Baruch Adonai L'Olam (Maariv)
Baruch Adonai L'Olam is a prayer that is recited by some Jewish communities, during Maariv on weekdays immediately preceding the Amidah. It contains a tapestry of 18 biblical verses, followed by a blessing titled Yiru Eineinu (may our eyes see).
The prayer is recited by Ashkenazim outside of Israel, except Chabad-Lubavitch and followers of the Vilna Gaon. It is also said by Baladi Yemenite Jews in and out of Israel.
The prayer was composed during talmudic times when synagogues could not be built in residential areas, and when Maariv was held in open fields. Its 18 verses took the place of the 18 blessings of the Amidah. The Amidah would then be recited in full privately by participants when they returned to their homes.[1]
This prayer is not recited on Shabbat and Yom Tov due to the prohibition against separating the Shema and its blessings from the Amidah on these days.[2]
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