Tefillin: God’s Caress
When you lay tefillin, your hands are no longer free. You embody the mitzvah: straps are bound to your skin, parchment is pressed close to
Sophie Goldblum
When you lay tefillin, your hands are no longer free. You embody the mitzvah: straps are bound to your skin, parchment is pressed close to
In the first part of our series on the insertions to pray for rain, take a look at inserting “Mashiv HaRuach” or “Ten Tal” into the Amidah.
Rabbi Lauren Tuchman writes “Why I Love Tefillin” and explores how all people can wear tefillin, based on her own experience.
A Talmudic Midrash obligates prayer three times a day, instituted in honor of our three patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The Amidah is considered the central part of daily Jewish prayer, with minor variations in the text based on time of day, year and season.
Our prayers are almost always a mixture of both keva (oft-recited text) and kavanah (deeper layers of meaning).
Changes in liturgy are born out of changes in the theological and historical life of a people, both the individual and the community.
Tefillah is more than the sum of its parts and encompasses far more than the obligation to recite certain specific daily prayers.
By the use of set prayers, are we ipso facto guaranteeing that some will be obliged to recite words they do not find true or meaningful?
The Shema is the declaration of God’s uniqueness and unity that the Torah commands us to recite twice daily.
The Evening Service, called Ma’ariv (also called Arvit or spelled Maariv), is slightly longer than the Afternoon Service.
The Afternoon Service, called Minḥah (or Mincha), is much shorter than the Morning Service and has no unique components.
The prayers at the very beginning of the morning service help us to start our day with intention and gratitude.
There is a wide range of specific customs related to the issue of covering the head, including what to cover it with.
The tassels of the Tallit, called tzitzit (or tzitzis) in Hebrew, are explicitly intended to serve as a reminder of God’s commandments.
T’fillah, Jewish prayer, is rooted in self-judgment, reflection, and connecting to something greater than ourselves.