Prayer

The Prayer (derived from ask ) denotes a central religious practice of many religions. It is a verbal or non-verbal ritual devotion to a transcendent being (God, deity, goddess ).

In addition to the process of prayer (as shared or private prayer ) is in German with prayer and a pre-formulated, fixed text referred. Such a prayer may go back to a particular author ( eg the founders of religion, a saint or a religious writer ). Some prayers are said on a particular occasion in the individual or the community. Prayers are passed on and learned in the family or in the religious community. The best-known prayers in Judaism, the Shema in Christianity and the Our Father. The Prayer and song collection of Psalms has significance for Judaism and Christianity.

• 3.1 Biblical Foundations
• 3.2 forms of prayer
• 3.3 prayer position
• 3.4 Christian prayer for the sick
• 3.5 Prayer in the confessions

• 6.1 Hindu prayer practice
• 6.2 sources and examples of Hindu prayers

General meaning

The prayer is distinguished by its personal and communicative component of other religious practices. It presupposes the idea of ​​a personal God, that is not present as in Buddhism or Taoism. It also presupposes that such a God is receptive to such a form of dialogue and can not be achieved solely through about ritual acts, practices, etc. victims.

It must be against the worshipers present; in the monotheistic religions, God is usually considered to be ubiquitous, while natural religious concepts often associate the divinities certain places, so that the worshiper must first go to the respective location.

If religion scholars and theologians believe in predestination, they do not expect the immutable will of the deity can be changed by human prayers, but they expect the prayer a change of praying people: The good striven will of God is not to change, but through the prayer activities of the will of the people is strengthened, purified his soul and thus causes a holistic change for the better.

Can be prayed in worship, in a group or alone. Complete services are understood as a prayer, as the Jewish worship on the Sabbath in the synagogue, the Holy Mass of the Catholic and the Divine Liturgy of the Orthodox Church, the Christian Liturgy of the Hours or the Friday prayer of the Muslims. Many religions know fixed prayer times.

Prayers can be formulated sung, spoken aloud or silently for themselves. There are, depending on the religion and denomination different postures and gestures are, kneeling, prostrating, lower your head, raise or fold their hands. In connection with prayers symbols or tools are often used as prayer beads, crucifixes or icons.

There are traditional liturgical prayers with fixed word sequences, sometimes in the form of a litany, prayer with templates or spontaneously formulated prayers.

Judaism

Prayer

Judaism is a religion of action. The daily prayer (Heb. תפלה, Tefillah ) calls every Jew in this memory. Religious Jews - men and women - pray three times a day: in the morning Shacharit, Mincha afternoon and evening Maariw. When prayer Jews cover their heads with a kippah or other head covering and use the weekday morning prayer Tefillin ( phylacteries ) and tallit ( prayer shawl ) - the latter is also used on Shabbat and on holidays.

The prayers are prayed for a basic pattern that varies slightly depending on the day or feast day. The prayer book containing these prayers, called Siddur. The prayer book for a feast day called Machsor. The prayers include Tehillim ( Psalms), the Shema Yisrael ( Hear, O Israel ), Amida or Eighteen Benedictions ( Shemoneh Esrei ). In Orthodox and Conservative synagogues everything is prayed in Hebrew, in liberal Judaism some prayers be said in the vernacular.

Structure of the Jewish morning prayer ( Shacharit )

• Morgenlobsprüche ( ברכת השחר Birkat Hashachar ) - private Brachot and study texts, which belong to the private sphere, but are traditionally said in the synagogue of each for themselves.

• Psalm verses ( פסוקי דזמרא Psuke de Zimra ) - Psalms and other poetic texts, especially from the Bible to prepare for prayer. On feast days - this includes the Shabbat - this service part is greatly expanded. In liberal communities he was - drastically reduced and consists in today's liberal prayer books mainly of songs and meditation texts that should lead to worship - in the 19th century.

• Barchu ( ברכו ) - call to prayer, "Let us praise God."

• Shema and its Brachot ( שמע וברכתה ) - The Shema consists of three Torah texts that are studied every morning and evening before prayer: Devarim (5th book of Moses ) 6:4-9; Devarim (5th book of Moses ) 11, 13-21 and Bemidbar (4th Book of Moses ) from 15.37 to 41. The study of Toratexten is started with praises and ended, so they say praises before and after the Shema. There are other texts in the morning than in the evening.

• Amida ( עמידה ), also Shemoneh Esrei ( שמנה עשרי ) or tefillah ( תפילה ). The real prayer in Judaism. With him, the commandment of the daily sacrifice is fulfilled. It consists of an initial part of three Brachot ( Avot " ancestors ", Gewurot " power enough, " and Kedushas ha - Shem " sanctification of God" ), a main part and a conclusion from turn three Brachot ( Avodah " cultic service," Hoda'a "Thanks " Birkat Shalom and " priestly Blessing and Peace Please " ) the main section refers to specific concerns of the day. On weekdays, it consists of 13 petitions for a Jewish life, Shabbat from a request for a good day of rest, at festivals accordingly for the respective party.

• Order of the Torah ( קריאת תורה ) - On Shabbat morning, and in the weekday prayer on Monday and Thursday mornings following the lifting of the Torah scroll ( Sefer Torah ) from the ark ( Aron ), a procession of the role by the municipality, public lecture on the role and the transfer back to the role in the shrine. On Shabbat and on holidays, the Torah reading ends with a section from the Prophets ( " Haftarah " = statements). This is followed by prayers for the community, the government, the State of Israel, etc.

• Mussaf Amida ( תפילת מוסף ) - On feast days - this includes the Shabbat - is prayed an extra Amida in Orthodox and Conservative communities according to that provided in the Torah additional victims at a party. It contains in its main part, the recitation of the sacrificial instructions for your celebration. In liberal communities a Mussaf Amida is classic not common. But lately Meditiationen or alternative formulations are introduced in their place.

• Trailer - The end of the service has traditionally been dominated by the Kaddish. In Orthodox communities of worship ends with a series of study texts, is said to one of the mourners Kaddish ( Kaddish Yatom ). The Alenu Prayer or the daily psalm is one of these study texts. In liberal communities has abolished the Kaddish many repetitions to create an increased focus on text and situation for this prayer. There is therefore only the Alenu and a Kaddish Yatom, which is spoken in common by all mourners.

Structure of the Jewish afternoon and evening prayer ( Mincha and Ma'ariw )

• Psalm verses - a front end there is even in the afternoon and evening prayers, but not in a similar configuration as in the morning prayer. The Minchagebet begins with Psalm 145, the evening prayer with Psalm 134 An exception is the evening prayer at the beginning of Shabbat ( Erev Shabbat ), which has its own, running the input part ( Kabbalat Shabbat "Reception of Shabbat "). This part was compiled by students of the mystic Isaac Luria in Safed in the 16th century. We studied six psalms in analogy to the six days of the week. These psalms are Psalms 95-99 and Psalm 29 in front of the seventh psalm (Psalm 92 "Song for the Sabbath day " ), with the Shabbat begins liturgically, we sing a hymn to welcome the Shabbat ( Lecha Dodi ).

For holidays, there are other special texts on Yom Kippur as the Kol Nidre prayer.

• Barchu ( ברכו ) - call to prayer, "Let us praise God."

• Only in the evening prayer Shema and its Brachot ( שמע וברכתה ) - see above. Mincha Shabbat and fast days: Torah reading. On all other days, ie normal weekdays follows in an afternoon prayer on Barchu directly the Amida.

• Amida ( עמידה ), also Shemoneh Esrei ( שמנה עשרי ) or tefillah ( תפילה ). - See above.

• Trailer - Alenu, Kaddish, possibly a hymn.

Eulogies

In addition to the religious Jews say prayers for many occasions eulogies (Hebrew ברכות, Brachot ), so among other things about the food or prior to the exercise of a Mitzvah (Hebrew מצות, commandments ). This mini - prayers called " praises " ( Brachot ), because as a " prayer " only the Amida is understood.

• They say praises before the exercise of a mitzvah ( Birkot ha - Mitzvot ברכת המצות ), for example, before the ritual hand washing, before putting on the tallit, prior to lighting the Hanukkah candles, etc. These Brachot are said always before exercise indeed. An exception to this is the kindling of the Shabbat candles: formally begins with the blessing of the Shabbat. However, since, inter alia, on this day for devout Jews the kindling of fire is prohibited, in this case the usual order is reversed. There, the eyes are covered by the kindling of the lights with your hands in order to receive the blessing of the Shabbat lights symbolically after the Bracha can.

• They say eulogies before consuming things ( before the tasting, smelling, drinking, vision) ( Birkot ha - Nehenin ברכות הנהנין ), for example before drinking of wine, before drinking other beverages, before eating bread, before eating vegetables or fruits, before the smell of spices, etc. The Brachot before drinking, tasting and smelling they say before the action. Brachot about seeing one says after a beautiful or meaningful thing - discovered - for example, a rainbow, a ( n ) scholar (s), a famous man, a rebuilt synagogue, etc..

• They say praises to thank God, to praise or to ask for something ( Birkot hoda'ah ברכות הודאה ), for example, to praise God that he is impotent regained strength, etc.

Brachot can be said in any language.

For domestic Shabbat, the weekly remembrance of the exodus from Egypt and the creation of the world as well as a sign of God's covenant with Israel ( gift of God's love ) is the kindling of the Shabbat candles and a eulogy about the light and the Kiddush over a glass of wine to sanctify the day. There are two skein-shaped raised braided Shabbat bread ( challah: Plural of hebr.Challa, ostjiddisch Challe westjidd Barches or Berches. ) On the table. They are used for the eulogy over the bread, the food begins on Shabbat. ( Every meal begins with bread special on Shabbat are the challah. ) The candles are usually home ignited before dawn, the festive meal with Kiddush and Shabbat bread and the actual dinner follows after the service - unless the church is visited.