The focal points of Shaharit are the Shema and its accompanying benedictions and the Amidah; to these, however, have been added a number of other liturgical selections. The service opens with the morning benedictions (Birkhot ha-Shahar), followed by readings from the Torah and Talmud relating to the daily sacrifices. Since it is impossible to offer sacrifices, the study and recitation of their regulations is considered equivalent. The second part of the Shaharit service is known as Pesukei de-Zimra (Verses of Song). The section opens with the benediction, Barukh she-Amar and closes with the benediction Yishtabah. Immediately afterward, the Half Kaddish is recited. The central portion of the Pesukei de-Zimra is a series of psalms, each beginning and concluding with the word hallelujah (Ps. 145-150). Before these is a miscellany of verses, and after them the "Song of the Sea" (Ex. 15:1-18) is read.
The Shaharit continues with the Shema with its benedictions, the Amidah and concludes with some final passages, including the Aleinu Leshabe'ah and the Psalm of the Day. On Monday and Thursday morning there is a short Torah reading. So too on Rosh Hodash and minor fast days. The Shaharit service on Sabbath and festivals is more elaborate, with the additions of extra psalms in the Pesukei de-Zimra and with a longer Torah reading.
The order of the prayer service is as follows: on weekdays the opening reading is Ashrei, which consists of Psalm 145. This is followed by the Amidah, Tahunun (on some days), and concludes with the Aleinu. On festivals and Sabbaths another prayer is added after Ashrei, U-Va le-Tziyyon Go'el (A redeemer shall come to Zion). On Sabbaths and on fast days, a portion from the Torah is added before the Amidah. On the Sabbath it is taken from the first part of the Torah reading for the subsequent Sabbath.
Tradition holds that the patriarch Isaac introduced the Minhah prayer service. This notion is based on the text "And Isaac went out walking (to meditate) in the field toward evening ..." (Gen. 24:63). The Talmud (Ber. 6b) has the rabbinic exhortation "One must always exercise great care with the Minhah service, for the prophet Elijah's (plea) was only answered at the Minhah service", as it is recorded: "When it was time to present the meal offering, the prophet Elijah came foreward and said .. " (I Kg. 18:36).
Between Passover and Shavuot, the Omer is counted prior to the recitation of Aleinu. Among Sephardim it is common to precede Arvit with a series of verses from the Book of Psalms, and the recitation of the Half Kaddish. Hasidim usually preface the service with a particular chapter of the Psalms. According to Ashkenazi and Yemenite rites, when Arvit is recited outside the Land of Israel, a paragraph containing 18 verses is inserted after the final benediction and before the Half Kaddish that precedes the Amidah. These verses were recited originally by the geonim in lieu of the Amidah of Arvit. Oriental and Sephardi Jews insert Psalm 121 between the Amidah and Aleinu.
On Sabbaths and holidays, the two introductory verses from Psalms are omitted and the service opens directly with the Barekhu. The Shema and its benedictions are recited as usual, and the Amidah is shortened to seven benedictions, the middle one dealing with the santuary of the Sabbath or holiday. On the Sabbath, after Amidah, a passage from Genesis (2:1-3) is recited followed by a short prayer modeled on the Sabbatheve Amidah. Oriental and Sephardi Jews insert a number of verses immediately before the first Half Kaddish and add Psalm 23 before Aleinu. At the conclusion of Sabbaths and holidays, an addition is made to the fourth benediction of the Amidah to acknowledge the transition from sanctified time to the profane time of the weekdays. A number of additional prayers are also recited after the Amidah.
According to tradition, and based on the verse, "He came upon a certain place and stopped there for the night, for the sun had set" (Gen. 28:11), the patriarch Jacob is the originator of the Arvit prayer. Regarding this verse, the Talmud (TB. Ber. 26b) explains that the Hebrew word for "came upon" (paga) implies prayer. In ancient times, Arvit was considered optional, since Shaharit and Minhah were established to correspond to the daily sacrifice offered at night. The Jewish people as a whole, however, accepted Arvit as a popular and beloved prayer service and thus changed its status to a service of obligation (Maim., Yad, Tefilah, 1:6).