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The worship service has its origins in the second era in Jerusalem—about the first century before and after the Common Era. It was developed in lieu of the ancient Temple service in the and while there are many variations within Jewish communities throughout world, basic more or less structured same way. The is divided four parts.
The Pesukei d’Zimra, (pages 45-86) a collection of psalms, poems, and Talmudic teachings, recited by a lay person, serve as a warm-up, preparing people for serious worship.
The second section is the Shaharit or “morning” service (pages 86-101; special occasions 102-116). It is recited by the Cantor and consists of the recitation of the “Sh’ma Yisrael,” “Hear O Israel, the L-rd is One” and three paragraphs from the Bible (Deuteronomy 6, 4-9, Chap. 11:13 -21 and Numbers, Chap. 15, 37-41), with the appropriate blessings before and after. It is followed by the “Amidah,” the silent prayer, which is repeated by the Cantor.
The Torah Service, the third section of the service (pages 117-136), is not really worship, but study. It consists of the taking out of the Torah, the procession around the synagogue, and the reading of the week’s portion. The Torah, or scroll, also referred to as the “Law,” is hand written on parchment by scribes especially trained for the job. The “Torah” is also referred to as the “Pentateuch” or the Five Books of Moses, and consists of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. All Torahs are identical in content. The five books are divided into portions, and one portion is read each week of the year. At the end of the year we start again. Each weekly portion is divided into seven sections (sometimes split into more) and people from the Congregation are honoured by being called to each section. Vowels and musical notes are not shown in the Torah, and the person reading the Torah must be familiar enough with the text to do so without error.
The person honoured chants a short blessing before and after his section. He then waits until the next person is called before descending from the dais. The last person called, is called “Maftir.” The Torah is then ceremoniously lifted off the table, rolled and dressed, and the last person called (the Maftir) begins to chant the prophetic portion. It is chosen for the week to match the theme of the Torah readings. These readings come from the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, etc. Here too, the person chanting the prophetic portion begins with an introductory blessing, and a concluding blessing, and must chant the words according to the notes allotted to each word. The notes in this case, however, are noted under each word. When there is a “Bar/Bat Mitzvah,” the thirteen year old is “Maftir” and is called up to the Torah to chant the prophetic portion for the first time. The service is in no way different.
Part of the study portion includes the Rabbi’s sermon, and the sermon may be delivered at this time or later in the service. Then, the processional is reversed, and the Torah is returned to the Ark.
The fourth section, the Musaf or “additional service” (pages 137-145; festivals 146-156) consists of the second “Amidah” or silent prayer, and is again repeated by the Cantor. This “additional service” is not said on weekdays, but only on the Sabbath or Festivals.
The Concluding Service (Pages 157-162) consists of the singing of hymns and a recitation of the mourner’s prayer.
The Cantor is both a trained singer who leads the congregation in prayers and song, and a person trained and learned in the law and ritual. Any Jewish male can lead in the prayers and usually does during the weekdays. The Rabbi traditionally is interpreter of the law and teacher of the Torah.
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