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42-531: The Talmudic sages wrote that every Jew should mourn the destruction of the Temple. The origin of the midnight time for prayer and study lies in Psalm 119:62, attributed to David : "At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee." It is said that David was satisfied with only "sixty breaths of sleep" (Sukk. 26b), and that he rose to pray and study Torah at midnight. At first, Mizrahi Jews would add dirges ( kinnot ) for

84-488: A Siddur Shalem ("complete siddur"). Below are listed many popular siddurim used by religious Jews. This list mostly excludes prayer books specifically for the High Holidays; see Machzor (Popular versions) . These siddurim follow the halakha of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef (1920–2013) a Talmudic scholar, and authority on Jewish religious law, and spiritual leader of Israel's ultra-orthodox Shas party. Yosef believed that

126-560: A formal version of the Amidah was adopted at a rabbinical council in Yavne , under the leadership of Gamaliel II and his colleagues. However, the precise wording was still left open. The order, general ideas, opening and closing lines were fixed. Most of the wording was left to the individual reader. It was not until several centuries later that the prayers began to be formally fixed. By the Middle Ages

168-543: Is a Jewish prayer book containing a set order of daily prayers . The word siddur comes from the Hebrew root ס־ד־ר ‎, meaning 'order.' Other terms for prayer books are tefillot ( תְּפִלּוֹת‎ ) among Sephardi Jews , tefillah among German Jews , and tiklāl ( תכלאל ) among Yemenite Jews . The earliest parts of Jewish prayer books are the Shema Yisrael ("Hear O Israel") ( Deuteronomy 6:4 et seq ) and

210-560: Is also mentioned in the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch , and is practiced in some Ashkenazic communities as well. The Tanya mentions that one should recite Tikkun Chatzot every night if one can. It then suggests that if one cannot do so every night, he should do so on Thursday nights, as a preparation for the Shabbat . The practice of Tikkun Chatzot became much more widespread after the spread of coffee to Jewish societies. Tikkun Chatzot

252-455: Is an all-encompassing nusach that is valid for any Jew, no matter what his ancestral tribe or identity, a view attributed to the Maggid of Mezeritch . The Mahzor of each rite is distinguished by hymns ( piyyutim ). The most important writers are Jose ben Jose , probably in the 4th-5th century CE, chiefly known for his compositions for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur ; Yanai ; Eleazar Kalir ,

294-530: Is concluded with the reading of Isaiah 52:2, "Shake thyself from the dust..." A shorter version is usually printed in Sephardic siddurim that does not include the "Prayer of the afflicted," and has fewer kinnos . Tikkun Leah consists of various Psalms, and is recited after Tikkun Rachel , or alone on days when tachanun is omitted. The Psalms of Tikkun Leah are Psalm 24, 42, 43, 20, 24, 67, 111, 51, and 126. Psalms 20 and 51 are omitted when Tikkun Rachel

336-458: Is divided into two parts; Tikkun Rachel and Tikkun Leah , named for the two wives of the Patriarch Jacob . On days when Tachanun is not recited during daytime prayers, only Tikkun Leah is recited (although Sefardim do not recite Tikkun Chatzos at all on Shabbat and Yom Tov ). The Tikkun Chatzot is an individual service; a minyan is not needed for performing it, although some have

378-579: Is fitting for every God-fearing person to feel grief and concern over the destruction of the Temple". The Mishnah Berurah comments, "The Kabbalists have discussed at great lengths the importance of rising at midnight [to say the Tikkun Chatzot, learn Torah, and to talk to God] and how great this is". Sephardi communities in Jerusalem have a custom to sit on the floor and recite Tikkun Chatzot after halakhic midday during The Three Weeks . This custom

420-600: Is not said. A short prayer concludes the Tikkun. It is common to follow Tikkun Chatzot with learning Torah , in particular Patach Eliyahu or Mishnah . Some learn the last chapter of tractate Tamid . Many study the Holy Zohar . Chazal Chazal or Ḥazal ( Hebrew : חז״ל ) are the Jewish sages of the Mishnaic and Talmudic eras, spanning from the final 300 years of

462-464: Is that midnight is six clock hours after nightfall (appearance of 3 medium stars). The method held by Mishnah Berurah is twelve hours after noon (halfway between dawn and dusk). Another way to understand the ideal time for Tikkun Chatzot is at 12:00am midnight (this is another way to understand the Magen Avraham). According to Siddur Beis Yaakov , by Rabbi Yaakov Emden , Psalm 102, the "Prayer of

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504-525: The Kabbalistic sefirot of those names, while the Nusach Ashkenaz, as well as Western Sephardic and other Hasidic versions retain the older wording "חננו מאתך דעה בינה והשכל", "Graciously bestow upon us from You knowledge, understanding, and reason". In some cases, however, the order of the preparation for the Amidah is drastically different, reflecting the different halakhic and kabbalistic formulae that

546-697: The Priestly Blessing ( Numbers 6:24-26), which are in the Torah . A set of eighteen (currently nineteen) blessings called the Shemoneh Esreh or the Amidah ( Hebrew , "standing [prayer]"), is traditionally ascribed to the Great Assembly in the time of Ezra , at the end of the biblical period. The name Shemoneh Esreh , literally "eighteen", is a historical anachronism, since it now contains nineteen blessings. It

588-567: The Second Temple period until the 7th century , or c.  250   BCE  – c.  625   CE . Their authority was mostly in the field of Halakha (Jewish law) and less regarding Jewish theology. Chazal are generally divided according to their era and the main writing done in that era: Until the end of the Savoraim era, Chazal had the authority to comment on the Torah according to

630-557: The Talmudical hermeneutics standards required by the Law given to Moses at Sinai , sometimes even expounding a word or phrase outside its plain and ordinary sense. Nowadays in Orthodoxy , this authority is not delegated to the current generation's sages, and thus the Torah can not be commentated on, in matters concerning the halakha ("Jewish Law"), if it contradicts Chazal's commentary. Until

672-507: The pseudonym Gamaliel ben Pedahzur; a different translation was released in the United States in 1837. Readings from the Torah (five books of Moses) and the Nevi'im ("Prophets") form part of the prayer services. To this framework various Jewish sages added, from time to time, various prayers, and, for festivals especially, numerous hymns. The earliest existing codification of the prayerbook

714-573: The 16th century and Seligman Baer in the 19th century; siddurim have also been published reflecting the views of Jacob Emden and the Vilna Gaon . There are differences among, amongst others, the Sephardic (including Spanish and Portuguese and Mizrachim ), Teimani (Yemenite), Hasidic , Ashkenazic (divided into German, Polish and other European and eastern-European rites), Bené Roma or Italkim , Romaniote (Greek, once extending to Turkey, Crimea and

756-577: The Moroccan siddurim which generally contain fewer Kabbalistic elements:) (Usually characterised by presence of Kabbalistic elements:) The Baladi Jews (from Arabic balad , country) follow the legal rulings of the Rambam ( Maimonides ) as codified in his work the Mishneh Torah . Rabbi Yiḥye Tsalaḥ (Maharits) revised this liturgy to end friction between traditionalists (who followed Rambam's rulings and

798-504: The Sephardic diaspora by envoys and merchants in the late 17th century and 18th century. The "local rabbinic leadership resisted the new versions....Nevertheless, the new prayer books were widely accepted." As part of that process, the Shami modified their rites to accommodate the usages of the Ari to the maximum extent. The text of the Shami siddur now largely follows the Sephardic tradition, though

840-474: The Sephardic halakhic tradition favoured leniency, and these principles are reflected in his siddurim. please note, these siddurim are also for the Edot Ha-mizrach communities. Some notable editions are: (Characterised by relative absence of Kabbalistic elements:) (Usually characterised by presence of Kabbalistic elements:) (Usually characterised by presence of Kabbalistic elements, except for

882-450: The Sephardic piyyutim. Therefore, on holidays he would daven (recite the prescribed liturgical prayers) with Ashkenazim -- as opposed to his practice the rest of the year to daven with Sephardim -- in order to recite their piyyutim, which include many more earlier piyyutim. For this reason, many Hasidim (such Belz and Viznitz) recite many piyyutim on Yom Tov and the sabbaths of the four special portions preceding Passover in accordance with

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924-566: The Sephardic rite together with the usages of the Ari were published, both by actual Sephardic communities and for the use of Hasidim and other Ashkenazim interested in Kabbalah. In 1803, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi compiled an authoritative siddur from the sixty siddurim that he checked for compliance with Hebrew grammar, Jewish law, and Kabbalah: some call this siddur "Nusach Ari", and is used by Lubavitch Hasidim . Those that use Nusach HaAri claim that it

966-613: The afflicted," is read before reciting Tikkun Rachel . Afterwards, one begins the actual service by reciting the Viddui confession including Ashamnu , and then one reads Psalm 137 , "By the rivers of Babylon," and Psalm 79, "A song of Asaph." Afterwards, verses from the book of Lamentations are read, followed by the kinnot , with customs varying among the communities, the general custom being to recite five or six kinnoth specifically composed for Tikkun Chatzos , some of which were composed by Rabbi Mosheh Alshich . The Tikkun Rachel service

1008-502: The custom to recite it with a minyan. At midnight, one sits on the ground or a low stool, takes off his shoes (non-leather shoes are permitted to be worn, as these are not halakhically considered shoes), and reads from the prayer book. Although the ideal time for Tikkun Chatzot is the hour following midnight, Tikkun Rachel may be said until a half (seasonal) hour before `alot hashachar/dawn, and Tikkun Leah until dawn. The Magen Avraham method (also held by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov )

1050-704: The daily psalm. The ark is opened for the duration of the song. Hasidim, though usually ethnically Ashkenazi, usually use liturgies with varying degrees of Sephardic influence, such as Nusach Sefard and Nusach Ari , in order to follow the order of the prayers set by Rabbi Isaac Luria , often called "Ari HaKadosh", or "The Holy Lion". Although the Ari himself was born Ashkenazi, he borrowed many elements from Sephardi and other traditions, since he felt that they followed Kabbalah and Halacha more faithfully. The Ari did not publish any siddur, but orally transmitted his particular usages to his students with interpretations and certain meditations. Many siddurim containing some form of

1092-573: The destruction only on the three sabbaths that are between the Seventeenth of Tamuz and Tisha B'Av , and not on weekdays. After discussions that questioned this practice of mourning specifically on the Sabbath, it was decided to discontinue the recitation of the kinnot on these days. Rabbi Isaac Luria canceled the customs of mourning on the Sabbath but declared that the Tikkun Chatzot should be said each and every day. The Shulchan Aruch 1:3 states, "It

1134-573: The final hei (ה) of the Tetragrammaton. In some editions, there is a Psalm in the preparations for the Amidah that is printed in the outline of a menorah , and the worshipper meditates on this shape as he recites the psalm. While the Ashkenazic rite does contain some kabbalistic elements, such as acrostics and allusions to the sefirot ("To You, God, is the greatness [gedullah], and the might [gevurah], and

1176-469: The first time, I understood what it meant to be made in God's image. To think of God as a woman like myself, to see Her as both powerful and nurturing, to see Her imaged with a woman's body, with womb, with breasts – this was an experience of ultimate significance. Was this the relationship that men have had with God for all these millennia? How wonderful to gain access to those feelings and perceptions. Following in

1218-732: The footsteps of feminist prayerbooks, liberal prayerbooks tend increasingly to avoid male-specific words and pronouns, seeking that all references to God in translations be made in gender-neutral language. For example, the UK Liberal movement 's Siddur Lev Chadash (1995) does so, as does the UK Reform Movement 's Forms of Prayer (2008). In Mishkan T'filah , the American Reform Jewish prayer book released in 2007, references to God as “He” have been removed, and whenever Jewish patriarchs are named (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), so also are

1260-539: The founder of the payyetanic style, perhaps in the 7th century; Saadia Gaon ; the Spanish school, consisting of Joseph ibn Abitur (died in 970), ibn Gabirol , Isaac Gayyath , Moses ibn Ezra , Abraham ibn Ezra and Judah ha-Levi , Moses ben Nahman ( Nahmanides ) and Isaac Luria ; and the Ashkenazic and French schools including Shimon bar Yitzchak , Meir bar Yitzchak and many others. The Ari recited only early piyyutim, such as those by Eleazar Kalir , but did not like

1302-470: The glory [tiferet], longevity [netzach],..." etc.), these are not easily seen unless the reader is already initiated. It is notable that although many other traditions avoid using the poem Anim Zemiroth on the Sabbath, for fear that its holiness would be less appreciated due to the frequency of the Sabbath, the poem is usually sung by Ashkenazi congregations before concluding the Sabbath Musaf service with

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1344-501: The laws of muktzeh ("set-aside items") on Shabbat , the ritual washing of one's hands ( netilat yadayim ) before eating bread, the construction of eruvim (liminal gateways), and the institution of the current schedule of daily prayer services – shacharit (morning prayer), mincha (afternoon prayer), and ma'ariv (evening prayer). Siddurim A siddur ( Hebrew : סִדּוּר sīddūr , [siˈduʁ, 'sɪdəʁ] ; plural siddurim סִדּוּרִים [siduˈʁim] )

1386-457: The middle of the Tannaim era, when there was a Sanhedrin (a High Court of Jewish law ), Chazal had also the authority to decree restrictions and to enact new religious regulations, in any matter they saw fit, concerning issues that were not included in the written Torah, or were not delivered at Mount Sinai. These rabbinical mitzvot ("commandments") include the holidays of Purim and Hanukkah ,

1428-449: The practice of the Ari. However, in Sephardic communities which accepted most of the practices of the Ari, they never accepted the Ashkenazic piyyutim. Some siddurim have only prayers for weekdays; others have prayers for weekdays and Shabbat . Many have prayers for weekdays, Shabbat, and the three Biblical festivals , Sukkot (the feast of Tabernacles), Shavuot (the feast of weeks) and Pesach (Passover). The latter are referred to as

1470-664: The pronunciation, chant and customs are still Yemenite in flavour. All of the following are published by the Central Conference of American Rabbis : Prayer books edited by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan and others: Kol Haneshamah Prayerbook series, ed. David Teutsch : Siddur Nashim , by Margaret Wenig and Naomi Janowitz in 1976, was the first Jewish prayer book to refer to God using female pronouns and imagery. Reconstructionist Rabbi Rebecca Alpert ( Reform Judaism , Winter 1991) commented: The experience of praying with Siddur Nashim ... transformed my relationship with God. For

1512-519: The siddur as it developed in Yemen) and Kabbalists who followed the innovations of the Ari . This prayer book makes very few additions or changes and substantially follows the older Yemenite tradition as it had existed prior to this conflict. The Shami Jews (from Arabic ash-Sham , the north, referring to Palestine or Damascus ) represent those who accepted the Sephardic rite, after being exposed to new inexpensive, typeset prayer books brought from Israel and

1554-489: The southern Italian peninsula) and also Persian , Kurdish , Bukharian , Georgian , Mountain Jewish , Ethiopian and Cochin-Jewish liturgies. Most of these are slight differences in the wording of the prayers; for instance, Oriental Sephardic and some Hasidic prayer books state "חננו מאתך חכמה בינה ודעת", "Graciously bestow upon us from You wisdom ( ḥochmah ), understanding ( binah ) and knowledge ( daat )", in allusion to

1596-527: The texts of the prayers were nearly fixed, and in the form in which they are still used today, albeït with significant variations across communities. 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 was published in London in 1738 by an author writing under

1638-558: The various scholars relied on in assembling their prayer books, as well as the minhagim , or customs, or their locales. Some forms of the Sephardic rite are considered to be very overtly kabbalistic , depending on how far they reflect the ritual of Isaac Luria (see Lurianic Kabbalah ). This is partly because the Tetragrammaton frequently appears with varying vowel points beneath the letters (unpronounced, but to be meditated upon) and different Names of God appear in small print within

1680-574: Was based on the ideas of his teacher, Rashi . Another formulation of the prayers was that appended by Maimonides to the Book of Love 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 the same basic order and contents. Two authoritative versions of the Ashkenazi siddur were those of Shabbetai Sofer in

1722-573: Was drawn up by Amram ben Sheshna of Sura Academy in Sawad , the Abbasid Caliphate , an area known as "Babylonia" in Jewish texts, about 850 CE ( Seder Rav ʿAmram ). Half a century later, Saadia Gaon , also of Sura, composed a siddur (see Siddur of Saadia Gaon ), in which the rubrical matter is in Judeo-Arabic . These were the basis of Simhah ben Samuel of Vitry 's 11th century Machzor Vitry , which

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1764-612: Was only near the end of the Second Temple period that the eighteen prayers of the weekday Amidah became standardized. Even at that time their precise wording and order was not yet fixed, and varied from locale to locale. Many modern scholars believe that parts of the Amidah came from the Hebrew apocryphal work Ben Sira . According to the Talmud , soon after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem

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