Prayer and Religious Articles

Is the Shema recited on going to sleep in the daytime? A person who sleeps in the daytime doesn't recite the beracha "ha-mapil", but he does recite the shema; see Mishnah Berurah 239:8.

What is an "aliyah"? When the Torah is read, three or more people are called up to the bimah to recite the blessings over portions of the reading. The "going up" to the bimah is called an "aliyah".

Why do people point at the Torah with their little finger? The poskim don't seem to mention which finger is used to point at the Torah. (Another thing done with the little finger – but of the left hand –…

Because of work, I am unable to attend morning prayers and therefore cannot recite Kaddish in the presence of 10 men. Is it permissible to recite at home? As far as Kaddish is concerned, the purpose of Kaddish is that…

Does G-d hear everyone's prayers? G-d hears the prayers of all righteous people, whether Jews or gentiles; see Isaiah 56:7, Psalms 65:3, and Proverbs 15:8,29. On the other hand, He doesn't listen to the prayers of the wicked; see Isaiah…

Do Jews ever kneel? Answer: In the Temple, Jews knelt and prostrated themselves when praying, and they still do it in synagogues on Rosh ha-Shanah and Yom Kippur. But since kneeling is quite rare for Jews, they often think of…

Was there a custom to read the Torah once every three years? The Talmud (Megillah 29b) says that in the Land of Israel it was customary to read through the Torah every three years. There are traditional subdivisions of the…