Morning prayer, the equivalent of the morning obligatory offering at the Temple. Its main part is comprised of Amidah (18 benedictions recited silently and later repeated by precentor) and Shema and its blessings, all preceded by a section of hymns, mainly Psalms and verses theirof. On Shabbat, Mondays and Thursdays, the Amidah is proceeded by cantillation of the the first part of the week's portion.
