Sitting, Standing, Bowing: The Spiritual Choreography of Davening (Pt 1)

So you want to try your hand at the traditional Jewish prayers. Maybe you want to go to a synagogue for the first time, or for the first time in a long time. Or maybe you just picked up a siddur, the Jewish prayerbook, and are looking to try it out on your own at home. Maybe you find yourself befuddled by the proliferation of instructions to sit, stand, bow, and other bodily motions.
Whether you're interested in finding a religious ritual to suit your own spiritual needs or just trying not to look like an obvious first-timer at Shabbat services, you may be wondering about all of these kinesthetic elements of the traditional prayers. What do they mean? When do we do them? Who came up with them?
Just a quick disclaimer: since we will be going over liturgy, I will be replacing the prayer-name for G-d with "Hashem." When you are actually saying a prayer, you can say "Ad-nai."Also, by way of another disclaimer, I am an Ashkenazi Jew and primarily familiar with Ashkenazi customs. There are many other customs that I have certainly not represented here.

The Amidah: A Silent Personal Prayer in the Midst of Community

Let's start with the most important question: what is the core, central prayer of all Jewish prayer services? If you said the "Amidah" or the "Shemoneh Esreh," you are correct! If you didn't know, "amidah" means something like "the standing one," and "shemoneh esreh" means "18," because there were originally 18 blessings in this prayer (though there are actually 19 now!) We'll get into why this prayer was made to have 18 blessings a little later.
During the Amidah, we stand (or, if you are unable to stand due to a health condition or disability, you can do it sitting) and go through a litany of silent blessings. These blessings are predetermined and repetitive, but you are not considered as having completed the Amidah until you have also added your own personal prayers, which you can say before, after, or in the middle of the Amidah.

ברכות ל״ד א:י׳

אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה: לְעוֹלָם אַל יִשְׁאַל אָדָם צְרָכָיו לֹא בְּשָׁלֹשׁ רִאשׁוֹנוֹת, וְלֹא בְּשָׁלֹשׁ אַחֲרוֹנוֹת, אֶלָּא בְּאֶמְצָעִיּוֹת.

Berakhot 34a:10

Rav Yehuda said: There is an additional distinction between the various sections of the Amida prayer: One must never request his own needs in the first three or in the last three blessings; rather, he should do so in the middle blessings.

I personally really enjoy this structure, as it gives you a chance to go through a core set of blessings, and also take a moment to connect with Hashem personally. In moments where you have no words of your own to offer to Hashem, having a structured script reminds you of so many things you have to be grateful for, like knowledge and miracles, or things to ask Hashem for, like justice and peace. But, at the same time, just saying those impersonal scripted prayers isn't enough, as you have to make your Amidah your own.

Facing Towards Jerusalem?

You might notice that the seating in a synagogue is organized to be faced towards the Torah in the Ark. The Ark is usually strategically placed on the side of the room that is closest to Jerusalem, so that we may face towards the Holy of Holies, the ancient dwelling place of Hashem, when we say the Amidah. For example, in the US we generally face East, while in Syria or China you would face West. If you were praying in Jerusalem, near the Temple Mount, you would face the direction towards where the Holy of Holies once was.

ברכות ל׳ א:ט׳

הָיָה עוֹמֵד בְּחוּץ לָאָרֶץ — יְכַוֵּין אֶת לִבּוֹ כְּנֶגֶד אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְהִתְפַּלְלוּ אֵלֶיךָ דֶּרֶךְ אַרְצָם״. הָיָה עוֹמֵד בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל — יְכַוֵּין אֶת לִבּוֹ כְּנֶגֶד יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְהִתְפַּלְלוּ אֶל יהוה דֶּרֶךְ הָעִיר אֲשֶׁר בָּחַרְתָּ״. הָיָה עוֹמֵד בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם — יְכַוֵּין אֶת לִבּוֹ כְּנֶגֶד בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְהִתְפַּלְלוּ אֶל הַבַּיִת הַזֶּה״. הָיָה עוֹמֵד בְּבֵית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ — יְכַוֵּין אֶת לִבּוֹ כְּנֶגֶד בֵּית קׇדְשֵׁי הַקֳּדָשִׁים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְהִתְפַּלְלוּ אֶל הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה״. הָיָה עוֹמֵד בְּבֵית קׇדְשֵׁי הַקֳּדָשִׁים — יְכַוֵּין אֶת לִבּוֹ כְּנֶגֶד בֵּית הַכַּפּוֹרֶת. הָיָה עוֹמֵד אֲחוֹרֵי בֵּית הַכַּפּוֹרֶת — יִרְאֶה עַצְמוֹ כְּאִילּוּ לִפְנֵי הַכַּפּוֹרֶת. נִמְצָא עוֹמֵד בַּמִּזְרָח מַחֲזִיר פָּנָיו לַמַּעֲרָב. בַּמַּעֲרָב מַחֲזִיר פָּנָיו לַמִּזְרָח. בַּדָּרוֹם — מַחֲזִיר פָּנָיו לַצָּפוֹן. בַּצָּפוֹן — מַחֲזִיר פָּנָיו לַדָּרוֹם. נִמְצְאוּ כׇּל יִשְׂרָאֵל מְכַוְּונִין אֶת לִבָּם לְמָקוֹם אֶחָד.

Berakhot 30a:9

One who was standing in prayer in the Diaspora should focus his heart toward Eretz Yisrael, as it is stated: “And they shall pray to You by way of their land which You have given to their fathers” (I Kings 8:48). One who was standing in Eretz Yisrael should focus his heart toward Jerusalem, as it is stated: “And they shall pray to the Lord by way of the city that You have chosen” (I Kings 8:44). One who was standing in Jerusalem should focus his heart toward the Temple, as it is stated: “And they shall pray toward this house” (II Chronicles 6:32). One who was standing in the Temple should focus his heart toward the Holy of Holies, as it is stated: “And they shall pray toward this place” (I Kings 8:35). One who was standing in the Holy of Holies should focus his heart toward the seat of the ark-cover [kapporet], atop the ark, the dwelling place of God’s glory. One who was standing behind the seat of the ark-cover should visualize himself as if standing before the ark-cover and turn toward it. Consequently, one standing in prayer in the East turns to face west, and one standing in the West turns to face east. One standing in the South turns to face north, and one standing in the North turns to face south; Consequently, all of the people of Israel focus themselves focusing their hearts toward one place, the Holy of Holies in the Temple.

But what do you do if you are completely unaware of the cardinal directions? Apparently, it's acceptable to face in any direction, because Hashem is everywhere.

ברכות ל׳ א:ח׳

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: סוֹמֵא וּמִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְכַוֵּין אֶת הָרוּחוֹת — יְכַוֵּין לִבּוֹ כְּנֶגֶד אָבִיו שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְהִתְפַּלְלוּ אֶל ה׳״.

Berakhot 30a:8

The Sages taught in a Tosefta: A blind person and one who is unable to approximate the directions and, therefore, is unable to face Jerusalem in order to pray, may focus his heart towards his Father in Heaven, as it is stated: “And they shall pray to the Lord” (I Kings 8:44).

However, it wasn't always the agreed-upon custom to pray in the direction of Jerusalem.

בבא בתרא כ״ה א:ו׳

...דְּאָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי: בּוֹאוּ וְנַחֲזִיק טוֹבָה לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ, שֶׁהוֹדִיעוּ מְקוֹם תְּפִלָּה – דִּכְתִיב: ״וּצְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם לְךָ מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים״.

Bava Batra 25a:6

...As Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says: Come and let us be grateful to our ancestors who revealed to us the place of prayer, as it is written: “And the hosts of heaven bow down to You” (Nehemiah 9:6). Since the celestial bodies move from east to west, they bow in that direction, which indicates that the Divine Presence is in the west.

In other words, in which direction do the celestial bodies move downwards? West. Therefore, it must be that the Shechinah, the physical presence of Hashem in this world, must reside in the west, so we should face west during prayers.
Or perhaps one should face north or south!

בבא בתרא כ״ה ב:ח׳

אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק: הָרוֹצֶה שֶׁיַּחְכִּים – יַדְרִים, וְשֶׁיַּעֲשִׁיר – יַצְפִּין, וְסִימָנָיךְ: שֻׁלְחָן בַּצָּפוֹן וּמְנוֹרָה בַּדָּרוֹם. וְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי אָמַר: לְעוֹלָם יַדְרִים, שֶׁמִּתּוֹךְ שֶׁמִּתְחַכֵּם מִתְעַשֵּׁר – שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: אֹרֶךְ יָמִים בִּימִינָהּ, בִּשְׂמֹאלָהּ עֹשֶׁר וְכָבוֹד״.

Bava Batra 25b:8

Rabbi Yitzḥak says: One who wishes to become wise should face south, and one who wishes to become wealthy should face north. And your mnemonic for this is that in the Temple the Table, which symbolized blessing and abundance, was in the north, and the Menorah, which symbolized the light of wisdom, was in the south of the Sanctuary. And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says: One should always face south, as once he becomes wise he will subsequently also become wealthy, as it is stated with regard to the Torah: “Length of days is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor” (Proverbs 3:16).

Nowadays, the custom of facing Jerusalem is nearly-universal. However, there are a number of Orthodox synagogues in places like, for example, Manhattan, that have their Ark and seats facing north or south. This isn't actually because they want wisdom or wealth, but rather for the simple fact that some of the property lots in Manhattan are extremely narrow east-west so it was too difficult to set up the space facing east. Or, purportedly, due to a concern that saying early morning prayers facing east was a bit too close to sun worship!

Standing on One Foot

You may have also noticed that, when people start their Amidah, they may step 3 steps back and then 3 steps forward, finishing with their feet together. At the end of their Amidah, they bow, step back 3 steps, and bow 3 more times for good measure. The custom of stepping forward into prayer and back at the end comes from the Middle Ages, but the act of standing with our feet together during the Amidah originated around 500-1,000 years prior!

ברכות י׳ ב:כ״ז-כ״ח

תַּנְיָא נָמֵי הָכִי: לֹא יַעֲמוֹד אָדָם לֹא עַל גַּבֵּי כִּסֵּא, וְלֹא עַל גַּבֵּי שְׁרַפְרַף, וְלֹא בְּמָקוֹם גָּבוֹהַּ, וְיִתְפַּלֵּל, אֶלָּא בְּמָקוֹם נָמוּךְ, וְיִתְפַּלֵּל. לְפִי שֶׁאֵין גַּבְהוּת לִפְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״מִמַּעֲמַקִּים קְרָאתִיךָ ה׳״. וּכְתִיב: ״תְּפִלָּה לְעָנִי כִי יַעֲטֹף״. וְאָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בְּרַבִּי חֲנִינָא מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן יַעֲקֹב: הַמִּתְפַּלֵּל צָרִיךְ שֶׁיְּכַוֵּין אֶת רַגְלָיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְרַגְלֵיהֶם רֶגֶל יְשָׁרָה״.

Berakhot 10b:27-28

That was also taught in a baraita: One should neither stand upon a chair nor upon a stool, nor in a high place and pray. Rather, one should stand in a low place and pray, for there is no haughtiness before God. As it is stated: “I called to You, Lord, from the depths” and it is written: “A prayer for the impoverished, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before God” (Psalms 102:1). It is appropriate to feel impoverished when praying and make one’s requests humbly. And Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, said in the name of Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya’akov: When praying, one should align his feet next to each other, as a single foot, in order to model oneself after the angels, with regard to whom it is stated: “And their feet were a straight foot” (Ezekiel 1:7).

That bit at the beginning of the baraita about not standing in a high place is also interesting if you've ever been in a synagogue with a balcony section or where the clergy lead prayers from a stage near the Ark!

Bowing: Why and How?

There are also several times where we bow during prayers. The three main times you might find yourself bowing during regular prayers are the "Barchu," also called the "Call to Prayer," the "Aleinu," which is said every day with a minyan in the Ashkenazi custom, and 4 times during the "Amidah." In the Amidah, you bow twice towards the first blessing and twice during the penultimate blessing. 3 out of these 4 bows are during the words "baruch Atah Hashem": twice during the first blessing, called "Avot," and once during the penultimate blessing, "Hoda'ah." However, there are many instances of those three words, as they are in most blessings, and you do not need to bow for all of them! The fourth bow of the Amidah is during the words "modim anachnu lach, she'Atah hu," also during the "Hoda'ah" blessing.
If you were wondering, the correct timing for bowing during "baruch Atah Hashem" is to bow for "baruch Atah" and be upright for "Hashem." You should also bow for "modim anachnu lach, she'Atah hu" and be upright for "Hashem Elokeinu," so that's a longer bow. The Aleinu also has a long bow during the words "va'anachnu kor'im umishtachavim umodim," and you rise for "lifnei Melech."
Also, as an aside, many people get confused by the bowing situation during the "Barchu." This bit of liturgy is a call-and-response, with the prayer leader calling out "barchu et Hashem hamvorach" while bowing, and the community bowing while responding "baruch Hashem hamvorach le'olam va'ed!" If you are the prayer leader, you should say the first part and bow then. If not, you can wait til the responding line and bow then. If you mess it up, it's okay! Lots of people do.
If you were wondering how low you should bow, here's what the early Rabbis said:

ברכות כ״ח ב:ט״ז-י״ט

גְּמָ׳ הָנֵי שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה כְּנֶגֶד מִי? אָמַר רַבִּי הִלֵּל בְּרֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָנִי: כְּנֶגֶד שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה אַזְכָּרוֹת שֶׁאָמַר דָּוִד בְּ״הָבוּ לַיהוה בְּנֵי אֵלִים״. רַב יוֹסֵף אָמַר: כְּנֶגֶד שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה אַזְכָּרוֹת שֶׁבִּקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע. אָמַר רַבִּי תַּנְחוּם אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי: כְּנֶגֶד שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה חוּלְיוֹת שֶׁבַּשִּׁדְרָה. וְאָמַר רַבִּי תַּנְחוּם אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי: הַמִּתְפַּלֵּל צָרִיךְ שֶׁיִּכְרַע עַד שֶׁיִּתְפַּקְּקוּ כׇּל חוּלְיוֹת שֶׁבַּשִּׁדְרָה. עוּלָּא אָמַר: עַד כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּרְאֶה אִיסָּר כְּנֶגֶד לִבּוֹ. רַבִּי חֲנִינָא אָמַר: כֵּיוָן שֶׁנִּעְנַע רֹאשׁוֹ — שׁוּב אֵינוֹ צָרִיךְ. אָמַר רָבָא: וְהוּא דִּמְצַעַר נַפְשֵׁיהּ, וּמִחְזֵי כְּמַאן דְּכָרַע.

Berakhot 28b:16-19

GEMARA: Since the mishna deals with the fundamental obligation to recite the Amida prayer, the Gemara seeks to resolve fundamental problems pertaining to this prayer. Corresponding to what were these eighteen blessings instituted? When the Shemoneh Esreh was instituted by the Sages, on what did they base the number of blessings? Rabbi Hillel, son of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani, said: Corresponding to the eighteen mentions of God’s name that King David said in the psalm: “Give unto the Lord, O you sons of might” (Psalms 29). Rav Yosef said: Corresponding to the eighteen mentions of God’s name in Shema. Rabbi Tanḥum said that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Corresponding to the eighteen vertebrae in the spine beneath the ribs. Since Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi’s opinion based the Amida prayer on the spinal vertebrae, the Gemara cites another statement of his that connects the two: Rabbi Tanḥum said that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: In those blessings where one is required to bow, one who prays must bow until all the vertebrae in the spine protrude. Establishing a different indicator to determine when he has bowed sufficiently, Ulla said: Until he can see a small coin [issar], on the ground before him opposite his heart (Rav Hai Gaon). Rabbi Ḥanina said: There is room for leniency; once he moves his head forward, he need not bow any further. Rava said: But that applies only if he is exerting himself when doing so, and he appears like one who is bowing. However, if he is able, he should bow further.

In other words, you should bow as low as you can without exerting yourself. If you're young and sprightly like me, you could bow at almost a 90 degree angle! But if not, no worries- even just an incline of the head is fine, if that's all you can physically do. Do NOT injure yourself for this. Hashem does not want you to throw your back out during daily prayers!