This tape is about how to sing the first two blessings of the Amidah. The Amidah is the main prayer in our service after the Sh’ma. It is done in all three-prayer services. It is not sung at night except there were forms sometimes singing at night, but by tradition, you do not. But it is sung during the day, in the morning and at Minha.
There is two different ways to do. In the more traditional synagogues, the congregation does it all silently and then they cannot repeat the whole thing. Other synagogues sometimes they all start together, do the first three blessings together and then finish up silently. There is called a [foreign language] Kedusha. Now, there is a different tune for Shabbath and for the weekday. So I am going to teach you both and these are the traditional words of the Amidah. Now, some more liberal synagogues we had matriarchs in addition to the patriarchs that is [foreign language] in the first blessing.
So first, this is the Shabbath main tune and its variance of course. For traditional synagogues to make sure you got a prayer book and open up to any Amidah. They have them in every prayer service and here is how you would sing it and I have another tape or I will show you the movements. Traditionally, before you begin you walk back two and a half steps and walk forward two and a half steps and then bow at the waist. And this is the Shabbath with a little more flowery than the regular weekday tune. Baruch atah Adonai eloheynu velohey avoteynu, Elohey Avraham, Elohey Yitzchak, velohey Yaakov. Now, this is where you would insert the matriarchs, [foreign language]. And some people even reverse if you are a non-orthodox synagogue and not a very traditional conservative synagogue, then you keep going. Ha'el hagadol hagibor v'hanora el elyon gomel chasadim tovim v'koneh hakol, v'zocher kaparat Yeshua, umevi go'aleynu shuv pa'am bigvurah. And then if it’s the Sabbath between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur called Shabbath Shuva that is something else you add there. And then you continue Melech ozer umoshia umagen, baruch atah Adonai magen Avraham, Ata gibor l'olam Adonai, m'chai'eh metim ata rav l'oshia. And then at this between the [foreign language] and Passover you add [foreign language].
Now, the third blessing is the Kedusha and I mentioned in my movement video that in the beginning where it says the [foreign language], a lot of people would go for each work zaa which means these they goes zaa turning to left side where I am standing at and zat. Now, this is all done standing up with your feet, heels together and not moving. The first three blessings or all the whole time when you are praying the Amidah and then when I says Kaddish, Kaddish, Kaddish, holy, holy, holy, I mentioned that you go up a little bit higher on the soles of your foot each time you say Kaddish.
Okay now, let me sing it for the weekday service. If you are only there for the evening menu, you would not sing this at all, but for the morning and afternoon, here is the basic tune much plainer than Shabbath. Baruch atah Adonai eloheynu velohey avoteynu, Elohey Avraham, Elohey Yitzchak, velohey Yaakov; ha'el hagadol hagibor v'hanora el elyon gomel chasadim tovim v'koneh hakol, v'zocher kaparat Yeshua, umevi go'aleynu shuv pa'am bigvurah, Yeshua Adoneynu baruch hu. Melech ozer umoshia umagen, baruch atah Adonai magen Avraham, Ata gibor l'olam Adonai, and so forth. That is the basic way to do it.
Now, for the Amidah, for the Kedusha for example, they have different Kedusha’s. The third blessing is a little bit different so it is kind of where you have to know the specific ones, but I will help you now with the Kedusha for Shabbath morning. Here is the cant to begin, [foreign language], this is the very plain way to do it. [Foreign Language], again the zaa and then you turn to that way and that way and then you go Kaddish, Kaddish, Kaddish, and you go up on your soles of your feet three times, [foreign language]. Then that reader continues, [foreign language], and the congregation response [foreign language], then the reader continues and then the congregation continues.
Now, let me just do the reader part of the standard one because sometimes people sing a long part of it. [Foreign Language]. And then a lot of people sing this, [foreign language], repeat that, [foreign language], then we say [foreign language] and then the canter would finish.
That is a very popular, sing a long tune, he says, [foreign language] and we repeat [foreign language], and then sing the whole thing. Again repeat the [foreign language], and then you sing.
Now, the Amidah during the week has 19 blessings. The first three and the last three are basically always the same, the middle thirteen are all partitions, request from God. But on Shabath we take those 13 away and we put one in a blessing for the Sabbath day. For example there is a very famous passage from the Torah and the Shabbath morning called the Vishamru to guard the Sabbath. And the last three blessings are always the same one is called [foreign language], one is called Modim which is to thank God, and then finally a prayer for peace in the morning, it is Sim Shalom and the evening and afternoon, it is Shalom Raav among traditional synagogues. And they are both singable. That is the Amidah.
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