Maariv

Unlike the morning Shacharis and afternoon Mincha services which correspond to the two daily communal sacrifices (Tamid), offered in the Temple, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, the evening Maariv service has no counterpart in the Temple service, since sacrifices were never brought at night in the Temple. The Maariv service was instituted to correspond to the Temple ritual of keeping on the altar the unconsumed parts of sacrifices that had been offered earlier in the day. These parts were kept on the altar at night so that they could be completely consumed by its fire. This ritual was applicable only if there actually were uncon- sumed parts of offerings. Although the Maariv service was instituted to correspond to this ritual, and may therefore seem to be non-obligatory (see Maseches Berachos 27b), Rabbeinu Yitzchak Alfasi and all the other codifiers have ruled that Maariv has been accepted and hallowed by custom, and is therefore an obligatory service. The Shema is preceded by two blessings and followed by two other blessings.

And He, the Merciful One, atones iniquity; and does not destroy. He frequently withdraws His anger and does not arouse all His rage.¹Psalms 78:38. This verse consists of thirteen Hebrew words. It recalls the “thirteen attributes of Divine mercy” (Exodus 34:67). In the evening when man pauses from the rush of his daily activities, he is conscious of having sinned during the day, and thus begins his prayer with this appeal for Divine mercy.—Machzor Vitry
Midrash Tanchuma (Pinchos 13) notes that the morning sacrifice (תמיד של שחר) atoned for sins committed during the night, while the afternoon sacrifice (תמיד של בין הערבים) atoned for sins committed during the day. Since the evening service does not represent Temple sacrifice, it became customary to recite this verse because it mentions that God “atones iniquity.”—Avudraham Adonoy, deliver [us!] The King will answer us on the day we call.²Psalms 20:10.

The Chazzan says:

Bless Adonoy Who is blessed.

The congregation responds and the Chazzan repeats:

Blessed is Adonoy, Who is blessed forever and ever.

Blessed are You, Adonoy, our God, King of the Universe, With His word He brings on evenings, with wisdom He opens the gates³These are the gates of sunrise and sunset through which God, in His infinite wisdom, has divided life on earth into two complementary halves.—Rabbi S.R. Hirsch (of heaven); and with understanding changes⁴He alternates the three daily periods—evening, morning, and afternoon.—Avudraham the times and alternates the seasons, and arranges the stars in their watches,⁵The stars appear as watchmen appointed by God to stand guard over the sleeping world below. He also appointed them their places in definite orbits, according to His will, and for purposes known to Him alone.—S.R. Hirsch in the sky, according to His will. He creates day and night, He rolls the light away from before darkness, and darkness from before light; He causes day to pass and brings night, and separates between day and night; Adonoy of Hosts⁶His Name, ה’ צבאות, means “He Who takes all the infinite variety of hosts and creatures and unites them to act and interact as parts of one unified Universe.”—S.R. Hirsch is His Name. The Almighty, [Who is] living and enduring will always reign over us forever and ever. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Who brings on evening.

[With] An everlasting love⁷This prayer is an abbreviated form of the אהבה רבה prayer in the morning service. It thanks God for the sacred gift of Divine Revelation that He granted Israel. It declares that Torah alone is the eternal heritage of the Jewish people and that all other goods and gifts of life are transitory.—S.R. Hirsch You loved the House of Israel, Your people. You taught us Torah and commandments, statutes and laws. Therefore, Adonoy, our God, when we lie down and when we rise, we will discuss Your statutes, and rejoice in the words of Your Torah and in Your commandments forever. For they are our life and they lengthen our days, and on them we will meditate day and night. [May] Your love never be removed from us. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Who loves His people Israel.

The following three words should be said when praying without a minyan:

(Almighty, faithful King)

Hear, Israel: Adonoy is our God, Adonoy is One.

The following three lines are to be said silently:

Blessed [is His] Name, Whose glorious kingdom is forever and ever.

And you shall love Adonoy your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your possessions. And these words which I command you today, shall be upon your heart. And you shall teach them sharply to your children. And you shall discuss them when you sit in your house, and when you travel on the road, and when you lie down and when you rise. And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for totafos between your eyes. And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gateways.

And it will be— if you vigilantly obey My commandments which I command you this day, to love Adonoy your God, and serve Him with your entire hearts and with your entire souls— that I will give rain for your land in its proper time, the early (autumn) rain and the late (spring) rain; and you will harvest your grain and your wine and your oil. And I will put grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. Beware lest your hearts be swayed and you turn astray, and you worship alien gods and bow to them. And Adonoy’s fury will blaze among you, and He will close off the heavens and there will be no rain and the earth will not yield its produce; and you will perish swiftly from the good land which Adonoy gives you. Place these words of Mine upon your hearts and upon your souls,— and bind them for a sign upon your hands, and they shall be for totafos between your eyes. And you shall teach them to your sons, to speak them when you sit in your house, and when you travel on the road, and when you lie down and when you rise. And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gateways. In order that your days be prolonged, and the days of your children, upon the land which Adonoy swore to your fathers to give them [for as long] as the heavens are above the earth.

And Adonoy spoke to Moses saying: Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them to make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments throughout their generations; and they will place with the fringes of each corner a thread of blue. And it will be to you for fringes, and you will look upon it and you will remember all the commandments of Adonoy, and you will perform them; and you will not turn aside after your hearts and after your eyes which cause you to go astray. In order that you will remember and perform all My commandments; and you will be holy unto your God. I am Adonoy, your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am Adonoy, your God—

You must be careful to connect the last words of Shema, ה’ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם (Adonoy, your God), with the word אֶמֶת (is true) without pause or interruption so that these three words form one sentence, meaning “Adonoy your God is true” (Maseches Berachos 13a).

—is true—

The chazan repeats:

Adonoy, your God, is true.

This is the first of the two berachos that follow the Shema.

—and faithful is all this,¹All that we have affirmed in the Shema. is true and trustworthy.—Etz Yosef and it is permanently established with us that he is Adonoy, our God, and there is nothing besides Him, and that we, Israel, are His people. [He] Who liberated us from the hand of kings,²He redeemed us from Pharaoh, and saved us from Sichon and Og in the days of Moses and from the thirty-one kings in the days of Joshua.—Etz Yosef [is] our King, Who redeemed us from the grasp of all the tyrants.³“Tyrants” include Amalek and others who wanted to destroy us.—Etz Yosef [He is] the Almighty Who exacts payment [punishment] from our oppressors,⁴The Malbim says that “oppressors” (צרינו) refers to those who actively persecute us whereas “enemies” (אויבינו) refers to those who would rejoice over our misfortune without necessarily contributing to our downfall in an outright manner. and brings retribution on all those who are enemies of our soul. He does great things⁵“Great things” refers to the way God rules according to the laws of nature and “wonders” refers to those things that are classified as miracles.—Siach Yitzchak beyond comprehension, miracles and wonders without number. He sustains our soul in life⁶Not only does God sustain our souls in exile, but He also sustains our physical well-being.—Siach Yitzchak and does not allow our feet to slip. He makes us tread upon the high places of our enemies, and exalts our strength over all who hate us. He performed miracles for us and vengeance upon Pharaoh, signs and wonders in the land of the Hamites. He slew in His wrath, all the firstborn of Egypt, and brought out His people, Israel, from their midst to everlasting⁷The redemption from Egypt is the source for all later redemptions; it is the source from which our final and total salvation will spring. We became free, never again to taste the bitterness of spiritual or physical bondage.—Sfas Emes freedom. He led His children through the divided parts of the Sea of Reeds, their pursuers and their enemies He drowned in its depths. And His children saw His mighty power— they praised and gave thanks to His Name, His sovereignty they willingly accepted; Moses and the children of Israel sang unto You with great joy, and they all said:

“Who is like You among the mighty, Adonoy! Who is like You? [You are] adorned in holiness, awesome in praise, performing wonders”⁸Exodus 15:11. Your children beheld Your sovereignty when You divided the sea before Moses. “This is my God,”⁹Exodus 15:2. they exclaimed, and declared,

“Adonoy will reign forever and ever.”¹⁰Exodus 15:18. And it is said, “For Adonoy has liberated Jacob and redeemed him from a hand, mightier than his.”¹¹Jeremiah 31:10. Blessed are You, Adonoy Who has redeemed Israel.

This is the second of the benedictions that follow the Sh’ma.

Adonoy our God; make us lie down in peace, our King, raise us again to life¹²Undisturbed peace, and strength for a new day of vigorous living, are the gifts that night brings and for which we pray to God.—S.R. Hirsch Spread over us the shelter of Your peace, and direct us to better ourselves through Your good counsel;¹³We particularly ask of Him at night to bless us with wise counsel. Daytime is the time for achievement, but the rest that comes with nightfall is made to allow man to compose his thoughts. By virtue of the complete relaxation It affords, sleep endows the mind and spirit with renewed vigor. We pray therefore for Divine aid so that our nightly rest will help us take wise counsel and affirm worthy resolution for future days.—Avudraham and Siach Yitzchak and deliver us for Your Name’s sake. Shield us, and remove from us¹⁴Shield us from trouble before it comes, and remove it from us if it has already come.—Siach Yitzchak enemies, pestilence, sword, famine and sorrow. Remove the adversary¹⁵The Hebrew word שטן (Satan) used in the Prayer Book refers to the Evil Impulse, the lower passions which are a hindrance to man’s pursuit of the nobler aims in life. It is against the dominance of this impulse that the Jew prays. The “adversary,” therefore, is any person, spirit, or Evil Impulse that seduces us to do wrong.—Dover Sholom and others from before us and from behind us, and shelter us in the shadow of Your wings. For, Almighty, You are our Protector and Rescuer, For, Almighty You are a gracious and merciful King. Guard our going out and our coming in for life and peace for now forever. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Who guards His people Israel forever.

The following prayer was originally a compilation of eighteen verses instituted during the Gaonic era as a substitute for the Shemoneh Esrei. According to Avudraham, the Shemoneh Esrei was omitted because of decrees issued against the Jews that banned them from participating in the Evening Service. These eighteen verses, adopted in place of the Shemoneh Esrei, have remained a part of the Maariv service. Some Halachic commentaries maintain that these verses should not be included in Maariv, because they constitute an interruption between the final blessing after Shema and the Shemoneh Esrei.

Blessed is Adonoy forever, Amein and Amein!¹⁶Psalms 89:53. Blessed is Adonoy from Zion Who dwells in Jerusalem, Praise God.¹⁷Psalms 135:21. Blessed is Adonoy, God, God of Israel Who alone performs wonders.¹⁸Psalms 72:18. Blessed is the Name of His glory forever and may His glory fill the whole earth; Amein and Amein!¹⁹Psalms 72:19. The Glory of Adonoy will endure forever; Adonoy will rejoice in His works.²⁰Psalms 104:31. The Name of Adonoy will be blessed from now forever.²¹Psalms 113:2. For Adonoy will not cast off His people, for the sake of His great Name, because Adonoy has determined to make you His people.²²I Samuel 12:22. And all the people saw it and they fell on their faces, and proclaimed, “Adonoy, He is God!²³I Kings 18:39. This verse describes the reaction of the people when they saw the miracle performed by God on behalf of Elijah on Mount Carmel when he disproved and ridiculed the false prophets of Baal. Adonoy, He is God!” And Adonoy will be King over the whole earth; on that day Adonoy will be One and His Name One.²⁴Zecharyah 14:9. Adonoy, may Your kindness be upon us as we have hoped for You.²⁵Psalms 33:22. Deliver us, Adonoy, our God, gather us from the nations to give thanks to Your Holy Name, to be extolled in Your praise.²⁶I Chronicles 16:35. All the nations which You have made will come and bow down before You, my Master, and they will give honor to Your Name.²⁷Psalms 86:9. For You are great and do wondrous things, You alone are God.²⁸Psalms 86:10. And we, Your people, the sheep of Your pasture, will give thanks to You forever, from generation to generation we will recount Your praise.²⁹Psalms 79:13. Blessed is Adonoy by day, Blessed is Adonoy by night, Blessed is Adonoy when we lie down, Blessed is Adonoy when we rise. For in Your hand are the souls of the living and the dead: [as it is written]: for in His hand is the soul of every living thing, and the spirit of every human being.³⁰Job 12:10. In Your hand, I commit my spirit; You have liberated me Adonoy, Almighty of truth.³¹Psalms 31:6. Our God in heaven, reveal the unity of Your Name, preserve Your kingdom always and reign over us forever and ever.

May our eyes behold, our heart rejoice, and our soul exalt in Your true deliverance, when it will be said to Zion: “Your God has begun His reign.” “Adonoy is King, Adonoy was King Adonoy will reign for ever and ever” For the kingdom is Yours and to all eternity, You will reign in glory; for we have no king except You. Blessed are You, the King in His glory, will always reign over us forever and ever, and over all His creation.

The Chazzan recites the following half-Kaddish

Exalted and sanctified¹These opening words refer to the fulfillment of God’s prophecy, through Ezekiel (38:23) “And I will thus exalt Myself and sanctify Myself; and I will be known in the eyes of the many nations, and they will know that I am Adonoy.”—Levush, Siddur HaGra. One should be very careful to emphasize the letter gimel (ג) when saying the word “Yisgadal (יִתְגַּדַּל),” in order that it not be heard as “Yiskadal (יִתְקַּדַל),” from the word קְדָל which means neck.—Mishnah Berurah 56:2 be His great Name

in the world which He created according to His will and may He rule His kingdom.²May His sovereignty be revealed. In your lifetime and in your days, and in the lifetime of the entire House of Israel, speedily and in the near future³We pray that the redemption will come speedily and that the process of the redemption itself will not be prolonged.—Siddur HaGra— and say Amein.

May His great Name be blessed forever and for all eternity.

Blessed and praised, glorified, and exalted and uplifted, honored and elevated and extolled⁵The ten expressions of praise in the Kaddish refer to the ten utterances by which God created the world. (See Maseches Avos 5:1.) be the Name of the Holy One, blessed is He;

above (Ten Days of Penitence: far above) all the blessings and hymns,⁶May God be praised and exalted far beyond all the blessings, hymns and praises that are uttered.—Mishnah Berurah in the name of the Vilna Gaon 56:14. praises and consolations⁷Consolations are uttered because God is in mourning over the destruction of the Holy Temple and the exile of His people. which we utter in the world—and say Amein.

Fundamentals of Kuzari, (Metsudah Publications, 1979) pages 269, 271, 273.
When reciting Shemoneh Esrei, you must adhere to these rules:
1. Before beginning the prayer, take three steps backwards and then return to your former position. Upon completing the prayer, take three steps backwards and return.
2. Keep your feet together.
3. Concentrate on the meaning of the words you are uttering. Remove all distracting thoughts and worries from your mind.
4. You may not interrupt Shemoneh Esrei by talking, not even by answering Amein. If you should hear Kedushah, Kaddish, or Barechu while saying the Shemoneh Esrei, you should remain silent and listen to the Chazzan’s words.
5. At the beginning and end of the first blessing, at the beginning and end of the blessing that begins: “We are thankful to You,” (page 133) and ends with “The Beneficent is Your Name,” (page 140) we half-kneel and bow in the following manner: At the word “Blessed,” bend your knees; at the word “You,” bend forward until the vertebrae of your spinal cord are loosened; at “Adonoy,” return to your upright position in keeping with the verse, “Adonoy straightens the bent” (Psalms 146:8).
6. Each individual recites Shemoneh Esrei in silence. Only the prayer leader, the Chazzan, ever recites it aloud, and then only after the entire congregation, himself included, has recited it silently.

My Master, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.

Blessed are You, Adonoy, our God, and God of our fathers, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, the Almighty, the Great, the Powerful, the Awesome, most high Almighty, Who bestows beneficent kindness, Who possesses everything, Who remembers the piety of the Patriarchs, and Who brings a redeemer to their children’s children, for the sake of His Name, with love.

(During the Ten Days of Penitence add: Remember us for life King, Who desires life; and inscribe us in the Book of Life, for Your sake, Living God.)

If you forgot to say this, see page 000.

King, Helper, and Deliverer and Shield. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Shield of Abraham.

You are mighty forever, my Master; You are the Resurrector of the dead the Powerful One to deliver us.

From the Musaf of the first day of Pesach until the Musaf of Shemini Atzeres one should say:

He causes the dew to descend.

From the Musaf of Shemini Atzeres until the Musaf of the first day of Pesach you should say:

Causer of the wind to blow and of the rain to fall.¹⁰God’s might is as much manifested in causing the rain as it is in reviving the dead. In fact the Talmud (Maseches Taanis 7a) declares in the name of Rabbi Avohu: “The day when rain falls is greater than the day of the resurrection of the dead.” Rabbi Yochanan said, (Ibid, 2a): “There are three ׳keys’ which God retains in His own hands and does not entrust to any emissary: the key to rain, the key to childbirth, and the key to the resurrection of the dead.”

If you neglected to say this, and became aware of your omission before saying the blessing מְחַיֵּה הַמֵּתִים, “the Resurrector of the dead,” you must say it at that time. If you reminded yourself after saying וְנֶאֱמָן אַתָּה “You are faithful,” you must repeat it and then complete the blessing of מְחַיֵּה הַמֵּתִים. If you became aware of your omission after starting the blessing אַתָּה קָדוֹשׁ “You are holy,” even if you only said the word “You,” say the Shemoneh Esrei from the beginning. If during the first thirty days after Shemini Atzeres you are in doubt whether you said it, you must assume that you didnot say it. After thirty days, however, since you have become accustomed to saying it, you may assume that you recited the proper phrase and you need not repeat the Shemoneh Esrei.

Sustainer of the living with kindliness, Resurrector of the dead with great mercy, Supporter of the fallen, and Healer of the sick, and Releaser of the imprisoned, and Fulfiller of His faithfulness to those who sleep in the dust. Who is like You, Master of mighty deeds, and who can be compared to You? King Who causes death and restores life, and causes deliverance to sprout forth.

(During the Ten Days of Penitence add: Who is like You merciful Father, Who remembers His creatures for life, in His mercy.)

If you forgot to say this, the same law applies as above concerning “Remember us for life.”

And You are faithful to restore the dead to life. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Resurrector of the dead.

If you forgot to say this, the same law applies as above concerning “Remember us for life.”

You are holy and Your Name is holy and holy beings praise You every day, forever.

Blessed are You, Adonoy, the Almighty, the Holy One.

During the Ten Days of Penitence: Blessed are You, Adonoy, the King, the Holy One.

If you mistakenly said, “the Almighty” instead of “the King,” or if you are in doubt—if you realized your error after a lapse of time sufficient to utter a three word greeting (Shalom Aleichem Rebbe), or if you had already started the next blessing, you must say the Shmoneh Esrei from the beginning. If you became aware of your error before that, you should immediately say “the King the Holy One” and continue your prayers.

You favor man with perception²⁰The blessing “You favor man with perception” begins the group of thirteen petitions which make up the “intermediate” section of Shemoneh Esrei. The first six petitions (blessings 4-9) are for our individual needs and well-being: understanding, repentance, forgiveness of sins, deliverance from trouble, from illness, and from want. Though these six petitions are of a personal nature, they voice the needs of all mankind. Note that the worshipper prays for his spiritual needs—knowledge, repentance, and forgiveness before he prays for his physical wants. and teach mankind understanding.

(You have favored us [with the ability] to know Your Torah and taught us to fulfill the statutes of Your will. You made a distinction, Adonoy, our God, between sacred and unhallowed, between light and darkness, between Israel and the peoples, between the seventh day and the six work days. Our Father, our King, commence for us the days that approach us, in peace, devoid of all sin, and cleansed of all iniquity, and devoted to the fear of You.)

Grant us knowledge, understanding and intellect from You. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Grantor of perception.

Cause us to return, our Father, to Your Torah and bring us near, our King, to Your service; and bring us back in whole-hearted repentance before You Blessed are You, Adonoy, Who desires penitence.

Pardon²⁵Sin can only be pardoned after repentance. Hence, the order of these two petitions. Even if a person was the worst of sinners, his supplication (after repentance) makes him fit to receive Divine mercy and helps him attain it—R’ Yosef Albo us, our Father, for we have sinned, forgive us, our King, for we have transgressed;²⁶Error, חטא, is the result of carelessness, ignorance, or weakness; sin, פשע, is a deliberate disregard of moral or religious duty. for You forgive and pardon. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Gracious One, Who pardons abundantly.²⁷“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the man of iniquity, his thoughts. Let him return to Adonoy and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God for He abundantly pardons” (Isaiah 55:7).

Look upon our affliction, and defend our cause: and redeem us speedily²⁸As an outgrowth of our penitence and our forgiveness we pray that we may be deemed worthy of Divine redemption.—Kuzari for the sake of Your Name; because You are a Mighty Redeemer. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Redeemer of Israel.

Heal us,²⁹After the petitions for our spiritual needs, we pray for earthly blessings—for health of body and soul, and for food to maintain our strength.—Kuzari Adonoy, and we will be healed, deliver us and we will be delivered; for You are our praise. Grant a complete healing to all our affliction because You are the Almighty, King, Who is a faithful and merciful Healer. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Healer of the sick of His people Israel.

Bless for us, Adonoy our God, this year and all the varieties of its produce for good; and bestow

From the first day of Pesach until the evening service [Maariv] on December 4, or, on a civil leap year, December 5, we say the following line. blessing

From the evening service [Maariv] on December 4, or, on a civil leap year, December 5, until the First day of Pesach, we say the following line. dew and rain for a blessing

upon the face of the earth; satisfy us from Your bounty³⁰According to the Gaon of Vilna, the petition here reads מטובה, “Satisfy us from its bounty”, referring to the bounty of Eretz Yisroel. and bless our year, like the good years. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Blesser of the years.

* If you forgot to say this and became aware of your omission before concluding the blessing, you may say it at that time and conclude the blessing. If you became aware of your omission after saying the blessing, continue the prayers, and before concluding the 16th blessing שׁוֹמֵעַ תְּפִילָּה, “Who heeds prayer,” say: וְתֵן טַל וּמָטָר לִבְרָכָה כִּי אַתָּה וגו’ “bestow dew and rain for blessing, for you heed etc.”. If you reminded yourself after concluding the blessing שׁוֹמֵעַ תְּפִילָּה, but before you started רְצֵה, “be pleased,” you may say: “bestow dew and rain,” וְתֵן טַל וּמָטָר and then continue with רְצֵה . If you remembered after that you must go back and say the 9th blessing, בָּרֵךְ עָלֵינוּ, and continue from there. But if you became aware of your omission after concluding the entire Shemoneh Esrei [and taking three steps backwards] you must repeat the entire Shemoneh Esrei.

Sound the great shofar for our liberty,³¹The following six benedictions, beginning with this one, are prayers for the restoration of the spiritual-national life of the Jewish People. This tenth benediction is an impassioned prayer for the fulfillment of the prophecy, “And it will come to pass on that day, the great Shofar will be sounded; and those who were lost in the land of Assyria shall come and those who were dispersed in the land of Egypt; and they will worship Adonoy on the Holy Mountain at Jerusalem (Isaiah 27:13).—Avudraham and raise a banner to gather our exiles, and gather us together from the four corners of the earth. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Gatherer of the dispersed of His people Israel.

Restore our judges³²We pray for the restoration of God’s reign of justice, as the prophet said, “And I will restore your judges as in former times, and your advisors as the beginning; afterward you (Jerusalem) will be called the city of righteousness, faithful city” (Isaiah 1:26). This will be manifested with the restoration of the Sanhedrin and their system of halachic justice. as before and our counselors as at first. Remove sorrow and sighing from us,³³Few evils are the source of deeper grief and suffering than the absence of justice. With the restoration of justice, our sorrow and sighing will change to joy and gladness.—Avudraham and reign over us You, Adonoy, alone with kindness and compassion; and make us righteous with justice,

Blessed are You, Adonoy, King, Lover of righteousness and justice.

*During the Ten Days of Penitence: Blessed are You, Adonoy, the King of Justice.

If you mistakenly said, “King, Lover of righteousness and justice,” instead of “the King of Justice” and became aware of your mistake within the time it takes to utter the three word greeting (Sholom Aleichem Rebbe), you should immediately say “the King of Justice.” If you remembered after that interval, you may continue the Shemoneh Esrei since the word “King” was mentioned in the regular blessing.

Let there be no hope for informers ³⁴This petition was added to the original Eighteen Benedictions. It was ordained by Rabban Gamliel and his Bais Din in Yavneh, according to the text of Shmuel HaKattan, its author (Maseches Berachos 28b). It is directed against the early Christians who informed against Jews to the Roman authorities after the destruction of the Second Temple, causing them to be put to an excruciatingly painful death. and may all wickedness³⁵Not the “wicked,” but “wickedness.” This particular prayer is based on the Talmudic interpretation of the verse, “Let sins be terminated on earth and the wicked will be no more” (Psalms 104:36). instantly perish; may all the enemies of Your people³⁶The internal enemies of the Jews, against whom this prayer was originally directed, disappeared within a short time. be swiftly cut off, and may You quickly uproot, crush, rout and subdue the insolent, speedily in our days. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Crusher of enemies. and Subduer of the insolent.

May Your mercy be aroused, Adonoy our God, upon the righteous,³⁷The prayer for the righteous follows the prayer against the wicked, following the same sequence of the Psalmist’s verse, “And all the pride of the wicked, I shall cut down; exalted will be the pride of the righteous” (75:11).—Talmud, Maseches Megillah 17b upon the pious, upon the elders of Your people, Israel, upon the remnant of their scholars, upon the true proselytes and upon us. Grant bountiful reward to all who trust in Your Name in truth;³⁸As King David said, “Those knowing Your Name will trust in You” (Psalms 9:11). These men who perceive God’s ways with undistorted clarity are of the highest caliber. They see God’s hand guiding the world and they know with certainty that He directs all.—Avudraham, Malbim and place our lot among them, and may we never be put to shame,³⁹The worshiper begs to be saved from the inner catastrophe of feeling that his trust in God has been in vain.—Pesher Dovor for we have put our trust in You. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Support and Trust of the righteous.

And return in mercy to Jerusalem,⁴⁰The “pride of the righteous will be exalted” in the restored city of Jerusalem. Hence in this blessing we plead for the reconstruction of Jerusalem, as it is stated, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; may they who love You have peace” (Psalms 122:6)—Maseches Megillah 17b Your city, and dwell therein as You have spoken; and rebuild it soon, in our days, as an everlasting structure, and may You speedily establish the throne of David therein. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Builder of Jerusalem.

Speedily cause the sprout of David,⁴¹The prayer for the Messiah, descendant of David, follows the prayer for Jerusalem, following the sequence of Hosea’s prophecy (3:5), “Afterward, the Children of Israel will return to Jerusalem and seek Adonoy their God, and David their King “—Masechcas Megillah 18a Your servant, to flourish and exalt his power with Your deliverance. We hope all day for Your deliverance. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Who causes the power of salvation to sprout.

Hear our voice, Adonoy, our God;⁴²The last of the intermediate benedictions petitions God to answer all our preceding prayers. spare us and have compassion on us, and accept our prayers compassionately and willingly, for You are Almighty Who hears prayers and supplications; and do not turn us away empty-handed from Your Presence, our King,⁴³At this point, the worshiper may add any private petition, and ask God’s help for himself, for his household, or for his community. for You hear the prayers of Your people, Israel, with compassion. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Who hears prayers.

Be pleased,⁴⁴The three concluding benedictions are known as the benedictions of thanksgiving. They consist of prayers for the re-establishment of God’s service at Jerusalem; thanksgiving for God’s daily wonders in our behalf; and a prayer for peace and prosperity. Adonoy, our God, with Your people, Israel, and their prayer;⁴⁵In the previous blessings the first person was used: “Heal us,” “Have mercy on us,” whereas here the third person is used: “Their prayer,” “Accept their prayer.” In order to achieve a level in which we will be a source of pleasure to God, we must possess greater merit than what we as individuals can claim. We therefore ask God to take pleasure in the entire people of Israel among whom there are pious and righteous individuals who possess great merit, and we ask Him to accept “their prayer” with love and satisfaction.—Siach Yitzchok and restore the service to the Holy of Holies in Your abode, and the fire-offerings⁴⁶The prayer “Be pleased” in a different form was recited by the Kohanim (priests) every day following the morning fire-offering.—Maseches Berachos 11b of Israel; and accept their prayer, lovingly and willingly. And may You always find pleasure with the service of Your people, Israel.

On regular weekdays continue, “And may our eyes”. On Rosh Chodesh and on Chol HaMoed, the following prayer is added:

Our God and God of our fathers, may there ascend, come, and reach, appear, be desired, and heard, counted and recalled our remembrance and reckoning; the remembrance of our fathers; the remembrance of the Messiah the son of David, Your servant; the remembrance of Jerusalem, city of Your Sanctuary and the remembrance of Your entire people, the House of Israel, before You for survival, for well-being, for favor, kindliness, compassion, for life and peace on this day of the: Rosh Chodesh/Festival of Matzos/Festival of Sukkos. Remember us Adonoy, our God, on this day for well-being; be mindful of us on this day for blessing, and deliver us for life. In accord with the promise of deliverance and compassion, spare us and favor us, have compassion on us and deliver us; for our eyes are directed to You, because You are the Almighty Who is King, Gracious, and Merciful.

And may our eyes behold Your merciful return to Zion. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Who returns His Divine Presence to Zion.

At the words, We are thankful, bend forward; at Adonoy return to an upright position.

We are thankful to You⁴⁸Here you should bow in gratitude, as if standing before the Divine Presence, and say, “We are thankful to You.” The Jews always bowed when they perceived the Divine Presence..—Kuzari that You Adonoy are our God and the God of our fathers forever; Rock of our lives, You are the Shield of our deliverance in every generation. We will give thanks to You and recount Your praise, for our lives which are committed into Your hand, and for our souls which are entrusted to You,⁴⁹Here we thank God for returning our souls each morning, after having “entrusted” them to Him all night.—Eitz Yosef and for Your miracles of every day with us, and for Your wonders and benefactions at all times— evening, morning and noon.⁵⁰This phrase concludes the earlier declaration, “We will give thanks to You and recount Your praise ... evening, morning, and noon .”—Iyun Tefillalh (You are) The Beneficent One— for Your compassion is never withheld; And (You are) the Merciful One— for Your kindliness never ceases; we have always placed our hope in You.

(On Chanukah and Purim the following prayer is added. If you omitted it, you need not repeat the Shemoneh Esrei. If, however, you became aware of your omission before concluding the blessing, you should say it at that time, and conclude by saying, “וְעַל כֻּלָּם, and for all the foregoing.”)

[We thank You] for the miracles, for the redemption, for the mighty deeds, for the deliverances and for the wars that You performed for our fathers in those days at this season.

On Chanukah: In the days of Matisyahu, son of Yochanan the High Priest, the Hasmonean and his sons, when the evil Greek kingdom rose up against Your people Israel to make them forget Your Torah and to turn them away from the statutes of Your will— You, in Your abundant mercy, stood by them in their time of distress, You defended their cause, You judged their grievances, You avenged them. You delivered the mighty into the hands of the weak, many into the hands of the few, defiled people into the hands of the undefiled, the wicked into the hands of the righteous, and insolent [sinners] into the hands of diligent students of Your Torah. And You made Yourself a great and sanctified name in Your world. And for Your people, Israel, You performed a great deliverance and redemption unto this very day. Afterwards, Your sons entered the Holy of Holies of Your Abode, cleaned Your Temple, purified Your Sanctuary, and kindled lights in the Courtyards of Your Sanctuary, and designated these eight days of Chanukah to thank and praise Your great Name.

On Purim: In the days of Mordechai and Esther in Shushan the Capital [of Persia], when the evil Haman rose up against them, he sought to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their wealth⁵³The usual procedure of those times was that all the wealth of executed people reverted to the monarch. In contrast to the norm, Haman decreed that Jewish possessions would be free for all to enjoy. He did this to provide added incentive to the populace who might have hesitated to kill Jews if they had nothing to gain.— And You, in Your abundant mercy, annulled his counsel, frustrated his intention, and brought his evil plan upon his own head, and they hanged him and his sons upon the gallows. And You made a miracle and a wonder for them, and we are thankful to Your great name forever.

And for all the foregoing may Your Name, our King, constantly be blessed and extolled, forever and ever.

During the Ten Days of Penitence, add: Inscribe for a good life all the children of Your covenant.

If you forget to say this, you need not go back and repeat it. If you became aware of the omission before concluding the blessing, you can say it at that time.

And all the living shall thank You forever and praise Your Name with sincerity — the Almighty, Who is our deliverance and our help forever. Blessed are You, Adonoy; Your Name is The Beneficent and You it is fitting to praise.

Bestow abundant peace upon Israel, Your people, forever. For You are King, the Master of all peace. And may it be good in Your sight to bless us and to bless Your people Israel, at all times and at every moment with Your peace.

During the Ten Days of Penitence continue here: May we be remembered and inscribed before You in the book of life, blessing, peace and abundant maintenance; we and all Your people, the House of Israel, for a good life and peace.

If you forget to say this you need not go back and repeat it.

Blessed are You, Adonoy, Who blesses His people Israel with peace.

May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be acceptable before You, Adonoy, my Rock and my Redeemer.

My God, guard my tongue from evil⁵⁸This prayer was the personal meditation of Mar the son of Ravina, which he recited after he completed his prayers (Maseches Berachos 17a), and it is therefore expressed in the singular. The Jew prays that his mouth, his tongue, and his lips, which have just served as the instruments for his communion with God, will not forfeit any of their moral purity in his dealings with his fellow men—Yaavetz and my lips from speaking deceitfully. May my soul be unresponsive to those who curse me; and let my soul be like dust to all. Open my heart to Your Torah and let my soul pursue Your commandments.⁵⁹May I have an open, receptive and understanding mind and spirit in the study of Torah. When it comes to mitzvos, let my soul know no indifference, indolence, or passivity. Let me demonstrate zealous and vigorous endeavor in all things pertaining to Your mitzvos.—Etz Yosef; S.R. Hirsch And all who plan evil against me, quickly annul their counsel and frustrate their intention. Act for the sake of Your right hand. Act for the sake of Your holiness. Act for the sake of Your Torah. In order that Your loved ones be released, deliver [with] Your right hand and answer me. May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be acceptable before You Adonoy, my Rock and my Redeemer.

He Who makes peace in His high heavens may He make peace upon us and upon all Israel and say Amein.

May it be Your will, Adonoy, our God, and the God of our Fathers that the Holy Temple be rebuilt speedily in our days, and grant us our share in Your Torah. And there we will serve You reverently as in the days of old, and in earlier years. And let Adonoy be pleased with the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem as in the days of old and in earlier years.

On weekday nights, the Chazzan continues with Whole-Kaddish. On Saturday night, the Chazzan says Half-Kaddish, and the Congregation continues with וִיהִי נֹֽעַם and וְאַתָּה קָדוֹשׁ below. If a Festival occurs on a weekday of the new week, the Chazzan instead says Whole-Kaddish and וִיהִי נֹֽעַם/וְאַתָּה קָדוֹשׁ are omitted. On PURIM, the Megillah is read here, followed by (וִיהִי נֹֽעַם and) וְאַתָּה קָדוֹשׁ below. On TISHA B’AV, Eichah and Kinos are said, followed by וְאַתָּה קָדוֹשׁ.

Exalted and sanctified¹These opening words refer to the fulfillment of God’s prophecy, through Ezekiel (38:23) “And I will thus exalt Myself and sanctify Myself; and I will be known in the eyes of the many nations, and they will know that I am Adonoy.”—Levush, Siddur HaGra. One should be very careful to emphasize the letter gimel (ג) when saying the word “Yisgadal (יִתְגַּדַּל),” in order that it not be heard as “Yiskadal (יִתְקַּדַל),” from the word קְדָל which means neck.—Mishnah Berurah 56:2 be His great Name

in the world which He created according to His will and may He rule His kingdom.²May His sovereignty be revealed. In your lifetime and in your days, and in the lifetime of the entire House of Israel, speedily and in the near future³We pray that the redemption will come speedily and that the process of the redemption itself will not be prolonged.—Siddur HaGra— and say Amein.

May His great Name be blessed forever and for all eternity.

Blessed and praised, glorified, and exalted and uplifted, honored and elevated and extolled⁵The ten expressions of praise in the Kaddish refer to the ten utterances by which God created the world. (See Maseches Avos 5:1.) be the Name of the Holy One, blessed is He;

above (Ten Days of Penitence: far above) all the blessings and hymns,⁶May God be praised and exalted far beyond all the blessings, hymns and praises that are uttered.—Mishnah Berurah in the name of the Vilna Gaon 56:14. praises and consolations⁷Consolations are uttered because God is in mourning over the destruction of the Holy Temple and the exile of His people. which we utter in the world—and say Amein.

May there be acceptance of the prayers and supplications of the entire House of Israel before their Father in heaven. And say, Amein.

May there be abundant peace from heaven and life for us and for all Israel, —and say Amein.

He Who makes peace (Ten Days of Penitence: the peace) in His high heavens may He, make peace for us and for all Israel, and say, Amen.

May the pleasantness of my Master our God be upon us, and the work of our hands established for us, and the work of our hands—establish it.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Supreme One, under the protection of Shadai he will abide. I say of Adonoy, [He is] my refuge and my stronghold, my God in Whom I trust. For He will save you from the snare-trap, from destructive pestilence. With His wings He will cover you and beneath His wings, you will find refuge; His truth is a shield, a full shield. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day. The pestilence that prowls in darkness, nor the deadly plague that ravages at noon. A thousand will fall at your [left] side, and ten thousand at your [right] side but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes will you behold and see the punishment of the wicked. For you [have proclaimed]: “Adonoy is my refuge,” the Supreme One you have made your dwelling. No evil shall befall you, and no plague shall come near your tent. For His angels He will command on your behalf— to guard you in all your ways. They will carry you upon their hands, lest you hurt your foot on a rock. You will tread upon lion and snake, you will trample young lion and serpent. Because he clings to Me with desire, I will save him; I will strengthen him, for he knows My Name. When he calls upon Me, I will answer him; I am with him in distress, I will free him and honor him. I will satiate him with longevity, and will let him see My deliverance. I will satiate him with longevity, and will let him see My deliverance.

And You, Holy One, are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.⁴God waits to hear the praises of Israel before He listens to the praises of the angels.—Etz Yosef God waits until the very last congregation of Jews has completed its prayers and then accepts the prayers of all Israel at one time.—Avudraham And [the angels] call one to another and say: Holy, holy, holy is Adonoy of Hosts:⁵According to the Targum interpretation, the thrice “holy” in the Kedushah does not indicate three ascending degrees of sanctification. Instead, it implies a declaration that He Who is holy in the loftiest regions of His heavenly abode is holy not only there but also on earth, the creation of His Almighty power; and that He was not only holy in the past, but that He is holy even now and will be holy throughout all the ages.—S.R. Hirsch the fullness of all the earth is His glory.”⁶Isaiah 6:3

And they receive [sanction] one from another, and say, Holy in the highest heights of heaven, the abode of His Divine Presence; holy upon earth, the work of His mighty power; holy forever and to all eternity— is Adonoy of hosts; the whole earth is filled with the radiance of His glory.

And a wind lifted me; and I heard behind me the sound of a great rushing; Blessed is the glory of Adonoy from His place.⁷Ezekiel 3:12. ⁸See note 00 on Page 00.

And a wind lifted me and I heard behind me a sound of a great rushing of those who uttered praises and said, ‘Blessed is the glory of Adonoy from the place, the abode of His Divine Presence.

Adonoy will reign forever and ever.⁹Exodus 15:18.

Adonoy, His kingdom is established forever and to all eternity.

Adonoy, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep this forever as the intention of the hearts of Your people, and direct their hearts to You.¹⁰I Chronicles 29:18. ¹¹May our recitation of the Kedushah inspire our thoughts and direct our hearts to serve You.—Avudraham And He, the merciful One, atones iniquity and does not destroy; He frequently withdraws His anger and does not arouse all His rage.¹²Psalms 78:38. For You, my Master, are good and forgiving, and abounding in kindness to all who call upon You.¹³Psalms 86:5. Your righteousness is everlasting and Your Torah is truth.¹⁴Psalms 119:142. You will grant truth to Jacob, kindliness to Abraham,¹⁵The patriarchs symbolize the three pillars of the universe—Torah, avodah,— the Temple service and gemilas chasadim—kindliness. Jacob epitomized Torah, which is the ultimate truth; Isaac personified Divine service in his readiness to be offered as a sacrifice to God; and Abraham exemplified the ideal and practice of kindliness throughout his life. We thus pray to be granted a share in the Divine truth of Torah in Jacob’s merit, and to receive God’s kindliness in Abraham’s merit. as You have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.¹⁶Micah 7:20. Blessed is my Master day by day; He loads us [with blessings],¹⁷Etz Yosef interprets the verse in this manner: “Blessed is Adonoy who loads us each day with His blessings and goodness.” the Almighty Who is our deliverance, forever.¹⁸Psalms 68:20. Adonoy of Hosts is with us a stronghold for us is the God of Jacob, Selah.¹⁹Psalms 46:8. Adonoy of Hosts, fortunate is the man who trusts in You.²⁰Psalms 84:13. Adonoy, deliver [us]; the King will answer us on the day we call.²¹Psalms 20:10.

Blessed is He, our God, Who created us for His glory,²²This phrase is based on Isaiah 43:7, “Everything that is called by My Name, I have created it for My glory.” and set us apart from those who go astray;²³This prayer is based on Joshua 24:2-3, “Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the river—and they served other gods. And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the river.” See Genesis 20:13 as interpreted by Onkelos. and gave us the Torah of truth, and eternal life He implanted within us. May He open our heart to His Torah, and instill in our heart love and awe of Him, to do His will and serve Him with a perfect heart, so that we shall not labor in vain nor bring forth that which causes dismay.²⁴Some women are barren; they cannot bear children at all. Others have children who are unable to live. Similarly, there arc those who study Torah only to criticize and ridicule what they learn, while others learn sincerely but later rebel against its teachings. Those who study to ridicule are comparable to the barren women who are unable to give birth. But those who later rebel are like those who bear children and bury them. We pray to God to instill His love and fear in our hearts so that our learning will bear fruit and have a lasting influence on our lives.—Siddur HaGra

May it be Your will, Adonoy, our God, and God of our fathers, that we keep Your statutes in this world, and [thus] be privileged to live and behold, and to inherit the goodness and blessing of the Messianic days, and in the life of the World to Come. In order that my soul sing to You and not be stilled; Adonoy, my God, forever will I thank You.²⁵Psalms 30:13. Blessed is the man who trusts in Adonoy,²⁶God alone is the source of his trust; he relies on none other than God. One who puts his trust in God, while also relying upon a great many other factors, which he considers essential supports of his life and happiness, is not truly trusting in God.—S.R. Hirsch so that Adonoy is his security.²⁷Jeremiah 17:7. Trust in Adonoy until the end of days, for in God, Adonoy, is the strength of the worlds.²⁸Isaiah 26:4. And they will trust in You— those who know²⁹These are men of the highest caliber who perceive God’s ways with undistorted clarity. They discern God’s hand guiding the world in its constant, miraculous operation and they know with certainty that all is directed by God.—Malbim your Name, for You have never forsaken those who seek You, Adonoy.³⁰Psalms 9:11. Adonoy desired, for the sake of His righteousness, to make the Torah great and to glorify it.³¹Isaiah 42:21.

The Omer is counted from the second night of Pesach until the night before Shavuos. The counting of forty-nine days (seven weeks) between the Festival of Pesach and Shavuos (the Feast of Weeks), connects the exodus from Egypt with the festival of the giving of the Torah. Just as one who awaits a most intimate friend on a certain day counts the days in eager anticipation of his arrival, so do we count the days from our liberation till the day we receive the Torah, which is the culmination and fulfillment of our freedom. It is proper to count the Omer at the beginning of the night, usually after the Maariv Service, and the Omer should be counted while standing.

I am prepared and ready to perform the affirmative command to count the Omer, as is written in the Torah: “And you shall count for yourselves, from the day after the day of rest, from the day you bring the omer as the wave-offering, seven complete weeks shall there be; until the day following the seventh week shall you count fifty days; and you shall bring a new meal-offering unto Adonoy.” Blessed are You, Adonoy, our God, King of the universe, Who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to count the Omer.

May the pleasantness of my Master our God be upon us, and the work of our hands established for us, and the work of our hands—establish it.

Blessed are You, Adonoy, our God, King of the universe, Who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to count the Omer.

The Merciful One, may He return for us the service of the Beis Hamikdash in its place speedily in our days, Amein, Selah.

To Him, Who grants victory:¹Psalm 67 is recited because the seven verses which follow the introductory verse contain 49 words corresponding to the seven weeks (49 days) that link Pesach to the giving of the Torah on Shavuos. a psalm with instrumental music, a song. [May] God favor us and bless us, [may He] cause His countenance to shine among us forever; [so] that Your way become known on earth, [and] Your deliverance among all nations. Peoples will thank You, God, all the peoples will thank You. Nations will rejoice and sing when You judge the peoples justly, and lead the nations upon the earth forever. Peoples will thank You, God, all the peoples will thank You. The earth will have yielded its produce; God, our God, will have blessed us. God will bless us, and they will fear Him— all [men even from] the ends of the earth.

Please, by the force of Your great right hand, release the bound one.

Accept the prayer of Your people; strengthen us, purify us, awesome One!

Please mighty One— those who seek Your unity— preserve them like the apple [of Your eye.]

Bless them, purify them, have mercy on them; Your benevolent righteousness [may You] always bestow upon them.

Mighty, Holy One in Your abundant goodness lead Your community.

Unique One, Exalted, turn to Your people who are mindful of Your holiness.

Accept our prayer and hear our cry, [You] Who knows hidden thoughts.

Blessed [is His] Name, Whose glorious Kingdom is forever and ever.

Master of the universe, You commanded us through the hands of Your servant, Moses, to count the Omer in order to purify us from our evil and defilement. As You have written in Your Torah: And you shall count for yourselves, from the day after the day of rest, from the day you bring the omer as the wave-offering, seven complete weeks, shall there be; until the day following the seventh week shall you count fifty days, in order to cleanse the souls of Your people Israel from their impurities. Therefore, may it be Your will, Adonoy, our God, and God of our fathers, that in the merit of the Omer which I counted today, may any defect I have caused be rectified. May I be purified and sanctified with sublime holiness, and thereby may abundant bounty be bestowed upon all the worlds. May it rectify our being, our spirit and our souls from every baseness and defect, and may it purify us and sanctify us with Your sublime holiness. Amen, Selah.

It is our obligation to praise the Master of all, to ascribe greatness to the Creator of the [world in the] beginning: that He has not made us like the nations of the lands, and has not positioned us like the families of the earth; that He has not assigned our portion like theirs, nor our lot like that of all their multitudes. For they prostrate themselves to vanity and nothingness, and pray to a god that cannot deliver. But we bow, prostrate ourselves, and offer thanks before the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One blessed is He, Who spreads the heavens, and establishes the earth, and the seat of His glory is in heaven above, and the abode of His invincible might is in the loftiest heights. He is our God, there is nothing else. Our King is true, all else is insignificant, as it is written in His Torah: And You shall know this day and take into Your heart that Adonoy is God in the heavens above and upon the earth below; there is nothing else.¹Deuteronomy 4:39.

We therefore put our hope in You, Adonoy our God, to soon behold the glory of Your might in banishing idolatry from the earth, and the false gods will be utterly exterminated to perfect the world as the kingdom of Shadai.²See page 00, note 00. And all mankind will invoke Your Name, to turn back to You, all the wicked of the earth. They will realize and know, all the inhabitants of the world, that to You, every knee must bend, every tongue must swear [allegiance to You]. Before You, Adonoy, our God, they will bow and prostrate themselves, and to the glory of Your Name give honor. And they will all accept [upon themselves] the yoke of Your kingdom, and You will reign over them, soon, forever and ever. For the kingdom is Yours, and to all eternity You will reign in glory, as it is written in Your Torah: Adonoy will reign forever and ever.³Exodus 15:18. And it is said: And Adonoy will be King over the whole earth; on that day Adonoy will be One and His Name One.⁴Zecharyah 14:9.

Exalted and sanctified¹These opening words refer to the fulfillment of God’s prophecy, through Ezekiel (38:23) “And I will thus exalt Myself and sanctify Myself; and I will be known in the eyes of the many nations, and they will know that I am Adonoy.”—Levush, Siddur HaGra. One should be very careful to emphasize the letter gimel (ג) when saying the word “Yisgadal (יִתְגַּדַּל),” in order that it not be heard as “Yiskadal (יִתְקַּדַל),” from the word קְדָל which means neck.—Mishnah Berurah 56:2 be His great Name

in the world which He created according to His will and may He rule His kingdom.²May His sovereignty be revealed. In your lifetime and in your days, and in the lifetime of the entire House of Israel, speedily and in the near future³We pray that the redemption will come speedily and that the process of the redemption itself will not be prolonged.—Siddur HaGra— and say Amein.

May His great Name be blessed forever and for all eternity.⁴This phrase, the heart of the Kaddish, is found almost verbatim in Daniel 2:20.

Blessed and praised, glorified, and exalted and uplifted, honored and elevated and extolled⁵The ten expressions of praise in the Kaddish refer to the ten utterances by which God created the world. (See Maseches Avos 5:1.) be the Name of the Holy One, blessed is He;

above (Ten Days of Penitence: far above) all the blessings and hymns,⁶May God be praised and exalted far beyond all the blessings, hymns and praises that are uttered.—Mishnah Berurah in the name of the Vilna Gaon 56:14. praises and consolations⁷Consolations are uttered because God is in mourning over the destruction of the Holy Temple and the exile of His people. which we utter in the world—and say Amein.

May there be abundant peace from heaven and a good life for us and for all Israel, —and say Amein.

He Who makes peace (Ten Days of Penitence: the peace) in His high heavens may He, in His mercy, make peace for us and for all Israel, —and say Amein.

The following psalm (27) is recited at the conclusion of services, morning and evenings, from the first day of Elul, through Shemini Atzeres. Others say only until Hoasha’na Rabbah. The psalm voices our prayer that God will be our light on Rosh Hashana enabling us to repel the darkness of sin through true repentance, and that He will be our salvation on Yom Kippur, through His compassionate atonement of our sins.

By David: Adonoy is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? Adonoy is the strength¹Rav S.R. Hirsch translates, “Adonoy is the source of my life’s strength,” thus David declares that God is the fount from which his life derives its power to resist all foes. of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers approach me to devour my flesh— my tormentors and my foes they stumble and fall. If an army should encamp against me, my heart would not fear; if war were to rise against me, in this²David says that he trusts in the declaration stated in the opening verse, “Adonoy is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?—Rashi, Radak I trust. One thing I request of Adonoy, [only] that shall I seek, that I may dwell³The literal translation of שבתי is “my sitting.” The Talmud states that “no man may ‘sit’ in the courtyard of the Temple except for the kings of the House of David.”—Maseches Sotah 40b in the House of Adonoy all the days of my life, to behold the pleasantness of Adonoy, and to meditate in His Sanctuary. For He will hide me in His Tabernacle⁴The Vilna Gaon comments that all the commandments pertaining to Succos are implied in this verse and the next. on the day of distress, He will conceal me in the shelter of His Tent, upon a rock He will lift me. And now my head is raised high above my enemies around me;⁵David declares, “Because I look up to God in every aspect of my existence, I am so exalted that no enemy can harm me.—S.R. Hirsch and I will offer in His Tent, sacrifices accompanied by trumpets of joy; I will sing and chant to Adonoy. Adonoy, hear my voice⁶This verse alludes to Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. “Hear my voice,” refers to Rosh Hashana when we sound the shofar. The word “my voice (sound)” refers to the “voice” of the shofar. “When I call” refers to Yom Kippur, about which Isaiah (55:6) said, “call to Him when He is near.”—Siddur HaGra when I call; be gracious to me and answer me. Of You, my heart has said, Seek My Presence; Your Presence, Adonoy I will seek. Conceal not Your Presence from me, do not turn away Your servant in anger. You have been my help; neither cast me off nor abandon me, God of my deliverance. When my father and mother abandon⁷Even if I were so depraved that my own mother and father would abandon me to my own devices, God would still gather me up and believe in my ability to mend my ways.—S.R. Hirsch me, Adonoy will gather me up. Adonoy, teach me Your way, and lead me in the path of uprightness, because of my watchers.⁸I.e., his enemies. David asks for Divine help that he be saved even from the mere semblance of wrongdoing so that his foes should not be able to rejoice over his faults.—S.R. Hirsch Do not deliver me to the will of my tormentors, for false witnesses have risen against me, who breathe violence. Had I not believed⁹“These false witnesses would have destroyed me had I not believed that I would see the goodness of God in the land of the living.”—Rashi, Radak that I would see the goodness of Adonoy in the land of living.¹⁰There are various interpretations of the “Land of the living.” Some hold that it refers to the present world in which we live—Metsudas Tzion; Ramban holds that it refers to the World-to-Come; and Malbim says that it refers to Eretz Yisroel. Hope to Adonoy, be strong and He will give you courage; and hope to Adonoy.

Exalted and sanctified¹These opening words refer to the fulfillment of God’s prophecy, through Ezekiel (38:23) “And I will thus exalt Myself and sanctify Myself; and I will be known in the eyes of the many nations, and they will know that I am Adonoy.”—Levush, Siddur HaGra. One should be very careful to emphasize the letter gimel (ג) when saying the word “Yisgadal (יִתְגַּדַּל),” in order that it not be heard as “Yiskadal (יִתְקַּדַל),” from the word קְדָל which means neck.—Mishnah Berurah 56:2 be His great Name

in the world which He created according to His will and may He rule His kingdom.²May His sovereignty be revealed. In your lifetime and in your days, and in the lifetime of the entire House of Israel, speedily and in the near future³We pray that the redemption will come speedily and that the process of the redemption itself will not be prolonged.—Siddur HaGra— and say Amein.

May His great Name be blessed forever and for all eternity.⁴This phrase, the heart of the Kaddish, is found almost verbatim in Daniel 2:20.

Blessed and praised, glorified, and exalted and uplifted, honored and elevated and extolled⁵The ten expressions of praise in the Kaddish refer to the ten utterances by which God created the world. (See Maseches Avos 5:1.) be the Name of the Holy One, blessed is He;

above (Ten Days of Penitence: far above) all the blessings and hymns,⁶May God be praised and exalted far beyond all the blessings, hymns and praises that are uttered.—Mishnah Berurah in the name of the Vilna Gaon 56:14. praises and consolations⁷Consolations are uttered because God is in mourning over the destruction of the Holy Temple and the exile of His people. which we utter in the world—and say Amein.

May there be abundant peace from heaven and a good life for us and for all Israel, —and say Amein.

He Who makes peace (Ten Days of Penitence: the peace) in His high heavens may He, in His mercy, make peace for us and for all Israel, —and say Amein.

This prayer is customarily recited in the open air, in clear sight of the moon, seven days after the birth of the new moon.

Praise God. Praise Adonoy from the sky, praise Him in the heavens! Praise Him all His angels, praise Him all His hosts! Praise Him sun and moon; praise Him all the stars of light. Praise Him skies of skies and the waters that are above the skies. They will praise the Name of Adonoy, for He commanded and they were created. He established them for all time, as long as the world exists. He decreed [it] unalterable.¹Psalms 146:1-6.

Blessed are You, Adonoy, our God, King of the Universe, Who with His utterance created the heavens, and with the breath of His mouth, all their host. Law and season did He give them, that they not deviate from their set function. They are glad and rejoice to do the will of their Possessor —the Worker of truth Whose work is true. The moon He directed to renew itself— a crown of glory to those who are borne by him from the womb,²See Isaiah 46:3, “Israel which is borne by me from the belly, which is carried by Me from the womb.” who are also destined to be renewed, and to glorify their Creator for the Name of His glorious kingdom. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Renewer of the months.

Recite three times: Blessed is your Former, blessed is your Maker, blessed is your Possessor, blessed is your Creator.

Recite three times: Just as I leap toward you but cannot touch you, so may all my enemies be unable to touch me with evil intent.

Recite three times: Let fall upon them terror and dread at the greatness of Your arm let them be still as stone.

Recite three times: As a stone, let them be still by [virtue of] Your arm’s greatness; and may dread and terror upon them fall.

Recite three times: David, King of Israel, lives and endures [forever.]³David’s dynasty is compared to the moon and will be renewed like the moon.—Etz Yosef in the name of Ramah and Levush

The following greeting is exchanged with three different people: Peace unto you,

The other responds: Unto you be peace.⁴This greeting is offered in order to indicate that the curse mentioned earlier [May dread and terror etc.] was not intended for those around us.—Etz Yosef

Recite three times: A good sign and good fortune let there be for us and for all Israel. Amein.

The voice of my beloved! Behold—He is coming, leaping over the mountains bounding over the hills. My Beloved is like a hart or a young deer. Behold!—He stands behind our wall, observing through the windows, looking through the lattice.⁵Song of Songs 2:8,9. These verses were inserted by Rabbi Yehuda HeChassid as an expression of Israel’s confident hope for the speedy coming of the Messiah.

A song of ascents. I lift my eyes to the mountains— from where will my help come? My help [comes] from Adonoy, Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip, He will not slumber—your Guardian. Behold—He does not slumber nor does He sleep—the Guardian of Israel. Adonoy is your guardian, Adonoy is your shelter at your right hand. By day the sun will not smite you, nor the moon at night. Adonoy will guard you from all evil, He will preserve your soul, Adonoy will guard your going and coming from now and forever.⁶Psalms 121.

Praise God. Praise the Almighty in His Sanctuary. Praise God in the firmament of His might. Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to the abundance of His greatness. Praise Him with the blowing of the shofar; Praise Him with lyre and harp. Praise Him with drum and dance. Praise Him with stringed instuments and flute. Praise Him with resounding cymbals. Praise Him with clanging cymbals. Let every soul praise God. Praise God. Let every soul praise God. Praise God.

It was taught in the school of Rabbi Yishmael: Even if Israel was privileged only to greet their Father in heaven, once a month, it would be sufficient for them.⁷Whoever welcomes the new moon by reciting the blessing to God, welcomes the Shechinah, the Divine Presence of God. Abbaye said: “Therefore it must be recited standing.”⁸Maseches Sanhedrin 42a. Who is this coming up from the wilderness clinging to her beloved?⁹Song of Songs 8:5. May it be Your will, Adonoy, our God, and God of our fathers, to fill the deficiency of the moon, so that it will no longer be diminished; and may the light of the moon be like the light of the sun, —and like the light of the seven days of creation— as it was before it was diminished, as it is said: “The two great luminaries.”¹⁰Genesis 1:16. And may there be fulfilled for us the Scriptural verse which says: “They will seek Adonoy, their God, and David, their king.¹¹Hosea 3:5. Amein.

To the Chief Musician: a Psalm with instrumental music, a song. [May] God favor us and bless us, [may He] cause His countenance to shine among us selah; [so] that Your way become known on earth, [and] Your deliverance among all nations. Peoples will thank You, God, all the peoples will thank You. Nations will rejoice and sing when You judge the peoples justly, and lead the nations upon the earth selah. Peoples will thank You, God, all the peoples will thank You. The earth will have yielded its produce; God, our God, will have blessed us. God will bless us, and they will fear Him— all [men even from] the ends of the earth.

עלינו is said, see p. 000.

I hereby forgive anyone who has angered me, or sinned against me, either physically or financially, against my honor or anything that is mine, whether accidentally or intentionally, inadvertently or deliberately, by speech or by deed, by thought or by speculation, in this incarnation or in any other: any Israelite [is forgiven], may no man be punished on my account. May it be Your will, Adonoy, my God and God of my fathers, that I shall sin no more nor repeat my sins, neither shall I again anger You nor do what is wrong in Your eyes. The sins I have committed, erase in your abounding mercies, but not through suffering or severe illnesses. May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be acceptable before You Adonoy, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Blessed are You, Adonoy, our God, King of the Universe, Who causes the fetters of sleep to fall upon my eyes, and slumber upon my eyelids. May it be Your will, Adonoy, my God and God of my fathers to make me lie down in peace, and to raise me (again) to peace. Let my thoughts not terrify me— nor evil dreams or evil fancies (disturb me), and may my bed be perfect before You. ¹The word “bed” is used here figuratively for one’s future generations. See Rashi to Genesis 47:31; It was said of our forefather Jacob that “his bed was perfect: indicating that all his offspring were pure and steadfast.—Iyun T’filoh And light up my eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death, for You illuminate the pupil of the eye. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Who illuminates the whole world with His glory.

Almighty, faithful King

Hear, Israel Adonoy is our God Adonoy is One

The following three lines are to be said silently:

Blessed [is His] Name, Whose glorious Kingdom is forever and ever.

And you shall love Adonoy, your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your possessions. And these words which I command you today shall be upon your heart. And you shall teach them sharply to your children, and you shall discuss them when you sit in your house, and when you travel on the road, and when you lie down and when you rise. And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for totafos between your eyes. And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gateways.

And it will be— if you vigilantly obey My commandments which I command you this day, to love Adonoy your God, and serve Him with your entire hearts and with your entire souls— that I will give rain for your land in its proper time, the early (autumn) rain and the late (spring) rain; and you will harvest your grain and your wine and your oil. And I will put grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. Beware lest your hearts be swayed and you turn astray, and you worship alien gods and bow to them. And Adonoy’s fury will blaze among you, and He will close off the heavens and there will be no rain and the earth will not yield its produce; and you will perish swiftly from the good land which Adonoy gives you. Place these words of Mine upon your hearts and upon your souls,— and bind them for a sign upon your hands, and they shall be for totafos between your eyes. And you shall teach them to your sons, to speak them when you sit in your house, and when you travel on the road, and when you lie down and when you rise. And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gateways. In order that your days be prolonged, and the days of your children, upon the land which Adonoy swore to your fathers to give them [for as long] as the heavens are above the earth.

And Adonoy spoke to Moses saying: Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them to make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments throughout their generations; and they will place with the fringes of each corner a thread of blue. And it will be to you for fringes, and you will look upon it and you will remember all the commandments of Adonoy, and you will perform them; and you will not turn aside after your hearts and after your eyes which cause you to go astray. In order that you will remember and perform all My commandments; and you will be holy unto your God. I am Adonoy, your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am Adonoy, your God—is true—

May the pleasantness of my Master, our God, be upon us,²In this closing sentence of Psalm 90, Moses prays that the Divine Presence rest on the Jewish nation exclusively. and the work³David prays first that the service Jewry performs in the Sanctuary, the sacrificial offerings, and the general performance of mitzvos be willingly accepted by God. Then he prays that even the work we do for our own needs be acceptable before Gold.—Iyun T’Filoh of our hands be established for us and may the work⁴The first mention of work refers to the actual endeavors of our hands, whereas the second mention of work refers to what was achieved by our hands.—Iyun Tefilloh of our hands—establish it.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Supreme One, under the protection of Shadai He will abide. I say of Adonoy, [He is] my refuge and my stronghold, my God in Whom I trust. For He will save you from the snare-trap, from destructive pestilence. With His wings He will cover you and beneath His wings, you will find refuge; His truth is a shield, a full shield. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, the pestilence that prowls in darkness, nor the deadly plague that ravages at noon. A thousand will fall at your [left] side, and ten thousand at your [right] side but it⁵“It” refers to “arrow,” “pestilence,” and “plague” of the previous verse. shall not come near you. Only with your eyes will you behold and see the punishment of the wicked.⁶You will only see the destruction but you will not be harmed by it. For you [have proclaimed]: Adonoy is my refuge, the Supreme One you have made your dwelling No evil shall befall you, and no plague shall come near your tent. For His angels He will command on your behalf— to guard you in all your ways. They will carry you upon their hands, lest you hurt your foot on a rock. You will tread upon lion and snake, you will trample young lion and serpent. Because he clings to Me with desire, I will save him; I will strengthen him, for he knows My Name. When he calls upon Me, I will answer him; I am with him in distress, I will free him and honor him. I will satiate him with longevity, and will let him see My deliverance. I will satiate him with longevity and will let him see My deliverance.

Adonoy, how many are my tormentors;⁷Psalm 3 was sung by David when, at the age of 65, he had to flee his son Absalom. many rise up against me. Many say of my soul: There is no deliverance for him through God, forever. But You, Adonoy, are a shield for me; my glory and Raiser of my head. With my voice, I call out to Adonoy, and He answers me from His holy mountain, forever. I lay down and slept; I awake for Adonoy supports me. I fear not the tens of thousands of people deployed against me from every side. Rise Adonoy, deliver me, my God, for You have struck all my enemies⁸David is confident of God’s help, because God has always smitten his enemies.—Radak on the cheek; You have broken the teeth of the wicked. Deliverance is Adonoy’s; upon Your people is Your blessing, selah.

Adonoy, our God, make us lie down in peace; our King, raise us [again] to life. Spread over us the shelter of Your peace, and direct us to better ourselves through Your good counsel; and deliver us for Your Name’s sake. Shield us, and remove from us enemies, pestilence, sword, famine and sorrow. Remove the adversary from before us and from behind us, and shelter us in the shadow of Your wings. For You are the Almighty Who is our protector and rescuer. For You are the Almighty Who is King, Gracious, and Merciful. Guard our going out and our coming in for life and peace from now, forever.

Blessed is Adonoy by day, Blessed is Adonoy by night. Blessed is Adonoy when we lie down Blessed is Adonoy when we rise. For in Your hand are the souls of the living and the dead, (as it is written): For in His hand is the soul of every living thing and the spirit of every human being. In Your hand, I commit my spirit; You have liberated me, Adonoy, Almighty of truth. Our God in heaven, reveal the unity of Your Name, preserve Your kingdom always, and reign over us forever and ever.

May our eyes behold, may our heart rejoice and our soul exalt in Your true deliverance, when it will be said to Zion: Your God has begun His reign Adonoy is King, Adonoy was King, Adonoy will reign forever and ever For the Kingdom is Yours and to all eternity, You will reign in glory, for we have no king except You.

The angel who redeemed me from all evil⁹These are the words used by Jacob when he blessed Joseph, and his sons Ephraim and Menashe.—Genesis 48:16 May he bless the lads; and may they be called by my name and the names of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac; and may they multiply like fish within the land.

And He said, “If you will diligently heed the voice of Adonoy, your God, and do what is upright in His eyes, and listen carefully to His commandments, and guard all His statutes— [then] every sickness that I put in Egypt, I will not put upon you, for I am Adonoy, your Healer.¹⁰Exodus 15:26

And Adonoy said to Satan: Adonoy rebukes you, Satan, Adonoy rebukes you, He Who chose Jerusalem; for is this one not a firebrand plucked out of the fire?¹¹Zechariah 3:2

Behold the bed of Solomon! Sixty mighty men [are set] around it, of the mighty men of Israel. All of them armed with swords, trained in warfare; each man has his sword at his side, because of the dread of the night.¹²Song of Songs 3:7-8

Each unit is said three times:

Adonoy bless you and guard you! Adonoy shine His countenance upon you and be gracious unto You! Adonoy turn His countenance toward you and grant you peace!¹³Numbers 6:24-26

Behold, He neither slumbers nor sleeps! the Guardian of Israel.¹⁴Psalms 121:4

For your deliverance, I hope, Adonoy;¹⁵Genesis 49:18 I hope, Adonoy, for Your deliverance; Adonoy, for Your deliverance I hope.

In the Name of Adonoy, God of Israel: at my right [hand] Michael, at my left [hand] Gabriel, before me Uriel, behind me Raphael, and above my head, the Presence of Almighty.

A song of ascents Fortunate are all who fear Adonoy, who walk in His ways. When you eat of the toil of your hands you are fortunate and it is good with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine in the innermost parts of your house; your children like olive plants around your table. Behold! thus shall be blessed the man who fears Adonoy. Adonoy bless you from Zion! and [may you] see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life! May you [live to] see your children’s children! Peace upon Israel!¹⁶Psalms 128

To be said three times:

Tremble and do not sin; commune with your hearts upon your bed, and be silent, selah!¹⁷Psalms 4:5

Master of the Universe Who reigned before any creature was created.

At the time when all was made by His will, then was His Name proclaimed King.

And after all things shall cease to be the Awesome One will reign alone.

He was, He is, and He shall be in glory.

He is One, and there is no second to compare to Him, to associate [with Him].

Without beginning, without end, power and dominion are His.

He is my God and my ever-living Redeemer, the Rock of my destiny on the day of distress.

He is my flag and my refuge; He is the portion of my cup on the day I call.

Into His hand I entrust my spirit [both] when I sleep and when I awaken.

And with my spirit my body [too], Adonoy is with me, I shall not fear.