Avinu Malkeinu


Avinu Malkeinu is a Jewish prayer recited during Jewish services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, as well as on the Ten Days of Repentance from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur. In the Ashkenazic tradition, it is recited on all fast days; in the Sephardic tradition only because it is recited for the Ten Days of Repentance does it occur on the fast days of Yom Kippur and the Fast of Gedaliah.
Joseph H. Hertz, chief rabbi of the British Empire, described it as "the oldest and most moving of all the litanies of the Jewish Year." It makes use of two sobriquets for God that appear separately in the Bible; "Our Father" and "Our King".

History

The Talmud records Rabbi Akiva reciting two verses each beginning "Our Father, Our King" in a prayer to end a drought. In a much later compilation of Talmudic notes, published circa 1515, this is expanded to five verses. It is very probable that, at first, there was no set number of verses, no sequence, nor perhaps any fixed text. Apparently an early version had the verses in alphabetic sequence, which would mean 22 verses. The prayer book of Amram Gaon had 25 verses. Mahzor Vitry has more than 40 verses and added the explanation that the prayer accumulated additional verses that were added ad hoc on various occasions and thereafter retained. Presently, the Sephardic tradition has 29 verses, among the Mizrahi Jews the Syrian tradition has 31 or 32 verses, but the Yemenite has only 27 verses, the Salonika as many as 53 verses, the Ashkenazic has 38 verses, the Polish tradition has 44 verses, all with different sequences. And within traditions, some verses change depending on the occasion, such as the Ten Days of Repentance, including Rosh Hashana and the bulk of Yom Kippur, or the Ne'ila Yom Kippur service, or a lesser fast day.

Practice

Each line of the prayer begins with the words "Avinu Malkeinu" and is then followed by varying phrases, mostly supplicatory. There is often a slow, chanting, repetitive aspect to the melody to represent the pious pleading within the prayer. There are 54 such verses. Verses 15-23 are recited responsively, first by the leader and then repeated by the congregation. The reader also reads the last verse aloud but, traditionally, in a whisper, as it is a supplication.
On most days when Avinu Malkeinu is recited, it is included during Shacharit and Mincha on that day. It is omitted on Shabbat and at Mincha on Fridays. On Erev Yom Kippur it is not recited at Mincha but some congregations do recite it in the morning when it falls on Friday. On Yom Kippur, Avinu Malkeinu is also recited during Maariv and Ne'ila, except when Yom Kippur falls on Shabbat in the Ashkenazi tradition, in which case Avinu Malkeinu is recited during Ne'ila only. During the Avinu Malkenu, the Ark is opened, and at the end of the prayer, the Ark is closed. In the Sephardic tradition the Ark is not opened, and each community follows received customs about whether to say it on Shabbat.
Throughout the Ten Days of Repentance, five lines of Avinu Malkeinu that refer to various heavenly books include the word Kotveinu. During Ne'ila, this is replaced with Chotmeinu. This reflects the belief that on Rosh Hashanah all is written and revealed and on Yom Kippur all decrees for the coming year are sealed. When recited on Fast Days the phrase Barech Aleinu in the 4th verse is recited instead of the usual Chadesh Aleinu, and "Zochreinu" is recited in verses 19-23 in place of "Kotveinu B'Sefer". Fast Days on which it is not recited are Tisha B'Av, the afternoon of the Fast of Esther except when it is brought forward and when the 10th of Tevet falls on a Friday it is omitted at Mincha.
Sephardic Jews do not recite Avinu Malkeinu on fast days. Instead, a series of Selichot prayers specific to the day are recited.
In the interests of gender neutrality, the UK Liberal Jewish prayer-book for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur translates the epithet as "Our Creator, Our Sovereign". It also contains a contemporary prayer based on Avinu Malkeinu in which the feminine noun Shekhinah is featured. The Reform Jewish High Holy Days prayer book Mishkan HaNefesh, released in 2015 and intended as a companion to Mishkan T'filah, includes a version of Avinu Malkeinu that refers to God as both "Loving Father" and "Compassionate Mother."

In popular culture

In 2018, composer Henry Panion, III incorporates the main theme into his Dreams of Hope for Solo Violin & Orchestra, commissioned for performance by violinist Caitlin Edwards and premiered during the opening of Violins of Hope Birmingham at the historic 16th Street Baptist Church, the site of the infamous bombing that killed the Four Little Girls in 1963.
The band Mogwai's instrumental My Father My King is a setting of the main melody to Avinu Malkeinu.
The duo Shlomit & RebbeSoul perform an acoustic version on their debut album, The Seal Of Solomon, while Burger himself has included a version of the song on nearly all of his albums.
The band Phish plays the song in a 5/4 time signature.
Barbra Streisand sings the song.
In the 1992 film School Ties, the headmaster of the WASP elitist prep school walks in on David Greene reciting Avinu Malkeinu on Rosh Hashanah. . It must be added that the WASP headmaster shows a profound understanding of the spiritual and ethical import of the Jewish High Holidays.
The prayer appears on the 2002 album Zero Church by sisters Suzzy and Maggie Roche as "Aveenu Malcainu".
The singer/songwriter Lior also performs the song at many of his live concerts. It is recorded on his live album, Doorways of My Mind".
Singer Lena Måndotter recorded "Avinu Malkeinu" on her album Songs from the River.
In 2013, Stephen DeCesare, a Roman Catholic composer, wrote a version dedicated to Cantor Fred Scheff of Temple Shalom in Middletown, Rhode Island.
The Israeli heavy metal band Orphaned Land incorporates Avinu Malkeinu into their song "Our Own Messiah" from their 2013 album All Is One.
Composer/singer Rebecca Teplow wrote a version of in 2017.
In 2017, Benzion Miller's version of Avinu Malkeinu was featured in the 5th episode of season three of the television show The Leftovers.
American Belz Hasidic singer Shulem Lemmer covered the song, in his album The Perfect Dream'', released in 2019.
In July 2020, Rabbi David Lau the Chief Rabbi of Israel along with renowned Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky announced that the Avinu Malkeinu prayer shall be recited twice a day by Shacharit and by Mincha in light of the spread of Coronavirus in Israel.