נכון לומר בבוקר קודם התפילה: Before beginning the Morning Prayers you should say the following:
הֲרֵינִי מְקַבֵּל עָלַי מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁל וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמֽוֹךָ: I hereby accept upon myself the positive commandment to love my fellow Jew.
כשיכנס לבית הכנסת, יאמר: The following verses from Scriptures are recited upon entering the synagogue, as though asking permission of God to enter and pray in His Holy place.
מַה טֹּֽבוּ אֹהָלֶֽיךָ יַעֲקֹב מִשְׁכְּ֒נֹתֶֽיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל: וַאֲנִי בְּרֹב חַסְדְּ֒ךָ אָבוֹא בֵיתֶֽךָ אֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶה אֶל הֵיכַל־קָדְשְׁ֒ךָ בְּיִרְאָתֶֽךָ: יְהֹוָה אָהַֽבְתִּי מְעוֹן בֵּיתֶֽךָ וּמְקוֹם מִשְׁכַּן כְּבוֹדֶֽךָ: וַאֲנִי אֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶה וְאֶכְרָֽעָה אֶבְרְ֒כָה לִפְנֵי יְהֹוָה עֹשִׂי: וַאֲנִי תְפִלָּתִי־לְךָ יְהֹוָה עֵת רָצוֹן אֱלֹהִים בְּרָב־חַסְדֶּֽךָ עֲנֵֽנִי בֶּאֱמֶת יִשְׁעֶֽךָ: How good are your tents, Jacob: your dwelling places, Israel.1Numbers 24:5. The Talmud (Maseches Sanhedrin 105a) relates that this verse contains Billam’s prophetic allusion to Jewish houses of study and worship. As for me, through Your abundant kindness I will enter Your House; I will prostrate myself toward Your Holy Sanctuary in awe of You.2Psalms 5:8. Adonoy, I love the Dwelling, Your House, and the place where Your glory resides.3Psalms 26:8. I will prostrate myself, and bow, I will kneel4These are three distinct degrees of worship, representing various levels of subjugation before God. before Adonoy, my Maker. May my prayer to You Adonoy be at a favorable time; God, in the abundance of Your kindness answer me with the truth of Your deliverance.5Psalms 69:14.
ויאמר פיוט ״אדון עולם״ המדבר ביחוד השם והשגחתו: This hymn has been attributed to R' Shlomo ibn Gabirol who lived in Spain during the eleventh century. While praising God's omnipotence and providence, it clarifies the meaning of the name Adonoy so that before proceeding to pray, each worshiper understands the significance of the God he is addressing.
אֲדוֹן עוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר מָלַךְ, בְּטֶֽרֶם כָּל יְצִיר נִבְרָא: Master of the Universe Who reigned before any creature was created.
לְעֵת נַעֲשָׂה בְחֶפְצוֹ כֹּל, אֲזַי מֶֽלֶךְ שְׁמוֹ נִקְרָא: At the time when all was made by His will, then was His Name proclaimed King.
וְאַחֲרֵי כִּכְ֒לוֹת הַכֹּל, לְבַדּוֹ יִמְלֹךְ נוֹרָא: And after all things shall cease to be the Awesome One will reign alone.
וְהוּא הָיָה וְהוּא הֹוֶה, וְהוּא יִהְיֶה בְּתִפְאָרָה: He was, He is, and He shall be in glory.
וְהוּא אֶחָד וְאֵין שֵׁנִי, לְהַמְשִׁיל לוֹ לְהַחְבִּֽירָה: He is One, and there is no second to compare to Him, to associate [with Him].
בְּלִי רֵאשִׁית בְּלִי תַכְלִית, וְלוֹ הָעֹז וְהַמִּשְׂרָה: Without beginning, without end, power and dominion are His.
וְהוּא אֵלִי וְחַי גּוֹאֲלִי, וְצוּר חֶבְלִי בְּעֵת צָרָה: He is my God and my ever-living Redeemer, the Rock of my destiny in times of distress.
וְהוּא נִסִּי וּמָנוֹס לִי, מְנָת כּוֹסִי בְּיוֹם אֶקְרָא: He is my flag1It is to Him that I rally and through Him that I am identified.—Etz Yosef and my refuge; He is the portion of my cup on the day I call.2He answers me.
בְּיָדוֹ אַפְקִיד רוּחִי, בְּעֵת אִישַׁן וְאָעִֽירָה: Into His hand I entrust my spirit [both] when I sleep and when I awaken.
וְעִם רוּחִי גְּוִיָּתִי, יְהֹוָה לִי וְלֹא אִירָא: And with my spirit my body [too], Adonoy is with me, I shall not fear.
פיוט המיוסד על שלושה עשר עקרי האמונה. מיוחס לר' דניאל בן יהודה הרומי This hymn, written by Daniel ben Yehuda, who was a Dayan in Rome about 1300, is based on Maimonides' 13 principles of Judaism. According to Maimonides, failure to believe in a single one of these principles places one outside the pale of Judaism.
מציאות השם 1) the existence of God
יִגְדַּל אֱלֹהִים חַי וְיִשְׁתַּבַּח, נִמְצָא וְאֵין עֵת אֶל מְצִיאוּתוֹ: Exalted is the living God, and praised He exists, and His existence transcends time.
אחדות השם 2) God is One
אֶחָד וְאֵין יָחִיד כְּיִחוּדוֹ, נֶעְלָם וְגַם אֵין סוֹף לְאַחְדּוּתוֹ: He is One, and there is no unity like His, He is invisible, His unity is infinitive.
שאינו גוף 3) God is uncorporeal
אֵין לוֹ דְמוּת הַגּוּף וְאֵינוֹ גוּף, לֹא נַעֲרֹךְ אֵלָיו קְדֻשָּׁתוֹ: He is unlike the corporeal or even the non-corporeal,1God can also not be compared to the angels. His holiness is beyond comparison.
קדמות השם 4) God is Eternal
קַדְמוֹן לְכָל דָּבָר אֲשֶׁר נִבְרָא, רִאשׁוֹן וְאֵין רֵאשִׁית לְרֵאשִׁיתוֹ: He preceded every being that was created, He was First, and there was no genesis to His beginning.
שרק אותו ראוי לעבוד 5) God alone must be worshipped
הִנּוֹ אֲדוֹן עוֹלָם לְכָל נוֹצָר, יוֹרֶה גְדֻלָּתוֹ וּמַלְכוּתוֹ: He is Master of the Universe to every creature, (all) proclaim His greatness and His majesty.
נבואה 6) Truth of Divine Prophecy
שֶֽׁפַע נְבוּאָתוֹ נְתָנוֹ, אֶל אַנְשֵׁי סְגֻלָּתוֹ וְתִפְאַרְתּוֹ: The fullness of His prophecy, He bestowed on those He treasured, and in whom He gloried.
נבואת משה אמיתית 7) Moses was the greatest of all prophets
לֹא קָם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל כְּמשֶׁה עוֹד, נָבִיא וּמַבִּיט אֶת תְּמוּנָתוֹ: There never arose in Israel another like Moses, a prophet who beheld God's image.
תורה מן השמים 8) Divine revelation of the Torah
תּוֹרַת אֱמֶת נָתַן לְעַמּוֹ אֵל, עַל יַד נְבִיאוֹ נֶאֱמַן בֵּיתוֹ: The Torah of truth the Almighty gave to His people through His prophet, the trusted one of His house.
נצחיות התורה 9) The Torah is immutable
לֹא יַחֲלִיף הָאֵל וְלֹא יָמִיר דָּתוֹ, לְעוֹלָמִים לְזוּלָתוֹ: The Almighty will not exchange nor alter His Law. Never will He offer any alternative.
השגחה 10) God knows the acts and thoughts of man
צוֹפֶה וְיוֹדֵֽעַ סְתָרֵֽינוּ, מַבִּיט לְסוֹף דָּבָר בְּקַדְמָתוֹ: He scrutinizes and knows our secrets. He beholds the end of a thing at its beginning.
שכר ועונש 11) Divine reward and punishment
גּוֹמֵל לְאִישׁ חֶֽסֶד כְּמִפְעָלוֹ, נוֹתֵן לְרָשָׁע רָע כְּרִשְׁעָתוֹ: He rewards man with kindness according to his deeds. He sends evil to the wicked according to his wickedness.2The word “deed” is not applied to the wicked man. Since Divine reward and punishment are distributed with kindness, reward is granted to man not only for his deed, which may itself be insignificant, but also for the long range effect of that deed. He is punished, however, only for his act of wickedness, not for the consequences of his deed.—Etz Yosef
ביאת המשיח 12) Belief in the coming of the Messiah
יִשְׁלַח לְקֵץ הַיָּמִין מְשִׁיחֵֽנוּ, לִפְדּוֹת מְחַכֵּי קֵץ יְשׁוּעָתוֹ: He will send our Messiah at the end of days, to redeem all who await His final deliverance.
תחיית המתים 13) Divine resurrection of the dead
מֵתִים יְחַיֶּה אֵל בְּרֹב חַסְדּוֹ, בָּרוּךְ עֲדֵי עַד שֵׁם תְּהִלָּתוֹ: The Almighty will revive the dead because of His abundant kindness: Blessed forever is His praised Name.