5TH GRADE T’FILAH WORKBOOK

A Personal Exploration of

THE AMIDAH

OR

Student Name ________________________

Teacher __________________
Dear Student,
Welcome to another exciting year of prayer exploration! In the fifth grade you will focus
on the prayers of the section “Amidah”. We hope that you will find personal meaning in the
words of these prayers.
- Cantor Allen Leider, Director of Lifelong Learning
- Dara Holop, Religious School Director

CONTENTS
Introduction
Outline: The Shabbat Worship Service ……………………………………… 1
Outline: The Amidah – Close Up …………………………………………………… 2
Aleph Bet Chart for Review …………………………………………………………… 3
“My Prayer Journal” pages ……………………………………………………………… 4-11

About Prayer & Review from Last Year

Exploring Ideas About Prayer: Keva and Kavanah ……………………… 12-14
Review: The Structure of a Worship Service ................................ 15
Shema and Her Blessings – Close Up ................................................. 16

The Amidah - Praise

Introduction to the Amidah ................................................................ 17-18
Adonai S’fatai Tiftach ........................................................................ 19-21
Avot ....................................................................................................... 22-26
G’vurot .................................................................................................... 27-32
Review ..................................................................................................... 33
K’dushah ................................................................................................... 34-38

The Amidah - Petition

The Weekday Blessings of Petition .................................................. 39-40
The Shabbat K’dushat Hayom ............................................................ 41-45
Review Challenge 2 ...................................................................................... 46

The Amidah – Thanksgiving

Avodah .................................................................................................... 47-49
Hoda’ah .................................................................................................... 50-54
Rockin’ Review ...................................................................................... 55
Birkat Shalom ......................................................................................... 56-58
The Ultimate Siddur Review Challenge .......................................... 59
THE SHABBAT WORSHIP SERVICE
Warm Up
EVE: Kabbalat Shabbat (Welcoming Shabbat)
Or
AM: Birchot HaShachar (Morning Blessings) &
P’sukei D’zimra (Psalms of Praise)

Shema and Her Blessings

* Bar’chu (Call to Worship)
* Creation Prayer
* Revelation Prayer (God’s love through the gift of Torah)
* SHEMA & V’AHAVTA
(We show our love for God by following Commandments)
* Redemption Prayer (God’s saving power)

Evening service only: Hashkiveinu (Watch over us)

& V’shamru (added for Shabbat)

Adonai S’fatai
Amidah
Open our Lips (intro) Avot
G’vurot
3 Prayers of Praise K’dushah
1 Prayer about the holiness of Shabbat K’dushat Hayom
(replaces 13 Prayers of Petition said on weekdays)

3 Prayers of Thanksgiving Avodah

Hoda’ah
Personal Prayer Birkat Shalom

Torah Service
(Shabbat morning, Mondays, Thursdays, holidays)

Concluding Prayers
Aleinu
Kaddish
Closing Song

1
 THE AMIDAH SECTION
Close Up!

Adonai S’fatai/Open our Lips (introduction)

3 Prayers of Praise
 Avot We praise Your relationship with our ancestors
 G’vurot You are powerful
 K’dushah You are holy

13 Prayers of Petition (for weekdays)

OR
 K’dushat Hayom Shabbat is holy (for Shabbat)

3 Prayers of Thanksgiving
 Avodah Thank You for hearing my prayers
 Hoda’ah Thank You for the blessings in my life
 Birkat Shalom Thank You for peace

Persoal Prayer & Oseh Shalom (ending the section)

2
VOWELS

3
 MY PRAYER JOURNAL
Adonai S'fatai Tiftach
Siddur p. 74

Write a prayer that asks God to help you to pray or listen to your prayers.

4
 MY PRAYER JOURNAL
I. AVOT V'IMAHOT
Siddur p. 76

Write your own creative version of the Avot, praising God for
God's special relationship with our ancestors and with you.

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 MY PRAYER JOURNAL
II. G'VUROT
Siddur p. 78

Write your own creative version of the G'vurot, praising God for God's
power (and possibly how you might use your power to make the world
better).

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 MY PRAYER JOURNAL
III. KEDUSHA
Evening p. 80
Morning p. 82

Write your own prayer praising God for God's Holiness. What can you do
to bring holiness into the world? Be creative!

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 MY PRAYER JOURNAL
IV. WEEKDAY PRAYERS OF PETITION
Write your prayer of petition below:

- OR -
IV. K'DUSHAT HAYOM – Holiness of Shabbat
Write a creative prayer thanking God for Shabbat (& possibly how
you might be able to benefit from Shabbat worship, rest, joy or
personal reflection):

8
 MY PRAYER JOURNAL
V. AVODAH – Accept our Worship
Siddur p. 92

Write your own thanking God for listening to your prayers and asking
God to accept them.

9
 MY PRAYER JOURNAL
VI. HODA’AH – Prayer of Thanks
Siddur p. 94

Write your own creative prayer giving thanks to God for the blessings in your life.

10
 MY PRAYER JOURNAL
VII. BIRKAT SHALOM – Prayer of Peace
Evening p. 96
Morning p. 98

Write your own creative prayer for peace.

11
 KEVA AND KAVANAH
Exploring Ideas about Praying

INTRODUCTION
Did you know that you can walk into any synagogue, anywhere in the
world, and the basic order of prayers is always the same? When we pray
at Shabbat or holiday services, we are instantly connected to the entire
Jewish people, everywhere! When you understand how the prayers are
put together and what they are trying to say, your experience of prayer will
be much deeper.

Class Discussion: What is one question you have about prayer or

worship services?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

A PRAYER EXPERIMENT
1. Read the words of the Shema slowly in a monotone while thinking about
your friends or what you might be having for dinner:

2. Now, read the words of the Shema slowly, with meaning and thought, as
you think about how you are connected to God, or that God is One, or
that this prayer connects you as a community with all Jews everywhere:

How were the two times different for you? Do you feel as if you were
praying either time?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

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DEFINING “KEVA” AND “KAVANAH”
When we pray, we usually want to have an experience that is meaningful,
personal and in the moment. However, sometimes when we pray, we just
say the words without really thinking about the meaning of the prayer. The
Hebrew word means the “fixed” words of the prayer.
The Hebrew word means the meaning and thought you put into
those words. In Modern Hebrew, a related word is “kivun”, which means
“direction”. Will your prayers have direction when you pray?

Maimonides, the 12th century rabbi, physician and scholar, declares:

“Prayer without is no prayer at all.

What do you think Maimonides means by this statement?

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

The Baal Shem Tov, an 18th century rabbi and Chassidic master said:

The first time an event occurs in nature it is called a miracle; later it

is taken for granted. Let your worship and your service be your
miracles each day. Only such worship, performed from the heart,
with the enthusiasm of fresh wonder, is acceptable.

What do you think the Baal Shem Tov meant when he said, “The first time
an event occurs in nature it is called a miracle; later it is taken for granted”?

What does he suggest we do?

13
In prayer, we need the structure, the , to keep our prayers going in the
right direction and to keep us together as a community. Just imagine
trying to pray together with hundreds of Jews without a prayerbook!

But, Jewish prayer also requires a focus of our mind and a focus of our
heart. What we think about and what we are feeling totally affect our
prayer experience. This kind of intention that we can bring to prayer is the
true essence of praying with .

REVIEW
With a partner, fill in the following statement:

We need to have when we pray because...

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 REVIEW:
THE STRUCTURE OF A WORSHIP SERVICE

THE FIVE SECTIONS OF A SERVICE

Every worship service has four basic sections. On Shabbat mornings and
holidays, a Torah reading service is added, making five sections. Here are
their names:

1) Warm Up
2) Shema And Her Blessings
3) Amidah
4) Torah Service (sometimes)
5) Concluding Prayers

Take a look at the service flow chart at the beginning of this workbook to
identify the five sections.

Class discussion: Why do we need to warm up for prayer?

(opt. do siddur exploring of the Shabbat eve and/or morning warm up sections)

Student Challenge:
To which service section do the following prayers belong:

 Candle Lighting ____________________

 Opening Song ____________________
 Shema ____________________
 V’ahavta ____________________
 Avot ____________________
 Oseh Shalom ____________________
 Haftarah Blessings ____________________
 Mourner’s Kaddish ____________________
 Closing Song ____________________
 Mi Chamocha ____________________
 L’cha Dodi ____________________

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 SHEMA AND HER BLESSINGS CLOSE UP

Last year you explored the prayers of the section Shema and Her Blessings.
Here’s a review of the themes and some questions to explore in how these
prayers connect to you. (Follow the order of these prayers in any service in the siddur as
you read about them.)

 Bar’chu
After the congregation is “warmed up” for prayer, the Bar’chu
signals that it is officially time to pray. It is like the gateway into
the section Shema and Her Blessings.
Do you remember how the Bar’chu is like attending a rock
concert??

 Creation Prayer
The first thing that ever happened (creation) is the theme of
the first official prayer of the service. In the evening it is
“Ma’ariv Aravim”, which praises God who brings on the
evening. In the morning, it is “Yotzer”, which praises God who
creates light.
The Yotzer prayer states that God renews creation daily. In what ways
does this happen? What is your role in creation as God’s partner?

 Revelation Prayer
“Revelation” is that awesome moment when we all stood at Mt.
Sinai and God gave us the Torah as a gift of love. In these
prayers, “Ahavat Olam” in the evening and “Ahavah Rabah” in
the morning, we praise God for this gift.
How can you best use this gift of love?

 SHEMA AND V’AHAVTA

These verses from the Torah are a declaration of our faith and
love for God. They connect us with Jews from all around the
world as a community of faith.
What are two ways that you can show love for God?

 Redemption Prayer
The last prayer of this section is called the “G’ulah”.
Redemption is God’s power to save and we praise God for
having saved our people. We sing the “Mi Chamocha”, the
song that the Israelites sang after crossing the Sea of
Reeds. This prayer also points to the future – towards a time when
everyone will be redeemed and live in peace.
How can you be God’s partner in helping to bring a better future?

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 INTRODUCTION TO THE AMIDAH
This year, you will be exploring the prayers of the third service section – the
“Amidah”. The word “Amidah” means “standing”. We stand during this section
because it is so important. It is as if we’re coming before God to have a personal
conversation – and, in a way, we do - through the seven prayers of this section.
These prayers begin by linking us and God to our past generations and ancestors.
The section ends with a prayer for peace and our personal prayers.
This section of prayers is also called the “T’filah”, literally meaning “The Prayer”.
This shows how central and important these particular prayers. Why are they so
important? You’ll find out soon!

CLASS SKITS! THE PRAYER GROUPINGS OF THE AMIDAH

The prayers of the Amidah are grouped into three sections. To learn about the
themes of these sections, you’re first going to make up and perform some
classroom skits!

VISITING THE KING

Your challenge: In groups of 2 or 3 students, you are to put
together a short skit. One person will be the king or queen, and
the other(s) will come before the ruler and ask for something.

Here’s what each group must do:

1. The ruler will be sitting on the “throne” inside the “throne-room” (classroom).
2. The other(s) must enter the room as if they were entering the throne-room
and ask for something.
3. The ruler will decide whether s/he will grant your request.
4. You will take your leave of the ruler appropriately.

One the board, your teacher will make a chart that looks like this:
Group P P T

As you perform your skits, your teacher will check off on the chart whether you are
doing what each of these letters represents (it’s a secret). After all the skits are done,
you teacher will explain what each letter stands for. HAVE FUN!

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THE STRUCTURE OF THE AMIDAH

The Amidah is the same in structure as the skits you performed! It is as if you
are personally coming before God. The prayers of the Amidah are personal –
they are about you and your relationship with God.

1. In the first section of prayers, we PRAISE God for:

 God’s relationship with our ancestors
 God’s power
 and God’s holiness.
In a way, it is like coming before the ruler and saying lots of nice things to make a
personal and favorable connection.

2. In the second section of prayers, we PETITION God. We ask for lots of

things, including good health, understanding, forgiveness, freedom, and more.
There are 13 prayers of petition that are recited on weekdays. It is just like
coming before the ruler and asking for things.

BUT, on Shabbat, we don’t ask for things, because on S habbat we're not
supposed to be worried about stuff in our lives. So, we replace all of these 13
prayers with one prayer that talks about the holiness of Shabbat.

3. In the third and final section of the Amidah, we offer THANKSGIVING for the
many blessings that God gives us. The section ends with a time for personal
prayer and then a prayer for peace.

REVIEW
Create a prayer gallery in your classroom! By yourself or with a partner, your
teacher will assign you to write and illustrate and prayer of praise, petition, or
thanksgiving. Be sure to label your prayer with your name and what kind of
prayer it is.

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 ADONAI S’FATAI TIFTACH – Preparing for the Amidah
A Mini-Skit
Narrator: Once upon a time, long ago, in the old
country, a boy found the rabbi off in the
corner, mumbling. It was still 20 minutes
before services were supposed to begin.
He was curious what the rabbi was doing,
so he went up to him and asked.

Boy: Rabbi, are you ok?

Rabbi: Yes, I’m quite fine!

Boy: What were you doing?

Rabbi: I was praying.

Boy: But the service doesn’t start for 20 minutes. Did you start without us?

Rabbi: Oh no!
But, I take my prayers so seriously, that I was praying that God would
listen to my prayers, listen to the prayers of the congregation, and help me
to pray well.

Boy: That’s awesome rabbi! I’m sorry to have disturbed your prayers.

Rabbi: No problem at all – you’re my favorite student...

Creative Writing:
In “My Prayer Journal” on page 4 of this workbook, write a creative prayer that
asks God to help you pray or to listen to your prayers.

19
The actual introduction to the Amidah is a single line that comes from the Book of
Psalms which are said to have been written by King David. This Amidah “warm
up” asks God to help us with our prayers in a very simple way:

optional story:
KING DAVID MESSED UP BIG TIME!
It was the worst moment in King David’s life (so far). It started one day when he went out on the
roof of the palace and saw a really beautiful woman sunbathing Immediately he fell in love with
her. It didn’t matter that she was married to someone else. David had to be with her even though
it was wrong. He could not get her out of his head. This was a moment when “I want it” was
stronger than “I know this is wrong.” David chose the wrong thing.

The woman’s name was Batsheva, and her husband was one of David’s soldiers. Even though
she was married, David started spending time with her. Soon he had to have her for his own.
David wrote to one of his generals. He had Batsheva’s husband put in the lead in every battle—
in the place with the most danger. When he was killed, David took Batsheva as a wife.

Nathan was a prophet in David’s court. One day he came to David with a story about a rich man
with many sheep who stole a poor man’s only sheep. David listened and felt bad. He said “The
rich man deserves to die.” Nathan pointed to David and said, “You are that man,” Then he said,
“God is now very angry with you.”

David suddenly realized how wrong he had been. He was really sorry. There was no way that he
could bring Batsheva’s husband back and make things right. He didn’t know how to fix things.
He also was afraid that God would never forgive him. There was now a huge space between him
and God—a big black hole.

It was then that he sat down and wrote a poem, a prayer to God. David began:

He said, ‘God, I don’t know how to begin. Words will not come. I want to talk to You, but don’t
know what to say. I don’t feel worthy.” His prayer began, “Eternal, if You will open my lips and
help me begin—then my tongue will find a way to pray to You.”
(Midmsh Tehillirn 51)

We all have times when we feel like we are not able to pray.

Questions:
1. Why was it hard for David to pray to God when it was something he used to do every day?
2. Why did David write a prayer that asked for God’s help in praying?
3. How does knowing this story help you to know how to get ready to pray the Amidah?

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READING AND ROOT PRACTICE

21
I. AVOT (Our Ancestors)
Prayers of Praise: Avot, G’vurot & K’dushah

1. INTRO TO AVOT
Fill in your family names in the leaves below as best you can:

Just imagine what this tree would

look like if it included every
generation all the way back
5,000 years ago to the time of
Abraham and Sarah!

The Avot prayer focuses on

God’s special relationship with
each generation – your
ancestors. In this prayer we
refer to God’s covenant with
Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and
Rebecca, and Jacob, Rachel and
Leah.

This prayer links you to the many generations that came before you. We
can’t just come before God with our list of problems. In the Avot it is as if
we are saying, “Hey God – remember the special relationship You had with
our ancestors? Well, I’m a part of that chain of history too!”

Bow Wow!
The Avot is so important a prayer in beginning the Amidah section, we bow
at both the beginning and the end of the prayer!

22
2. WE’RE A FAMILY
A. Practice reading (and chanting) the beginning of the Avot:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, God of our fathers and mothers,
God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob,
God of Sarah, God of Rebecca, God of Rachel, and God of Leah;

I love tricky
prayer questions!
B. You Be the Rabbi
Here’s a tricky question! Look at the beginning
Avot translation again. Why doesn’t the prayer
just say, “God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah,
Rebecca, Rachel and Leah? Why does it add
“God of” ( ) before each name?

(discuss briefly as a class)

The rabbis teach us that “Elohei”/”God of...” is repeated each time

because God has a unique relationship with each of our ancestors.
When you pray the Avot, is almost as if you were adding “Elohei ME”
at the end of the list of names. God connects you to your ancestors
AND has a special and important relationship with YOU!

23
2. Z’CHUT AVOT (Merit of Our Ancestors)
A. Practice reading (and chanting) the middle of the Avot:

6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

the great, mighty, and awesome God, God on high,

who bestows loving kindness, and creates everything,
who remembers the love of our ancestors,
and brings redemption to their children’s children
for the sake of the Divine Name in love.

B. Extra Credit??
Read again the bold lines in the translation
above. There is an important Jewish idea in
these lines called “z’chut avot” – it means that
you and I get “credit” for the special
relationship God had with our ancestors. God
made a special covenant (holy agreement)
with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (and their
families), and WE are part of that covenant.
Because of their goodness and faith, God
extends kindness to us.

Chevruta question:
The Avot prayer tells us that we have a special relationship with
God because of our ancestors. Is z’chut avot enough to bring us
God’s loving kindness and redemption? Is there more that we
need to do to have a special relationship with God? If so, what?

(Write your answer below with a partner and then share with the class)

24
3. THE CHATIMA – ENDING AVOT
Practice reading (and chanting) the end of the Avot:

Sovereign, Deliverer, Helper and Shield,

Blessed are You, Adonai, Abraham’s Shield and Sarah’s Helper.

4. AVOT My Way
Write your own creative version of the Avot, praising God for God's
special relationship with our ancestors and with you. Go to “My Prayer
Journal” at the beginning of the workbook.

You'll be able to use your class creative versions when you have mini-
t’filah!

25
PRAYER PRACTICE
1

2
3

5
6
7
8
9

10
11
12

26
II. G’VUROT (God's Power)
Prayers of Praise: Avot, G’vurot & K’dushah

1. MY HERO!
Try and list three of your heroes. Think of people you
look up to in your life, or consider real people from the
past that you consider as heroes:
a. __________________________
b. __________________________
c. __________________________

Now here’s the real challenge... Try to identify at least 5 characteristics or

qualities that make these people heroes to you: (When you’re done, your
teacher will compare some of your answers.)

2. “Ata Gibor”
Remember the skits you created about visiting the ruler and the meaning of
the first “P”? At that time we learned that the first three prayers of the
Amidah were all about “praising” God, a way of entering into a conversation
with God.

In the first prayer, the “Avot”, we remind God of the special connection that
God had with out ancestors and continues to have with us.

In this second prayer, the “G’vurot”, we praise God by listing

many of the special qualities that God has. The Hebrew
word “gibor” means “hero” or “might”.

27
 A. See if you can read well the first couple lines of the G’vurot:

You are mighty forever, Adonai;

You give life to all,
great is Your saving power.

B. With a partner, circle the phrases in the G’vurot translation that

describe God’s mighty qualities & then review as a class:

You are forever mighty, Adonai;

You give life to all (revive the dead).

* Winter – You cause the wind to shift and rain to fall.

* Summer – You rain dew upon us.

You sustain life through love, giving life to all through great compassion,
supporting the fallen, healing the sick, freeing the captive,
keeping faith with those who sleep in the dust.

Who is like You, Source of mighty acts?

Who resembles You, a Sovereign who takes and gives life, causing deliverance to spring
up and faithfully giving life to all?

Blesses are You, Adonai, who gives life to all (revives the dead).

C. Questions to discuss as a class:

1) What is God’s greatest quality or ultimate power, according to the

G’vurot?

2) We are created b’tzelem Elohim – in the image of God. Look at the

bracketed paragraph. Which of these mighty acts can we do in our
lives? List on the board specific ways we can do these things.

3) What is a connection between the ideas of God causing

rain and dew and God giving life to all? The added

28
 phrases for rain and dew also connect us to the land of Israel
because it reflects Israel’s seasons.

D. G'vurot My Way
Write your own creative version of the G'vurot, praising God for God's
power in My Prayer Journal.

3. “M’chayei Hameitim” – Reviving the Dead???

Take a look at the G’vurot Hebrew and English on page 78 in your siddur.
Can you find the three places in the prayer where there is an optional word
or phrase in parenthesis?

This option allows the person praying to either say:

“...Who gives life to all.”

or

”...Who revives the dead.”

The version in parenthesis is actually the traditional (Conservative or

Orthodox) version of this prayer. The idea of reviving the dead is called
“resurrection”. While all Jews believe that the soul lives on forever after we
die, there is an idea in traditional Judaism that there will come a Messianic
time when God will cause the righteous to live again.

What is one difference between these two options?

Why do you think Reform Jews have changed the words to “Who gives
lives to all”?

(Optional: In advance, invite one of our rabbis or cantors to visit your class and talk about the
G’vurot and the Jewish idea of resurrection.)

29
4. Mi Chamocha?
Take a look at the last paragraph of the G’vurot. We bring back that
famous prayer phrase “Mi Chamocha? – Who is like You?” We conclude
the G’vurot by saying that no one has the might of God who is the Source
of all life. We are challenged to step up and become heroes for others.
Try reading well the concluding paragraph:

Who is like You, Source of mighty acts?

Who resembles You, a Sovereign who

takes and gives life, causing deliverance
to spring up and faithfully giving life to
all?

Blesses are You, Adonai, who gives life

to all.

30
Read and chant the G'vurot:
1.

2.
3.

4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.

14.
15.
16.

31
32
 Review Challenge!
Try your best to fill in the blanks – you’ll only have two minutes. This will not only test
whether you remember these ideas, but also how well your teacher has reviewed them.

When you know how many students in your class got this right, give your teacher a
grade and send the student who finishes first (with all the right answers) to the office to
tell Mrs. Cohn or Cantor Leider.

Ready – set – go!

a) The ______________ is the 3rd section of most worship services and

follows the “Warm Up” and “Shema and Her Blessings”.

b) This section of the service is the most personal and is like visiting
________.

c) The three groups of prayers in the Amidah have the themes of

praise, petition, and ___________________.

d) The Avot prayer asks God to remember our connection to

____________________

e) The G’vurot prayer praises God for God’s might. According to the
G’vurot, what is God’s greatest power? _______________________

f) What is the 3rd prayer in the Praise section of the Amidah? (Look at
the top of this page.) _____________________

g) What is your favorite breakfast cereal? ______________________

33
III. K’DUSHAH (God's Holiness)
Prayers of Praise: Avot, G’vurot & K’dushah
1. Exploring the Idea of “Holiness”

A. Holy Moly!
Describe in the box below what you think the word “holy” means, then
discuss as a class.

B. You Shall Be Holy

The Torah (Leviticus chapter 19) teaches us “You shall be holy because
Adonai, your God is holy”. As a class, write on the board a list of ways
we can “be holy”. Have someone write down your list (neatly) and give it
to Cantor Leider for being included in a possible Temple Bulletin article.

C. Kadosh -
The dictionary defines the word “holy” as “associated with
God” or “sacred”. However, the real meaning of the
Hebrew root is:
 special
 different
 set apart from other people or things
 unique, not like anything else

Discuss as a class:
1) When we call God “holy”, which of these meanings do think fit best?
Why?

2) The 4th commandment tells us to “Remember Shabbat and keep it

holy (kadosh). Thinking about what you now know about the real
meaning of kadosh, what are we really supposed to be doing to make
Shabbat holy?

34
2. THE EVENING K’DUSHAH
The K’dushah prayer praises God for God’s holiness. Simple.

A. Practice reading the evening version of the K’dushah:

You are holy and Your name is holy

and those who are holy praise You
every day.

Blessed are You Adonai, the holy God.

B. Circle and read the four words with the root of

C. Look at the translation of the evening K’dushah. Who are “those who
are holy”??

D. Rewrite the translation of the evening K’dushah below, replacing the

words “holy” with any of the meanings of .
 special
 different
 set apart from other people or things
 unique, not like anything else

You are ____________ and Your name is ______________ and

those who are __________ praise You every day. Blessed are You
Adonai, the holy God.

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3. The Morning K’dushah – 3 Biblical Quotes
While the evening K’dushah is short, the morning version is much
longer. The morning K’dushah uses three quotes from the Bible,
including verses from the visions of the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel.
Both of these visions have to do with God and angels. Angels?

Yes! Judaism has lots to say about angels! The most traditional view is
that angels look like regular people, but that they are sent by God on a
specific mission. These kind of angels are like those described in the
Torah like Abraham’s three visitors or the angel that wrestled with
Jacob. But, there are also descriptions of angels with wings in the Bible.
Angels that proclaim God’s holiness...

A. Isaiah’s Vision
Have a student read this part of Isaiah’s vision dramatically (Is 6:1-3):
I saw Adonai seated on a high and lofty throne; and the skirts of God’s robe filled the
Temple. Angels stood, attending to God. Each of them had six wings: with two he
covered his face, with two he covered his legs, and with two he would fly.
And one would call to the other saying:

“Holy, holy, holy, is the God of all creation; the whole earth is filled with God’s glory!”




B. Ezekiel’s Vision
Have a student read this part of Ezekiel’s vision dramatically (Ez 3:10-13):
Then God said to me: “Mortal, listen with your ears and receive into your mind all
the words that I speak to you. Go to your people, the exile community [the
Israelites], and speak to them. Say to them: Thus says the Lord God – whether they
listen or not.”
Then a spirit carried my away, and behind me I heard a great roaring sound:

“Praised is the glory [honor] of God in heaven and earth,” with the sound of the
wings of the creatures beating against one another, and the sound of the wheels
beside them – a great roaring sound.

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 C. One More Quote
The morning K’dushah also takes a verse from Psalm 146:

Adonai shall reign forever;

your God O Zion,
from generation to generation.
Halleluyah.

D. Siddur BINGO Challenge!!

Do this challenge with a partner – you’ll need a

siddur. Each team will need four bingo markers!

1) Begin with the Amidah (T’filah) section of Shabbat Morning

Service I on page 242. It begins with the introduction “Adonai
S’fatai”.

2) What page is the 1st prayer of praise – the Avot? _________

(Hint: don’t be fooled by the creative alternate versions of prayers on the left
hand pages of the siddur)

3) What page is the 2nd prayer of praise – the G’vurot? _______

4) What page is the 3rd prayer of praise – the K’dushah? ______

5) On the K’dushah prayer - put one bingo marker carefully at the

beginning of each of the following:
a) the quote from Isaiah
b) the quote from Ezekiel
c) the quote from Psalm 146
d) the chatimah of the prayer (last line that sums up its
meaning)

Done? Yell “Bingo”!

Prizes go to the first two teams to get it all right (no mistakes allowed)

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E. K'dushah My Way
Write your own K'dushah prayer in My Prayer Journal praising God for
God's Holiness. Be creative!

F. K’dushah “Koriography”
Invite a member of the clergy to your class to demonstrate the special
movements that go with the morning K'dushah.

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IV. The Weekday Blessings of Petition
During a weekday service, the Amidah contains 13 middle blessing where,
as a community, we ask God for all kinds of things.

?
Is this true??

A. Class Challenge
As a class, make a list of things on the board that you think would be
appropriate to ask of God. Try to come up with at least 10 things.

B. God Phone
Get the phone from Cantor Leider and practice a private conversation
that you might have with God. Be sure to ask for something!

C. Siddur Challenge
With a partner, explore the themes of the petition prayers in your siddur.
Directions
Read through each prayer listed on the chart (next page), and
summarize the theme. Of course looking at the chatima (last line of
each prayer) is always a good way of focusing in on its meaning.

(Hint: do not look at the odd number pages – theses are alternative
readings and not part of the Amidah prayers.)

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 Siddur Challenge

Siddur Amidah Beginning Theme Summary

Page Prayer # Hebrew
84 4 Ata chonain Give us knowledge/wisdom
84 5 Hashiveinu
84 6 S’lach lanu
84 7 R’ei
86 8 R’faeinu
86 9 Bareich
86 10 T’ka
88 11 Al shoftei
88 12 V’larish’ah
88 13 Al hatzadikim
90 14 V’lirushalayim
90 15 Emet
90 16 Shema koleinu

Which is your favorite?

C. Reflection on the Prayers of Petition

You should have noticed that all the prayers are in the plural. Even
when we ask for things for ourselves, we do so as a community.
Second, if you look back at the chart, notice that the first five prayers
are asking for individual things (for each of us) and the rest of the
prayers are communal, asking for things for our people.

D. Back to the Board

Now, as a class, go back to your list on the board and put a check
next to each of your prayer ideas that was covered in the real petition
prayers of the Amidah. How did you do??

E. Prayer of Petition - My Way

Of all the prayers of petition you've read and created, which is your
favorite? Write your own (appropriate) petition prayer in My Prayer
Journal.

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IV(B) K'DUSHAT HAYOM (Holiness of Shabbat)

1. Celebrating Shabbat
In the Shabbat Amidah, we don’t ask for things in the same way we do on
weekdays. Asking for things can make us sad or make us think about what
we don’t have. The prayers of petition can take our minds off of what we
are already blessed with.

On Shabbat, we want to focus on the beautiful, peaceful gift

that is the day of Shabbat. Shabbat is supposed to feel
different than the rest of the days of the week. On Shabbat we
choose to enjoy and celebrate the special holiness of the day.
So, we replace all of the 13 prayers of petition with a single prayer praising
God for Shabbat.

Let’s do some exploring about what’s so special about Shabbat!

(a class discussion)

A. Think about any enjoyable or meaningful Shabbat experience that

you’ve had. Consider things like special worship experiences at TRS
or camp, Shabbat experiences at home like lighting candles or having
a special meal, Shabbat time with friends, a nature experience,
Shabbat rest… List your experiences on the board – be specific.

Now create a second column on the board. Try to list what it was that
made those experiences enjoyable or meaningful.

(Copy the list for Cantor Leider to post on the school bulletin board! Label the
columns “Our 5th grade Shabbat Experiences” and “What made them
Meaningful”)

B. The contemporary Israeli poet Ahad Ha’Am wrote the following:

“More than Israel has kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept Israel”.
What do you think he meant? (If you were at the 5th grade retreat, use
some of the ideas that were discussed then!)

41
C. Judaism teaches us that bringing a piece of Shabbat (even a tiny
piece) into your life is very healthy for you. Why do you think this is
so?

D. We can think about Shabbat in terms of what

we do (go to services, enjoy nature, spend
time with family or friends, light candles…) or
what we don’t do (no work, homework, video
games, computer…). What do you think this
ad is really trying to say? How can not doing
all those things lead to recharging yourself?

Partner Challenge:
Create your own ad for Shabbat! Make it colorful and creative with a
strong message about bringing a piece of Shabbat into your life. Bring
them to the office to be posted on a bulletin board! (Use blank paper or
construction paper.)

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2. The Shabbat Amidah – K’dushat Hayom
On Shabbat we don't want to ask God for things in our prayers. Why?
Because Shabbat is supposed to be a day that we put aside worries and
don't think about the things we don't have. Instead of adding the 13
prayers of petition, we have a single prayer (with several paragraphs)
that praise God for the holiness of Shabbat. This prayer is called
“Kedushat Hayom” (“Holiness of the Day”). Take a look at the worship
service chart at the beginning of your workbook to locate this prayer.

A. Yism’chu
1

1) Read the translation of this paragraph and briefly discuss its

meaning. How can Shabbat be a “delight” or “joy” ( )? What is
an “oneg Shabbat”?

2) Practice reading the Hebrew. Play a reading game using a beach

ball.

3) Choose your favorite version of Yism’chu using the versions on

the Yism'chu CD. Sing along! Does the music reflect the text?

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B. Kad’sheinu
1

2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 Sabbath Rest (?)
10
11
12
13

1-3 Our God and God of our ancestors, be pleased with our rest.
4-5 Make us holy through Your mitzvot, and grant us a share in Your Torah.
6-7 Satisfy us with Your goodness and gladden us with Your salvation.
8 Purify our hearts to serve You in truth.
9-10 In Your gracious love, Adonai our God, grant Your holy Shabbat as our heritage,
11-12 that Israel, who blesses Your name, may rest in it.
13 Praised are You Adonai, who makes Shabbat holy.

1) Read the translation of this paragraph and briefly discuss its

meaning. What phrase do you find interesting?

2) Discuss: What makes Shabbat holy – God or us? If we don’t

celebrate Shabbat at all, is it still sacred time?

3) Practice reading the Hebrew and learn to chant this prayer

individually.

44
C. Ata Echad (advanced)
The Ata Echad paragraph is part of the K’dushat Hayom for the
Shabbat afternoon service. As a class (or for extra credit) practice
reading or chanting this paragraph. (We can make extra student CDs.)
Notice how in the translation, Ata Echad connects Shabbat to our
ancestors and us.

D. K’dushat Hayom Review

1) Find and practice Yism’chu and Kad’sheinu from the siddur.

2) Write your own version of the K’dushat Hayom, praising God for
Shabbat in My Prayer Journal.

45
 Review Challenge 2
Work with a partner and complete the 3 challenges below. You’ll need a
highlighter, pencil and a blank sheet of paper.

1. As you know, a worship service is made up of 4 or 5 sections of prayers:

 Warm Up (getting us in the mood for prayer)
 Shema and Her Blessings (praising God as a congregation)
 Amidah (reaching out to God individually)
 Torah service (only on Mondays, Thursdays, Shabbat and holidays)
 Concluding Prayers (giving the service a nice ending)

Take a highlighter and highlight the names of these 5 sections on the

Worship Service chart on page 1.

2. The prayers of the Amidah are more individual than the prayers that came
in Shema and Her Blessings. It is as if you are coming before God to ask
for special blessings. The Amidah section has three sections of prayers:
 Praise
 Petition
 Thanksgiving

Draw arrows on the prayer chart in the Amidah section between the
themes of the prayers (left) and the names of the prayers (right).

3. Write a short poem or rap with your partner that explains the meaning of
the three terms, “praise”, “petition” and “thanksgiving”.

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V. AVODAH (Thanks for Hearing our Prayers)
Prayers of Thanksgiving: Avodah, Hoda'ah & Birkat Shalom

In the Amidah so far, we’ve praised God and we’ve petitioned God (made
our requests). Now, with the hope that God has heard our prayers, we will
thank God in three ways:
 First, we’ll thank God for listening to our prayers (and ask God to
accept them).
 Second, we’ll thank God for all the blessings in our lives.
 Finally, we’ll say goodbye (shalom) in a special way.

1. THE AVODAH PRAYER – Accept my Prayers

In the Avodah prayer, we thank God for listening to our prayers and ask
God to accept them.

A. “Avodah” has 3 different meanings!

1) In Modern Hebrew, the word “avodah” means “work”.

2) 2000 years ago, the word “avodah” referred to

the animal sacrifices that were made as worship.
It was real “work” to prepare the animal, burn it
on the altar, and offer it to God with the proper
intention.

3) After the Temple was destroyed, people no longer made

sacrifices. The word “avodah” came to mean the sacrifices of
our heart - prayer.

How is prayer like work? Write your own idea, then share it
with the class.

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

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B. The Avodah Prayer
Read the translation below and discuss the questions as a class.

Find favor, Adonai, our God, with Your people Israel and accept their
prayer with love. May the worship of Your people Israel always be
acceptable.

God who is near to all who call, turn lovingly to Your servants. Pour out
Your spirit upon us.

Blessed are You, Adonai, whom alone we serve in reverence.

1) Why do we ask God to accept our prayers “with love” rather than
just to accept our prayers?

2) Try to list on the board at least 5 ways that that we can help to
make our worship “acceptable” to God.

3) Some people think of God as distant and that it is hard to feel

close to God. What does the prayer mean when it says, “God is
near to all who call”? Do you believe this? Why or why not?

4) How do we know when we are close to God?

C. Write your own Avodah prayer in My Prayer Journal, thanking God

for listening to our prayers and asking God to accept them.

48
D. Reading Practice – Avodah
Play a game while practicing these words:

As a class, practice reading the Avodah prayer:

10

49
VI. HODA’AH (Thanks for Hearing our Prayers)
Prayers of Thanksgiving: Avodah, Hoda'ah & Birkat Shalom

3 Prayers of Thanksgiving
 Avodah Thank You for hearing my prayers
 Hoda’ah Thank You for the blessings in my life
 Birkat Shalom Thank You for peace
+ Personal Prayer & Oseh Shalom

Now that we’ve thanked God for hearing our prayers in the “Avodah” prayer, we’re
ready to thank God for all the blessings in our lives.

1. THE HODA’AH PRAYER

The Hoda’ah (“thanksgiving”) is one of the most beautiful of
all of Jewish prayers. Even with all the problems and
troubles in our lives, it is our chance to thank God for all
our blessings and to realize how blessed we really are.
Sometimes the prayer is called “Modim” (thanks) because it is the first word of
the prayer.

A. Blessing Challenge
In one minute, write down as many blessings in your life as you can think of.
Think of all the different parts of your life and what you might be appreciative of.
Think about where you live, how you live, your different relationships, etc. Don’t
list things that are in the same category as separate blessings (like each toy
you are blessed to own), but rather combine them as one of your blessings.
Afterwards, share some of your answers as a class. Use the space below.
Ready, go!!

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B. Hoda’ah Trivia - Bow How?
Traditionally, there are only two prayers we bow for in the Amidah:

We bow at the beginning and end of the Avot – as we praise God for
the special relationships that God had with our ancestors and
continues to have with us.

We also bow at the beginning and end of the Hoda’ah – as we thank God
for all our blessings.

While it is traditional to stand during the whole Amidah section, at TRS

and in most Reform congregations, we are seated during the three
prayers of thanksgiving. So, you will not see many of our congregants
bowing at this prayer.

C. The Hoda’ah Translation

Read the translation together and explore the meaning on the next page:

We acknowledge with thanks that You are Adonai our God and the God of
our ancestors, forever. You are the Rock in our lives, and our saving Shield
in every generation.

Let us thank You and praise You – for our lives which are in Your hand, for
our souls which are in Your care, for Your miracles that we experience
every day and for Your wondrous deeds and favors at every time of day:
evening, morning and noon.

O Good One whose mercies never end, O Compassionate One whose

kindness never fails, we forever put our hope in You. For all these things,
let Your Name be forever praised and blessed.

O God, our Redeemer and Helper, let all who live know You and praise
Your Name in truth. Blessed are You, Adonai, Your Name is Goodness,
and You are worthy of thanksgiving.

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Exploring the Meaning

D. Metaphors for God

A metaphor is a comparison of two unlikely things that share a common
characteristic. Metaphors are ways to describe things, like “she’s such a hog” or
“he was toast when he made up that answer in class”. We use lots of metaphors
in talking about God because we don’t really know God, we can only describe
qualities of God. The Hoda’ah prayer has lots of metaphors!

1. In the first paragraph we call God a “Rock” and a “Shield”.

a) What does it mean when we call God a “Rock”?

b) What does it mean when we call God a “Shield”?

2. As a class, identify 5 more metaphors for God in the

prayer by circling them.

Two-minute partner challenge

3. Make up a different metaphor for God and explain it:

We are calling God: _________________________

because _____________________________________________
____________________________________________________

E. Daily Miracles
The second paragraph has some pretty powerful ideas!

1. Identify four things we are thanking God for in the second paragraph.
a)
b)
c)
d)

2. How do we experience miracles every day?

3. We thank God for “wondrous deeds and favors at every time of day”. Why
do you think the sentence continues by adding “evening, morning and
noon”?

52
F. The Hoda’ah Prayer – My Way!
Write your own creative prayer of thanks in My Prayer Journal.

G. Hebrew Family Words

As you know, the Hebrew language is mainly based on three letter roots. Here
are words that relate to “Hoda’ah”:

H. Hebrew Reading Games

Use a beach ball or play “Hebrew Baseball” using the following chart:

53
I. The Hoda’ah Prayer
As a class, practice reading the first paragraph and chatima of this prayer.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

54
 ROCKIN’ REVIEW
How may I
help you?
Remember how the prayers of the Amidah follow the
story line of visiting a king or queen? In the Amidah, it is as if we
are coming before God to praise, petition and thank God. Of
course in reality, we’re always “before God” though we are not
always thinking about it or aware of it.

Fill in the blanks as a class or in small groups as a challenge!

We’ve Praised God with the Avot (for Your connections to our ancestors and to
____), the G’vurot (for your great _________), and the K’dushah (for Your
____________).

We’ve Petitioned God with the 13 middle blessings on weekdays OR on

Shabbat, we just add one prayer praising God for making Shabbat ________.

We’ve Thanked God in the Avodah for hearing our ___________, in the Hoda’ah
for all of our _____________, and, in the Birkat Shalom (which you are about to
learn about) for the gift of _____________.

How many prayers are there in the Shabbat Amidah? ___________

How many prayers are there in the Weekday Amidah? ___________

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 VII. BIRKAT SHALOM (Thanks for all our blessings)
Prayers of Thanksgiving: Avodah, Hoda'ah & Birkat Shalom

The Birkat Shalom prayer is all about peace. Peace is not such an easy idea
however. It can mean different things in different situations. As a class, see if
you can come up with 3 different definitions of the English word “peace”.

A. Shalom – the Deeper Meaning

The Hebrew root means “whole” or “complete”. When we ask God
for “shalom”, we are asking much more than for people to get along better. We
are asking for completeness to the relationship or situation. When we say
“hello” or “goodbye” in Hebrew by saying “shalom”, we are wishing that person
wholeness or completeness in their life.

Here is a list of shalom words and phrases to read & explore:

Peace

In peace

Your peace

In Your peace

Abundant peace
This is the name of the evening prayer for peace

Grant peace
This is the name of the morning prayer for peace

Pursuing peace

Seek peace and pursue it

Spread over us a sukkah of peace 9.

Peace in the home

Discuss: How can “peace in the home” lead to world peace??

56
B. Exploring the Prayer

1. Shalom Rav – the evening prayer for peace

Grant abundant peace to Israel Your people forever,

for You are the Sovereign God of all peace.
May it pleasing to You to bless Your people Israel
in every season and moment with Your peace.
Blessed are You Adonai, who blesses Your people Israel with peace.

a) Read and discuss the translation together.

b) Why do you think the prayer says “in every season and moment”
instead of just “bless Your people with peace”?

c) Practice reading the chatimah in Hebrew.

d) Got time? Sing Shalom Rav using the CD with your class.

57
 2. Sim Shalom – the morning prayer for peace

Grant peace, goodness and blessing, grace, kindness and mercy,

to us and to all Your people Israel.
Bless us, our Creator, all of us together,
through the light of Your presence.
Truly through the light of Your Presence, Adonai our God,
You gave a Torah of life –
the love of kindness, justice and blessing, mercy, life and peace.
May You see fit to bless Your people Israel
at all times, at every hour, with Your peace.
Praised are You, Adonai, who blesses Your people Israel with peace.

a) Circle all the things in this prayer that we are asking for.

b) According to this prayer, what has God already given us?

3. Birkat Shalom - My Way!

Write you own version of Birkat Shalom in My Prayer Journal, with your
own prayer for peace.

58
 THE ULTIMATE SIDDUR REVIEW CHALLENGE
Break the class into 4 groups and assign to the following services:
A. Shabbat evening I (beginning on page 146)
B. Shabbat evening II (beginning on page 264)
C. Shabbat morning I (beginning on page 226)
D. Shabbat morning II (beginning on page 313)

Each group should go through their service and write the page numbers for
the following prayers.
Hints: Ignore the alternative versions that are sometimes (but not always) on the odd
numbered pages. Use this booket as a guide if you’re not sure what you are looking for.

SHEMA AND HER BLESSINGS

____ Bar’chu
____ Creation prayer (Maariv / Yotzer)
____ Revelation prayer (Ahavat Olam / Ahavah Rabah)
____ Shema
____ V’ahavta

____ Redemption prayer (Emet)

____ Mi Chamocha
____ Hashkiveinu (evening only)
____ V’shamru (evening only)

AMIDAH / T’FILAH

____ Adonai S’fatai

____ Avot V’imahot
____ G’vurot
____ Kedushah
____ Kedushat Hayom
____ Avodah
____ Hoda’ah
____ Birkat Shalom
____ Oseh Shalom

59