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HaMaariv Aravim
HaMaariv Aravim, or simply Maariv Aravim, is the first blessing before the Shema and generally the opening prayer during Maariv. It is considered to be the parallel prayer to Yotzer ohr, which is recited in the same place at Shacharit. Just as Yotzer Ohr speaks of the coming of light, HaMaariv Aravim speaks of the coming of darkness. HaMaariv Aravim and Ahavat Olam being recited at the beginning of Maariv is seen as a preparation for the recitation of the Shema in the form of an affirmation of unity. Theme HaMaariv Aravim is a praise of God for bringing on the darkness, controlling the day and night, for ordering the stars in heaven, and for the seasons. Time of recitation While it is preferable to recite Maariv after dusk, it is permissible to recite this blessing any time after plag hamincha, even if dusk has not occurred yet. Alternative version for Sabbath In the Italian rite (based on the Siddur or Rav Saadya Gaon Saʻadiah ben Yosef Gaon ( ar, سعيد بن يوس ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shema
''Shema Yisrael'' (''Shema Israel'' or ''Sh'ma Yisrael''; he , שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ''Šəmaʿ Yīsrāʾēl'', "Hear, O Israel") is a Jewish prayer (known as the Shema) that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewish prayer services. Its first verse encapsulates the monotheistic essence of Judaism: "Hear, O Israel: YHWH is our God, YHWH is one" (), found in . The first part can be translated as either "The our God" or "The is our God", and the second part as either "the is one" or as "the one " (in the sense of "the alone"), since Hebrew does not normally use a copula in the present tense, so translators must decide by inference whether one is appropriate in English. The word used for "the " is the tetragrammaton YHWH. Observant Jews consider the ''Shema'' to be the most important part of the prayer service in Judaism, and its twice-daily recitation as a ''mitzvah'' (religious commandment). Also, it is traditional for Jews to say the ''Shema'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maariv
''Maariv'' or ''Maʿariv'' (, ), also known as ''Arvit'' (, ), is a Jewish prayer service held in the evening or night. It consists primarily of the evening ''Shema'' and '' Amidah''. The service will often begin with two verses from Psalms, followed by the communal recitation of ''Barechu''. The three paragraphs of the ''Shema'' are then said, both preceded and followed by two blessings, although sometimes a fifth blessing is added at the end. The ''hazzan'' (leader) then recites half-''Kaddish''. The ''Amidah'' is said quietly by everyone, and, unlike at the other services, is not repeated by the ''hazzan''. The chazzan recites the full ''Kaddish'', ''Aleinu'' is recited, and the mourners' ''Kaddish'' ends the service; some recite another Psalm or Psalms before or after Aleinu. Other prayers occasionally added include the Counting of the Omer (between Passover and Shavuot) and (in many communities) Psalm 27 (between the first of Elul and the end of Sukkot). ''Maariv'' is ge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yotzer Ohr
Yotzer ohr (''Creator of light''), also known as ''Birkat yotzer'' (the ''yotzer'' blessing) or ''Birkat Yotzer Or'', is the first of the two blessings recited before the Shema during Shacharit, the morning religious services of Judaism. Translation: Blessed are you, our God, King of the universe, who forms light and creates darkness, who makes peace and creates all things... Blessed are you, , who forms light. According to a Midrash, Adam and Eve were the first people to recite this blessing when they were in the Garden of Eden. Judaism recognizes that the sun is central to life. It is the sun that provides light that is needed for all life on earth, and Birkat Yotzer Or is a blessing thanking God for the sun. Themes The first verse comes from the Book of Isaiah 45:7. It is said to correspond with the first paragraph of the Shema. The blessing has two themes. The first is the spiritual one, in which God's Divine Wisdom expressing itself in a cosmic order. The second is that ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shacharit
''Shacharit'' ( he, שַחֲרִית ''šaḥăriṯ''), or ''Shacharis'' in Ashkenazi Hebrew, is the morning ''tefillah'' (prayer) of Judaism, one of the three daily prayers. Different traditions identify different primary components of ''Shacharit''. Essentially all agree that '' pesukei dezimra'', the Shema Yisrael and its blessings, and the '' Amidah'' are major sections. Some identify the preliminary blessings and readings, as a first, distinct section. Others say that Tachanun is a separate section, as well as the concluding blessings. On certain days, there are additional prayers and services added to shacharit, including Mussaf and a Torah reading. Etymology ''Shacharit'' comes from the Hebrew root (''shaħar''), meaning dawn. Origin According to tradition, ''Shacharit'' was identified as a time of prayer by Abraham, as states, "Abraham arose early in the morning," which traditionally is the first ''Shacharit''. However, Abraham's prayer did not become a sta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ahavat Olam
Ahavat Olam ( he, אהבת עולם, ''Eternal love'') is the second prayer that is recited during Maariv. It is the parallel blessing to Ahava Rabbah that is recited during Shacharit, and likewise, is an expression to God for the gift of the Torah. In the Ashkenazic rite, Ahava Rabbah is recited in the morning and Ahavat Olam is recited in the evening as a compromise. Sephardim recite Ahavat Olam at both Shacharit and Maariv. The debate over this recitation occurred between the Geonim. Saadia Gaon had made a ruling that followed that of his predecessor Amran. The last two Geonim, Sherira Gaon and Hai Gaon Hai ben Sherira (Hebrew: האי/י בר שרירא) better known as Hai Gaon (Hebrew: האי/י גאון, חאיי גאון), was a medieval Jewish theologian, rabbi and scholar who served as Gaon of the Talmudic academy of Pumbedita during the ..., made the final ruling which stands to this day. Theme The theme of Ahavat Olam is that God provides love in good times and in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Star
A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night sky, night, but their immense distances from Earth make them appear as fixed stars, fixed points of light. The most prominent stars have been categorised into constellations and asterism (astronomy), asterisms, and many of the brightest stars have proper names. Astronomers have assembled star catalogues that identify the known stars and provide standardized stellar designations. The observable universe contains an estimated to stars. Only about 4,000 of these stars are visible to the naked eye, all within the Milky Way galaxy. A star's life star formation, begins with the gravitational collapse of a gaseous nebula of material composed primarily of hydrogen, along with helium and trace amounts of heavier elements. Its stellar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dusk
Dusk occurs at the darkest stage of twilight, or at the very end of astronomical twilight after sunset and just before nightfall.''The Random House College Dictionary'', "dusk". At predusk, during early to intermediate stages of twilight, enough light in the sky under clear conditions may occur to read outdoors without artificial illumination; however, at the end of civil twilight (when Earth rotates to a point at which the center of the Sun's disk is 6° below the local horizon), such lighting is required to read outside. The term ''dusk'' usually refers to astronomical dusk, or the darkest part of twilight before night begins. Technical definitions The time of dusk is the moment at the very end of astronomical twilight, just before the minimum brightness of the night sky sets in, or may be thought of as ''the darkest part of evening twilight''. However, technically, the three stages of dusk are as follows: *At civil dusk, the center of the Sun's disc goes 6° below the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zmanim
''Zmanim'' ( he, זְמַנִּים, literally "times", singular ''zman'') are specific times of the day in Jewish law. *In Jewish law, a calendar day is defined as running from "evening" to "evening." This is based on the repetition of the phrase "... and there was evening, and there was morning ..."—evening preceding morning—in the account of creation in Genesis. *Additionally, Jewish law requires certain activities to be undertaken "during the day"—or at a certain time during the day—while other activities are to be undertaken "at night"—or at a certain time during the night. For either purpose, the status of the twilight hours just after sunset or just before sunrise is ambiguous. Judaism provides its own definitions for this period; at the same time, various rabbinic authorities differ on just how those definitions are to be applied for different purposes. Calculations General approach The Talmud often states calculations of these ''zmanim'' in terms of the ti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Italian Nusach
Italian Nusach, also known as ''Minhag Italiani'', ''Minhag B'nei Romì'', ''Minhag Lo'ez'' or ''Minhag HaLo'azim'', is the ancient prayer rite of the indigenous Jews on the Italian peninsula who are not of Ashkenazi or Sephardic origin. History The Jewish presence on the Italian peninsula can be traced back to the 2nd century BCE and the Roman Jewish community was well-established already before the destruction of the Second Temple. Their prayer ritual developed into an independent nusach which cannot be grouped together with Ashkenazi or Sephardic rituals. No direct sources of the prayer rite of the Roman period have survived to the modern era. The Italian nusach has been considered an offspring of the ancient Palestinian minhag and it has similarities with the nusach of the Romaniote Jews of Greece and the Balkans. However, the documents discovered in Cairo Geniza reveal that the influence of ''Minhag Eretz Israel'' on ''Benè Romì'' is less extensive that believed. The fir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saadya Gaon
Saʻadiah ben Yosef Gaon ( ar, سعيد بن يوسف الفيومي ''Saʻīd bin Yūsuf al-Fayyūmi''; he, סַעֲדְיָה בֶּן יוֹסֵף אַלְפַיּוּמִי גָּאוֹן ''Saʿăḏyāh ben Yōsēf al-Fayyūmī Gāʾōn''; alternative English names: Rabbeinu Sa'adiah Gaon ("our Rabbi heSaadia Gaon"), often abbreviated RSG (RaSaG); Saadia b. Joseph; Saadia ben Joseph; Saadia ben Joseph of Faym; or Saadia ben Joseph Al-Fayyumi; 882/892 – 942) was a prominent rabbi, gaon, Jewish philosopher, and exegete who was active in the Abbasid Caliphate. Saadia is the first important rabbinic figure to write extensively in Judeo-Arabic. Known for his works on Hebrew linguistics, Halakha, and Jewish philosophy, he was a practitioner of the philosophical school known as the "Jewish Kalam". In this capacity, his philosophical work '' The Book of Beliefs and Opinions'' represents the first systematic attempt to integrate Jewish theology with components of ancient Greek ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
