Amida: Avot The Standing Prayer, First Blessing

עֲמִידָה · אָבוֹת · 3× daily · standing · silent · the central prayer

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The first blessing of the Amida, the silent standing prayer at the heart of every Jewish service, said three times a day. The full Amida (also called Shemoneh Esrei, "Eighteen", though it actually has 19 blessings on weekdays and 7 on Shabbat) is recited standing, silent, with feet together, facing east (toward Jerusalem). The first blessing, Avot ("Ancestors"), establishes who is being addressed: not a generic deity, but specifically the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of the family that became Israel. Bow at "Baruch Atah", straighten up at the divine name, bow again at the closing "Baruch Atah... Magen Avraham". This page teaches the Avot blessing only. The other 18 blessings will be added in future pages.

part 1 the address + the 3 patriarchs

בָּרוּךְ

ba-RUCH

blessed

אַתָּה

a-TAH

You

יְהוָה

a-do-NAI

the LORD

אֱלֹהֵינוּ

e-lo-HEI-nu

our God

וֵאלֹהֵי

ve-lo-HEI

and God of

אֲבוֹתֵינוּ

a-vo-TEI-nu

our fathers

Blessed are You, LORD, our God and God of our fathers,

אֱלֹהֵי

e-lo-HEI

God of

אַבְרָהָם

av-ra-HAM

Abraham

אֱלֹהֵי

e-lo-HEI

God of

יִצְחָק

yits-CHAK

Isaac

וֵאלֹהֵי

ve-lo-HEI

and God of

יַעֲקֹב

ya-a-KOV

Jacob

God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob,

part 2 the great epithets

הָאֵל

ha-EL

the God

הַגָּדוֹל

ha-ga-DOL

the great

הַגִּבּוֹר

ha-gi-BOR

the mighty

וְהַנּוֹרָא

ve-ha-no-RA

and the awesome

the great, mighty, and awesome God,

גּוֹמֵל

go-MEL

bestower of (qal ptcp.)

חֲסָדִים

cha-sa-DIM

kindnesses

טוֹבִים

to-VIM

good

וְקוֹנֵה

ve-ko-NEH

and possessor of

הַכֹּל

ha-KOL

all

bestower of good kindnesses, possessor of all,

part 3 redeemer + seal Magen Avraham

וּמֵבִיא

u-me-VI

and bringer of (hiphil ptcp.)

גּוֹאֵל

go-EL

a redeemer

לִבְנֵי

liv-NEI

to the children of

בְנֵיהֶם

ve-nei-HEM

their children

לְמַעַן

le-MA-an

for the sake of

שְׁמוֹ

she-MO

His name

and brings a redeemer to their children's children, for His name's sake,

בָּרוּךְ

ba-RUCH

blessed

אַתָּה

a-TAH

You

יְהוָה

a-do-NAI

the LORD

מָגֵן

ma-GEN

Shield of

אַבְרָהָם

av-ra-HAM

Abraham

Blessed are You, LORD, Shield of Abraham.

♦ About this prayer

The opening of the central prayer of Jewish liturgy. 19 blessings on weekdays, 7 on Shabbat, but always the same opening: introducing yourself to the God who introduced Himself to Abraham. The first blessing every Jewish child learns when they start davening.

The Amida's structure: 19 blessings

The weekday Amida has 19 blessings in three sections:

Praise (3 blessings): 1. Avot (this page) → 2. Gevurot (God's might, especially in resurrection) → 3. Kedushat HaShem (sanctification of the Name, including the Kedushah during chazan repetition).

Petition (13 blessings): knowledge, repentance, forgiveness, redemption, healing, livelihood, in-gathering of exiles, restoration of justice, against slander, the righteous, Jerusalem, Davidic kingship, the hearing of prayer.

Thanks (3 blessings): 17. Avodah (acceptance of worship) → 18. Modim (thanksgiving) → 19. Sim Shalom (peace).

On Shabbat and holidays, the 13 petition blessings are replaced by a single "holiness of the day" blessing, so Shabbat Amida has 7 blessings total. The reasoning: Shabbat is rest from struggle; one should not petition for needs but accept the peace of the day.

The standing posture and the silent voice

The name Amida means "standing", the worshiper stands during the entire prayer. The standing posture comes from the Temple service: priests stood; the people stood. The silent voice (no audible sound) comes from Hannah's prayer at Shiloh (1 Sam 1).

Some communities have the Amida said aloud once ("chazan's repetition") after the silent recitation, so the people who can't read fluently can fulfill their obligation by listening. This repeated version includes the Kedushah (sanctification with the angels) and Modim D'Rabbanan (the people's parallel Modim during the chazan's Modim). Both are public additions; the silent Amida has neither.

The three steps backward, three forward

Before saying the Amida, the worshiper takes 3 small steps backward then 3 small steps forward. The Talmud (Berachot 26b) attributes this to courtly etiquette: when approaching the King one steps back to show the space being entered. The three steps also recall the three sections of the Temple (outer court → inner court → Holy of Holies), through which the High Priest progressed only once a year on Yom Kippur. Now every Jew passes through this approach three times a day.

At the end of the Amida (after the closing blessing of Sim Shalom), 3 steps backward again, to take leave of the King. Then bow left, right, and forward saying Oseh Shalom bimromav ("He who makes peace in His high places...").

♦ Lesson

When, Shacharit (morning), Mincha (afternoon), Maariv (evening). Three times a day. Also Musaf on Shabbat/holidays + Neilah on Yom Kippur. The most-prayed prayer text in Jewish life.
Body posture:
- Take 3 small steps backward, then 3 forward, "approaching the King".
- Stand with feet together (like the angels' single straight leg, Ezekiel 1:7).
- Face east (or toward Jerusalem).
- Bow at Baruch Atah (bend knees + bow head), straighten at the divine name. Bow again at the closing Baruch Atah... Magen Avraham.
Sound, Amida is said silently. Lips move, no voice. The model is Hannah praying for a child (1 Sam 1:13): her lips moved but no voice was heard, and Eli the priest mistook her for drunk. The rabbis derived from this that the Amida should be said the same way.
The three patriarchs, why all three named: the rabbis (Talmud, Berachot 16b) note that the verse doesn't just say "God of our ancestors" but rather names each one: God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob. Each patriarch had his own distinct relationship with God; none can substitute for another. Avraham discovered God through reason; Yitzchak through binding/sacrifice; Yaakov through wrestling/struggle. The blessing names all three so the worshiper can find their own way in.
Why "Magen Avraham" (Shield of Abraham): each Amida blessing ends with a seal naming the theological content. "Shield", the protective covenant relationship. Abraham, the founder of monotheism, the model of one-on-one relationship with God. The closing of Avot says: God is the protective covenant partner of the founder's family, and we are part of it.
The matriarchs question, Conservative, Reform, Renewal, and many Modern Orthodox congregations have added Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel, and Leah to the blessing, so it reads "God of Abraham, God of Sarah, God of Isaac, God of Rivkah, God of Jacob, God of Rachel and God of Leah". The seal changes too: "Magen Avraham u'foked Sarah" ("Shield of Abraham and remembrancer of Sarah"). Orthodox communities preserve the original three-patriarchs text.
Vocabulary:
- chasadim (חֲסָדִים), "kindnesses". Plural of chesed, the central biblical word for covenantal lovingkindness. Translatable variously as kindness, grace, loyalty, fidelity-in-love.
- gomel chasadim tovim (גּוֹמֵל חֲסָדִים טוֹבִים), "bestower of good kindnesses". Gomel is qal ptcp of ג.מ.ל (to bestow / reward). Same root as gemilut chasadim (acts of loving-kindness, the central Jewish ethical principle).
- magen (מָגֵן), "shield". Literally a physical shield. Used in the Tanakh as a metaphor for God's protection (Gen 15:1: "I am your shield, Abram").
- go'el (גּוֹאֵל), "redeemer / kinsman-redeemer". A specific biblical-legal role: the close relative who redeems land or person from bondage. Applied to God: the family member who buys His people back from exile.