The Amidah is Judaism’s most formal prayer. It’s also referred to as the Shemoneh Esrei (Hebrew for the number 18) as the weekday version originally contained eighteen parts.
Composed by the Anshay Kneses HaGedolah in the early years of Bayis Sheni it has been continually recited at least three times a day since then. This makes it the oldest continually recited formal prayer in Human history.
This prayer is both the foundation and centre-point of all Jewish prayer services. There are several challenges of reciting this prayer with devotion; preventing it from become a by-rote experience.
This series is designed to give a greater understanding as to why it’s formulated the way it is, what it means, how to focus on its messages and how to interpret its themes in terms of our daily lives and individual needs. When one has a deeper appreciation of these ideas it will make this tefillah come to life every day.
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