OU TARYAG Shemoneh Esrei #1: Avos (Fathers)

Shemoneh Esrei #1 - Avos (Fathers) by Rabbi Jack Abramowitz As we will see in Mitzvah #433, there is an obligation for us to try to get closer to God through prayer. To help us fulfill this, our Sages established a prayer to be recited thrice-daily, corresponding to the prayers of our Forefathers. This prayer is called the Amidah (because it is recited standing); the weekday version is also called Shemoneh Esrei, the Eighteen Benedictions (although a nineteenth has since been added). Once a week for nineteen weeks, we will review the contents of the 19 blessings of “Shemoneh Esrei.” The Shemoneh Esrei was first composed by the Anshei Knesses HaGedolah (Men of the Great Assembly), whose ranks included such august personalities as Ezra, Chagai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Some 400 years later, the order of the blessings – which had been recited orally since their initial composition – was standardized by Shimon HaPakuli in the presence of Rabban Gamliel; this represents the Shemoneh Esrei as we recite it today. (See Talmud Megilla 17b-18a.) The first three blessings serve as a sort of introduction, as we approach the King. These blessings address the nature of God and of our relationship with Him. The first bracha, Avos, recalls the Forefathers (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob), each of whom recognized God and forged his own unique relationship with Him.