Worship 2 -  Sabbath worship and prayers

Sabbath worship, preparations, Havdalah (division), daily prayers

Useful pages are:

• The Revision Site's Prayer and The Daily Life of a Jew.

• Judiasm 101's Prayer and Blessings and Common Prayers and Blessings

• Virtual Jerusalem's Why we pray

• Shabbat coursework links from this site's archives

The sort of question you may be asked is [1999 Q1]:

(a)    Describe the special clothes that some Jews use for prayer and explain why they are worn.    [8]

(b)    Explain how praying every day might help Jews in their daily lives.    [7]

(c)    'Prayer should be in your own words; there is no need to follow a prayer book.'    [5]

You would mention the prayer shawl with its fringes, the tefillin and the skullcap (see STEP 1)  You should talk in more detail about the shema and its significance, as well as the importance of the commandments represented by the fringes on the prayer shawl.  In answering (b) you may like to focus on The Need For Prayer.  Key points in your answer might include:

• belief that God listens to and answers prayers

• you are not alone - you can share your problems

• focusing on God's laws (keeping on the straight and narrow)

• sense of routine and structure

• if in synagogue, strengthens community relationships

• develops gratitude (being thankful for what you have) and humility

(c) develops some of these points but need to refer to Orthodox and Reform beliefs about the language of prayers.  Reform Jews do pray in Hebrew - but they also pray in their own languages.  Remember that the prayer book contains many beautifully written traditional prayers that are part of the Jewish culture and history.  They may also remind Jews of important ideas or events.  Have a look at Judaism 101's Liturgy page, then try answering the questions above.  They should take 30 minutes - try saying less but getting more good ideas in. 

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