Learning Shabbat April 30, 2022

One who wants to be stringent to stand when one is sitting [in order to] to recite it standing is called a renegade.

A person should make an effort to pray in the synagogue with a congregation, and if he is unable to due to an extenuating circumstance [such] that he is not able to come to the synagogue, he should intend to pray at the time that the congregation is praying.

One Needs to Focus Towards the Land of Israel
When one stands to pray: if he is standing in the Diaspora, he should face toward the Land of Israel and focus [his mind] also towards Jerusalem, the Temple, and the Holy of Holies.

If one is standing in the Land of Israel, he should face towards Jerusalem and focus [his mind] also towards the Temple and the Holy of Holies.

If one is standing in Jerusalem, he should face towards the Temple and focus [his mind] also towards the Holy of Holies.

If one is standing behind the Ark-cover, he should face towards the Ark-cover.

If one prays [facing] one of the other directions, one should turn one's face to the direction of the land of Israel if one is in the Diaspora; and to Jerusalem if one is in the land of Israel; and to the Temple if one is in Jerusalem.

That One Should Prevent All Distractions in Order to Concentrate
When one is praying, one should not hold in one's hand tefillin, and not a book of holy writings, and not a full plate, and not a knife, or money, or a loaf [of bread] because one's heart is [focused] on them that they should not fall, and one will be distracted and will lose one's focus.

And [regarding] a lulav at its time [i.e. performing its mitzvah]: it is permitted to hold it in [one's] hand, [and] since the holding [of it] in one's hand is the mitzvah, one will not be distracted because of it.

It is permitted to hold a prayerbook in one's hand at the time that one is praying, [and] since one is holding it for the purpose of the prayer itself, one is not distracted [by it]. It is similar to [holding] a lulav, that since its "taking" is the mitzvah, one is not distracted.

One should not bow so [far down] until his mouth is opposite the belt of his pants.

If he is old or sick and cannot bow until [all the vertebrae in his spine] stick out, once he lowers his head, that's enough since it is clear that he wants to bow but it is too painful.

When one bows, it should be quickly and in one [motion].

When he straightens up, he should straighten slowly, with his head up first and afterwards his body, so it does not look like it's a burden to him.

One should focus one's heart during the verse "You open Your hand..." and if he does not focus then he must return and say the verse again.

Everyone may read the Shema in the ordinary postures—standing, walking, lying down or riding on an animal.

It is forbidden to read the Shema, lying down prone with face to the ground, or lying on the back with face looking up.

But one may read it while lying on one's side.

An extremely corpulent person who is unable to turn on his side or one who is sick should slightly turn on his side and then recite the Shema.

When one says "ukshartam l'ot al yadekha" ("and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand"), one should touch the arm tefillin.

When one says "v'hayu l'totafot bein einekha" ("and they shall be frontlets between your eyes"), one should touch the head tefillin.

When one says "uritem oto" ("and you shall look at it"), one should touch the two tzitzit that are in front of one.

The Laws of Bowing in Shemona Esrei.
These are the blessings in which we bow: in Avot, at the beginning and at the end; in Modim, at the beginning and at the end.

And if one comes to bow at the end of every blessing or at the beginning, we teach him to not bow, but in the middle [of a blessing], one may bow.

One who is sick [may] pray even lying down on one's side, as long as he is able to concentrate

The Position of One's Limbs at the Time of Prayer
One should position one's feet next to each other as though they are one, in order to imitate angels, as it written regarding them: “their feet were a straight foot” [(Ezekiel 1:7)], which is to say their feet appeared as one foot.

One should bend one's head a little so that one's eyes will be downwards to the ground and one should consider oneself as if one is standing in the Beit Hamikdash [Temple in Jerusalem], and in one's heart, one should direct [oneself] upward towards the heavens.

One should place one's hands over one's heart, as if bound (i.e. as if connected), the right [hand] over the left, and stand like a servant before one's teacher with terror, awe, and fear. And one should not place one's hands on one's hips, because that is the way of haughtiness.

When one bows, he bows at [the word] "baruch" and when he straightens up, he straightens at God's name.

The Laws Of Bowing At The End Of Shemoneh Esrei.
One bows and takes three steps backwards, all while still bowing. After the three steps, while still bowing and before straightening up: while saying "Oseh Shalom Bi'mromav" - turn one's head to the left; while saying "Hu Ya'aseh Shalom" - turn one's head to the right; then afterwards bow forward like a servant taking leave of the master.

The Gemara asks: One baraita taught: One who bows in the blessing of thanksgiving, it is praiseworthy. And it was taught in another baraita: One who bows in the blessing of thanksgiving, it is reprehensible. These baraitot are contradictory.

The Gemara reconciles these two baraitot: This is not difficult; this baraita, which praises one who bows in the blessing of thanksgiving, refers to one who bows at the beginning of the blessing. This baraita, which condemns one who bows in the blessing of thanksgiving, refers to one who bows at the end of the blessing.

The custom is to cover the Torah with a scarf between person to person (aliyah to aliyah). (In these countries, the custom is to roll up the Torah between person to person, and this is the main [opinion].)

The one reading the Torah must hold the Sefer Torah at the time he makes the blessing.

The Laws of The Reader and The One Who Reads [For Another]
One must read [from the Torah] while standing; and even to lean on a wall or pillar is forbidden unless he is a heavy-set person.

One shows the writing of the Torah scroll to the people standing to his/her right and left, and then turns it to those before him/her and those behind, for it is a mitzvah for all the people to see the writing and to bow and to say "Ve'zot Hatorah... Torat Hashem Temima etc." ("And this is the Torah... Hashem's Torah is Perfect etc.").

[Probably 8th c Israel]

After [taking the Torah from the ark and reciting various verses of praise, but before the Torah reading, the maftir] elevates the Torah scroll and says: ‘One is our God, great is our Lord, holy and revered is His name for ever and ever’. Then he begins to chant, ‘The Lord is God, the Lord is His name’. The congregation says it after him in response; then he repeats it twice and the congregation responds twice.

The scroll of the Torah is immediately unrolled a space of three columns and is elevated [magbihu] so as to show the face of the script to the people standing on the right and on the left, and turned towards the front and towards the rear; for it is a mitzvah for all men and women to see the script, to bend their knees and exclaim, ‘And this is the Torah which Moses set before the children of Israel [Deut 4:44] [or] The Torah of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul’ [Ps 19:8].

(4) Ezra the scribe stood upon a wooden tower made for the purpose, and beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah at his right, and at his left Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, Meshullam. (5) Ezra opened the scroll in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people; as he opened it, all the people stood up.

It is forbidden for one to leave the synagogue before the Kedusha of "Uva l'tzion".

Rem"a: At the conclusion of the prayers, we say Aleinu Leshabei'ach while standing (Kol Bo), and one should be careful to say it with concentration; and when he reaches [the words] "Lo Yoshia", he should pause a moment before saying "Va'anachnu Kor'im etc."[Tur].

And then they say Kaddish Yatom after Aleinu; and even if there is no orphan in the synagogue, it should be said by a person who does not have a [living] father and mother; And even one who has a [living] father and mother may say it as long as his father and mother are not particular about it [Agur, Tashbe'tz, and Teshuvat Mahari"l - siman 64]. And one should say "Pitum Ketoret" in the afternoon and morning after the prayers; and they say "Ein Kelokeinu etc" first.