Prayer IX: End of Shacharit and Priorities

Which of the ending prayers should women say?

The prayers following Shemoneh Esrei are, for the most part, a binding custom for men. With the possible exceptions of Ashrei and Aleinu, many women do not recite these prayers when praying alone. This seems to indicate that women never accepted their recitation as a binding custom.¹

As we might expect, then, the halachic discussion of women and the end of prayer is rather sparse. Here is a brief summary of the main issues:²

I. Tachanun We recite tachanun in order to add a personal plea to God at the end of prayer. Originally the language of tachanun was individual, though now it is more fixed. Tachanun in the presence of a sefer Torah is traditionally recited “falling on one’s face” – sitting down and with the forehead resting on the forearm. We say it falling on our faces so that, like Moshe Rabbeinu, we can appeal to God from every physical position.

Note that tachanun here is described as optional (reshut),not obligatory. For this reason, its recitation can be omitted with great ease:

In practice, many women do not say tachanun when praying alone.

II. Ashrei The Talmud teaches us that reciting Ashrei three times a day (twice at shacharit and once at mincha) is praiseworthy and beneficial. This should apply to women and men alike. (See more here.)

Reciting Ashrei at the end of tefilla is also a way to praise God for the opportunity to dwell longer in the synagogue, God’s home:

A woman with time to continue praying after Shemoneh Esrei can also acknowledge the privilege of extending her time to dwell with God, especially if she is able to pray in a house of prayer.

III. U-va Le-tziyon, Ve-ata Kadosh According to Shibolei Ha-leket, U-va Le-Tziyon and va-ani zot beriti substitute for the time devoted to daily Torah study after prayer that most of us are unable to commit:

Rashi provides a similar explanation of Ve-ata kadosh, also known as kedusha de-sidra:

Rashi explicitly adds that kedusha de-sidra is said by scholars and laity alike.

Since women are exempt from the formal mitzva of talmud Torah, one might argue that a woman need not recite any of these verses. But any woman with the interest and ability to infuse the first moments after prayer with Torah can do so and join a beloved practice of “all of Israel.”

IV. Shir Shel Yom and Pitum Ha-ketoret These are recited in commemoration of the Temple service; the first recalls the songs sung over the sacrifices and the second describes the incense. A woman may choose to recite them, much as she may recite korbanot.

Shir shel yom is also an opportunity for all of us to remember Shabbat on a daily basis, since we begin by mentioning the day of the week as we count toward Shabbat.³

V. Aleinu Of all of the prayers following Shemoneh Esrei, women most commonly recite Aleinu.

Originally a highlight of the malchuyot service of Rosh Ha-shana, Aleinu has become the signature finale to Jewish prayer.

Aleinu reminds us of our ultimate vision for God’s complete, recognized dominion. It is an exclamation point of a prayer.

If a woman has a lot of time to pray, she is encouraged to follow the words of Kaf Ha-chayim:

But if a woman has very, very little time, she should say the first verse of Shema and Shemoneh Esrei. It is absolutely better to say those and nothing more than to decide not to pray at all when there isn’t enough time for more, and five to ten minutes are enough time to say them.

Often, a woman’s time for prayer falls out somewhere in between. What is a good formula for prayer when a woman has more than the absolute minimum amount of time, but not that much more?

The following order is typical of the guidance a woman will find in practical Halacha books for prioritizing prayer:⁴

How did this order arise? Emet ve-yatziv might be, according to Magen Avraham, a fulfillment of a Torah-level mitzva of zecher yetzi’at Mitzrayim and an opportunity to connect ge’ula to tefilla. (See more here.) There is no reason to exempt women from Birchot Ha-Shachar. (See more here.) Birchot Ha-Torah may also be obligatory for women as an expression of our basic connection to Torah or a prerequisite for the Torah learning we do outside the formal mitzva of talmud Torah. (See more here.) Pesukei De-zimra may be obligatory as preparation for prayer. (See more here.) The first verse of Shema may be obligatory, but is at least correct to recite, as acceptance of the yoke of the kingdom of heaven. (See more here.) Once a woman is saying Pesukei De-Zimra, she should say as much as she can manage. (See more here.) It is praiseworthy to recite all of Keri’at Shema. (See more here.)

This makes sense, but we can question some of the recommendations:

Not everyone agrees with Magen Avraham regarding Emet ve-yatziv, but Birchot Ha-shachar are pretty clearly obligatory and Birchot Ha-Torah are extremely important. Both can be said at some point over the course of the morning without affecting whatever block of concentrated time is available for prayer.

The first verse of Shema, which takes only seconds to say (and according to Bach is obligatory) should always be able to fit into the time before Shemoneh Esrei.

Some women, especially those who are continuously occupied with the care of young children, do not recite Shemoneh Esrei at all, relying on Magen Avraham. (See more here.)

For these reasons, we would suggest the following modified guidelines: