The Amidah (or Shemoneh Esrei, “Eighteen”) is one of the most well-known and central Jewish prayers in the siddur. Much of the prayer dates back to period of the Men of the Great Assembly in the 1st century BCE. Although liturgical prayer can be intimidating to some due to its formality, there is great benefit in using it to guide your prayer time.

This series, delivered in January through April of 2014 at Beth Sar Shalom, explores the history and biblical basis for each of the 19 parts (as well as why it’s called “Eighteen” and not “Nineteen”!)

Each message can be downloaded for offline listening by right clicking on the title and selecting Save Target As or Save Link As.