The Daily Service
Religious Studies: KS3, topic 1.2.22
Daily Service
Prayer in the daily service builds a person's relationship with the Hashem (‘the Name’ – used to refer to God). The prayers are taken from Psalms and describe the greatness of God. Praying as a community strengthens the bonds of the community.
Morning and night service
- During morning prayers men over the age of bar mitzvah (13 years) wear the tefillin.
- Married men will wear a tallit (a prayer shawl) - but in some communities, all men over 13 will wear one.
- Attached to each corner is the tzitzit (tassels on the prayer shawl) which remind Jews of the Mitzvot (commandments) and their duties to God.
- The night service begins with blessings and describes God in History as a redeemer.
The tefillin
- Tefillin are black boxes which are wrapped around the arm and head containing Torah paragraphs that deal with the past, present and future purpose of the Jewish people.
- The arm piece faces the heart and the headpiece is above the brain. This suggests that Jews must have an emotional and intellectual relationship with God.
The main prayer
- The main prayer of each service is a lengthy standing prayer made up of 19 Blessings that deal with different aspects of personal and communal life.
- The blessings include requests for healing, wealth, repentance, intelligence, justice, the rebuilding of the Temple and peace.
Prayer out of the synagogue
- Jews can also pray outside of the fixed times whenever they need to.
- These prayers can be in any language.
Test yourself on The Daily Service
What do most unmarried men over the age of bar mitzvah wear during morning prayers?
Which of the following is true of prayer in Judaism?
How many Blessings are in the main prayer?
As part of the daily service, why do Jews wear tefillin?
What is the purpose of the tzitzit attached to the corners of the tallit?