Kedushah (prayer)

Kedushah (Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: קידושה, romanized: qiddúšā, lit.'sanctification > holiness') is the name of several prayers recited during Jewish prayer. They have in common the recitation of two Biblical verses, Isaiah 6:3 and Ezekiel 3:12. These verses come from prophetic visions in which angels sing praises to God.

There exist several variations of the kedushah, which appear in different contexts and have different laws. The best-known Kedushah is recited in the Amidah. Another is recited in the Yotzer ohr blessing and a third, the qiddusha de sedra (Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: קידושה דסדראַ, romanized: qiddúšā ḏ séḏrā, lit.'sanctification of the order') is recited on various occasions including the conclusion of weekday Shacharit. In some versions of the kedushah, additional Biblical verses are added in the same format as the verses from Isaiah and Ezekiel.[1][2]

  1. ^ On the origins of the Kedushah, see David Flusser, “Sanctus und Gloria,” in Abraham Unser Vater: Juden und Christen im Gespräch Über die Bibel Festschrift für Otto Michael (ed. Otto Betz, Martin Hengel, and Peter Schmidt; Leiden: Brill, 1963), 129-152; repr. in David Flusser, Entdeckungen im Neuen Testament (2 vols.; Neukirchener, 1987-1999), 1:226-244. For an English translation of this article, click here.
  2. ^ קווי יסוד להתהוותה של הקדושה וגיבושה.