Each week, Rabbi Wolkoff shares a prayer lesson with us. You can find them all below.
Prayer Lesson 156 – The Hoshanah for Shabbat
During Sukkot, we circle the sanctuary in a processional, carrying the lulav and etrog, while reciting a prayer with the [...]
Prayer Lesson 155 – The Vidui confessional: Chozek Yad, Exercising Power Against the Weak
The Yom Kippur liturgy is intentionally repetitive. In compelling us to confess our sins, over and over again, the rabbis [...]
Prayer Lesson 154 – “Oh no, not another Kaddish!”
A casual observer of a High Holy Day service (indeed, of any morning service) would note that Kaddish in one form or [...]
Prayer Lesson 153: Remember Us for Life!
On the High Holy Days we add certain phrases to the Amidah that reflect the themes and aspirations of this [...]
Prayer Lesson 152: The Psalm for the Season of Awe (Psalm 27)
Every evening and morning throughout the fall holiday season we recite Psalm 27. It is, as one would rightfully imagine, [...]
Prayer lesson 151: It is a Tree of Life
When we put the Torah away, we sing “etz chayim he”—“[The Torah] is a tree of life to those who [...]
Prayer Lesson 150 – Psalm 29, the prayer for returning the Torah to the ark
Psalm 29, the song we sing as we return the Torah to the ark, is a psalm of triumph. The [...]
Prayer Lesson 149 – Blessing the New Month (2)
The prayer for the new month includes a long wish list. Curiously, though, there is one desideratum mentioned twice—and only [...]
Prayer Lesson 148 – Blessing the New Month
As is well known, the Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar. On the most basic level, the lunar calendar is [...]
Prayer Lesson 147 – The Ashrei (2): A Quick Ticket to Paradise
The rabbis teach that if you recite the Ashrei prayer three times a day, you are guaranteed a place in the world [...]
Prayer Lesson 146 – The Prayer for Israel
The world works in mysterious ways. I recently wrote about the Prayer for our Country. There, I emphasized the importance [...]
Prayer Lesson 145 – A Prayer for Our Country
Politics and religion actually do mix, sort of. The prophet Jeremiah, knowing full well that our people were going to [...]
Prayer Lesson 144 – A Prayer for Normalcy
At the beginning of all our morning services, we recite a series of blessings. These blessings respond to our growing [...]
Prayer Lesson 143: Why Do We Stand for the Amidah?
As noted, Amidah literally means “standing.” But why do we stand? Note, in contrast, that we sit during the Shema [...]
Prayer Lesson 142: The prayer for peace—the final blessing of the Amidah
It is not surprising, in light of Jewish history, that the Amidah concludes with a prayer for peace. What is [...]
Prayer Lesson 141: A prayer of thankfulness, the 18th blessing of the Amidah
There is probably no character trait less appreciated than gratitude. But paradoxically, gratitude is essential to our health and well-being. [...]
Prayer Lesson 140: Akdamut, the special prayer for Shavuot
The great poet Langston Hughes once wrote, “A dream deferred is a dream denied.” Our rabbis would respectfully disagree. Nothing [...]
Prayer Lesson 139: To Sacrifice or Not to Sacrifice: That is the Question?
The 17th blessing of the weekday Amidah (which is the same as the 5th blessing of the Shabbat Amidah) deals [...]
Prayer Lesson 138: Prayer “Hear our voice…”, the 16th blessing of the weekly Amidah
The weekday Amidah begins with 3 prayers of praise, and continues with 13 prayers of petition. The 3 remaining blessings are prayers [...]
Prayer Lesson 137: The Kingdom of David
The 15th blessing of the Amidah is a petition to G-d to restore the Davidic kingdom, the ideal form of classic Jewish leadership. [...]
Prayer Lesson 136: Blessing 14 – Jerusalem
Our tradition tells us that we should hold Jerusalem higher than our highest joy. This is the reason we break [...]
Prayer Lesson 135: Tal, the prayer for Dew
There are only a few prayers that are recited only once a year. Tal, the prayer for dew, is one [...]
Prayer Lesson 134 “For the Righteous”: The 13th blessing of the weekday Amidah
“Show compassion to the righteous (the tzaddik), to the pious, to the leaders of your people, the House of Israel, to [...]
Prayer Lesson 133: Heretics and slanderers—the 12th blessing of the weekday Amidah
There is probably no prayer in our siddur more controversial than the 12th blessing of the weekday Amidah. Our [...]