The morning prayers in Judaism bear the name Shacharit- a word derived from the Hebrew word "shachar," meaning dawn or morning. According to Jewish tradition, the institution of daily morning prayers was a contribution of our father Avraham, the founder of our faith and people. It is written in the Bible that Avraham awoke early in the morning to address his God, and this concept of morning prayer remains deeply ingrained in Jewish life. The morning prayers consist of thanks and appreciation for being alive (no small matter!) and for the honor and responsibility of serving God and man by being Jewish. It is during the Shacharit prayers of the morning that men wear a talit (a large four cornered cloak with tzitzit attached at each of the four corners of the garment) and tefilin - the black boxed phylacteries that Jewish males wear on their arms and heads daily- except for Shabbat and holidays- from their Bar-Mitzva day onward. There is halachic discussion regarding the propriety of women wearing tefilin, but the overwhelming custom of Israel is that women do not wear tefilin. Women are, however, enjoined to pray the Shacharit services in the same fashion as their male counterparts.
The Shacharit service consists of a number of sections. After the thanks mentioned above, there appear a number of Psalms praising the Lord and recounting His wonders and greatness. This section is titled "Pesukei D'Zimra" - verses of joyful praise. This order of prayer is in line with the Talmudic idea that before one asks for favors and blessings, one should realize Who is being asked. In this section, historical events such as the Exodus from Egypt and the splitting of the Red Sea are recalled, as well as the triumphant Song of Moses upon the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Pharaoh. The next section of the Shacharit prayer centers upon the recitation of "Shema Yisrael" ? Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one?- the core prayer of Judaism. There are two blessings that precede the Shema prayer- one regarding the wonders of the light of day and the other describing our gratitude for receiving God's Torah at Sinai. After the recitation of the Shema there is a blessing thanking God for our past redemptions and survival and entreating the Almighty for the future redemption of Israel and all mankind.
The next part of the service consists of the nineteen-blessing Amidah that is recited silently standing at attention, so to speak. Encapsulated within that prayer are all of our possible requests from the Lord - for health, prosperity, peace and a just world. Additional personal requests and entreaties may be added to the standard ritual text to fit one's situation. This nineteen-blessing Amidah is repeated out loud for the benefit of the congregation, to accommodate those who were unable to recite it by themselves. The service then continues with the penitential prayer Tachnun, consisting of Psalms and verses asking for forgiveness of sin. On Mondays and Thursdays a lengthier version of Tachnun is recited, as well as the reading of the first part of the Torah portion of the week from the Torah scroll itself. The service concludes with the recitation of a number of additional Psalms and verses that ask for Divine help in the day's forthcoming tasks, as well as the recitation of the psalm of the day that was recited and sung by the Levites in the Temple in Jerusalem. In fact, the entire Shacharit service is seen as a replacement for the morning sacrifice service that opened the daily Temple service in Jerusalem.
Prayer is seen as an excellent way to begin the day. It focuses a person's thoughts on the true priorities in life and gives one sustaining spiritual strength to face the mundane and often vexing problems of everyday existence. Jews were wakened to prayer by a person who knocked at the door and shouted, "Rise up to serve the Lord, our Creator." Such doorknockers may be relics of past history but the morning prayer service remains the foundation stone of a Jew's entire day.