THE TWIN BRIEF
You say it three times a day. Here’s what’s actually inside Shemoneh Esrei (the Amidah, the standing prayer), via a sefer (book) called Moreh Tefilla.
🎧 Listen
Prefer to hear it? About 3 minutes, taught like a class.
Feature
Moreh Tefilla: the Amidah, decoded
Rabbi Joel Grossman taught at TABC for about 30 years. He wrote this book because he saw so many guys saying Shemoneh Esrei (the Amidah, the standing prayer) three times a day without really knowing what they were saying.
How it’s built
Three parts: praise, requests, thanks
The book follows the Amidah’s three parts:
- Praise (shevach). The opening berachot (blessings) about the Avot (our forefathers) and about Hashem’s holiness.
- Requests (bakashot). The middle berachot, where we ask for wisdom, redemption, bringing the exiles home, healing, a good year, Yerushalayim (Jerusalem), and Mashiach (the Messiah) from the line of David.
- Thanks (hoda’ah). The closing berachot about Avodah (the Temple service), thanking Hashem, peace, and guarding your tongue.
Fun fact
“Eighteen” has 19
Shemoneh Esrei means “eighteen,” but it actually has 19 berachot. The 19th beracha, against informers and heretics (malshinim and minim) who endanger the Jewish people, was added later by Shmuel HaKatan. His name means “Shmuel the Small.” He got that name because he was so humble. The Rabbis said only someone that humble could write a prayer against other Jews without having a personal grudge.
Old-school life hack
Torah, Mishna and Gemara, built into your morning davening
The Gemara (Talmud) says to split your learning into Torah, Mishna, and Gemara. Rav Amram Gaon knew people were busy, so in the 800s he built a little of each into the morning davening (prayers). That means even on your laziest day, you’ve covered all three.
Takeaway
Not a speed run
The Amidah isn’t a speed run. Each beracha (blessing) is its own request, so pick one and actually mean it today.
Source: “Rabbi Joel Grossman Publishes Sefer on Shemoneh Esrei,” The Jewish Link, June 8, 2023.