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Session One
The Sample Plate: The Siddur

	This is a translation, from the Hebrew and Yiddish, of the table of contents of a traditional Eastern European-type Siddur. I suggest looking over it just to get an idea of how much is included in such a Siddur. It is a compilation of prayers, texts to study, inspiration and information, for every day and the whole year, for the synagogue and the home, in Hebrew and Yiddish. You may not have heard of many of these prayers and other texts; please feel free to ask about any of them, and an explanation will be posted. CONTENTS OF SIDDUR KORBAN MINCHAH (Siddur Korban Minchah means "the prayerbook of the afternoon offering [in the Temple in Jerusalem]." It is a traditional Eastern European-style Siddur; my copy was printed in New York in the 1920s or thereabouts.) Petition before prayer Yiddish prayer before praying (see sidebar for more on Yiddish prayers) (Information on) customs of prayer Perek Shirah (Chapter of Song) Confession of sins, to say every day Seventy-Two Verses [not listed in table of contents] New (Yiddish) prayers Midnight Tikkun Introduction to the Ma'aseh Alfas commentary on the prayers Laws of getting up in the morning "Entrance to the Hall" (teachings on love of God and on prayer) Laws of tzitzit and tefillin Order of Morning Prayers (Shacharit) Laws of fast days Laws of Kaddish and Barechu Amelioration of a dream The Song of Songs Laws of Erev Shabbat Laws of candlelighting (in Yiddish) Order of Welcoming Shabbat (Kabbalat Shabbat) Evening Prayer Evening Prayer for Shabbat Laws of Wine and Kiddush Kiddush for the Night of Shabbat Zemirot (Table-Songs) for the Night of Shabbat Shacharit for Shabbat and Yom Tov Taking out the Sefer Torah, for Shabbat and Yom Tov, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Birkat haGomel (blessing after coming through danger) Order of Blessings for the Haftarah (Yiddish) prayer for the Blessing of the New Month Calender of the dates and times of the new moon and Rosh Chodesh Musaf for Shabbat and Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Atkinu Seudata ("I prepare the meal...") for the second (Shabbat) meal Zemirot for Shabbat Day Minchah Prayer for Shabbat Pirkei Avot ("Ethics of the Fathers") Evening Prayer for the Departure of Shabbat (Motza'ei Shabbat) Zemirot for the Departure of Shabbat Order of Kiddush Levanah (blessing the moon) Order of Hallel Musaf for Rosh Chodesh Order of Eruv Tavshilin Prayer (Amidah) for the Three Festivals Laws of the Three Festivals and Kiddush for Yom Tov (Yiddish) Prayer for the Remembrance of Souls Remembrance of Souls (i.e. Yizkor) Musaf for the Three Festivals Prayer for Rain (included in the Amidah on Shemini Atzeret) Prayer for Rain (included in the Amidah on Pesach) Order of the Lifting Up of Hands (i.e. Birkat Kohanim) (Yiddish) Prayer for Rosh Chodesh Elul and Rosh Hashanah Order of Absolution from Vows (a pre-Rosh Hashanah ritual) Prayer (Amidah) for Rosh Hashanah Kiddush for Rosh Hashanah Order of Blowing the Shofar Musaf for Rosh Hashanah Order of Tashlikh Order of Kapparot (i.e. "shlogn kapores") (Yiddish) prayers for Erev Yom Kippur Prayer (Amidah) for Yom Kippur Prayer upon Entering the Sukkah Yotser for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Order of Hoshanot Laws of Chanukah, and Blessings for the Lights of Chanukah Laws of Bedikat Chametz Order of the Haggadah Order of Grace after Meals, included in the Haggadah Order of the Bedtime Shema Order of Selichot (Yiddish) Prayer for Fast Days (Yiddish) Prayers Order of Counting the Omer (Yiddish) Prayers Yom Kippur Katan Tefilat haDerekh (Prayer for Travel) Yotser Prayers (for special Shabbatot) Blessings for Erusin and Nesuin (Wedding Ceremony) Order of Brit Milah (circumcision) Order of Pidyon haBen (redeeming a firstborn) Order of Blessings for Pleasures (Birkot haNehenin) Order of the Weekly Torah Readings Song of Unity (Shir haYichud) A Pure Fountain (rules of Niddah in Yiddish) Good Instruction for Women [not listed in table of contents] The Book "Who Opens the Eyes of the Blind" [by Rebbe Dov Ber of Lubavitch, in Yiddish, not listed in table of contents] The Letter of the Ramban [not listed in table of contents] The Destruction of the Holy Temple The Book of Esther Psalms, arranged for daily recitation Prayer to Pray for a Sick Person [not listed in contents] "May it be Your will" for night of Hoshanah Rabbah [not listed]		Tehkines This particular edition of the Siddur includes a lot of Yiddish prayers, called "Tekhines" ("supplications" -- we would say "tekhinot" in Israeli Hebrew). These Yiddish Tekhines were an important genre of prayers among Eastern European Jews, written primarily for women, and quite often written by women. Besides being included in some editions of the Siddur, they were published in many separate books of Tekhines. Tekhines were usually said privately. Most of them are about concerns of women's daily lives and life­cycles, for example lighting Shabbat candles, or pregnancy and giving birth. They celebrate the importance of women's mitzvot -- for example, the woman lighting Shabbat candles is compared to the High Priest lighting the lamps in the Temple in Jerusalem. They often mention the Matriarchs, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah, and other holy women, much in the way that the traditional Hebrew prayers mention Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They express women's emotions and spirituality in very moving ways. Since the Yiddish language is not widely spoken now, the tradition of Tekhines has been lost for most of us. But some scholars have recently published books of Tekhines with English translations (see bibliography [forthcoming]). New Jewish prayers in English (like Marcia Falk's Book of Blessings) are in a way continuing the tradition of Tekhines. Besides the Tekhines for private prayer, there were traditions of women praying together in synagogue. In many Eastern European communities, the women's section of the synagogue was very separate from the men's section, on a high balcony or behind walls with just a few windows to look through. It was called "di vayberishe shul" -- the women's synagogue. In the women's synagogue, on Shabbat mornings especially, there would be a women's service going on at the same time as the men's service below. Now and then the women would look down from the balcony or through the windows to see the men holding up the Sefer Torah, and include something about the Sefer Torah in their prayers. They would be led by a woman prayer-leader, called the "firzogern" or "zogerke" ("the sayer"). She would recite prayers in Yiddish in an emotional voice and the other women would repeat after her, with great feeling. In other parts of the Jewish world there were other traditions of women praying together. Does this mean that the standard Hebrew prayers which make up most of the Siddur were only for men? Not really, since in many communities women also prayed those prayers, in Hebrew or in translations into Yiddish or other languages. Still, we don't have a complete picture of Jewish prayer if we neglect the Tekhines and other prayers for and by women.