As a part of our reflection program for Tiyul 2023, we have identified 18 (19) blessings in the Amidah that we will discuss before and during our trip. These blessings are crucial to understanding the spiritual significance of Israel in Jewish life and history.

We chose the Amidah for this purpose because it is the core prayer in every Jewish worship service. Maimonides, one of the greatest Jewish philosophers, explained that when Israel was exiled in the first diaspora, the Jewish people were scattered across foreign countries and were unable to express themselves coherently. As a result, the prayers they offered were limited in their ability to articulate their needs and hopes.

To remedy this, Ezra, the leader during the return of the Jewish people, established eighteen blessings in sequence, which became known as the Amidah. The prayers could be easily learned by everyone, and the prayers of those who were unable to express themselves were just as complete as the prayers of the most eloquent.

Our students have already learned about what it means to be Jewish, Jewish values, prayers, traditions, and beliefs. During our trip, we will reflect on each of the Amidah's blessings, interpreting and reinterpreting their meaning in today's world. 

As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of Israel's independence, we start our journey with the first blessing of the Amidah: 

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלֹקֵֽינוּ וֵאלֹקֵי אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ [וְאִמוֹתֵינוּ]. אֱלֹקֵי אַבְרָהָם, אֱלֹקֵי יִצְחָק וֵאלֹקֵי יַעֲקֹב, אֱלֹקֵי שָׂרָה, אֱלֹקֵי רִבְקָה, אֱלֹקֵי רָחֵל וֵאלֹקֵי לֵאָה..

Blessed are You, Lord  our God, God of our fathers and mothers, God of Abraham , God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, God of Sarah, God of Rebecca, God of Rachel, and God of Leah…

Connecting ourselves to our ancestors who have prayed with these words for thousands of years. Click the image below to view the photos.