Prayer Lesson 121 – The first blessing of the Amidah: Ancestors
The opening of every Amidah prayer is an evocation of our ancestors. [...]
Prayer Lesson 120 – The mystery of December 5
In the middle of the 9th blessing of the [...]
Prayer Lesson 119 – The Kaddish
A common logical structure in the Talmud is called the [...]
Prayer Lesson 118 Modim: “We thank and acknowledge You” (The 18th blessing of the weekday Amidah/6th blessing of the Shabbat Amidah)
(In honor of Thanksgiving) Modim, the prayer for gratitude, [...]
Prayer Lesson 117 – Baruch Ad-nai L’olam (the third blessing after the Shma of Maariv)
The third blessing after the Shma of Maariv is an odd collection of [...]
Prayer Lesson 116 – Hashkiveynu—the Second blessing after the Shma at Maariv
One of the things that sometimes makes the siddur hard to comprehend [...]
Prayer Lesson 115 – The first blessing after the Shema (it ain’t Kumbaya)
The blessings before the Shema emphasize creation and revelation. The [...]
Prayer Lesson 114 – Shema 2nd paragraph
Once upon a time, a country fair was held. There [...]
Prayer Lesson 113 – V’ahavta—“You shall love…”
The first paragraph of the Shema, “You shall love the Lord [...]
Prayer lesson 112 – “Who places the stars in the dome of heaven”
Our Torah and our siddur try (one might say [...]