(1) To pray daily is an affirmative duty, as it is said, "And ye shall serve the Lord, your God" (Exodus 23:25). The service, here referred to, according to the teaching of tradition, is Prayer, as it is said, "And to serve Him with all your heart" (Deuteronomy 11:13), on which the sages commented, "What may be described as Service of the Heart? Prayer". The number of prayers is not prescribed in the Torah. No form of prayer is prescribed in the Torah. Nor does the Torah prescribe a fixed time for Prayer. Hence, women and slaves are under an obligation to pray, this being a duty, the fulfillment of which is independent of set periods.

(2) The obligation in this precept is that every person should daily, according to his ability, offer up supplication and prayer; first uttering praises of God, then, with humble supplication and petition ask for all that he needs, and finally offer praise and thanksgiving to the Eternal for the benefits already bestowed upon him in rich measure.

(3) One who was fluent, would offer up many prayers and supplications. If one was slow of speech, he would pray as he could and whenever he pleased. Thus also, the number of separate services depended on an individual's ability. One would pray once daily; others, several times in the day. All, however, turned during prayer to the Sanctuary, in whichever direction that might be. This was the uniform practice from the times of Moses to those of Ezra.

(4) When the people of Israel went into exile in the days of the wicked Nebucednezzar, they mingled with the Persians, Greeks and other nations. In those foreign countries, children were born to them, whose language was confused. Everyone's speech was a mixture of many tongues. No one was able, when he spoke, to express his thoughts adequately in any one language, otherwise than incoherently, as it is said, "And their children spoke half in the speech of Ashdod and they could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people" (Nehemiah 13:24). Consequently, when anyone of them prayed in Hebrew, he was unable adequately to express his needs or recount the praises of God, without mixing Hebrew with other languages. When Ezra and his Council realized this condition, they ordained the Eighteen Benedictions in their present order. The first three blessings consist of praises of God and the last three, of thanksgiving to Him. The intermediate benedictions are petitions for the things which may stand as categories of all the desires of the individual and the needs of the community. The object aimed at was that these prayers should be in an orderly form in everyone's mouth, that all should learn them, and thus the prayer of those who were not expert in speech would be as perfect as that of those who had command of a chaste style. For the same reason, they arranged [in a fixed form] all the blessings and prayers for all Jews so that the substance of every blessing should be familiar and current in the mouth of one who is not expert in speech.

(5) Thus, too, they ordained that the Services of Prayer should be equal in number to the Sacrifices—two services of prayer daily, corresponding to the two daily offerings. And for the day on which an additional offering was ordained, they instituted a third prayer, corresponding to the additional offering. The Service which corresponds to the daily morning sacrifice is called the Morning Prayer. The Service which corresponds to the Afternoon Sacrifice is called the Afternoon Prayer, and the Service corresponding to the Additional offering is called the Additional Prayer.

(6) So also they ordained that a person should recite one service of Prayer at night, since the portions of the animal offered up as the Afternoon Sacrifice were consumed on the altar throughout the night, as it is said, "This is the law of the burnt offering; this it is that which goeth up on its firewood upon the altar all night" (Leviticus 6:2). And in this sense it is said, "Evening and morning and at noon will I meditate and cry aloud, and He hath heard my voice" (Psalms 55:18). The Evening Service is not obligatory like the Morning and Afternoon Services. Nevertheless all Israelites, wherever they have settled, have adopted the practice of reciting the Evening Service and have accepted it as obligatory.

(7) So, too, they instituted a service to be recited after the afternoon service, close to sunset, but only on a fast day, the purpose being to add petitions and supplication on account of the fast. This Service is called "the Closing" [service]—an allusion to the fact that the sky is closed to the sun which is at that hour of the day invisible—this service being recited near sunset.

(8) Thus the Services recited daily are three; namely, the Evening Service, the Morning Service and the Afternoon Service. On Sabbaths, Festivals and New Moons, they are four—the three daily services and the Additional Service. On the Day of Atonement, they are five services, the four just mentioned and the Neilah, the closing service.

(9) The number of these services may not be diminished but may be increased. If a person wishes to pray the whole day, he may do so. And the prayers he adds are accounted to him as if he brought free-will offerings. He must accordingly add in each of the middle blessings a thought appropriate to the particular blessing. If this is done in one of the blessings only, that is sufficient, the object being to make it manifest that the prayer is voluntary and not obligatory. In the first three and last three blessings there must be no addition, diminution or change.

(10) A congregation does not hold a voluntary service, because the community never brought a free-will offering. Additional services (those recited on Sabbaths, Festivals and New Moons), may not be recited twice [even by a private individual], once by way of discharging an obligatory duty and once voluntarily, because the additional sacrifices were never brought as free-will offerings. One of the Geonim decided that it is forbidden to recite any voluntary service on Sabbaths and Festivals, since on those days no free-will offerings were brought but only those that were obligatory.

(1) In Rabban Gamliel's days, the number of heretics in Israel increased. They were wont to vex the Israelites and seduce them to turn away from God. When R. Gamliel realized that the most urgent need was to remove this evil, he composed a Benediction which contains a petition to God to destroy the heretics, and incorporated it in the Eighteen Blessings so that it should be in a fixed form for all. Hence the total number of Blessings in the Daily Service is Nineteen.

(2) In each of the three daily services, a person recites these nineteen blessings in their appointed order. But only if he finds that his mind is in a fit state for prayer and he is fluent in speech.^**He knows the blessing correctly. But if one is distracted and harassed, or is not fluent in speech, he should recite the first three blessings, a blessing embodying the gist of all the intermediate blessings, and the last three blessings, and then he has fulfilled his duty.

(3) The Blessing that they ordained as a summary of the intermediate blessings is as follows: Give us understanding, O Lord, our God, to know Thy ways, and circumcise our hearts to fear Thee. Be forgiving unto us, so that we may be redeemed. Keep us far from sorrow. Make us prosperous. Cause us to dwell in the pastures of Thy land. Gather the scattered from the four [corners of the earth]. Let them that go astray in the knowledge of Thee be judged;^**According to another reading, “Let them that go astray [learn to] judge according to the [true] knowledge of Thee.” (Rashi quoting Halachoth Gedoloth) Rabbenu Jonah renders, “Let them that go astray be judged according to Thy knowledge.” and over the wicked wave Thy hand. Let the righteous rejoice in the rebuilding of Thy city and in the reestablishment of Thy temple, and in the flourishing of the horn of David, Thy servant, and in the rekindling of the light of Jesse's son, Thine anointed. Before we call, do Thou answer; before we speak, do Thou hearken; as it is said, "And it shall come to pass, before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear" (Isaiah 65:24); for Thou art He who answereth in all times of trouble, who delivereth and rescueth from all distress, Blessed art Thou O Lord who hearkenest unto prayer.

(4) The foregoing rule only applies to the summer season. But in the winter the summary of the intermediate blessings is not recited; because, in the blessing for a prosperous year, the petition for dew and rain has to be recited. So also, this summary is not recited in the Evening Prayer at the close of Sabbath or Festival, because in the Blessing for Granting Understanding, the paragraph relating to the distinction between sacred and profane has to be added.

(5) On Sabbaths and Festivals, seven blessings are recited in each of the four Services for the day; namely, the usual first three blessings, and last three blessings, and an intermediate blessing appropriate to the particular day. On Sabbaths, the intermediate blessing concludes with the formula, "Who hallowest the Sabbath." On the Festivals it concludes, "Who hallowest Israel and the Seasons." And on a Sabbath which is at the same time a festival, the concluding formula is, "Who hallowest the Sabbath, Israel and the Seasons." On New Year, the conclusion is, "King over all the earth, who hallowest Israel and the Day of Memorial." When the New Year falls on a Sabbath, the concluding formula is, "King over all the earth, who hallowest the Sabbath, Israel and the Day of Memorial."

(6) The foregoing statement applies to the evening, morning and afternoon services of the New Year. But the additional service on the New Year consists of nine blessings; the first three and the last three recited daily, and three Intermediate. Of these intermediate benedictions, the theme of the first is God's Sovereignty; of the second His remembrance; while the third has references to the Shofar. Each of these blessings concludes with a formula appropriate to its theme.

(7) On the Day of Atonement, in each of the five services, seven blessings are recited, the first three, the last three, and an intermediate blessing, appropriate to the day, which concludes, "King over the whole earth, who sanctifiest Israel and the Day of Atonement." If that day happens to fall on a Sabbath, the intermediate blessing in each service concludes, "King over the whole earth, who sanctifiest the Sabbath, Israel and the Day of Atonement."

(8) The foregoing statement applies to the Fast of the Day of Atonement in ordinary years but on that fast-day in the Jubilee year, nine blessings are recited in the additional service as in the additional service of the New Year. The same blessings are recited, neither more nor less, and are only recited when the law of the Jubilee is in force.

(9) Before reciting the first blessing in each of the services, one begins, "O Lord, open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall declare Thy praise," (Psalms 51:7) and after concluding the service, one adds, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable before Thee, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer," (Psalms 19:15), after which the worshipper steps backward.

(10) On New Moons and on the intermediate days of the festivals, the nineteen blessings are recited for the evening, morning and afternoon services, as on ordinary days; and the prayer beginning, "O our God and God of our fathers, may our remembrance rise, come, etc." is incorporated in the blessing referring to the restoration of the ancient service. The additional service on the intermediate days of the festivals is the same as on the feast itself. On New Moons, one recites for the additional service, the first three and the last three blessings (common to all services) and an intermediate blessing having reference to the additional sacrifice prescribed for the New Moons, and concludes it with the formula, "Who sanctifiest Israel and the new moons."

(11) On a Sabbath that is also an intermediate day of a festival, and likewise when the beginning of the month falls on a Sabbath, the evening, morning and afternoon services consist of the seven blessings, as on other Sabbaths—with the prayer, "O, our God and God of our fathers, let our remembrance arise and come, etc." added in the blessing referring to the restoration of the ancient service. In the additional service, the intermediate blessing begins and ends with a reference to the Sabbath while the middle portion refers to the special sacred character of the day. On new moons it concludes, "Who sanctifiest the sabbath, Israel and the beginning of the months," and on the intermediate days of the festivals, the conclusion is the same as on a festival that falls on the sabbath. When a festival falls on the first day of the week, the following paragraph is inserted, in the evening service, in the fourth blessing:

(12) "Thou hast made known unto us the judgments of Thy righteousness, and hast taught us to perform the statutes of Thy will. Thou hast given us, O Lord our God, the holiness of the Sabbath and the glory of the appointed time, and the celebration of the festival. Thou hast made a distinction between the holiness of the Sabbath and that of the feast, and hast hallowed the great and holy seventh day. Thou hast given us, O Lord our God, appointed times for gladness and seasons for joy,…" At the close of the Sabbath or festivals throughout the year, the Habdalah (paragraph referring to the distinction between the profane and holy), is recited in the fourth blessing, "Thou favourest man with knowledge …", although the Habdalah is afterwards also said over the cup of wine.

(13) During the Feast of Lights and on the Feast of Lots, the paragraph beginning, "For the miracles" is added in the blessing beginning, "We give thanks unto Thee." On the Sabbath during the Feast of Lights the paragraph, "For the miracles" is recited in the Additional Services as it is in the other services.

(14) On fast days, every one who fasts adds, in the blessing concluding, "Who hearkenest unto prayer," the paragraph beginning, "Answer us etc." The reader of the congregation, when repeating the service aloud, recites this paragraph as an independent blessing, between the blessing relating to redemption and that relating to health; and concludes it with the formula, "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who answerest in time of trouble." And so on that day the reader recites twenty blessings. On the ninth of Ab, a paragraph is added in the blessing concluding, "Who rebuildest Jerusalem," as follows: Have mercy, O Lord our God, upon us and upon Israel, Thy people, and upon the city that is ruined and desolate …"

(15) During the winter, the phrase, "Who causeth the rain to fall," is inserted in the Second blessing, while in summer the phrase, "Who causeth the dew to descend" is recited. The formula, "Who causeth the rain to fall" is first said in the Additional service of the last (eighth) day of the feast of Tabernacles and continues to be said till the morning service on the first day of Passover. And the formula, "Who causeth the dew to fall" is begun in the additional service of the first day of Passover.

(16) Beginning with the seventh day of Marheshvan, a petition for Rain is included in the blessing calling for prosperity during the year, and is recited as long as the reference to rain, inserted in the second blessing, continues to be said. This is the rule for the Holy Land. But in Shinar (now called Iraq), Syria, Egypt, and adjacent territories, as well as in other places similar to these (in climate) the petition for Rain is begun sixty days after the autumnal equinox.

(17) In places that require rain in the summer, for instance in the distant sea-girt islands, a petition for rain, is offered up, whenever it is needed, in the prayer ending, "Who hearkenest unto prayer." In places where the second days of the feasts are kept, the formula, "Who causest the rain to descend" is recited, for the first time in the year, in the additional Service, on the first day of the feast of Solemn Assembly (8th day of Tabernacles) and continues to be recited throughout the winter.

(18) The third blessing ends, throughout the year, with the words, "the holy God," and the eleventh blessing, with the words, "King who loveth righteousness and justice." But in the ten days, from the New Year to the close of the day of Atonement, the third blessing ends with the words, "the holy King" and the eleventh, with the words, "The King of Justice."

(19) In some places it is customary, during these ten days, to add in the first blessing the petition, "Remember us unto life, …", in the second blessing, the sentence, "Who is like unto Thee, O merciful father …", (in the Thanksgiving blessing, "Remember Thy mercies …")^**In the German and Polish ritual, “Inscribe in the book of life, all the sons of Thy Covenant.” and in the last blessing, "In the book of life …" So too, in some places they have the custom, during these ten days, to add in the third blessing the paragraphs, "And thus cause the fear of Thee, O Lord our God …" On the New Year and the Day of Atonement, the addition of these paragraphs to the third blessing is the general practice.

Prayer is for his soul what nourishment is for his body. The blessing of one prayer lasts till the time of the next, just as the strength derived from the morning meal lasts till supper. The further his soul is removed from the time of prayer, the more it is darkened by coming in contact with worldly matters....

(18) Evening, morning, and noon, I complain and moan, and He hears my voice.

(5) One who is praying, and makes a mistake, it is a bad omen for him; and if he was a delegate of the congregation, it is a bad omen for his delegators [the congregation], because a person's messenger is [considered] like himself. They used to say about him, about Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa: When he would pray for the sick, he would say: This one will live and this one will die. They said to him: How do you know? He replied to them: If the prayer is fluent in my mouth, I know that it has been accepted; and if not, then I know that it has been torn up.