Avinu Malkeinu

Avinu Malkeinu (Hebrew: אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ), translated as "Our Father, Our King", is a prayer that is recited during Jewish services from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur and on certain public fast days at other times of year. 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.

On most days when Avinu Malkeinu is recited, it is included during Shacharit and Mincha on that day. But 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, it is recited on Shabbat, and the Ark is never opened.

Throughout the Ten Days of Repentance, five lines of Avinu Malkeinu that refer to various heavenly books include the word Kotveinu ("Inscribe us"). During Ne'ila, this is replaced with Chotmeinu ("Seal us"). 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.

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 (Machzor Ruach Chadashah) 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.