorrowing and cheer the silent sufferers". While the 1975 Reform prayerbook Gates of Prayer was more flexible than its predecessor and restored some older practices, it also had no Mi Shebeirach for healing. After the AIDS crisis began in the United States in 1981, the Mi Shebeirach and other communal healing prayers began to re-emerge in Reform and other liberal Jewish communities, particularly at gay and lesbian synagogues . A few years into
1302-608: A tallit. Generally, the time when Maariv can first be recited is when the time for reciting Mincha ends. But there are varying opinions on this. Maariv should not begin before 1¼ hours before sunset . Others delay Maariv until after sunset or after dusk . If Maariv is recited prior to dusk, individuals repeat the Shema later in the evening. Heptatonic scale Indian classical theory postulates seventy-two seven-tone scale types, collectively called melakarta or thaat , whereas others postulate twelve or ten (depending on
1395-424: A tradition dating at least to Rabbi Eliyahu Menachem in 13th century London . Macy Nulman 's Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer ties the tradition of blessing the sick back to Yoreh De'ah [REDACTED] 335:10 [ he ] . While Jewish liturgical names usually refer to people patronymically (" [person's name] , child of [father's name] " ), a Mi Shebeirach for healing traditionally refers to
1488-463: A use has been notably ascribed to the works of Béla Bartók and to bop and post-bop jazz practice. The traditional descending form of the melodic minor scale is equivalent to the natural minor scale in both pitch collection (which is diatonic) and tonal center. The harmonic minor scale is so called because in tonal music of the common practice period (from approximately 1600 to approximately 1900) chords or harmonies are derived from it more than from
1581-512: Is any seven-note scale constructed sequentially using only whole tones and half tones, repeating at the octave, having a tonal center, and comprising only one tritone interval between any two scale members, which ensures that the half tone intervals are as far apart as possible. In Western music, there are seven such scales, and they are commonly known as the modes of the major scale ( Ionian , Dorian , Phrygian , Lydian , Mixolydian , Aeolian , and Locrian ). In traditional classical theory,
1674-478: Is common for Jews to have themselves added to them in anticipation of a medical procedure; the prayer is likewise widely used in Jewish hospital chaplaincy . Friedman and Setel's version and others like it, born of a time when HIV was almost always fatal, emphasize spiritual renewal rather than just physical rehabilitation, a distinction stressed in turn by liberal Jewish scholars. In the context of Ashkenazi liturgy ,
1767-564: Is concluded with Malachi 3:4. Ashrei is recited, followed by half- Kaddish , the Amidah (including repetition), Tachanun , and then the full Kaddish. Sephardim insert a Psalm, followed by the Mourner's Kaddish. After this follows, in most modern rites, the Aleinu . Most Ashkenazim then conclude with the Mourner's Kaddish. In Ashkenazic, Italian and Yemenite communities, the service leaders often wears
1860-523: Is considered acceptable, but prayer with a quorum of ten Jewish adults—a minyan —is the most highly recommended form of prayer and is required for some prayers. An adult in this context means over the age of 12 or 13 ( bat or bar mitzvah ). Judaism had originally counted only men in the minyan for formal prayer, on the basis that one does not count someone who is not obligated to participate. The rabbis had exempted women from almost all time-specific positive mitzvot (commandments), including those parts of
1953-569: Is given in the Mishna, and among these only the Priestly Blessing is in use today, as the others are prayers that are to be said only in a Temple in Jerusalem , by a priest , or by a reigning King . Despite this, the tradition of most Ashkenazi Orthodox synagogues is to use Hebrew for all except a small number of prayers, including Kaddish and Yekum Purkan in Aramaic , and Gott Fun Avraham , which
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#17330853616562046-422: Is not a form of faith healing, that it seeks a spiritual rather than physical healing, and that healing is not sought only for those who are named. Friedman and Setel's setting has drawn particular praise, including for its bilingual nature, which makes it at once traditional and accessible. It is one of several Friedman pieces that have been called "musical midrash ". Lyrically, through asking God to "help us find
2139-492: Is often used in Jewish chaplaincy . A number of versions exist for specific roles and scenarios in healthcare. Silverman, who conducted an ethnographic study of liberal Jews in Tucson , recounts attending a cancer support group for Jewish women that closed with Friedman's version of the Mi Shebeirach , even though a number of the group's members had described themselves as being irreligious or not praying. She found that while
2232-548: Is often used in modern feminist liturgy to evoke childbirth. Friedman and Setel then reversed " avoteinu " and " imoteinu " in the second Hebrew verse in order to avoid gendering God. Friedman and Setel wrote the prayer in October 1987. It was first used in a Simchat Hochmah (celebration of wisdom) service at Congregation Ner Tamid celebrating Cohn Spiegel's eldering , led by Setel, openly lesbian rabbi Sue Levi Elwell , and feminist liturgist Marcia Falk . Friedman included
2325-484: Is performed with the heart? This is prayer. Based on this passage, Maimonides categorizes daily prayer as one of the 613 commandments . He rules that the commandment is fulfilled by any prayer at any time in the day, not a specific text; and thus is not time-dependent, and is mandatory for both Jewish men and women. In contrast, the requirement to say specific prayers at specific times is based not on biblical law, but rather rabbinic decree . Additional references in
2418-429: Is recited in the morning. Halacha limits parts of its recitation to the first three (Shema) or four (Amidah) hours of the day, where "hours" are 1/12 of daylight time, making these times dependent on the season. Shacharit is generally the lengthiest prayer of the day. Its components include Birkot hashachar , Korbanot , Pesukei dezimra , the Shema Yisrael and its blessings, the Amidah , and Tachanun . Of these,
2511-400: Is subject to change—rather it is man himself who is changed. It is further consistent with Maimonides ' view on Divine Providence . Here, Tefillah is the medium which God gave to man by means of which he can change himself, and thereby establish a new relationship with God—and thus a new destiny for himself in life; see also under Psalms . Kabbalah (esoteric Jewish mysticism) uses
2604-670: Is the prayer recitation that forms part of the observance of Rabbinic Judaism . These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the Siddur , the traditional Jewish prayer book. Prayer, as a "service of the heart," is in principle a Torah-based commandment . It is mandatory for Jewish women and men. However, the rabbinic requirement to recite a specific prayer text does differentiate between men and women: Jewish men are obligated to recite three prayers each day within specific time ranges ( zmanim ), while, according to many approaches, women are only required to pray once or twice
2697-522: Is the originally exclusively Eastern Yiddish verb meaning "pray"; it is widely used by Ashkenazic Orthodox Jews. In Yinglish , this has become the Anglicised davening . The origin of the word is obscure, but is thought by some to have come from Arabic (from diwan , a collection of poems or prayers), French (from devoner , 'to devote' or 'dedicate' or possibly from the French 'devant'- 'in front of' with
2790-510: Is traditionally ascribed to the Great Assembly (in the time of Ezra , near the end of the biblical period), though other sources suggest it was established by Simeon HaPakoli in the late 1st century. Even in the 1st century, though, the precise wording of the blessings was not yet fixed, and varied from locale to locale. By the Middle Ages the texts of the blessings was nearly fixed, and in
2883-614: Is used, many other scales become possible. These include Gypsy I- ♭ II-III-IV-V- ♭ VI-VII Hungarian I-II- ♭ III- ♯ IV-V- ♭ VI-VII The scales are symmetrical about the tonic and dominant respectively and the names are sometimes used interchangeably. The double harmonic scale , also known as the Byzantine or Hungarian, scale, contains the notes C D E ♭ F ♯ G A ♭ B C. Phrygian dominant or dominant harmonic minor I- ♭ II-III-IV-V- ♭ VI- ♭ VII This differs from
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2976-474: Is wide variation among Conservative congregations. In traditionalist congregations the liturgy can be almost identical to that of Orthodox Judaism, almost entirely in Hebrew (and Aramaic), with a few minor exceptions, including excision of a study session on Temple sacrifices, and modifications of prayers for the restoration of the sacrificial system. In more liberal Conservative synagogues there are greater changes to
3069-475: The Mi Shebeirach for mental illness or addiction is complicated by social stigma . Some may embrace the Mi Shebeirach as a chance to spread awareness in their community, while others may seek anonymity. Essayist Stephen Fried has advocated for the Mi Shebeirach for healing as an opportunity for rabbis "to reinforce that mental illness and substance use disorders 'count' as medical conditions for which you can offer prayers of healing". The prayer
3162-3102: The Mi Shebeirach of healing resonated widely, many participants were unaware how new the Friedman version was. As Friedman lay dying of pneumonia in 2011 after two decades of chronic illness, many North American congregations sang her and Setel's "Mi Shebeirach". Setel wrote in The Jewish Daily Forward that, while people's Mi Shebeirach prayers for Friedman "did not prevent Debbie's death, ... neither were they offered in vain". mi shebberach avoteinu avraham yitzchak veya'akov hu yevarech et-kol-hakkahal hakkadosh hazzeh im kol-kehillot hakkodesh. hem unesheihem uveneihem uvenoteihem vechol asher lahem. umi shemmeyachadim battei chenesiyyot litfillah. umi shebba'im betocham lehitpallel. umi shennotenim ner lamma'or veyayin lekiddush ulehavdalah ufat la'orechim utzedakah la'aniyyim. vechol mi she'osekim betzarechei tzibbur be'emunah. hakkadosh baruch hu yeshallem secharam veyasir mehem kol-machalah veyirpa lechol-gufam. veyislach lechol-avonam. veyishlach berachah vehatzlachah. bechol ma'aseh yedeihem. im kol yisra'el acheihem. venomar amen: mi shebberach avoteinu, avraham yitzchak veya'akov, mosheh ve'aharon, david ushelomoh, hu yevarech et ha'ishah hayyoledet ___ ve'et bittah shennoledah lah; veyikkare shemah beyisra'el ___ veyizku aviha ve'immah legaddelah lechuppah ulema'asim tovim; venomar amen. mi shebberach avoteinu, avraham yitzchak veya'akov, hu yevarech et she'aletah lichvod hammakom, velichvod hattorah ___ hakkadosh baruch hu yishmerehu veyatzilehu mikkol tzarah vetzukah umikkol nega umachalah, veyishlach berachah vehatzlachah bechol ma'aseh yadav im kol yisra'el echav; venomar amen. mi shebberach avoteinu, avraham yitzchak veya'akov, hu yevarech et she'alah lichvod hammakom, velichvod hattorah ___ hakkadosh baruch hu yishmerehu veyatzilehu mikkol tzarah vetzukah umikkol nega umachalah, veyishlach berachah vehatzlachah bechol ma'aseh yadav im kol yisra'el echav; venomar amen. mi shebberach avoteinu, avraham yitzchak veya'akov, mosheh ve'aharon, david ushelomoh, hu yevarech virappe et hacholeh. hakkadosh baruch hu yimmale rachamim alav lehachalimo ulerappoto, lehachaziko ulehachayoto, veyishlach lo meherah refu'ah shelemah, refu'at hannefesh urefu'at hagguf; venomar amen. mi shebberach avoteinu, avraham yitzchak veya'akov, mosheh ve'aharon, david ushelomoh, hu yevarech virappe et hacholah ___. hakkadosh baruch hu yimmale rachamim aleiha lehachalimah ulerappotah, lehachazikah ulehachayotah, veyishlach lah meherah refu'ah shelemah, refu'at hannefesh urefu'at hagguf; venomar amen. Jewish prayer Jewish prayer ( Hebrew : תְּפִילָּה , tefilla [tfiˈla] ; plural תְּפִילּוֹת tefillot [tfiˈlot] ; Yiddish : תּפֿלה , romanized : tfile [ˈtfɪlə] , plural תּפֿלות tfilles [ˈtfɪləs] ; Yinglish : davening / ˈ d ɑː v ən ɪ ŋ / from Yiddish דאַוון davn 'pray')
3255-463: The Geonim of Babylonia ; "some were composed by respected rabbinic scholars at the request of far-flung communities seeking an authoritative text of the required prayers for daily use, Shabbat, and holidays." The earliest existing codification of the prayerbook was drawn up by Rav Amram Gaon of Sura, Babylon, about 850 CE. Half a century later Rav Saadia Gaon , also of Sura, composed a siddur , in which
3348-528: The Hebrew Bible have been interpreted to suggest that King David and the prophet Daniel prayed three times a day. In Psalms , David states: Evening, morning, and noontime, I speak and moan, and He hearkened to my voice. And in the Book of Daniel : And Daniel, when he knew that a writ had been inscribed, came to his house, where there were open windows in his upper chamber, opposite Jerusalem, and three times
3441-623: The Ten Days of Penitence , the Fast of Behav , and Kol Nidre (for Jerusalem ). During the Khmelnytsky Uprising , Rabbi Yom-Tov Lipmann Heller originated the practice of saying a Mi Shebeirach for those who do not converse during prayer. Some prayers exist for particular communities, such as one used in many communities for members of the Israel Defense Forces , or several published by
3534-423: The melodic minor scale has two forms, as noted above, an ascending form and a descending form. Although each of these forms of itself comprises seven pitches, together they comprise nine, which might seem to call into question the scale's status as a heptatonic scale. In certain twentieth-century music, however, it became common systematically to use the ascending form for both ascending and descending passages. Such
3627-519: The patriarchs ; 2) the name of the person to bless; 3) the reason they should be blessed; 4) what is requested for the person; and 5) the community's response. William Cutter writes in Sh'ma : There are Misheberach prayers for every kind of illness, and almost every kind of relationship; there are Misheberach prayers for people who refrain from gossip, for people who maintain responsible business ethics. There are Misheberach blessings for everyone in
3720-467: The reflexive form of palal ( פלל ), to judge. Thus, "to pray" conveys the notion of "judging oneself": ultimately, the purpose of prayer— tefillah ( תפלה )—is to transform oneself. This etymology is consistent with the Jewish conception of divine simplicity . It is not God that changes through one's prayer—man does not influence God as a defendant influences a human judge who has emotions and
3813-554: The renewal , rather than repair , of body and spirit. Using a mix of Hebrew and English, a trend begun by Friedman in the 1970s, the two chose to include the Jewish matriarchs as well as the patriarchs to "express the empowerment of those reciting and hearing the prayer". After the initial " mi sheiberach avoteinu " ('May the one who blessed our fathers'), they added " makor habrachah l'imoteinu " ('source of blessing for our mothers'). The first two words come from Lekha Dodi ; makor ('source'), while grammatically masculine,
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3906-411: The 1200s, in part because it served as a source of income, and in turn spread to other countries. In German communities, it is recited even during weekday Torah readings. It thus became the most important part of the service for less educated Jews but also causing services to run long, at the expense of the Torah reading itself. Some congregations recite a Mi Shebeirach for all olim collectively,
3999-457: The Ashkenazic and Sephardic version. The Mi Shebeirach is often recited in the vernacular language of a congregation rather than in Hebrew. In Jewish Worship (1971), Abraham Ezra Millgram says that this is because of the prayer's "direct appeal to the worshipers and the ethical responsibilities it spells out for the people". Traditionally the Mi Shebeirach for the congregation is set to
4092-488: The Phrygian in having a major third. It may also be considered built on the dominant of the harmonic minor scale. Neapolitan minor differs from the Phrygian in having a major seventh. Verdi's Scala Enigmatica I- ♭ II-III- ♯ IV- ♯ V- ♯ VI-VII i.e. G A ♭ B C ♯ D ♯ E ♯ F ♯ , which is similar to the heptatonia tertia mentioned above, differing only in that
4185-458: The Reform movement for LGBT Jews. In many congregations, a Mi Shebeirach is recited for each individual oleh (person called for an aliyah ), a practice originating among the Jews of France or Germany , originally just in pilgrim festivals. Historically, in exchange for a donation, an oleh could have a blessing said for someone else as well. The practice expanded to Sabbath services by
4278-511: The Second Temple period there existed "liturgical formulations of a communal nature designated for particular occasions and conducted in a centre totally independent of Jerusalem and the Temple, making use of terminology and theological concepts that were later to become dominant in Jewish and, in some cases, Christian prayer." The structure of the modern Jewish prayer service was established during
4371-717: The Talmudic phrase, " ka davai lamizrach ", 'gazing wistfully to the east'. Kevin A. Brook cited Zeiden's suggestion that the word daven comes from the Turkic root tabun- meaning 'to pray', and that in Kipchak Turkic , the initial t morphs into d , but also cited Beider's opinion that Zeiden's etymology is unlikely. In Western Yiddish, the term for pray is oren , a word with clear roots in Romance languages , similar to Spanish and Portuguese orar and Latin orare . Individual prayer
4464-419: The audience. By specifying refuah shleima as healing of both body ( refuat haguf ) and spirit ( refuat hanefesh )—a commonality across denominations—the Mi Shebeirach for healing emphasizes that both physical and mental illness ought to be treated. The prayer uses the Š-L-M root, the same used in the Hebrew word shalom ('peace'). While refuah in Hebrew refers to both healing and curing,
4557-417: The best-known setting. Released in 1989 on the album And You Shall Be a Blessing and spread through performances at Jewish conferences, the song became Friedman's best-known work and led to the Mi Shebeirach for healing not only being reintroduced to liberal Jewish liturgy but becoming one of the movement's central prayers. Many congregations maintain " Mi Shebeirach lists" of those to pray for, and it
4650-525: The community aware that someone is ill, which can be beneficial but can also present problems in cases of stigmatized illnesses. In some congregations, congregants with ill loved ones line up and the rabbi says the prayer. In more liberal ones, the rabbi will ask congregants to list names, and the congregant will then sing either the traditional Mi Shebeirach for healing or Friedman and Setel's version. Sometimes congregants wrap one another in tallitot (prayer shawls) or hold shawls above one another. Use of
4743-425: The community, but slanderers, gossips, and schlemiels are excluded. Some Mi Shebeirach prayers are used for life events, including birth (for the mother), bar or bat mitzvah , brit milah (circumcision), or conversion or return from apostasy . Several concern marriage : in anticipation thereof, for newlyweds, and for a 25th or 50th wedding anniversary . Occasional Mi Shebeirach prayers include those for
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#17330853616564836-409: The contemporary American Jewish context emphasizes the distinction between the two concepts, with the Mi Shebeirach a prayer of the former rather than the latter. Nonetheless, Rabbi Julie Pelc Adler critiques the Mi Shebeirach as inapplicable to chronic illness and proposes a different prayer for such cases. Liberal Jewish commentary on the Mi Shebeirach for healing often emphasizes that it
4929-541: The courage to make our lives a blessing", it emphasizes the agency of the person praying. Its melody resembles that of a ballad ; like the traditional nusach (chant) for the Mi Shebeirach for healing, it is set in a major key . Drinkwater views the modern Mi Shebeirach for healing as providing a "fundamentally queer insight" and frames it as part of a transformation in Judaism away from "narratives of wholeness, purity, and perfection". The Mi Shebeirach of healing
5022-477: The current standard prayers were composed by the sages of the Great Assembly in the early Second Temple period (516 BCE – 70 CE). The language of the prayers, while clearly from this period, often employs biblical idiom. The main structure of the modern prayer service was fixed in the Tannaic era (1st–2nd centuries CE), with some additions and the exact text of blessings coming later. Jewish prayerbooks emerged during
5115-540: The diatonic modes have two and three tones on either side of each semitone, the heptatonia secunda modes have one and four. These are sometimes called modes of the melodic ascending minor since that is the most commonly used scale of this type, but other modes can be produced by starting on the different scale notes in turn. Thus starting on keynote A as above and following the notes of the ascending melodic minor (A, B, C, D, E, F ♯ , G ♯ ) yields these seven modes: These modes are more awkward to use than those of
5208-477: The diatonic scales due to the four tones in a row yielding augmented intervals on one hand while the one tone between two semitones gives rise to diminished intervals on the other. For example, the last two modes listed above both have 'Locrian' diminished triads built on their tonics, giving them unstable tonality, while the third mode not only has an augmented fourth a la the Lydian mode but also an augmented fifth making
5301-508: The differences are minor compared with the commonalities. Most of the Jewish liturgy is sung or chanted with traditional melodies or trope . Synagogues may designate or employ a professional or lay hazzan (cantor) for the purpose of leading the congregation in prayer, especially on Shabbat or holy holidays. According to the Babylonian Talmud , prayer is a biblical command : You shall serve God with your whole heart' – What service
5394-508: The differences between all these customs are quite minor compared with the commonalities. Reform Judaism also has its own version. According to halakha , all individual prayers and virtually all communal prayers may be said in any language that the person praying understands. For example, the Mishnah mentions that the Shema need not be said in Hebrew. A list of prayers that must be said in Hebrew
5487-469: The dominant and subdominant essentially unusable. The last group of seven-note tone/semitone scales is heptatonia tertia , and consists of scales with two adjacent semitones—which amounts to a whole-tone scale , but with an additional note somewhere in its sequence, e.g., B C D E F ♯ G ♯ A ♯ . One such example is the Neapolitan major scale. If the interval of the augmented second
5580-404: The early Middle Ages during the period of the Geonim of Babylonia (6th–11th centuries CE). Over the last 2000 years, traditional variations have emerged among the traditional liturgical customs of different Jewish communities, such as Ashkenazic , Sephardic , Yemenite , Eretz Yisrael and others, or rather recent liturgical inventions such as Nusach Sefard and Nusach Ari . However
5673-562: The exile, however, when the exiles' understanding of Hebrew diminished and they found it difficult to compose prayers in Hebrew, Ezra and his court composed the Amidah prayer. Modern scholarship dating from the Wissenschaft des Judentums movement of 19th-century Germany, as well as textual analysis influenced by the 20th-century discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls , suggests that dating from
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#17330853616565766-411: The first and eighth chromatic tones, are invariable in inflection, and the fourth melakarta tone, corresponding to the sixth or seventh chromatic tone, is allowed one of two inflections only, a natural ( shuddah ) position and a raised ( tivra ) position. The second and third melakarta tones can be picked from the 4 chromatic tones (second through fifth), and similarly for the sixth and seventh. Thus
5859-542: The form in which they are still used today. Readings from the Torah (five books of Moses) and the Nevi'im ("Prophets") are specified in the Mishnah and Talmud , as are the order of blessings surrounding the Shema . Other parts of the service, such as Pesukei dezimra , have little mention in early sources, but became established by custom. The oldest prayer books date from the time of
5952-450: The full congregation with health, success, and forgiveness. Debbie Friedman was part of a wave of Jewish folk singers that began in the 1960s. Throughout the 1980s, as she lost many friends to AIDS and separately several to cancer, she traveled across the country performing at sickbeds. From 1984 to 1987, she lived with Rabbi Drorah Setel , then her romantic partner, who worked with AIDS Project Los Angeles . Marcia "Marty" Cohn Spiegel,
6045-572: The hopes that this will make their prayer more likely to be heard. According to the Talmud , during prayer one should face toward Jerusalem , and specifically the site of the Temple in Jerusalem . This is based on Solomon 's prayer "...and they will pray to You toward their land, which You gave to their fathers; the city which You have chosen; and the house which I have built for Your name" ( 1 Kings 8:48 ). The Shacharit (from shachar , morning light) prayer
6138-533: The idea that the person praying is mindful of before whom they stand), Latin (from divin , 'divine') or even English (from dawn ). Others believe that it derives from a Slavic word meaning "to give" ( Russian : давать , romanized : davat' ). Some claim that it originates from an Aramaic word, de'avuhon or d'avinun , meaning 'of their/our forefathers', as the three prayers are said to have been invented by Abraham , Isaac and Jacob . Another Aramaic derivation, proposed by Avigdor Chaikin , cites
6231-629: The last 2000 years, the various branches of Judaism have resulted in small variations in the Rabbinic liturgy customs among different Jewish communities, with each community having a slightly different nusach (customary liturgy). The principal difference is between Ashkenazic and Sephardic customs, although there are other communities (e.g., Yemenite and Italian Jews , and in the past Eretz Yisrael ), and rather recent liturgical inventions such as Hassidic , Chabad and other communities also have distinct customs, variations, and special prayers. However,
6324-532: The laws of Shabbat (including a traditional prohibition on playing instruments) are inapplicable to modern circumstances, Reform services often play instrumental or recorded music with prayers on the Jewish Sabbath . All Reform synagogues are Egalitarian with respect to gender roles. In Jewish philosophy and in Rabbinic literature , it is noted that the Hebrew verb for prayer— hitpallel ( התפלל )—is in fact
6417-501: The main prayer of healing, particularly among liberal Jews, to whose rituals it has become central. The original Mi Shebeirach , a Shabbat prayer for a blessing for the whole congregation, originated in Babylonia as part of or alongside the Yekum Purkan prayers. Its format—invoking God in the name of the patriarchs (and in some modern settings the matriarchs ) and then making
6510-409: The major scale), Aeolian (also called the natural minor scale), melodic ascending minor, Dorian, Mixolydian, Lydian, Lydian dominant, Aeolian dominant, and altered scales. In these scales the semi-tones are maximally separated. They are known most commonly as the diatonic modes. Beginning on keynote C and working up the notes of the 'major' scale (C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C), the seven modes are: While
6603-457: The middle voice does not ascend to B, and the B in the upper voice does not descend to A ♭ . The names heptatonia prima and heptatonia secunda apply to seven-note scales that can be formed using five tones (t) and two semi-tones (s), (also called whole-steps and half-steps), but without two semi-tones in succession. Throughout history and to the present day, some have occurred much more commonly than others, namely Ionian (also called
6696-418: The minyan. Those Reform and Reconstructionist congregations that consider a minyan mandatory for communal prayer, count both men and women for a minyan . All denominations of Judaism except for Orthodox Judaism ordain female rabbis and cantors. There is a publicly said prayer, called Birkhat HaGomel , for giving thanks for surviving an illness or danger. which, in addition to needing a Minyan , also needs
6789-496: The natural minor scale or the melodic minor scale. The augmented second between its sixth degree and its raised seventh degree (the " leading tone "), traditionally considered undesirable in melodic progression, is avoided by placing these pitches in different voices in adjacent chords, as in this progression: F A ♭ D, F G B, F A ♭ C (ii° b –V7 d –iv in C ;minor). The A ♭ in
6882-613: The number of possible forms is equal to twice the square of the number of ways a two-membered subset can be extracted from a four-membered set: Hindustani heptatonic theory additionally stipulates that the second, third, sixth and seventh degrees of heptatonic scale forms ( saptak ) are also allowed only two inflections each, in this case, one natural position, and one lowered ( komal ) position. Arithmetically this produces 2 , or thirty-two, possibilities, but Hindustani theory, in contradistinction to Carnatic theory, excludes scale forms not commonly used. Gongche notation heptatonic scale gives
6975-624: The pandemic, Congregation Sha'ar Zahav , a Reform congregation in San Francisco that used its own gender-neutral , gay-inclusive siddur (prayerbook), began a communal Mi Shebeirach written by Garry Koenigsburg and Rabbi Yoel Kahn, praying to heal "all the ill amongst us, and all who have been touched by AIDS and related illness". As there was at the time no effective treatment for HIV/AIDS , and Jewish tradition says that prayers should not be in vain ( tefilat shav ), Sha'ar Zahav's version emphasized spiritual healing as well as physical. Around
7068-480: The period of the Tannaim , "from their traditions, later committed to writing, we learn that the generation of rabbis active at the time of the destruction of the Second Temple (70 CE) gave Jewish prayer its structure and, in outline form at least, its contents." This liturgy included the twice-daily recitation of the Shema, the Amidah , and the cycle of public Torah reading . The Amidah (or Shemoneh Esreh ) prayer
7161-507: The prayer that cannot be recited without a quorum, due to women in the past being bound up in an endless cycle of pregnancy, birthing and nursing from a very early age. Orthodox Judaism still follows this reasoning and excludes women from the minyan. Since 1973, Conservative congregations have overwhelmingly become egalitarian and count women in the minyan . A very small number of congregations that identify themselves as Conservative have resisted these changes and continue to exclude women from
7254-459: The prayers, while clearly being from the Second Temple period, often employs biblical idiom, and according to some authorities it should not contain rabbinic or Mishnaic idiom apart from in the sections of Mishnah that are featured. Conservative services generally use the same basic format for services as Orthodox Judaism, with some doctrinal leniencies and some prayers in English. In practice, there
7347-592: The recitation of Shema Yisrael and the Amidah constitute the core of the Shacharit service. Those Jews who wear tallit and tefillin generally only do so during the Shacharit prayer. Mincha or Minha may be recited from half an hour after halachic noontime, until sunset. Sephardim and Italian Jews start the Mincha prayers with Psalm 84 and Korbanot , and usually continue with the Pittum hakketoret . The opening section
7440-527: The rubrical matter is in Arabic . These were the basis of Simcha ben Samuel's Machzor Vitry (11th-century France), which was based on the ideas of his teacher, Rashi . Another formulation of the prayers was that appended by Maimonides to the laws of prayer in his Mishneh Torah : this forms the basis of the Yemenite liturgy, and has had some influence on other rites. From this point forward, all Jewish prayerbooks had
7533-496: The same basic order and contents. The siddur was printed by Soncino in Italy as early as 1486, though a siddur was first mass-distributed only in 1865. The siddur began appearing in the vernacular as early as 1538. The first English translation , by Gamaliel ben Pedahzur (a pseudonym ), appeared in London in 1738; a different translation was released in the United States in 1837. Over
7626-521: The same time, Rabbi Margaret Wenig , a gay rights activist , began including a Mi Shebeirach in services with her elderly congregation in New York City, although not framed just as a prayer for healing. At the gay and lesbian synagogue Beth Chayim Chadashim in Los Angeles , a 1985 siddur supervised by Rabbi Janet Marder included several prayers for healing, including a Mi Shebeirach blessing
7719-507: The second degree here is flattened. Melakarta is a South Indian classical method of organizing Raagas based on their unique heptatonic scales. The postulated number of melakarta derives from arithmetical calculation and not from Carnatic practice, which uses far fewer scale forms. Seven-pitch melakarta are considered subsets of a twelve-pitch scale roughly analogous to the Western chromatic scale. The first and fifth melakarta tones, corresponding to
7812-563: The service, with up to a third of the service in English; abbreviation or omission of many of the preparatory prayers; and replacement of some traditional prayers with more contemporary forms. There are some changes for doctrinal reasons, including egalitarian language, fewer references to restoring sacrifices in the Temple in Jerusalem , and an option to eliminate special roles for Kohanim and Levites . The liturgies of Reform and Reconstructionist are based on traditional elements, but contain language more reflective of liberal belief than
7905-467: The sick person by matronym (" [person's name] , child of [mother's name] " ). Kabbalists teach that this evokes more compassion from God, citing Psalms 86 :16, "Turn to me and have mercy on me; ... and deliver the son of your maidservant". Jews in the late medieval and early modern periods used a Mi Shebeirach to pray for the bodies and souls of those not present, while also praying directly for individuals' healing, as they believed all healing
7998-566: The song on her albums And You Shall Be a Blessing (1989) and Renewal of Spirit (1995) and performed it at Jewish conferences including those of the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education , through which it spread to Jewish communities across the United States. "Mi Shebeirach" became Friedman's most popular song. She performed it at almost every concert, prefacing it with "This is for you" before singing it once on her own and then once with
8091-491: The theorist) seven-tone scale types. Several heptatonic scales in Western , Roman, Spanish, Hungarian, and Greek music can be analyzed as juxtapositions of tetrachords . All heptatonic scales have all intervals present in their interval vector analysis, and thus all heptatonic scales are both hemitonic and tritonic . There is a special affinity for heptatonic scales in the Western key signature system. A diatonic scale
8184-481: The traditional Mi Shebeirach has been described as either the third Yekum Purkan prayer or as an additional prayer recited after the two Yekum Purkan prayers. The three prayers date to Babylonia in the 10th or 11th century CE , with the Mi Shebeirach —a Hebrew prayer—being a later addition to the other two, which are in Jewish Babylonian Aramaic . It is derived from a prayer for rain, sharing
8277-429: The traditional liturgy. Doctrinal revisions generally include revising or omitting references to traditional doctrines such as bodily resurrection , a personal Jewish Messiah , and other elements of traditional Jewish eschatology , Divine revelation of the Torah at Mount Sinai , angels , conceptions of reward and punishment, and other personal miraculous and supernatural elements. Services are often from 40% to 90% in
8370-466: The vernacular. Reform Judaism has made greater alterations to the traditional service in accord with its more liberal theology including dropping references to traditional elements of Jewish eschatology such as a personal Messiah , a bodily resurrection of the dead, and others. The Hebrew portion of the service is substantially abbreviated and modernized and modern prayers substituted for traditional ones. In addition, in keeping with their view that
8463-577: Was added to the Reform siddur Mishkan T'filah in 2007, comprising a three-sentence blessing in Hebrew and English praying for a "complete renewal of body and spirit" for those who are ill, and the lyrics to Friedman and Setel's version. By the time it was added, it had already become, according to Drinkwater, "ubiquitous in Reform settings ... and in many non-Reform settings throughout the world". Drinkwater casts it as "the emotional highlight of synagogue services for countless Jews". Elyse Frishman, Mishkan T'filah 's editor, described including it as
8556-550: Was through God's will. A Mi Shebeirach does not, however, fulfill the mitzvah (commandment) of bikur cholim (visiting the sick). Influenced by German ideals, early Reform Jews in the United States saw healing as a matter for private, rather than communal prayer. Prayer healing became less popular as medicine modernized, and many Reform Jews came to see healing as a purely scientific matter. The Union Prayer Book , published in 1895 and last revised in 1940, lacked any Mi Shebeirach for healing, rather limiting itself to
8649-471: Was written in Yiddish. In other streams of Judaism there is considerable variability: Sephardic communities may use Ladino or Portuguese for many prayers, although usually only for added prayers and not for the established prayers; Conservative synagogues tend to use the local language to a varying degree; and at some Reform synagogues almost the whole service may be in the local language. The language of
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