Highlights of Shabbat Service

Much of the information on this page is based on content found at myjewishlearning.com, chabad.org, and jewishvirtuallibrary.org

• Shacharit are morning prayers, which include blessings for putting on tzitzit (braided fringes on the tallit, or prayer shawl), expressing gratitude for the new day and Shabbat, and preparing us for prayer.

• Shema constitutes a central part of each morning and evening Jewish prayer service.  It is found in the Torah in Deuteronomy.  The first line of the Shema, “Hear O' Israel, the L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is One”, is considered by many to be the most essential declaration of the Jewish faith.  It is not a supplication to G-d, but rather an affirmation of the unity of G-d and the monotheistic essence of Judaism.

• The Amidah (“Standing Prayer”) is the core of Jewish worship.  It is sometimes referred to as HaTefillah, or “The Prayer.”  It literally means “standing,” and refers to a series of blessings recited while standing.  It is also known as "Shemoneh Esrei", meaning 18, because it originally consisted of 18 blessings.  Today, the weekday Amidah contains 19 blessings, and the Shabbat Amidah contains seven.  On Shabbat, there are some variations in the Amidah that differ from the recitation on other days of the week.  On Shabbat morning, the entire middle section describes Moses receiving the Ten Commandments followed by the verses from the book of Exodus that describe the observance of Shabbat as a sign of the covenant between G-d and the Jewish people. 

• Torah Service.  Following the Shema and the Amidah is a transition from prayer to study.  The primary study text is the Torah – the Five Books of Moses, which is written on the parchment of the Torah scrolls by a specially trained scribe.

  • • The Torah is divided into weekly portions, according to a prescribed calendar, so that the entire Torah is read in the span of one year.

    • When the Torah scroll is removed from or returned to the ark, it is carried in a procession around the synagogue, accompanied by song, to show the love and reverence in which Jews hold its teachings.  Using either the corner of one's tallis or their prayer book, congregants kiss the Torah as it is carried around.

    • The Torah reader must learn the Torah portion so well that he or she can chant it accurately without relying on vowels, punctuation, or trope; which are all absent from the Torah scroll. The melodies in the prescribed cantillation system (trope) facilitate the learning process by providing proper parsing.

    • The Bar Mitzvah child delivers a D’var Torah, or sermon, that comments on the weekly Torah reading.

    • The weekly Torah portion is read in seven sections.  Each division of the reading provides an opportunity to honor a member of the congregation or a guest by calling him or her up to the bimah to recite the blessings.  This is known as “receiving an Aliyah,” that is, “being called up” to the Torah.

    • At the conclusion of the Torah reading, two people are called to lift up (hagbah) and wrap and tie (g'lilah) the Torah scroll. The lifting displays the open Torah scroll to the congregation, showing symbolically that the Torah is an open book and belongs to everyone.

• Haftarah.  A Bar/Bat Mitzvah child frequently chants a Haftarah, which is a portion from Nevi'im (Prophets).  The Haftarah, which means, “concluding teaching”, is paired with the Torah portion for that Shabbat because it is thematically linked.

• Musaf consists of additional prayers emphasizing the uniqueness of Shabbat. After the opening blessings of praise, the central section of the Shabbat Musaf begins with a prayer for a return to the Holy Land and the restoration of the Temple.  It then describes the additional sacrifice offered on the Sabbath.  The final part is a prayer attesting to the joyous nature of Shabbat.

• Mourner's Kaddish.  Although there is no mention of death in this prayer, the Kaddish is recited at the end of all worship services by family members who have lost a loved one in the past year or who are observing the anniversary of a death in years past. Despite sorrow and pain, the mourner rises to declare continuing commitment in praising G-d's name, to which we all respond, “Amen.”