Early Medieval Prayer

Prayer as a Genre of Jewish Writing

Prayer, a complex human phenomenon, is one of the most vital genres in Jewish writing. At once a performative practice and a set of literary and sometimes musical compositions, prayer enables individuals to articulate their spiritual life in direct relation to the divine. But Jewish prayer is also explicitly communal worship; many prayers are couched in the plural “we,” and some cannot even be said at all without a quorum of ten (traditionally ten men, a minyan). While literary texts cannot capture the experience of prayer, the words offer a glimpse into the rich variety of Jewish prayer practices. 

Some related texts reflect on the rules and regulations governing prayer, its historical development, or its theological significance.