It is interesting to see how others have sought to connect with the covenant-keeping God, Jahweh—the Eternal (One). The Amidah is a long and central prayer (Tefillah) in Jewish liturgy, recited three times daily (morning, afternoon, and evening) and consisting of 19 blessings during regular weekdays. Below is the Amidah in its traditional format, broken into its three main sections: Praise, Petition, and Thanksgiving.

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PRAISE (1–3)

1. Avot (The Patriarchs): Blessed are You, Lord our God and God of our fathers, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, the great, mighty, and awesome God, God Most High, who bestows lovingkindness, creates all things, and remembers the lovingkindness of the fathers, and brings a redeemer to their children’s children for His name’s sake with love.
   Blessed are You, O Lord, Shield of Abraham.
2. Gevurot (God’s Might): You are mighty forever, Lord. You revive the dead. You are mighty to save. You sustain the living with kindness, revive the dead with abundant mercy, support the fallen, heal the sick, release the bound, and keep Your faithfulness to those asleep in the dust.
   Who is like You, Master of mighty deeds, and who can compare to You, King who causes death and restores life and makes salvation sprout?
   You are faithful to revive the dead.
   Blessed are You, Lord, who revives the dead.
3. Kedushat HaShem (Sanctification of God’s Name): You are holy, and Your name is holy, and holy ones praise You every day, forever.
   Blessed are You, Lord, the holy God.

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PETITIONS (4–16)

4. Binah (Understanding): You graciously endow man with knowledge and teach insight to a human being. Endow us graciously with knowledge, understanding, and insight from You.
   Blessed are You, Lord, who graciously grants knowledge.
5. Teshuvah (Repentance): Bring us back, our Father, to Your Torah; draw us near, our King, to Your service, and cause us to return to You in complete repentance.
   Blessed are You, Lord, who desires repentance.
6. Selichah (Forgiveness): Forgive us, our Father, for we have sinned; pardon us, our King, for we have transgressed, for You pardon and forgive.
   Blessed are You, Lord, the gracious One who abundantly forgives.
7. Geulah (Redemption): Behold our affliction, take up our grievance, and redeem us speedily for the sake of Your name, for You are a mighty Redeemer.
   Blessed are You, Lord, the Redeemer of Israel.
8. Refuah (Healing): Heal us, Lord, and we will be healed; save us, and we will be saved, for You are our praise. Bring complete healing for all our ailments, for You, God, King, are a faithful and compassionate Healer.
   Blessed are You, Lord, who heals the sick of His people Israel.
9. Birkat HaShanim (Blessing for the Year): Bless for us, Lord our God, this year and all its kinds of produce for good, and give a blessing upon the face of the earth. Satisfy us with Your goodness and bless our year like the best years.
   Blessed are You, Lord, who blesses the years.
10. Kibbutz Galuyot (Ingathering of Exiles): Sound the great shofar for our freedom, raise a banner to gather our exiles, and bring us together from the four corners of the earth.
    Blessed are You, Lord, who gathers the dispersed of His people Israel.
11. Hashivah Shofteinu (Restoration of Justice): Restore our judges as at first, and our counsellors as in the beginning; remove from us sorrow and sighing; and reign over us, You alone, O Lord, with kindness and compassion, with righteousness and justice.
12. Blessed are You, Lord, King who loves righteousness and justice.

Hashivah Shofteinu (Restoration of Justice):

12. Minim (Against Heretics): Let there be no hope for slanderers, and may all wickedness perish in an instant. May all Your enemies be swiftly cut off, and may You speedily uproot the dominion of arrogance, crush, and humble them in our days.
    Blessed are You, Lord, who breaks enemies and humbles the arrogant.

13. Tzadikim (For the Righteous): On the righteous, on the devout, on the elders of Your people, the House of Israel, on the remnant of their scholars, on the righteous converts, and on ourselves, may Your compassion be aroused, Lord our God. Grant a good reward to all who sincerely trust in Your name.
    Blessed are You, Lord, the support and trust of the righteous.

14. Binyan Yerushalayim (Rebuilding Jerusalem): Return in mercy to Jerusalem, Your city, and dwell in it as You have promised. Rebuild it soon in our days as an eternal structure and establish the throne of David within it.
    Blessed are You, Lord, the Builder of Jerusalem.

15. Malchut Beit David (Kingdom of David): May the offshoot of Your servant David speedily flourish, and may You raise his horn through Your salvation, for we hope for Your salvation all day long.
    Blessed are You, Lord, who causes the horn of salvation to flourish.

16. Shema Koleinu (Hearing Prayer): Hear our voice, Lord our God; have compassion and mercy upon us, and accept our prayer with mercy and favour, for You are a God who hears prayers and supplications.
    Blessed are You, Lord, who hears prayer.

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THANKSGIVING (17–19)

17. Avodah (Service): Be pleased, Lord our God, with Your people Israel and with their prayer. Restore the service to the inner sanctuary of Your house, and may the offerings of Israel and their prayer always be favourable to You.
    Blessed are You, Lord, who restores His presence to Zion.

18. Hoda’ah (Thanksgiving):We thank You, for You are the Lord our God and God of our fathers forever and ever. You are the Rock of our lives, the Shield of our salvation in every generation. We will thank You and recount Your praise for our lives, which are committed to Your hand, and for our souls, which are entrusted to You, and for Your miracles, which are with us daily, and for Your wonders and favours in every season.
    Blessed are You, Lord, to whom it is good to give thanks.

19. Sim Shalom (Granting Peace): Grant peace, goodness, and blessing, life, grace, kindness, and mercy upon us and upon all Israel, Your people. Bless us, our Father, all of us as one, with the light of Your face, for with the light of Your face You gave us, Lord our God, the Torah of life and lovingkindness, righteousness, blessing, mercy, life, and peace.
    Blessed are You, Lord, who blesses His people Israel with peace.

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IN SUMMARY

This is the Amidah in full—a powerful prayer that conveys the depth of Jewish faith, reliance on God, and devotion through every aspect of life.

Take time to study this prayer. Notice its structure: it begins with praise, moves into personal and communal petitions, and concludes with thanksgiving and peace. Reflect on how this framework could guide and enhance the focus and intentionality of your own prayer life.

I hope this inspires and helps you on your journey to deeper connection with God.

PRAYER OF DEVOTION

A Short Prayer to Accompany the Amidah

Heavenly Father,
You are the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the eternal covenant-keeping God. We come before You with hearts longing to connect, to align ourselves with Your will, and to draw nearer to Your presence. Teach us, Lord, to pray with purpose and depth, to offer You praise with sincerity, to bring our petitions boldly yet humbly, and to express thanksgiving with full hearts.

May the structure and beauty of the Amidah inspire us to approach You with reverence, honesty, and faith, knowing that You hear and respond to those who call upon Your name. Help us to see prayer not as a ritual, but as a sacred dialogue, binding us to You in trust and love.

Grant us understanding, forgiveness, and peace as we come before You. May our prayers echo through time, joining with those who have sought You across generations, lifting Your name high.

Blessed are You, Lord, the Rock of our salvation and the King of peace.

In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

Here are 5 questions for reflection based on the provided text about the Amidah prayer:

• How does the structure of the Amidah prayer—moving from praise to petitions to thanksgiving—compare to your own personal prayer practices, and what can you learn from this framework?
• The Amidah includes both personal and communal petitions. How do the petitions in the Amidah, such as those for forgiveness, redemption, healing, ingathering of exiles, and restoration of justice, resonate with your own concerns and hopes?
• The Amidah emphasises the importance of self-judgment and reflection. In what ways does this text challenge you to consider your own actions, intentions, and relationship with God?
• The text notes that the Amidah is rooted in scripture and historical practice, going as far back as Daniel. How does this historical context enrich your understanding of the power and purpose of prayer?
• The Amidah is described as a prayer that “joins” oneself to God and transcends boundaries. In what ways can you apply the principles and themes of this prayer to your daily life and use them to seek a deeper connection with God?

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Key Aspects of Tefillah:

1. Self-Judgment and Reflection:
   • The act of praying encourages introspection as the worshipper evaluates their life, actions, and intentions before God.
2. Structured and Spontaneous:
   • Tefillah can refer to formal, structured prayers such as the Amidah (עמידה), meaning “standing,” which is the central prayer of the Jewish liturgy. Observant Jews recite the Amidah at each of three daily prayer services in a typical weekday: morning, afternoon, and evening.
     • Shacharit (morning prayer)
     • Mincha (afternoon prayer)
     • Maariv (evening prayer)
   • This seems to be based on Daniel’s structured prayer life: “Daniel always prayed to God three times every day. Three times every day..I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed…toward Jerusalem…giving thanks” (Daniel 9:4–19).
   • Amidah, “standing” (see Ephesians 6:13–14), is defined as the structure of prayer times (three daily prayers). The physical posture (standing and facing Jerusalem) Daniel kneeled.
3. The themes of confession, supplication, and thanksgiving:
   • The Amidah, though rooted in Hebrew tradition and practice, serves as a powerful reminder to us as Christian believers that across millennia and cultures, believers who came before us are united by a shared practice that “joins” oneself to the one true God and the timeless act of prayer. It transcends boundaries, encompassing deeply personal and heartfelt prayers that align our hearts with God’s will. Rooted in scripture, the Amidah reflects the call to uphold and enforce God’s written judgements, as instructed in Psalm 149:6-9, where we are charged to wield the “high praises of God in our mouths” and enforce His Word as our foundation through agreement (2 Corinthians 1:20). This ancient practice echoes through history, binding us to a legacy of faithfulness, devotion, and the power of prayer.
   • Central Role in Worship:
     • Traditional tefillah includes blessings, praise, petitions, confession, and thanksgiving.
     • It is an essential part of faith life, often performed in the community but also practiced individually.
4. History & Origen:
   • The Amidah was formally composed by the “Men of the Great Assembly” (circa 5th century BCE), a group of Jewish sages traditionally said to include figures like Ezra and Nehemiah, but it was built on earlier prayer customs, including those exemplified in the Book of Daniel. Thus, Daniel’s example served as an important inspiration for Jewish prayer, including the Amidah.

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DEBBIE FRIEDMAN SINGS MI SHEBEIRACH