Aleinu (Hebrew: עָלֵינוּ‎, "our duty") is a Jewish prayer found in the siddur, the classical Jewish prayerbook. Traditional Jews recite it at the end of each of the three daily Jewish services. Hebrew redirects here. ... Mary Magdalene in prayer. ... The siddur (plural siddurim) is the prayerbook used by Jews over the world, containing a set order of daily prayers. ... Jewish services (Hebrew: tefillah/תפלה, plural tefilloth/תפלות) are the communal prayer recitations which form part of the observance of Judaism. ...

According to tradition, this prayer was created and proclaimed by Joshua after leading the children of Israel into Israel, upon the death of Moses. The Aleinu praises God for allowing the Jewish people to serve him, and expresses their hope that the whole world will recognize God and abandon idolatry. This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... Idolatry is a major sin in the Abrahamic religions regarding image. ...

Text

The following is the first half of the current Ashkenazi version of the prayer (there is also a second paragraph, which people sometimes omit). Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim (אַשְׁכֲּנָזִי אַשְׁכֲּנָזִים Standard Hebrew, Aškanazi,Aškanazim, Tiberian Hebrew, ʾAškănāzî, ʾAškănāzîm, pronounced sing. ...

Hebrew uses the Hebrew alphabet with optional vowel points. ...

Use in the synagogue

The original context of this prayer was as part of the middle paragraphs of the Amidah prayer in the additional service on Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year), and more specifically in the passage known as Malchuyot (the kingdom of God). In this context it includes both paragraphs of the prayer. The first paragraph is also included at the equivalent point in the liturgy for Yom Kippur. The Amidah (Standing), also called the Shemoneh Esreh (The Eighteen), is the central prayer in the Jewish liturgy that observant Jews recite each morning, afternoon, and evening. ... This article is about the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah. ... Yom Kippur (יום כיפור yom kippūr) is the Jewish holiday of the Day of Atonement. ...

In the Middle Ages the custom grew up of reciting the first paragraph every day, at the end either of the morning service alone or of all the prayer services for the day. In the 16th century the kabbalist Hayim Vital, recording the opinions of Isaac Luria, ruled that both paragraphs should be included in all services, and should end with the verse "on that day the Lord shall be one and His Name one". This has been accepted in all communities except for the Spanish and Portuguese Jews, who retain the "short Alenu". (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... This article is about traditional Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism). ... Hayyim ben Joseph Vital (1543 in Safed-6 May 1620 in Damascus) was one of the most famous exponents of Kabbalah. ... Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534–July 25, 1572) was a Jewish mystic in Safed. ... Painting of the Amsterdam Esnoga — considered the mother synagogue by the Spanish and Portuguese Jews — by Emanuel de Witte (ab. ...

Controversial passage

The earlier form of this prayer contains an additional sentence:

It is our duty to praise the Master of all, to exalt the Creator of the Universe, who has not made us like the nations of the world and has not placed us like the families of the earth; who has not designed our destiny to be like theirs, nor our lot like that of all their multitude, For they bow to vanity and emptiness and pray to a god which helps not.

The sentence in italics is a quote from the Bible, Isaiah 45:20. "Come, gather together, Draw nigh, you remnants of the nations! No foreknowledge had they who carry their wooden images and pray to a God who cannot give success." (New JPS) However, in the medieval era some within the Christian community came to believe that this line referred to Christians worshipping Jesus, and demanded that it be excised, so it was omitted in most Ashkenazi prayer books. (It is still present in Sephardi and Italian prayer books.) In many Orthodox Jewish siddurim (prayer books) this line has been restored, and the practice of reciting it has increased. This practice has not become mainstream in non-Orthodox Jewish denominations. Italic can refer to: Italic languages Italic scripts Italic means Of or from Italy; the usage is most commonly restricted to talking about the people and languages of what is now Italy from the historic period before the Roman Empire. ... Isaiah the Prophet in Hebrew Scriptures was depicted on the Sistine Chapel ceiling by Michelangelo. ... Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim (אַשְׁכֲּנָזִי אַשְׁכֲּנָזִים Standard Hebrew, Aškanazi,Aškanazim, Tiberian Hebrew, ʾAškănāzî, ʾAškănāzîm, pronounced sing. ... Sephardim (ספרדי, Standard Hebrew Səfardi, Tiberian Hebrew ardî; plural Sephardim: ספרדים, Standard Hebrew Sfaradim, Tiberian Hebrew ) are a subgroup of Jews, generally defined in contrast to Ashkenazim and/or . ... plural of Siddur ...

History

Ismar Elbogen, a historian of the Jewish liturgy, held that not only this line, but the early form of the entire prayer pre-dated Christianity. Conservative/Masorti Rabbi Reuven Hammer comments on the excised sentence: Ismar Elbogen (September 1, 1874, Schildberg - 1943) was a German scholar. ... Conservative Judaism, (also known as Masorti Judaism in Israel predominantly), is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s. ... Masorti means traditional in Hebrew. ...

Originally the text read that God has not made us like the nations who "bow down to nothingless and vanity, and pray to an impotent god," ...In the Middle Ages these words were censored, since the church believed they were an insult to Christianity. Omitting them tends to give the impression that the Aleinu teaches that we are both different and better than others. The actual intent is to say that we are thankful that God has enlightened us so that, unlike the pagans, we worship the true God and not idols. There is no inherent superiority in being Jewish, but we do assert the superiority of monotheistic belief over paganism. Although paganism still exists today, we are no longer the only ones to have a belief in one God.

(Reuven Hammer, Or Hadash, The Rabbinical Assembly, NY, 2003)

Restoration

Some Orthodox Rabbinical authorities, prominently the 19th century Rabbi Moshe Yehoshua Leib Diskin (Maharil Diskin), have argued that the disputed phrase should be recited in communities that previously omitted it. Posek (Hebrew פוסק, IPA: , pl. ... Rabbi Yehoshua Leib Diskin HaGaon Harav Yehoshua Leib Diskin (1818-1898), also known as the Maharil Diskin, served as a Rabbi in Lomza, Mezritch, Kovno, Shklov, Brisk and finally Jerusalem after moving there in 1876. ...

Other variations

Reform and other communities rephrase the opening to make it read more positively. For example, the British Reform version borrows words from the blessings over the Torah, and begins "It is our duty to praise the Lord of all, to attribute greatness to the maker of creation, who has chosen us from all peoples, and given us his Torah. Therefore we bow down, etc." Reform Judaism can refer to (1) the largest stream of Judaism in America and its sibling movements in other countries, (2) a branch of Judaism in the United Kingdom, and (3) the historical predecessor of the American movement that originated in 19th-century Germany. ...

See also

• List of Jewish Prayers and Blessings
• Jewish services

Listed below are some Hebrew prayers and blessings that are part of Judaism that are recited by many Jews. ... Jewish services (Hebrew: tefillah/תפלה, plural tefilloth/תפלות) are the communal prayer recitations which form part of the observance of Judaism. ...

External links

• Audio file "Aleinu" (first part); MP3
• Audio file "Aleinu" (second part); MP3