captives, and delivers the afflicted; he helps the poor, and answers his people whenever they cry to him. Praised be the supreme God; be he ever blessed.
Moses and the children of Israel sang a song to thee with great joy; all of them said:
“Who is like thee, O Lord, among the mighty?
Who is like thee, glorious in holiness,
Awe-inspiring in renown, doing wonders?"[1]
The redeemed people sang a new song of praise to thy name at the seashore; they all, in unison, gave thanks and proclaimed thy sovereignty, and said:
“The Lord shall reign forever and ever."[2]
Stronghold of Israel, arise to the help of Israel; deliver Judah and Israel, as thou hast promised. Our Redeemer, thou art the Lord of hosts, the Holy One of Israel. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who hast redeemed Israel.
SHEMONEH ESREH[3]
The Shemoneh Esreh is recited in silent devotion while standing, facing east.
The Reader repeats the Shemoneh Esreh aloud when a minyan holds service.
O Lord, open thou my lips, that my mouth may declare thy praise.[4]
Blessed art thou, Lord our God and God of our fathers,[5] God of Abraham, God of Isaac and God of Jacob; great, mighty and revered God, sublime God, who bestowest lovingkindness, and art Master of all things; who rememberest the good deeds of our fathers, and who wilt graciously bring a redeemer to their children’s children for the sake of thy name.
- ↑ Exodus 15:11
- ↑ Exodus 15:18
- ↑ שמונה עשרה is spoken of in the Talmud as Tefillah, the prayer par excellence, on account of its importance and its antiquity. According to tradition, it was drawn up by the men of the Great Assembly. Originally, the Shemoneh Esreh consisted of eighteen blessings; in its present form, however, there are nineteen. The addition of the paragraph concerning the slanderers was made toward the end of the first century at the direction of of Rabban Gamaliel II, head of the Sanhedrin of Yabneh. The Talmud offers a variety of reasons fo the number eighteen. It corresponds to the eighteen times God is mentioned in Psalm 29 as well as in the Shema. The three patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are mentioned eighteen times in the Bible. This number also corresponds to the eighteen vertebrae of the spinal column (Berakhoth 28b).
Because it is recited in a standing posture, the Shemoneh Esreh is now generally known as the Amidah, a name which accurately describes this prayer for Sabbaths and festivals, when it includes only seven blessings. The Reader repeats this principal prayer aloud for the benefit of those who cannot read it for themselves.
The nineteen benedictions of the Amidah are designated in the Talmud as follows: 1) אבות; 2) גבורות; 3) קדושת השם; 4) בינה; 5) תשובה; 6) סליחה; 7) גאולה; 8) רפואה; 9) ברכת השנים; 10); קבוץ גליות 11); ברכת משפט; 12) ברכת המינים 13); ברכת צדיקים; 14) ברכת ירושלים; 15) ברכת דוד; 16) תפלה; 17) עבודה; 18) הודאה; 19) ברכת כהנים. - ↑ Psalm 51:17
- ↑ אבות, the first benediction naming the three patriarchs, contains phrases from Exodus 3:15; Deuteronomy 10:17; Genesis 14:19; 15:1.
