Amidah Essays

The autobiographical novel “Night” by Elie Wiesel is about a very dark time in history. For the main character, Eliezer, being taken away to concentration camps in Germany (Auschwitz) was a nightmare. As a young boy, Eliezer was incredibly devoted to this faith, Judaism. But after seeing the horrendous acts that his God allowed to happen, he has lost his belief in any kind of God. People view religion as a light, a brightness of being saved by following the instructions of a divine power. Since Eliezer

cantor sings about God’s help for the Jews in the past. He then sings God’s blessings before the climax is reached with the shema (‘hear’) from duet; ‘hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one…’ which is the Jewish statement of belief. The Amidah prayer follows with the people standing facing the Ark. On Sabbath this prayer is one of praise. When the third blessing is said, kedushah, Jews rise on their toes’ as it hallows God’s name. The doors of the Ark are opened and the Torah is carried

The Jewish community is rooted in those who came before us, our future being shaped by past generations. In the Amidah, every day we remind God and ourselves that, whether by birth or by choice, we are connected to an intricate family spanning many generations. We are all in some way descendants of Abraham & Sarah, Isaac & Rebecca, Jacob, Leah, and Rachel. All of

contained information, available to those who needed them. Their day commences with a customary morning prayer. Once the Morning Prayer is completed, there is an announcement of their devotion called Shema. After the declaration, there is the prayer of Amidah. This prayer is followed by readings from their holy book, the Torah. They held a sermon afterward. The service extended for approximately four hours, which I noted was significantly longer than a regular Sunday Mass at any Catholic Church. Since

and included a Torah lesson with contemporary application. Some members of the congregation were called upon to share in the reading of various prayers. Service included the following components: The call to worship, the Sh’ma and its blessings, the Amidah, which it’s the central prayer of the liturgy. The Rabbi called a member to read the blessings found on pages 166 and 167 in The Gates of