Morning prayer is like a ladder that a person ascends to strengthen their connection with God and develop their sensitivity to spiritual matters. After this "recharging of batteries," a person is equipped to deal with the difficulties and challenges of the day.
The morning prayer (called Shacharit, meaning morning) is performed between sunrise and noon; the earlier, the better. It lasts between half an hour and an hour.
Before this prayer, a series of blessings and prayers are recited, aimed at acknowledging God's kindness in giving us a new day. Shacharit can be divided into several steps:
1) A very ancient prayer is recited (Hodu...) whose theme is the recognition of God as Lord of the Universe and the acceptance of observing His commands.
2) The "Verses of Praise" are a series of psalms whose objective is to awaken an emotional connection with God by becoming aware of His wonderful deeds.
3) The "Shema Israel" is itself a Mitzvah, and is in the middle of the prayer to stop and contemplate the greatness and uniqueness of God.
4) The "Amida" is when the person is standing in front of God and asks Him for all their needs.
5) The closing of Shacharit depends on the day; most days prayers of supplication are recited, other days the Torah is read, and other days there is an additional Amidah prayer.
Before Shacharit, I take time to prepare myself by performing Hibodedut, singing, and reflecting on my daily problems and the greatness of His mercy. When I begin my daily prayers, I grow spiritually stronger.
Very good! That's what prayer is all about. One could recite the words, even from memory, but it is the preparation and meditation that generate a feeling of love and awe of God.
Greetings!
Thank you, Rabbi. Please clarify the times for prayers and Mincha. What are their schedules? Also, what about Maariv? Is it permissible to perform Tikkun HaKlali at night?.
BLESSED IS HASHEM FOREVER.
I would like to know the steps and blessings recited during the morning blessings. Is there a Sefer you can recommend besides the Bircat Shelomo Siddur?.
I AM A BEGINNER IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE BLESSED TORAH OF HASEM.
B"H
Hello, that siddur has the morning blessings and the rest of the prayers. I don't know if it includes instructions, but it's certainly a good book to start praying and learning about Judaism.
You can also study the original text of the Torah, the midrashim, etc., see in http://www.bneisholem,com.ar.
Greetings!
Good morning, Rabbi. I have a question. I say the morning blessing after washing my hands and then Shacharit. However, sometimes I have to get up earlier to take the children to school, but it's still dark and I don't have enough time. Can I say the morning prayer while it's still dark, exercise, shower and get dressed, and then say Shacharit before leaving? Would that be correct?
I use the Siddur Tehilat Hashem. Thank you!
B"H
Hi Jose,
To answer your question, it's necessary to understand how time works in Halakha, Jewish law. Our sages measure time based on the hours of daylight and darkness. In short, the most important times to consider are:
1. Alot haShajar: the dawn, that is, when the first ray of sunlight is seen on the horizon, even before seeing the sun itself.
2. MisheIakir: the moment when there is enough light to recognize a moderately familiar person from a distance of two meters.
3. Netz haJama: the sunrise, when the sun itself begins to be seen on the horizon.
4. Shkiat haJama: the sunset.
5. Tzet haCojavím: the appearance of 3 medium-sized stars, neither large nor small, in the night sky.
Halachically, the day begins at Alot haShachar. For example, on a public fast day (excluding Yom Kippur and Tisha B'Av), the fast begins at this time.
There are many opinions on how to count the hours. In Chabad, the hours of the day are counted from Netz HaJama to Shkiat HaJama. This means that we take the daylight hours between these two times and divide them into 12 portions, calling each portion "an hour," regardless of the number of minutes it contains; it can be more or less than 60 minutes, depending on the season.
The prayer should begin at MisheIakir, which is the time when one may put on a tallit and tefillin. In a case of force majeure, one may begin at Alot HaShachar.
The time limit for reciting the Shema Yisrael is until the third halakhic hour (starting to count from Netz haChama, as explained above) and the time limit for prayer is until the fourth hour, in a case of force majeure, until halakhic noon (i.e., the sixth hour, or when the sun is just perpendicular to the earth, the true "noon").
Depending on your location and the time of year, these times vary. I recommend finding a calendar where you can enter your coordinates and/or city to obtain the halakhic times and answer your question. Here's one option: http://www.es.chabad.org/calendar/location_cdo/aid/384845/jewish/Da.htm
I hope that was clear.
Greetings!!!
SHALOM Master, I'm looking for guidance on how to begin the Shacharit prayer. I'm confused because it seems very long. Should I write a new sheet each day? I understand that the Shema should be included in the middle of the prayer. Is that correct? Thank you in advance. Baruch Hashem.