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 [...]
Prayer Lesson 111 – Between Mincha and Maariv
The short paragraph read before the Barchu of Maariv is easy to underestimate. It [...]
Prayer Lesson 110 – The Choreography of the Barchu
When we are called to prayer with the Barchu, a small [...]
Prayer Lesson 109 “And G-d is Merciful” – Between Minchah and Maariv
Just before we call to prayer in the evening service, [...]
Prayer Lesson 108 – Ad-n Olam, an in-depth look
Ad-n Olam has got to be the most underrated prayer in [...]
Prayer Lesson 106 “Annenu”—When G-d turns His face away from us
One of Judaism’s earliest and most provocative concepts of the [...]