Messianic Congregation Shema Yisrael Boise Idaho Articles Lessons in Prayer: Why Pray with a Siddur?
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Lessons in Prayer: Why Pray with a Siddur?
by James Pyles
Update: This is the first of a series of articles on the topic of prayer, or "Service of the Heart".
I was inspired to write this article when I read Hosea 2:21-22:
I will betroth you to Me forever; and I will betroth you to Me with righteousness, with justice, with kindness, and with mercy; and I will betroth you to Me with fidelity, and you will know HaShem.
This of course, is the Almighty speaking to the Children of Israel (and I believe also to those of us grafted in to the root of Jesse) through the Prophet Hosea. Comforting words that should be familiar to any believer belonging to the body of the Messiah, but what do these words have to do with praying using a siddur (Hebrew Prayer book)? The association isn't apparent on the surface. I pray using these words six days a week...I just didn't know they were from the Bible until yesterday. Let me explain.
Both in Shabbat and weekday prayer, I use the Complete Artscroll Siddur (Sefard). In fact, as I work through the structure of prayer used by our congregation, unless otherwise stated, all examples will be from this siddur.
During my morning and afternoon prayers, I don my tallit gadol (large prayer shawl) and both head and arm tefillin (another article in and of itself). There are many different traditions as to how to "lay" tefillin (the pattern of binding the arm tefillin) but they all have one thing in common; the final part involves wrapping the strap around the middle finger, symbolizing putting on a "wedding ring" (think "Bride of Messiah"). It's at this time that I recite Hosea 2:21-22 as written in my siddur before beginning to daven (pray)
When I read the passage from Hosea and realized that it was part of the blessings of donning tefillin, I began to ponder just how many of the prayers I recite in individual prayer and our congregation recites in corporate prayer actually are from scripture. I considered somewhat ironically the occasional rebuke we receive from traditional Christianity about how our prayers are lifeless and without spirit because they do not "come from the heart" (extemporaneous prayer).
I decided to do a little research and present the results here for anyone who wants to study and discuss this issue (I am available via ). I'll begin with the blessings of donning tzitzit and tefillin and then launch into the prayers our congregation uses on the Shabbat (traditionally tzitzit are worn both in Shabbat and weekday prayer but one only lays tefillin on weekdays). I have to admit, I learned a few things in doing the research for this article and I hope others will be enlightened as well.
Recalling the Artscroll siddur I previously referenced, the prayers for donning tzitzit start on page 3. The basis for these prayers are Numbers 15:37-40:
HaShem said to Moses saying: "Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them that they shall make themselves tzitzit on the corners of their garments, throughout their generations (forever). And they shall place upon the tzitzit of each corner a thread of techelet (a blue thread). It shall constitute tzitzit for you, that you may see it and remember all the commandments of HaShem and perform them; and not explore after your heart and after your eyes after which you stray. So that you may remember and perform all My commandments and be holy to your G-d".
The blessings of donning tefillin begin on page 5 of the Artscroll siddur and have their basis in the following scriptures: Exodus 13:9, 13:16, Deut 11:18, and Hosea 2:21-22. To quote Deut 11:18:
You shall place these words of Mine upon your heart and upon your soul; you shall bind them for a sign upon your arm and let them be an ornament between your eyes.
The first two prayers (they're songs, actually) that are said upon entering the synagogue on the morning of Shabbat are on page 15 of our siddur: Mah Tovu (How goodly are your tents...) from Numbers 25:5 and Adon Olam (Master of the Universe) written by the 11th century paytan (liturgical poet) R' Shlomo ibin Babrial recalling Genesis 15:2 in part:
And Abram said, "My L-rd HaShem/Elohim..."
From Berachos 7b:
This is an unusual combination of Divine Names. Abraham addressed G-d as my L-rd, indicating complete obedience and acknowledgment of His mastery, and the Sages comment that he was the first person ever to refer to G-d as "Adon" (Master)...
Next, we sing Ani Ma'amin. In English this is rendered as:
I trust with complete trust (perfect faith) in the coming of the Messiah and even though he may delay, nevertheless everyday I anticipate that he will come.
Ani Ma'amin is a prosaic rendition of Maimonides' (Moses ben Maimon) 13 Articles of Faith. It is based on his Mishnah commentary to tractate Sanhedrin, however whenever I sing this statement of faith, I recall the Parable of the Ten Virgins from Matthew 25:1-13. The wise virgins kept oil for their lamps as they went out to meet the bridegroom (Yeshua) while the foolish ones did not. Another way of saying this is that the wise virgins trusted "with complete trust in the coming of the Messiah..."
Our next prayer is Meezmore L'David which is a Hebrew rendition of Psalm 23 put to music (and after all, didn't David put them to music as well?
On page 15 of the siddur, we sing the Yigdal which in English begins "Exalted be the Living G-d and praised..." The Yigdal is also based on the 13 Articles of Faith written by Maimonides. Along with Adon Olam (Master of the Universe) it is most often recited to honor the Almighty at the beginning of synagogue services. More on the Yigdal including the complete prayer in English can be found at JewishVirtualLibrary.org.
Yedid Nefesh (Beloved of the Soul) is on page 59 of our siddur and is a wonderful poem written by the 16th Century kabbalist Rabbi Elazar Azkari, the author of Sefer Charedim. His philosophy centred around the intense love one must feel for G-d. The first letters of each of the four verses make up the four letter name of God, known by some as the tetragrammaton (Yod Hay Vav Hay). The song is fairly short and I'm sure you would like to see the English translation of the lyrics.
Pages 419-423 of the siddur contain the Hallel Hagadol (the Great Praise) which is Psalm 136.
Shoken Od on page 441 begins "He who abides forever, exalted and holy is His name..." and is another beautiful praise.
At this time, we recite the Chazi Kaddish (literally the half-kaddish) found on page 443. The Kaddish is an important and central prayer in a traditional Hebraic synagogue service. This responsive prayer's main theme is the magnification and sanctification of the name of the Almighty. In the liturgy, the Kaddish is used functionally as a separator between various sections of the service. In this case, we recite the Chazi Kaddish just before the Barchu or the blessing that opens our formal worship. The opening words of this prayer are inspired by Ezekiel 38:23; a vision of God becoming great in the eyes of all the nations.
Once the Shofar has been sounded and the Barchu has been said, we move to the Blessings of the Shema and the Shema itself, which is considered the most holy prayer in Judaism.
"Hear O' Israel, the L-rd our G-d, the L-rd is One..." are the first words of the Shema and this prayer is the centerpiece of all morning and evening prayer services, announcing that there is only one G-d (and not many) over all Creation. Its main content is loving the one G-d with all one's heart, soul and might and is largely taken from Deut 6:4-9, 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37-41. Find out more about the Shema at Judaism 101.
Pages 457-467 of the siddur contain the Shemoneh Esrei or Amidah, also known as the Eighteen Standing Benedictions. This is the central prayer in Jewish liturgy. Observant Jews recite the Amidah each morning, afternoon, and evening. The Amidah is also the center of the Mussaf (Additional") service, which is recited on Shabbat. In fact, the Amidah is slightly different on the Shabbat than on weekdays, adding passages specifically recognizing the holiness of the set apart day. The main component prayers of the Shabbat Amidah are as follows:
- Patriarchs
- G-d's Might
- Holiness of the Name
- Kedushah (set apart through holiness)
- Holiness of the Day (Shabbat)
- Temple Service
- Thanksgiving (Modim)
- The Priestly Blessing (from Num 6:23-27)
- Peace (Shalom)
After the Amidah has concluded, on pages 469-471, we recite the Full Kaddish (see above). We then recite the Song of the Day which is Psalm 92. The final part of our prayer service is to recite the Mourner's Kaddish is there is anyone among us commemorating the loss of a loved one (yartzeit).
Why do we do this? What's wrong with extemporaneous prayer? What do we get out of reciting prayer by rote, Shabbat after Shabbat? Interesting questions. I consulted Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin's book To Pray as a Jew seeking a traditional Jewish answer. On pages 8 and 9 of the Preface, I found the following two quotes:
The siddur is a vast repository of all the principles of Jewish faith, a record of both the great victories and tragic defeats Israel has known in its long history. It is a testimony of the aspirations and the hopes of the Jewish people throughout time. It is a witness to the ethical and moral heights to which Jewry aspired and attained. It is a reminder of laughter and gaiety, of celebration and rejoicing, as well as of sorrow and grief, of mourning and bemoaning that takes place in the life of the individual as in the life of an entire people. The siddur provides insights into daily Jewish living as well as into all the special occasions and festivals in the Jewish calendar. It contains Biblical passages that date as far back as 3300 years; prayers composed by the Sages as long as 2500 years ago. While most of the prayers are hallowed by their Biblical and Talmudic origins, there will also be found some that have been written since.
The siddur is study as well as prayer. It is moral instruction and ethical guidance as well as pleas for personal needs. It emphasizes man's duties as well as his rights. It is the record par excellence of Israel's relationship with G-d.
I found the next passage particularly interesting.
People unfamiliar with the siddur see it as a forest of words in which they feel lost, encountering page after page of endless, seemingly repetiltive passages. If this is not enough to frighten someone who lacks the compass of a Jewish education, certainly it can bore and make one feel deeply uncomfortable in the synagogue. There are surely countless Jews who stay away from the synagogue only because they feel so utterly lost when they get there, neither knowing what to do with the book in their hands nor being able to follow the ritual of the service. Many who would like to pray simply don't know how. Unfamiliarity in this case may even encourage a display of indifference or the flaunting of disbelief.
Rabbi Donin is a traditional Jewish Rabbi and educator who is speaking to traditional Jewish people. What does this have to say to the Messianic movement which is largely made up of non-Jewish people and Jews who didn't have the benefit of the education Rabbi Donin mentions?
Even secular Jews raised in culturally Jewish households have had some sort of exposure to using a siddur. For those of us coming from completely outside a Jewish and Hebraic environment (myself included), what is the attraction to using a siddur in prayer? Are we just faking it; adopting practices that make us superficially appear Jewish but not having the faintest idea what they mean?
I can't speak for other people or other synagogues but the decision, both personal and corporate, to adopt liturgical prayer and the Artscroll siddur in worship was long and carefully considered. For the Jewish members of our congregation, the siddur represents a link to their rabbinically Jewish brothers and sisters as well as a connection to the history and heritage of being Jewish. Each of the prayers in the siddur were written by Biblical and post-Biblical Jews as an expression of their love and devotion to the G-d of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. What observant Jew, Messianic or otherwise, wouldn't want to pray with a siddur?
For the Gentile worshipers, using a siddur reminds us of the source of our faith; the Jewish Messiah Yeshua who we claim as L-rd and Master of our lives, who also prayed as a Jew, sang the Song of Moses just as we will one day sing the Song of the Lamb. Both Jewish and Gentile limbs connected to that Olive Tree; that root of Jesse, are nourished by the same lifegiving blood; the blood of the Lamb of G-d. The prayers in the siddur are the prayers of the people of G-d. To pray them is to pray using the words of Moses, David, and many other prophets and tzadikim (righteous people) of old.
These prayers are far from lifeless and spiritless. They remind us each day to love and worship G-d and not to just pray to Him about our wants and our pains. The siddur holds prayers thanking the Almighty for our lives when we wake up in the morning and prayers of faith that he will sustain us as we go to sleep at night. We pray for our children and our parents. We thank G-d for giving us food and satisfying our every need. We elevate His name above all names and we cry out to Him in distress when it seems all hope is lost. The siddur is an appointment book that tells us we are expected to show up and talk with our Creator in the morning, in the evening and before going to bed. I'm thankful that I don't have to rely on my own human memory and motivations to know when to pray. A loving and compassionate G-d has done that for me.
Extemporaneous prayer is not discouraged or considered undesirable. We are not boxed in to some formula that limits our access to the Almighty and what we can talk to Him about. The tradition of our congregation on Shabbat is that before reciting the "G-d's Might" portion of the Amidah, each person among us is encouraged to petition the Almighty and present their needs and their pains. Before reciting the "Thanksgiving" part of the Amidah, everyone is encouraged to offer praises and thanksgivings for what our G-d has done for us in His mercy and graciousness. No, we aren't locked into a formula rather, we are given an outline on how to pray. Even the disciples of Yeshua asked how they should pray as recorded in Luke 11:1:
One time Yeshua was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of the talmidim (disciples) said to him, "Sir, teach us how to pray, just as Yochanan (John) taught his talmidim".
Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:1-4 record what most people know as "The L-rd's Prayer". While liturgical prayer may feel awkward at first, as you practice this way of worshiping more and more, you begin to feel the connection both with the body of the Messiah past and present and with the Almighty and our L-rd and Messiah Yeshua. He taught his disciples and us how to pray as did all the prophets and teachers.
Do I need a siddur to pray? Do I need a tallit gadol and tefillin? Am I afraid that the Almighty won't pay attention unless I use these objects in prayer? No, of course not. How many of us pray at all different times and in all different circumstances? I'm not limited to praying three times a day. G-d is availabe at all times. Yet, like the moadim (festivals) and the Shabbat, there are certain special times in the day when the Almighty calls us into His presence. According to His powerful Word the Bible, He expects us on those occasions to "dress for the part".
The next entry in this series is Lessons in Prayer: Draw Your Servant to Your Will.
Sources
The Complete Artscroll Siddur (Artscroll Mesorah Series)
Author: Nosson Scherman
Format: Hardcover, 1043 pages
Publisher: Artscroll; 3rd edition (June 1989)
ISBN-10: 089906650X
ISBN-13: 978-0899066509To Pray As a Jew: A Guide to the Prayer Book and the Synagogue Service
Author: Hayim Halevy Donin
Format: Paperback, 384 pages
ISBN-10: 0465086330
ISBN-13: 978-0465086337JewishVirtualLibrary.org: Yigdal
Synagogue Guidelines for a Quiet Davening
