(lit. the "standing [prayer]"). Central element in every prayer service, recited while standing with one's feet together. It is also referred to in the Talmud as Ha-Tefillah, "the Prayer" par excellence. Ideally, it is said with a prayer quorum (Minyan), but must be recited regardless of whether or not a minyan is available. According to the rabbis, three daily Amidah prayers were instituted as replacements for the daily Temple offerings (Ber. 26b). The text, ascribed to "the Men of the Great Synagogue" (Great Assembly), was finalized after the Temple's destruction, traditionally in the days of Rabban Gamaliel II (Meg. 17b). The term Amidah itself appears to have originated in the Zohar.
The Amidah comprises a framework of three preliminary Benedictions known collectively as Shevaḥ ("Praise") and three concluding blessings known as Hoda'ah ("Thanks"), with a central portion that varies according to the specific occasion and service. The first three benedictions consist of (1) Avot ("Patriarchs"), recalling Israel's ancestors and praising the God of history; (2) Gevurot ("Mighty Deeds"), alluding to God's saving power as the Master of life, with a reference in the winter months to His bestowal of Rain (during the summer months, the Sephardi, Ḥasidic, and all Israeli rites substitute a reference to Dew); and (3) Kedushat ha-Shem ("the Holiness of God's Name"), a benediction which, during the High Holidays, is expanded considerably.
The last three benedictions of the Amidah are (1) Avodah ("Temple Service"), a petition for the Temple worship and offerings to be restored (on New Moons and the intermediate days of Pilgrim Festivals, Ya'Aleh Ve-Yavo is inserted here); (2) Hoda'ah ("Thanksgiving"), an expression of gratitude for God's bounty (on ḥanukkah and Purim, Al Ha-Nissim is added to thank God for His miraculous deliverance on those occasions); and (3) Birkat ha-Shalom, a concluding plea for "the Blessing of Peace." The Amidah is phrased throughout in the first person plural, indicating that these are the prayers of all Israel. It concludes with Elohai netsor ("God guard [my tongue from evil]"), a prayer formulated in the singular and based on one composed by Mar bar Ravina (cf. Ber. 18a), a Babylonian amora of the fourth century CE. Here the worshiper requests God's help in not harming or being harmed by others.
The usual weekday Amidah, recited at the Morning, Afternoon, and Evening Services, contains 13 further benedictions in the middle section, which, with the "framework," give a total of 19 blessings. Originally, there were only 12 benedictions in this section, hence the Amidah's popular title of Shemoneh Esreh, "the [prayer of] Eighteen Benedictions." Although a 19th blessing (the Birkat Ha-Minim) was added when the Amidah text was standardized, this prayer is still referred to as the Shemoneh Esreh.
The 13 middle blessings or petitions of the weekday Amidah consist of (1) Da'at or Binah ("Insight"), acknowledging God's gift of discernment to man; (2) Teshuvah ("Repentance"), asking Him to influence man to repent; (3) Seliḥah ("Forgiveness"), requesting His pardon for man's sins; (4) Ge'ulah ("Redemption"), beseeching God's deliverance of Israel from oppression; (5) Refu'ah ("Healing"), in which He is asked to relieve the sick (provision is also made here for those so wishing to recite a private prayer for one who is ill); (6) Birkat ha-Shanim ("Seasonal Blessing"), a prayer for a bountiful food crop (in the winter, a special request is added for rain); (7) Kibbuts Galuyyot ("Ingathering of Exiles"), a plea for God to "sound the great shofar" and restore all Jews to the Land of Israel; (8) Hashavat Mishpat or Din ("Justice"), asking Him to restore Israel's ancient judicial system; (9) Birkat ha-Minim ("Against Heretics"), the blessing added after all the rest, which begs God to humble the wicked and foil the plans of those slanderers who would do Israel harm; (10) Al ha-Tsaddikim ("For the Righteous"), invoking His compassionate regard for all the House of Israel; (11) Binyan Yerushalayim ("Rebuilding Jerusalem"), a prayer for the Holy City (on Tishah Be-Av, a special passage [Naḥem] amplifying this request is added in the Afternoon Service Amidah); (12) Mashi'ah ("Messiah") or Malkhut Bet David ("Davidic Kingdom"), expressing the hope for messianic deliverance; and (13) Kabbalat Tefillah ("Acceptance of Prayer"), a general plea that God may hear and answer all requests (provision is made in this blessing for those who may wish to offer prayers of their own to God).
Except for the Additional Service on Rosh Ha-Shanah (the New Year), all Sabbath and festival Amidah prayers, as well as the Additional Service on New Moons, have only one extra blessing in addition to the six "framework" benedictions, giving a total of seven. This central blessing, Kedushat ha-Yom ("Holiness of the Day"), alludes to the special occasion on which it is recited. In the case of the Additional Service, this central blessing quotes a biblical verse indicating the additional Sacrifices and Offerings brought on that day when the Temple stood.
Diverging from the standard Amidah pattern of either 19 or 7 benedictions is the Additional Service Amidah of the New Year, which contains three central blessings, i.e., nine altogether. These three central blessings are known as Malkhuyyot ("Sovereignty"), Zikhronot ("Remembrance"), and Shofarot (verses on the blowing of the shofar or ram's horn). After the seventh benediction of the Day of Atonement Amidah, an elaborate viddu'i (Confession of Sins) is introduced.
It is customary to take three steps back and then three steps forward prior to reciting the Amidah, and to do the same at its conclusion, when one also bows three times (to the left, right, and front). This gesture symbolizes the worshiper's approach toward and subsequent departure from God's throne. During the first and second from last blessings, it is customary to bend the knees and bow.
When prayers are held with a minyan, the silent Amidah (except that of the Evening Service) is followed by ḥazarat ha-shats, a repetition of the prayer aloud by the congregational reader. The origin of this practice goes back to the days when some were unable to pray, the reader therefore undertaking to repeat it on their behalf. During the third blessing of the repetition, Kedushah is chanted responsively. In the penultimate benediction, as the reader recites Modim, congregants read a parallel passage. In the Morning and Additional Services, and in the Afternoon Service on fast days, the reader's repetition includes the Priestly Blessing. In Diaspora communities, this Priestly Blessing is normally chanted by the priests when the Additional Service Amidah is repeated on the Day of Atonement, as well as on the New Year and pilgrim festivals when these do not coincide with a Sabbath. In Israel, however, priests recite it at both Morning and Additional Services on all Sabbaths and festivals; in Jerusalem, the Priestly Blessing is chanted daily.
The New Encyclopedia of Judaism. Copyright © 1989, 2002 by G.G. The Jerusalem Publishing House, Ltd. All rights reserved.
