Tefillah  (prayer) is a part of daily life at Solomon Schechter Day School. Students learn skills in traditional liturgy in order to use the siddur (prayer book) as a component in reflective personal practice, and to be able to participate fully in synagogue life anywhere in the world.

Students at Solomon Schechter Day School begin their study of tefillah in the gan (kindergarten), learning key tefillot through music and movement with visual aids. Students begin studying through a formal siddur in second grade, and in third grade learn the ta’amei ha-Mikra (Torah tropes): their music, their functions, and traditional hand motions to reinforce the auditory and verbal learning.

Study of tefillah through both matbe’a (fixed liturgy) and iyun tefillah (affective discussions) continues in large and small groups through eighth grade, by which time the tefillot are fully student-led.

Students who are particularly motivated are invited to serve on the gabbai (prayer organizer) committee in middle school, where they take increasing roles in facilitating and organizing their grade-level tefillot. All students participate in contributing to the tefillah community as prayer leaders and Torah readers.