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shmully

PostPosted: Sun May 30, 2010 1:50 pm


Does anyone do this daily? I'm thinking about starting it, I recently got a new (and better) tallit from my Grandpa, I had a small Bar Mitsvah tallit until now. I'm also saving up for tefillin. I wanted to know if anyone has any major experience with the Shacharit, so I can try and understand the process and the order of each prayer, trying to avoid looking it up on google as much as possible.

Thanks.
PostPosted: Sun May 30, 2010 6:34 pm


Tefillin are SOOOOOOOOO expensive. eek
And some of us whose parents are Reform as Hell don't have any in the family to pass down. None. At all.
It'll take me forever to save up enough money.

Lumanny the Space Jew

Blessed Poster


shmully

PostPosted: Sun May 30, 2010 8:58 pm


yeah, seriously, 400 dollars for a basic pair. my grandpa may help me pay tho if I ask, he does it ever morning, but i'm pretty sure he doesn't have any extra laying around.

i'm thinking morning shacharit goes like this:

basically:

modeh ani, washing hands, tallit, shama, teffilin (if any) with shama, then amidah?

thats all I know of so far.
PostPosted: Sun May 30, 2010 9:56 pm


catastrofie
yeah, seriously, 400 dollars for a basic pair. my grandpa may help me pay tho if I ask, he does it ever morning, but i'm pretty sure he doesn't have any extra laying around.

i'm thinking morning shacharit goes like this:

basically:

modeh ani, washing hands, tallit, shama, teffilin (if any) with shama, then amidah?

thats all I know of so far.


That's fine and dandy.

I am a solo practitioner, I do not have community standards to follow, just my own ways and means.

Any act of devotion you do in order to maintain the practice and discipline of the morning shacharit is a mitzvah in and of itself.

The first shacharit is also deeply personal, everyone has their own way of going about it, some do it as they were taught because that is how Jews have done it for 5,000 years, others add stuff, remove other things, or just compress it into one quick bracha. You're in a bedroom, you're alone, this is time for you and HASHEM to have a kibbitz.

It really does not matter if you have the Tefillin or the Talis, your dedicating your faith and showing devotion to HASHEM, that's all that really matters.

LordNeuf
Crew


shmully

PostPosted: Mon May 31, 2010 1:08 am


LordNeuf
catastrofie
yeah, seriously, 400 dollars for a basic pair. my grandpa may help me pay tho if I ask, he does it ever morning, but i'm pretty sure he doesn't have any extra laying around.

i'm thinking morning shacharit goes like this:

basically:

modeh ani, washing hands, tallit, shama, teffilin (if any) with shama, then amidah?

thats all I know of so far.


That's fine and dandy.

I am a solo practitioner, I do not have community standards to follow, just my own ways and means.

Any act of devotion you do in order to maintain the practice and discipline of the morning shacharit is a mitzvah in and of itself.

The first shacharit is also deeply personal, everyone has their own way of going about it, some do it as they were taught because that is how Jews have done it for 5,000 years, others add stuff, remove other things, or just compress it into one quick bracha. You're in a bedroom, you're alone, this is time for you and HASHEM to have a kibbitz.

It really does not matter if you have the Tefillin or the Talis, your dedicating your faith and showing devotion to HASHEM, that's all that really matters.


Thankyou for that. But which prayers do you say each morning?
PostPosted: Mon May 31, 2010 4:14 pm


I pray shacharit every day, though for a woman, tallit and tefillin are non-obligatory (which means that she can do them alone as her option, and in her community only if it won't disturb others enough to distract them from their prayers -- so sayeth Rav Musa ibn Maimoun, also known as Maimonides). I do not have tefillin at this time, though if I did, I would certainly wrap.

If you're asking which prayers are obligatory for a male, the best answer I can give you is, "consult your prayer book." I've never seen a Reform prayer book that includes all the obligatory prayers, nor one that gives more than a passing mention to tefillin and more than the barest not-even-all-of-the-minimal-requirements of tallit, but if your tradition is Reform, consult that and see what it says. But if you're serious about tefillin, get your hands on a Conservative, Orthodox, Sephardi, Mizrachi, or Indian prayer book, because those will have the full prayers, even if the translations tend to vary widely.

When I was first learning to pray, I started by doing just the first sentence (in English) on the first day, then the second sentence on the second day, third sentence on the third day, and so on. My goals at first were (1) to know what I was saying, and (2) to get into the habit of daily prayer.

Once I was in the habit of praying every day in English, I learned the first sentence (the Modeh Ani, only because I'm female it was Modah Ani for me) in Hebrew. Since then, I've been doing one more sentence in Hebrew every week than I did in Hebrew the week before, and finish it all out in English after my Hebrew fails me.

And no, I'm not yet quite finished learning all the morning prayers, but I'm doing better than I otherwise would be, if I hadn't taken it slowly. The main things are to go at your own pace, but never to get stagnant. Always do one more thing each day than you did before.

Get into the habit of daily prayer, of waking up and immediately reconnecting with Hashem. Get to where you'd feel cheated out of something precious if you slept late and couldn't take this time until later in the morning, just as you'd feel off-balance all day if you didn't brush your teeth or put on socks before you pulled on your sneakers/loafers. When you reach that point, then go back and read the footnotes in your prayer book and learn from them about the little nuances of prayer that you may have missed before.

Speaking of footnotes, I can highly recommend certain prayer books, not only because of their clarity but because they have a lot of really lovely information in the footnotes.

Reform: Siddur Mishkan Tefillah. This has supplanted the Gates Of Prayer books in use by the Reform movement in the US, but that happened after I'd ceased attending a Reform synagogue, so I don't have personal experience of the Mishkan Tefillah series.

Conservative: Siddur Sim Shalom. I prayed from this book briefly (maybe six months) before moving on to Orthodox prayer. It's very good; the prayers are the traditional ones prayed by the Orthodox (Ashkenazi) community, and in that order; it's really only the translations that differ. Actually, no, there are two more differences. Instead of men praying "Blessed is Hashem our G*D, sovereign of the universe, who has not made me a woman" and a woman praying "Blessed is Hashem our G*D, sovereign of the universe, who has made me according to his will," both sexes pray "Blessed is Hashem our G*D, sovereign of the universe, who has made me in the divine image." The other difference I can recall offhand is that in the Avodah, there's a place where the traditional prayer says, "Blessed is Hashem who gives life to dead bodies," and the Conservative movement says "Blessed is Hashem, who gives life to the living." (The Reform say, "...who gives life to all.")

Orthodox: Rabbinical Council of America Artscroll Siddur -- they have ones for Ashkenaz, Nusach Sepharad (which is the Ashkenazi prayers of the Ashkenazi communities in Sephardi countries, or something like that, I'm not sure, but they're not Sephardi), and Nusach Ha-Ari (also known as Arizal, I think).

Sephardi and Mizrachi: The Orot Daily Prayer Book (also the Orot for Shabbat)

Baladi (Yemenite): Siahh Yerushalayim, Baladi prayer book in 4 vols, ed. Yosef Qafih
Tefillat Avot, Baladi prayer book (6 vols.)
Torat Avot, Baladi prayer book (7 vols.)
Tiklal Ha-Mefoar (Maharitz) Nusahh Baladi, Meyusad Al Pi Ha-Tiklal Im Etz Hayim Ha-Shalem Arukh Ke-Minhag Yahaduth Teiman: Bene Berak: Or Neriyah ben Mosheh Ozeri: 2001 or 2002
Siddur Tefilat HaChodesh — Beit Yaakov (Nusahh Shami), Nusahh Sepharadim, Teiman, and the Edoth Mizrakh
Rabbi Shalom Sharabi, Siddur Kavanot HaRashash: Yeshivat HaChaim Ve'Hashalom

* Please note, Yemenite prayer books generally have no transliteration into Roman/English letters, and if I'm not mistaken, there's no English translation at all in most or all of them. I have not used these myself, but I have recently learned that these are the oldest forms of prayer book still in existence and still in continuous use from antiquity to today, so if you want the "most traditional" available, these are the ones you want.

Also, if you make a habit of going to synagogue one morning a week instead of staying home, you can ask another man if you can borrow his tefillin for just making the brachah on it, to fulfill the mitzvah. Most will be glad to lend.

Divash
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shmully

PostPosted: Mon May 31, 2010 7:52 pm


Thanks so much Divash.

Right now I have the Siddur Sim Shalom, I got it during my Bar Mitzvah 5 years ago, and recently found it and started taking notes in it. I'm planning on getting the Rabbinical Council of America Artscroll Siddur soon, I looked at it on amazon and it seemed nice, and did get good reviews.

It seems like so far i'm doing everything correctly, which i'm proud of.
PostPosted: Mon May 31, 2010 9:14 pm


Another question, I was wondering up to what point do you say the Amidah? Do the say the entire thing with all the blessings each time you say it, or just up to "A-tah ka-dosh v'shim cha ka-dosh, u-k'do shim b'chawl yom y'ha-'l'lu-cha-se-lah, Ba-ruch a-tah A-do-Nai, ha-Eil ha-ka dosh" So the end of the third part.

shmully


LordNeuf
Crew

PostPosted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 8:01 am


Oh I usually just do the handwashing prayer, I don't do the full 20 mile service anymore, I rarely have the mental clarity in the morning to become that spiritual the moment I wake up.
PostPosted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 8:11 am


The Amidah lasts (in Siddur Sim Shalom) from page 106 to page 120 for the Hebrew, or from 107 to page 121 in the English. In the English, the last thing you pray in a solo Amidah is the paragraph on page 121 which begins with "My G*D, keep my tongue from evil, my lips from lies..."

There are things which are not said when one prays without a minyan (a group of 10 or more adult Jewish males). This includes the Kedushah, page 108 or 109 (Hebrew versus English), anything titled Kaddish (Chatzi Kaddish, Kaddish Yatom, Kaddish D'Rabbanan, Kaddish Shalem) or the Kedushah D'Sidra; the El Malei Rachamim (because a mourner should never be alone while expressing mourning); and also the Torah Reading and its associated blessings.

Ask your rabbi for more information, because the Siddur Sim Shalom doesn't mark things very clearly for someone who's just learning. It also doesn't say when to stand, when to sit, when to bow, when to cover or close the eyes, when to rise on tiptoe... it's not all that helpful for a beginner. That was the strongest reason I originally stopped using it, quite apart from the fact that I'm not Conservative (Ashkenazi) in outlook.

The Shacharit service ends, for an individual praying without a minyan, with Aleinu.

UPDATE: Also, there are prayers left out of Siddur Sim Shalom because they didn't really dovetail into the Conservative viewpoint and platform. It's shorter to pray and therefore easier to learn, but there are some significant prayers that are just not in there; also, few footnotes or explanations. You get more of the required prayers and more explanations with the RCA Artscroll or with a Sephardi or Mizrachi siddur than with the Sim Shalom.

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shmully

PostPosted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 8:20 pm


LordNeuf
Oh I usually just do the handwashing prayer, I don't do the full 20 mile service anymore, I rarely have the mental clarity in the morning to become that spiritual the moment I wake up.


I thought I didn't have the clarity too, but once I started doing it, it kinda wakes up your mind, so with the first two prayers (Modeh Ani/Shama) I feel awake.
PostPosted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 8:23 pm


Divash
The Amidah lasts (in Siddur Sim Shalom) from page 106 to page 120 for the Hebrew, or from 107 to page 121 in the English. In the English, the last thing you pray in a solo Amidah is the paragraph on page 121 which begins with "My G*D, keep my tongue from evil, my lips from lies..."

There are things which are not said when one prays without a minyan (a group of 10 or more adult Jewish males). This includes the Kedushah, page 108 or 109 (Hebrew versus English), anything titled Kaddish (Chatzi Kaddish, Kaddish Yatom, Kaddish D'Rabbanan, Kaddish Shalem) or the Kedushah D'Sidra; the El Malei Rachamim (because a mourner should never be alone while expressing mourning); and also the Torah Reading and its associated blessings.

Ask your rabbi for more information, because the Siddur Sim Shalom doesn't mark things very clearly for someone who's just learning. It also doesn't say when to stand, when to sit, when to bow, when to cover or close the eyes, when to rise on tiptoe... it's not all that helpful for a beginner. That was the strongest reason I originally stopped using it, quite apart from the fact that I'm not Conservative (Ashkenazi) in outlook.

The Shacharit service ends, for an individual praying without a minyan, with Aleinu.

UPDATE: Also, there are prayers left out of Siddur Sim Shalom because they didn't really dovetail into the Conservative viewpoint and platform. It's shorter to pray and therefore easier to learn, but there are some significant prayers that are just not in there; also, few footnotes or explanations. You get more of the required prayers and more explanations with the RCA Artscroll or with a Sephardi or Mizrachi siddur than with the Sim Shalom.


Thanks so much. Yah, i'll talk to my Rabbi or "a" Rabbi as soon as I can. I like the Sim Shalom just because its what they use at my temple, I don't have any experience with any of the others, but i'm planning on getting a different one soon, cause I noticed the same thing you said.

shmully


Divash
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 6:30 am


Personally I like to have a pretty good selection of prayer books on my shelves. Some days I just feel like praying with one translation over another -- I'm still not great at the Hebrew, so if I'm to fulfill the mitzvah of really understanding what I'm praying, I do need to at least glance at the English once in a while. Or some days I want the Ashkenazi commentaries so that I can broaden my understanding. Or some days I want the Conservative brachah "Blessed... who has made me in the divine image." Once in a great while, I even go back to my first prayer book, the Gates Of Prayer (Reform) and see if there's more I can glean from what they chose to include versus exclude, or how they chose to translate one word or phrase. (Sometimes the name of G*D is translated as Eternal One, sometimes as Divine Parent, sometimes as Mighty G*D, and so on.)
PostPosted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 7:56 pm


Divash
Personally I like to have a pretty good selection of prayer books on my shelves. Some days I just feel like praying with one translation over another -- I'm still not great at the Hebrew, so if I'm to fulfill the mitzvah of really understanding what I'm praying, I do need to at least glance at the English once in a while. Or some days I want the Ashkenazi commentaries so that I can broaden my understanding. Or some days I want the Conservative brachah "Blessed... who has made me in the divine image." Once in a great while, I even go back to my first prayer book, the Gates Of Prayer (Reform) and see if there's more I can glean from what they chose to include versus exclude, or how they chose to translate one word or phrase. (Sometimes the name of G*D is translated as Eternal One, sometimes as Divine Parent, sometimes as Mighty G*D, and so on.)


Is the Gates of Prayer a womens siddur, I was looking at it on Amazon and it seems pretty nice. Google has a full preview on it too.

I TRY to understand every hebrew word in a prayer, and if I don't, while praying, I understand something awesome is happening somewhere as effect of the prayer. I know all the words for the Modeh Ani, Shema, and some of the Amidah, I try to at the same time think of the meaning of each letter as I say them, how they are pronounced (from revealed to concealed ie. BERUCH (atta YHVH) ) and so on, but each letter also contains an infinite amount of light, so at times, in deep meditations, it can be mind blowing, trying to get more of that.

shmully


shmully

PostPosted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 7:57 pm


Do you always wear head covering, Divash, as a women? or only during prayer/synagogue
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