The Siddur Project

The Preliminary Service

By Aaron Eby  | Comments (7) | Posted on April 2, 2007

In these blog posts on prayer I have been describing the structure of the daily prayer service. I started with a simple overview in my post Navigating the Siddur. I narrowed in a little in another post when I provided a general overview of the structure of the morning prayers. I explained how the prayer services, particularly in the morning prayers, resemble a person's path through the courts of the Temple into the very Holy of Holies.

I also described how difficult it is to make that transition between the very human process of waking up and the eventual goal glorifying our Creator. This segue is cleverly accomplished in the first part of the morning prayers. The remarkable way that this is done is by taking every step in our mundane morning routine and transforming it into an occasion of thanks. For example, in another post I showed you how upon gaining consciousness in the morning, we offer a prayer that takes the opportunity to thank God for keeping us alive for another day. And by extension, we also thank God for the promise of the resurrection at the end of the age.

In ancient times, that initial prayer was immediately followed by a section known as the Fifteen Blessings. (Nowadays, this section is done later as a part of the synagogue service.) Each of these blessings was originally said as one went through their wake-up routine, as this passage from the Talmud describes:

When [a man] wakes he says: ‘My God, the soul which You have placed in me is pure. … When he hears the rooster crowing he should say: ‘Blessed is He who has given to the rooster understanding to distinguish between day and night’. When he opens his eyes he should say: ‘Blessed is He who opens the eyes of the blind’. When he stretches himself and sits up he should say: ‘Blessed is He who loosens the bound’. When he dresses he should say: 'Blessed is He who clothes the naked’. When he draws himself up he should say: ‘Blessed is He who raises the bowed’. When he steps on to the ground he should say: ‘Blessed is He who spread the earth on the waters’. When he commences to walk he should say: ‘Blessed is He who makes firm the steps of man’. When he ties his shoes he should say: ‘Blessed is He who has supplied all my wants’. When he fastens his girdle, he should say: ‘Blessed is He who girds Israel with might’. When he spreads a kerchief over his head he should say: ‘Blessed is He who crowns Israel with glory’. (Berachot 60b)

And of course, many people wake up with pressing needs in the bathroom. So there is a blessing (known as "asher yatzar") that points out the fact that it is only by the grace of God that our bodies continue to function and expel waste as normal, and if they didn't, we'd be in big trouble. Another good reason to make a blessing.

Focusing on how serving God is actually beneficial for our own survival helps to get our "flesh" to get with the program. Every activity in our morning routine is used as an excuse to bless God. The goal of this preliminary section is to help put us in a grateful and pure state of mind.

The Preliminary Service and the Temple

In terms of the Temple, with the morning blessings we have already entered through the Beautiful Gate into what is called the עזרת נשים ezrat nashim, the Court of Women. This is where much of the community business and prayers took place in the Temple. This section was a large, open plaza with chambers in each of the four corners. The chambers each had a different function: in one wood was stored and inspected, one met the needs of nazarites fulfilling their vows, one contained a special ritual bath for people who had been cured of the skin disease tzara'at (sometimes identified as leprosy), and one contained oil, wine and flour for sacrificial purposes. Surrounding the open center plaza and atop the four chambers there was a balcony specifically designed so that during certain functions (like all night dance parties) the men and women could be separate. During nighttime events the court would be lit by giant torches at the top of tall posts, similar in appearance to modern-day parking lot lighting.

At the west end (remember, as we draw nearer in the Temple we go from east to west) fifteen semicircular steps ascend to a gate constructed of grand, ornate brass doors. On these steps the Levites would stand and make music. Most often, these semicircular stairs are pictured in a convex arrangement, but there is a different opinion that suggests that they would have been built in a concave structure similar to an amphitheater.

Another important event that happened in this court was the yearly reading of the Torah.

Torah Study

It is considered an important commandment to study the Torah. Consider, for example, what the LORD says to Joshua:

This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. (Joshua 1:8)

To help accomplish this, a token mini Torah study session is included in the preliminary section of the prayers. Since it is a commandment to study the Torah, it is prefaced with a blessing. It is hoped that this short study is not the only Torah study that a person will do that day, but it gets us to start off the day with the Scriptures on our mind.

In addition, a longer passage of the Torah is also recited every day, this time surrounded by supplications, not blessings. The story of the binding of Isaac in Genesis 22 is recited aloud as a way of reminding God to show compassion and bring redemption, on behalf of the covenant promises made to Abraham. For believers in Yeshua, this passage bears intense significance in the way that it foreshadows the Messiah's death and resurrection. Being read every day, the Binding of Isaac is one of the most frequently read extended passages of Scripture by observant Jewish people.

Korbanot

The other major feature of the preliminary section of the prayers is called "korbanot." Korban (קרבן) is the Hebrew word for sacrifice or offering, coming from the root word that means "to draw near." Since the recital of the prayers is intended to correspond with the offering of the sacrifices, it is fitting to study the offerings a little. Knowing what the sacrifices involve and having that mental image in our head gives us a better appreciation for what we are doing.

As disciples of Yeshua, the korbanot can be a very meaningful experience. We know that the sacrifices in the Torah have a strong relationship with Yeshua's execution and resurrection. The more we study the sacrifices, the more we understand what Yeshua went through and how His sacrifice draws us near to God. Since the prayers correspond with the sacrifices, and the sacrifices correspond with the death of Yeshua, then the prayers commemorate Yeshua's death.

The Preliminary Section and the Ancient Chassidim

This preliminary section of the prayers is probably referred to in the Mishnah:

חסידים הראשונים היו שוהים שעה אחת ומתפללים, כדי שיכונו את לבם למקום.

The ancient devout ones would wait an hour before praying [the Amidah] in order to focus their hearts [i.e. thoughts] on the Omnipresent. (m. Berachot 5.1)

I personally feel that Yeshua was a part of this group of "ancient devout ones" (chassidim harishonim) that are mentioned in this Mishnah. Of our Rabbi it is written:

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Yeshua got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. (Mark 1:35)

Beginning our day with prayer is a matter of discipleship. It is also a great way to dedicate our whole lives to service of God. The preliminary service helps us make the transition from yawning and stretching to standing before the Holy One, blessed be He.

Aaron Eby
14 Nisan 5767

Best wishes for a happy and kosher Pesach!

About the Author: Aaron Eby writes for messiah magazine and other FFOZ publications. He is also the author of the forthcoming siddur project, as well as the forthcoming Hebrew lesson DVD.

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