Priestly BlessingThe Priestly Blessing or priestly benediction, (ברכת כהנים; translit. birkat kohanim), also known in rabbinic literature as raising of the hands (Hebrew nesiat kapayim) or rising to the platform (Hebrew aliyah ledukhan) or dukhanen (Yiddish from the Hebrew word dukhan – platform – because the blessing is given from a raised rostrum) or duchanning, is a Hebrew prayer recited by Kohanim (the Hebrew Priests, descendants of Aaron). The text of the blessing is found in Numbers .
Yom KippurYom Kippur (ˌjɒm_kɪˈpʊər,_ˌjɔːm_ˈkɪpər,_ˌjoʊm-; יוֹם כִּפּוּר, Yōm Kippūr, ˈjom kiˈpuʁ, Day of Atonement) is the holiest day in Judaism and Samaritanism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, corresponding to a secular date in September or early October. Primarily centered on atonement and repentance, the day's main observances consist of full fasting and ascetic behavior accompanied by long prayer services in synagogue, as well as sin confessions. Yom Kippur is the only day when fasting is permitted on Shabbat.
TallitA tallit is a fringed garment worn as a prayer shawl by religious Jews. The tallit has special twined and knotted fringes known as tzitzit attached to its four corners. The cloth part is known as the beged ("garment") and is usually made from wool or cotton, although silk is sometimes used for a tallit gadol. The term is, to an extent, ambiguous. It can refer either to the tallit katan ("small tallit") item that can be worn over or under clothing and commonly referred to as "tzitzit", or to the tallit gadol ("big tallit") Jewish prayer shawl worn over the outer clothes during the morning prayers (Shacharit) and worn during all prayers on Yom Kippur.
Rosh HashanahRosh HaShanah (רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, Rōʾš hašŠānā, literally "head of the year") is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (יוֹם תְּרוּעָה, Yōm Tərūʿā, lit. "day of shouting/blasting"). It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days (יָמִים נוֹרָאִים, Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm, "Days of Awe"), as specified by Leviticus 23:23–25, that occur in the late summer/early autumn of the Northern Hemisphere. Rosh Hashanah begins a ten-day period of penitence culminating in Yom Kippur, as well as beginning the cycle of autumnal religious festivals running through Sukkot and ending in Shemini Atzeret.
List of Jewish prayers and blessingsListed below are some Hebrew prayers and blessings that are part of Judaism that are recited by many Jews. Most prayers and blessings can be found in the Siddur, or prayer book. This article addresses Jewish liturgical blessings, which generally begin with the formula: Transliteration: Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam... Translation: "Blessed are You, our God, King of the universe..." In the transliterations below, ' is used to refer to the sh'vah, which is similar/equivalent to ə; a mid-word aleph, a glottal stop; and a mid-word ayin, a voiced pharyngeal fricative ʕ similar/equivalent to Arabic ع.
High Holy DaysIn Judaism, the High Holy Days, also known as High Holidays or Days of Awe (Yamim Noraim, יָמִים נוֹרָאִים, Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm) consist of: strictly, the holidays of Rosh HaShanah ("Jewish New Year") and Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement"); by extension, the period of ten days including those holidays, known also as the Ten Days of Repentance (Aseret Yemei Teshuvah); or, by a further extension, the entire 40-day penitential period in the Jewish year from Rosh Chodesh Elul to Yom Kippur, traditionally taken to repres
Kedushah (prayer)Kedushah (Holiness) is the name of several prayers recited during Jewish prayer services. They have in common the recitation of two Biblical verses - and . These verses come from prophetic visions in which angels sing the verses, "Holy, Holy, Holy" as praises to God. There exist several variations of the Kedushah, which appear in different contexts and have different laws. The best-known Kedushah is recited in the Amidah. Another is recited in the Yotzer ohr blessing, and a third (known as Kedushah d'sidra) is recited on various occasions including the conclusion of weekday Shacharit.
Ta'anitA ta'anit or ta'anis (Mishnaic Hebrew: תענית) is a fast in Judaism in which one abstains from all food and drink, including water. A Jewish fast may have one or more purposes, including: Atonement for sins: Fasting is not considered the primary means of acquiring atonement; rather, sincere regret for and rectification of wrongdoing is key. Nevertheless, fasting is conducive to atonement, for it tends to precipitate contrition. Therefore, the Bible requires fasting on Yom Kippur.
HaftaraThe haftara or (in Ashkenazic pronunciation) haftorah (alt. haftarah, haphtara, הפטרה) "parting," "taking leave" (plural form: haftarot or haftoros), is a series of selections from the books of Nevi'im ("Prophets") of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) that is publicly read in synagogue as part of Jewish religious practice. The haftara reading follows the Torah reading on each Sabbath and on Jewish festivals and fast days. Typically, the haftara is thematically linked to the parashah (weekly Torah portion) that precedes it.
TachanunTachanun or Taḥanun (תחנון "Supplication"), also called nefilat apayim (נפילת אפיים "falling on the face"), is part of Judaism's morning (Shacharit) and afternoon (Mincha) services, after the recitation of the Amidah, the central part of the daily Jewish prayer services. It is also recited at the end of the Selichot service. It is omitted on Shabbat, Jewish holidays and several other occasions (e.g., in the presence of a groom in the week after his marriage). Most traditions recite a longer prayer on Mondays and Thursdays.
