Worship in the Home & Synagogue (AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062))

The Significance of Prayer & Amidah

The Significance of Prayer

• Prayer and worship are a very important part of faith for a Jew and even if they attend synagogue each evening they will still perform some form of prayer and worship in the home

• Jews believe it is important to pray regularly at home and in the synagogue as it helps a person to build a good relationship with God

• When praying, Jews face in the direction of Jerusalem, which in the UK is towards the east

• Jewish prayer can be organised but it can also be unplanned and unstructured

• Personal prayer and reflection, where a person prays privately to God using either a set prayer or their own words, is also an important part of Jewish life

• The Jewish prayer book, which is called a siddur, has special services contained and can be followed at home or in the synagogue

• There are a number of mitzvot that refer to prayer. For example:

• As part of daily prayers at home, many Jews aim to recite the Shema at least twice a day:

• The Shema declares Jews' belief in only one God and helps them to keep in mind the mitzvot that prohibit believing in or worshipping any other gods, and teaches them to say prayers of thanks after meals (Deuteronomy 8:10)

Morning prayer

• In the morning, the first thing that many Jews try to do is to say a morning prayer called the Modeh Ani:

  • Many Jews believe that sleep is almost like death because the soul goes to God, who chooses whether or not to return it to the body

  • Waking in the morning means that God has chosen to return the soul to the body

  • The Modeh Ani thanks God for the gift of another day

  • The words said may vary, but usually are something like this:

• The prayer does not mention God by name because many Jews believe that it is disrespectful to use God’s name before they have washed their hands and body

The Amidah

• The Amidah is a prayer that is central to Jewish worship and is performed standing and in silence while facing Jerusalem:

  • It is sometimes called the Standing Prayer

  • Worshippers think over the words in their minds rather than saying them out loud

  • This prayer usually forms part of worship in the synagogue

  • The Amidah prayer consists of a series of blessings:
    

    • The first 3 blessings praise God and ask for his mercy

    • The middle 13 blessings ask for God’s help

    • The final blessing thanks God

Shabbat in the Home & Synagogue

Shabbat Service

• Shabbat is considered a day of rest for Jews

• It originates from the Creation story, as told in Genesis, which says that God rested on the seventh day after creating the world:

  • This idea is also found in the book of Exodus:

• The day also connects Jews to their ancestors, who were in slavery

• Refraining from work on Shabbat is a sign of freedom for Jews

• During Shabbat, Jews are expected to rest and spend time with their family

• On Shabbat, Jews are forbidden by Jewish law from taking part in several categories of work:

  • These include creating or extinguishing fire, writing and repairing things

  • Many Jews will also refrain from all other kinds of work

Shabbat at Home

• The fourth of the Ten Commandments tells Jews that they must keep the Sabbath day holy (Exodus 20:8–10)

  • To fulfil this commandment, every Friday evening from sunset until sunset on Saturday evening is a weekly day of rest for Jewish people, and this is called Shabbat

  • If the Jewish bible is interpreted literally, no work, including tasks such as cooking and driving, is to be done because the day commemorates God resting on the seventh day after he created the world

• In many Jewish homes, a number of preparations are made before Shabbat:

  • The house is tidied, and food is prepared, and two candles are placed on the dining table

  • These represent the two commandments received by Moses on Mount Sinai related to Shabbat, which were to "remember" and "observe" the Sabbath

  • Also on the table will be two loaves of challah bread to represent the food God provided for the Jews when they were walking through the desert as they escaped from Egypt

Preparations before Shabbat

• On Friday evening, the focus of Shabbat is a meal that brings the family together

  • The day of rest is welcomed with the lighting of the two candles

  • Traditionally, the mother of the family places her hands over her eyes and recites a blessing

  • Before the food, more blessings are said for the children, and kiddush is said over the wine to make the evening holy

  • Drinking wine shows that it is a joyful, celebratory time

  • The challah is blessed and everyone takes a piece

  • The Havdalah ceremony is held at the end of Shabbat to separate Shabbat from the rest of the week:

    • The Havdalah cup of wine is filled to overflowing as an expression of hope and blessings are said

    • A braided candle with a double wick is used for the ceremony and a spice box is taken into each room of the house with the hope the week to come will be as sweet as the smell from the spice box

  • Typically, the meal lasts for a few hours with everyone enjoying family time, often singing songs and telling religious stories

• On Saturday, after visiting the synagogue, the family shares another meal

• The afternoon is spent studying the Torah, relaxing and playing games as a family

Shabbat in the Synagogue

• During Shabbat, three main services take place in the synagogue. Most Jews attend these services

  Friday evening	Saturday morning	Saturday evening
  Shabbat is welcomed with special prayers, hymns and psalms	There are readings from the Torah and the Nevi’im. This is considered by Jews to be the main service of the week	There are more readings from the Torah and prayers. The Havdalah ceremony marks the end of Shabbat

• Many Jews go to a Shabbat service on a Saturday morning:

  • This service is called Shacharit Shabbat

  • The services vary between synagogues, but share a similar overall structure:

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Structure of the synagogue services

Who Participates in the Service

• The rabbi means teacher:

  • The major function of a rabbi is to instruct and guide in the study and practice of Judaism

• The Cantor has undergone years of study and training in liturgy and sacred music:

  • The cantor leads the congregation in Hebrew prayer

• The shaliach tzibbur is the leader of congregational prayers, be it the cantor or another congregant:

  • Every Jewish prayer service is chanted in a special musical mode and pattern

  • The shaliach tzibbur must be skilled in these traditional musical modes and familiar with the prayers

  • Any member of the congregation above the age of bar/bat mitzvah who is familiar with the prayers and melodies may serve as shaliach tzibbur

• The Gabbai, or sexton, attends to the details of organizing the worship service:

  • The gabbai finds a shaliach tzibbur, assigns aliyot, and ensures that the Torah is read correctly

• The Lay Leaders are members of the congregation who may participate in all synagogue functions and leadership roles:

  • Any knowledgeable Jew is permitted and encouraged to lead the prayers, be called up to say a blessing over the Torah, read from the Torah, and chant the Haftara

• If a bar/bat mitzvah is taking place, the bar/bat mitzvah child will participate in a variety of ways, depending on the congregation’s customs:

  • The bar/bat mitzvah may do some or all of the following:

    • Lead services, read (often chanting) from the Torah and/or Haftarah, deliver words from the Torah

    • Family members are usually honoured by being called up to say a blessing over or read from the Torah, and the bar/bat mitzvah child’s parents often deliver a speech

Worship in the Home & Private Prayer

Worship in the Home

• The home is a place where Jews will often pray and worship

• In the home values and beliefs are learned and practiced

• They will recite the Shema at prayer times and throughout the day

• They will place a mezuzah on each door frame in the house (apart from the bathroom) 

• Most Jewish homes have a siddur (prayer book), which is used for prayers and is considered holy

• In Judaism, the home is often regarded as the most important place of worship and includes:
  

  • Saying prayers three times a day

  • Observing Shabbat

  • Celebrating festivals

  • Studying the scriptures

Private Prayer

• Praying at home every day is important to many Jewish people

• Some Jews may even believe that it is not necessary to attend the synagogue daily and choose to pray at home instead

• There are many different ways in which private prayer can take place

•  Jews often pray as soon as they wake up by using water to purify themselves for the day ahead:

  • They thank God for waking them

  • Many Jews aim for a recitation of a morning prayer called the Modeh Ani to be the first thing they do upon waking

  • Many Jews believe that sleep is almost like death because the soul goes to God, who chooses whether or not to return it to the body

  • Waking in the morning means that God has chosen to return the soul to the body, so the Modeh Ani thanks God for the gift of another day

• Before each meal, many Jews bless God and thank him for the food

• Before going to sleep, Jews will often say the Shema

Mezuzah

• Jewish homes often have a mezuzah fixed to doorposts in their homes and a menorah in the window. This provides Jews with a sense of identity in their home and gives the home greater religious significance:

  • A mezuzah is a small parchment scroll, with the Hebrew words of the Shema handwritten on it, rolled up and placed inside a decorative case

  • They are not a good luck charm but remind Jews to live according to the Shema and they symbolise God’s existence and protection

  • For a mezuzah to be considered kosher it has to be handwritten by a scribe, on kosher parchment and 
    checked twice every seven years

  • For Jews, a mezuzah reminds everyone of the family’s connection to God and their Jewish faith

  • Many Jews touch the mezuzah on leaving and entering the home as a physical reminder of their covenant with God

The mezuzah