JUDAISM - synagogue services

Question 1

3 names of services

Answer 1

• night Ma’ariv - Jacob
• morning Shacharit - Abraham
• afternoon Minchah - Isaac

Question 2

relation to Covenant 4

Answer 2

• Aleinu prayer - prayer of praise that recognises their obligations to God and the Covenant e.g. “It is our duty to praise the Master of All, to acclaim the greatness of the one who forms all Creation. For God did not make us like the other nations or other lands.”
• the three different services are each symbolic of the Covenant’s God made with Jacob, Abraham and Isaac
• 4th commandment, Exodus 20, outlines that Jews must ‘Remember the Sabbath and to keep it holy’, therefore the service in itself is a reflection of Jews keeping the Covenant by fulfilling God’s commandments
• ‘The Lord is Our God; The Lord promised your fathers the land’ –> creator God and His Attributes but also that they are the Chosen People, they were promised the land

Question 3

relation to Moral Law 4

Answer 3

• ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One’ - reinforces first commandment that there is only one God and nothing and no-one should be placed above him
• 4th commandment, Exodus 20, outlines that Jews must ‘Remember the Sabbath and to keep it holy’, therefore the service in itself is a reflection of moral law
• “To sanctify Shabbat and appear in the Sanctuary on the festivals.” –> under the mitzvot they are not only instructed to prayer 3 times daily but also attend services during festivals such as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
• its also mitzvot to form the minyan

Question 4

relation to Creator God and His Attributes 3

Answer 4

• during prayer Jews rock back and forth known as shuckling as it increases their concentration on God, a demonstration of absolute devotion to God and mindfulness during prayer -
• cover their heads with a kippah during the service as an expression of humility and awe for God’s abilities
• ‘Praised are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, creating light and fashioning darkness, ordaining the order of all creation.’ - blessing from the Amidah, acknowledges His attributes, especially as Creator God and His omnipotence (all-powerful)

Question 5

Amidah 4

Answer 5

• tripartite series of 18 blessings: praise, thanksgiving and petition
• recited at every service
• Shalom means “peace”. It is a final petition to bestow justice, mercy and peace on the world
• recited privately and communally

Question 6

Shema 4

Answer 6

• recited everyday but not at every service
• Jewish creed, profession of faith
• drawn from Deuteronomy and Numbers, statement of belief in God and declaration of their submission to the mitzvot
• ‘The Lord is Our God; The Lord promised your fathers the land’ –> creator God and His Attributes but also that they are the Chosen People, they were promised the land

Question 7

significance for individual 4

Answer 7

• ‘Deep is Your love for us, Lord our God, boundless Your tender compassion. You taught our ancestors life-giving laws.’ - Amidah, blessing 2, comforts the adherent in the love of God’s presence and helps them achieve radical amazement where they are intoxicated in God’s love
• their conventual obligations they are reminded of such as in Aleinu, ‘it is our duty to praise…For God did not make us like the other nations or other lands’. –> gives them as sense of purpose and meaning, and that there is a specialness to each individual as they have been chosen for this life’s mission
• D’vor Torah also guides adherents to doing what is right and gives them an applicable interpretation32 of the Torah, e.g. Exodus 32
• answers to the questions of existence: purpose (chosen and responsible), creation (‘He will close the heavens and the earth will not give you its fullness’, afterlife, suffering

Question 8

significance for community 2

Answer 8

• minyan, a quorum of 10 people, must be formed before beginning preliminary prayers, so basically before conducting the service, this creates an importance of community, that it is in fact essential for the service. Barekhu is the opening word of the call to worship formalising the commencement of services, minyan must be formed prior to saying this prayer, this obligation also encourages their attendance as they have not only an obligation to God but to each other
• many of the prayers are said communally such as the Amidah which is recited privately and together - creates a sense of belonging and strength in their united relationship with God

Question 9

Sermon 3

Answer 9

• reading of the Torah that occurs on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays
• D’vor Torah is the sermon on the Torah which gives adherents interpretation of the text and ways they can apply the teachings to everyday life
• e.g. Reflecting on Israelite idolation of golden calf in Exodus 32 and applying it to the Jew’s current life, turning away from distractions such as technology, greed, money, power and ego that distract one from fulfilling the Covenant and submitting to God

Question 10

Concluding prayers - aleinu 2

Answer 10

• “It is our duty to praise the Master of All, to acclaim the greatness of the one who forms all Creation. For God did not make us like the other nations or other lands.”
• concluding prayer that is also of praise and recognises Jews responsibilities to live out Tikkun Olam and fulfil the Covenant