Everything about Mincha totally explained
Jewish services (
Hebrew:
תפלה,
tefillah ; plural
תפלות,
tefillos or
tefillot ;
Yinglish:
davening) are the
prayer recitations which form part of the observance of
Judaism. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the
siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book.
Traditionally, three prayers are recited daily, with additional prayers on the
Sabbath and most
Jewish holidays. A distinction is made between individual prayer and communal prayer in a
minyan (quorum). Communal prayer is preferable, as it includes components that can't be performed without a quorum.
Most of the Jewish liturgy is sung or chanted with traditional melody or trope (
nigun). Depending upon the size and platform, many synagogues designate or employ a professional or lay
hazzan (cantor) for the purpose of leading the congregation in prayer, especially on Shabbat or holidays.
Daven is the originally exclusively Eastern
Yiddish verb meaning "pray"; it's widely used by
Ashkenazic Orthodox Jews. In
Yinglish, this has become the
Anglicised
davening. The origin of the word is obscure, but is thought by some to have come from Middle
French and by others to be derived from a
Slavic word meaning "give". Others claim that it originates from an Aramaic word, "de'avoohon", meaning "of our forefathers", as the three prayers were invented by
Abraham,
Isaac and
Jacob (
Talmud). Still others connect it with the Latinate "divine." In Western
Yiddish, the term for "pray" is
oren, a word with clear roots in
Romance languages — compare
Spanish and
Portuguese orar and
Latin orare.
The prayers and their origins
Number and time
There are three prayer services each day on weekdays. A fourth additional prayer service (called
mussaf, "additional"), is added on
Shabbat and on major holidays by Orthodox and Conservative congregations. A fifth prayer (
ne'ilah), is nowadays only recited on
Yom Kippur.
According to the
Talmud (tractate
Taanit 2a), prayer is a Biblical command: "
You shall serve God with your whole heart - What service is performed with the heart? This is prayer". The prayers are therefore referred to as
Avodah sheba-Lev (service from in the heart).
Maimonides (
Mishneh Torah, Laws of Prayer 1:1) likewise categorises prayer as a Biblical command, but states that the number of prayers or their times are not. This statement is relied upon by the authorities that hold that women, while being required to pray, only need to pray once a day (preferably in the morning), though they can, if they wish, pray all three daily prayers.
The
Talmud (tractate Berachoth 26b) gives two reasons why there are three basic prayers.
- Each service was instituted parallel to a sacrificial act in the Temple in Jerusalem: the morning Tamid offering in the morning for the morning, the afternoon Tamid for the afternoon prayers and the overnight burning of the leftovers for the evening prayers.
- According to one sage, each of the Patriarchs instituted one prayer: Abraham the morning, Isaac the afternoon and Jacob the evening prayers. This view is supported with Biblical quotes indicating that the Patriarchs prayed at the times mentioned. However, even according to this view, the exact times of when the services are held, and moreover the entire concept of a mussaf service, are still based on the sacrifices.
Additional Biblical references suggest that
King David and the prophet
Daniel prayed three times a day. In
Psalms, David states: "Evening, morning and afternoon do I pray and cry, and He will hear my voice" . As in
Daniel: "[...] his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he'd done before" .
Orthodox Judaism regards
halakha (Jewish law) as requiring Jewish men to pray three times daily and four times daily on the
Sabbath and most
Jewish holidays, and five times on
Yom Kippur. Orthodox Jewish women are required to pray at least daily, with no specific time requirement, but the system of multiple daily prayer services is regarded as optional.
Conservative Judaism also regards the
halakhic system of multiple daily services as mandatory. Since 2002, Conservative Jewish women have been regarded as having undertaken a communal obligation to pray the same prayers at the same times as men, with traditionalist communities and individual women permitted to opt out. .
Reform and
Reconstructionist congregations don't regard
halakha as binding and hence regard appropriate prayer times as matters of personal spiritual decision rather than a matter of religious requirement.
Text and language
Maimonides (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Prayer 1:4) relates that until the
Babylonian exile, all Jews composed their own prayers. After the exile, however, the sages of the time (united in the
Great Assembly) found the ability of the people insufficient to continue the practice, and they composed the main portions of the
siddur, such as the
Amidah. The language of the prayers, while clearly being from the Second Temple period, often employs Biblical idiom, and according to some authorities it shouldn't contain rabbinic or Mishnaic idiom apart from in the sections of Mishnah that are featured (see Baer).
Over the last two thousand years, the various streams of Jews have resulted in small variations in the traditional liturgy
customs among different Jewish communities, with each community having a slightly different
Nusach (customary liturgy). The principal difference is between
Ashkenazic and
Sephardic customs, although there are other communities (for example
Yemenite Jews), and
Hassidic and other communities also have distinct customs, variations, and special prayers. The differences are quite minor compared with the commonalities.
According to halakha, all individual prayers, and virtually all communal prayers, may if desired be said in any language that the person praying understands. Nonetheless the tradition of most
Ashkenazi Orthodox synagogues is to use Hebrew (usually
Ashkenazi Hebrew) for everything except for a small number of prayers, including the
Kaddish, which had always been in
Aramaic, and
sermons and directions, for which the local language is used. In other streams there's considerable variability.
Sephardic Orthodox communities may use
Ladino or
Portuguese for many prayers.
Conservative synagogues tend to use the local language use in at least some prayers, while at some
Reform synagogues almost the whole service may be in the local language.
Conservative services generally use the same basic format for services as in Orthodox Judaism with some doctrinal leniencies and some prayers in English. In practice there's wide variation among Conservative congregations. In traditionalist congregations the liturgy can be almost identical to that of
Orthodox Judaism, almost entirely in Hebrew (and Aramaic), with a few minor exceptions, including excision of a study session on Temple sacrifices, and modifications of prayers for the restoration of the
sacrificial system. In more liberal Conservative synagogues there are greater changes to the service, with 20% to 50% of the service in English, abbreviation or omission of many of the preparatory prayers, and the replacement of some traditional prayers with more contemporary forms. There are often also additional changes for doctrinal reasons, including more
egalitarian language, additional excisions of references to the
Temple in Jerusalem and
sacrifices, elimination of special roles for
Kohanim and
Levites, etc.
Reform and
Reconstructionist use a format which is based on traditional elements, but contains language more reflective of liberal belief than the traditional liturgy. Doctrinal revisions which may vary from congregation to congregation but generally include revising or omitting references to traditional doctrines such as bodily
resurrection, a personal
Jewish Messiah, and other elements of traditional
Jewish eschatology, Divine revelation of the
Torah at
Mount Sinai,
angels, conceptions of reward and punishment, and other personal miraculous and supernatural elements. Services are often mostly in English, with English content varying from 40% to 90%.
Quorum
Individual prayer is considered acceptable, but prayer with a quorum of ten adults (a
minyan) is considered "prayer with the community", and this is the most highly recommended form of prayer. An adult in this context means over the age of 13 (
bar mitzvah). Judaism has traditionally counted only men in the
minyan for formal prayer, on the basis that one doesn't count someone who isn't obligated to participate. Since 1973, many
Conservative congregations have begun to count women in the
minyan as well, although the determination of whether or not to do so is left to the individual congregation. Those Reform and Reconstructionist congregations that consider a
minyan mandatory for communal prayer, count both men and women for a
minyan. In
Orthodox Judaism, according to some authorities, women can count in the
minyan for certain specific prayers, such as the
Birchot HaGomel blessing, which both men and women are obligated to say publicly.
Various sources encourage a congregrant to pray in a fixed place in the synagogue (מקום קבוע,
maqom qavua).
Concentration
Proper concentration (
kavanah) is considered essential for prayer. There are only certain portions that are invalid if recited without the required awareness. These are the first line of
Shema Yisrael and the first of the nineteen benedictions of the
Amidah.
Weekday
Shacharit (morning prayers)
The
Shacharit (from
shachar, morning light) prayer is recited in the morning.
Halacha limits parts of its recitation to the first three (Shema) or four (Amidah) hours of the day, where "hours" are 1/12 of daylight time, making these times dependant on the season.
Various prayers are said upon arising; the talis koton (a garment with
tzitzit) is donned at this time. The
tallit (large prayer shawl) is donned before or during the actual prayer service, as are the
tefillin (phylacteries); both are accompanied by blessings.
The service starts with the "morning blessings" (
birkot ha-shachar), including blessings for the
Torah (considered the most important ones). In Orthodox services this is followed by a series of readings from Biblical and rabbinic writings recalling the
offerings made in the
Temple in Jerusalem. The section concludes with the "Rabbis'
Kaddish" (
kaddish de-rabbanan).
The next section of morning prayers is called
Pesukei D'Zimrah ("verses of praise"), containing several
psalms (100 and 145-150), and prayers (such as
yehi chevod) made from a tapestry of Biblical verses, followed by the Song at the Sea (Exodus, chapters and ).
Barechu, the formal public call to prayer, introduces a series of expanded blessings embracing the recitation of the
Shema. This is followed by the core of the prayer service, the
Amidah or
Shemoneh Esreh, a series of 19 blessings. The next part of the service, is
Tachanun, supplications, which is omitted on days with a festive character (and by Reform services usually entirely).
On Mondays and Thursdays a
Torah reading service is inserted, and a longer version of Tachanun takes place. Concluding prayers and
Aleinu then follow, with the Kaddish of the mourners generally after Aleinu.
Mincha (afternoon prayers)
Mincha (derived from the flour offering that accompanied each sacrifice) may be recited from half an hour after
halachic noontime. This earliest time is referred to as
mincha gedola (the "large mincha"). It is, however, preferably recited after
mincha ketana (2.5
halachic hours before nightfall). Ideally, one should complete the prayers before sunset, although many authorities permit reciting Mincha until nightfall.
Sephardim and
Italkim start the Mincha with
Psalm 84 and
Korbanot, and usually continue with the
Pittum hakketoret. The opening section is concluded with . Western Ashkenazim recite the
Korbanot only.
Ashrei, containing verses from
Psalms, and the entire, is recited, immediately followed by
Chatzi Kaddish (half-Kaddish) and the
Shemoneh Esreh (or
Amidah). This is followed by
Tachanun, supplications, and then the full Kaddish. Sephardim insert Psalm or, followed by the Mourner's Kaddish. After this follows, in most modern rites, the
Aleinu. Ashkenazim then conclude with the Mourner's Kaddish. On
Tisha B'Av,
tallit and
tefillin are worn during Mincha, and service leaders often may wear a tallit as well, and must wear one during
Jewish fast days.
Ma'ariv/Arvit (evening prayers)
In many congregations, the afternoon and evening prayers are recited back-to-back on a working day, to save people having to attend synagogue twice. The
Vilna Gaon discouraged this practice, and followers of his set of customs commonly wait until after nightfall to recite
Ma'ariv (the name derives from the word "nightfall").
This service begins with the
Barechu, the formal public call to prayer, and
Shema Yisrael embraced by two benedictions before and two after.
Ashkenazim outside of Israel then add another blessing (
Baruch Adonai le-Olam), which is made from a tapestry of biblical verses. This is followed by the Half-Kaddish, and the
Shemoneh Esreh (
Amidah), bracketed with the full Kaddish.
Sephardim then say Psalm 121, say the Mourner's Kaddish, and repeat
Barechu before concluding with the Aleinu.
Ashkenazim, in the diaspora, do neither say Psalm 121 nor repeat Barechu, but conclude with
Aleinu followed by the Mourner's Kaddish (in Israel, Ashenazim do repeat Barcheu after mourner's Kaddish).
Shabbat
Friday night
Shabbat services begin on Friday evening with the weekday Mincha (see above), followed in some communities by the
Song of Songs, and then in most communities by the
Kabbalat Shabbat, the mystical prelude to Shabbat services composed by 16th century
Kabbalists. This
Hebrew term literally means "Receiving the Sabbath". In many communities, the piyut
Yedid Nefesh introduces the Kabbalat Shabbat prayers.
It is, except for amongst many
Italkim and Western
Sephardim, composed of six psalms, to, and, representing the six week-days. Next comes the poem
Lekha Dodi. Composed by Rabbi
Shlomo Halevi Alkabetz in the mid-
1500s, it's based on the words of the
Talmudic sage Hanina: "Come, let us go out to meet the Queen Sabbath" (Talmud Shabbat 119a). Kabbalat Shabbat is concluded by (the recital of which constitutes men's acceptance of the current Shabbat with all its obligations) and . Many add a study section here, including
Bameh Madlikin and
Amar ribbi El'azar and the concluding
Kaddish deRabbanan and is then followed by the Maariv service; other communities delay the study session until after Maariv. Still other customs add here a passage from the
Zohar.
The
Shema section of the Friday night service varies in some details from the weekday services — mainly in the different ending of the
Hashkivenu prayer and the omission of
Baruch Adonai le-Olam prayer in those traditions where this section is otherwise recited. In the
Italki tradition, there are also different versions of the
Ma'ariv 'aravim prayer (beginning
asher killah on Friday nights) and the
Ahavat 'olam prayer.
Most commemorate the Shabbat at this point with
VeShameru . The custom to recite the biblical passage at this point has its origins in the Lurianic
Kabbalah, and doesn't appear before the 16th century. It is therefore absent in traditions and prayer books less influenced by the Kabbalah (such as the
Yemenite Baladi tradition), or those that opposed adding additional readings to the siddur based upon the Kabbalah (such the
Vilna Gaon).
The
Amidah on Shabbat is abbreviated, and is read in full once. This is then followed by the
hazzan's mini-repetition of the Amidah,
Magen Avot, a digest of the seven benedictions. In some
Ashkenazi Orthodox synagogues the second chapter of
Mishnah tractate Shabbat,
Bameh Madlikin, is read at this point, instead of earlier.
Kiddush is recited in the synagogue in Ashkenazi and a few Sephardi communities. The service then follows with
Aleinu. Most Sephardi and many Ashkenazi synagogues end with the singing of
Yigdal, a poetic adaptation of
Maimonides' 13 principles of Jewish faith. Other Ashkenazi synagogues end with
Adon `olam instead.
Shacharit
Shabbat morning prayers commence as on week-days. Of the hymns, Psalm 100 (
Mizmor LeTodah, the psalm for the Thanksgiving offering), is omitted because the
todah or Thanksgiving
offering couldn't be offered on
Shabbat in the days of the
Temple in Jerusalem. Its place is taken in the
Ashkenazi tradition by Psalms,,,,,,,, .
Sephardic Jews maintain a different order, add several psalms and two religious poems. The
Nishmat prayer is recited at the end of the
Pesukei D'Zimrah. The blessings before
Shema are expanded, and include the hymn
El Adon, which is often sung communally.
The fourth intermediary benediction of the
Shacharit Amidah begins with
Yismach Moshe. The Torah scroll is taken out of the Ark, and the
weekly portion is
read, followed by the
haftarah.
After the
Torah reading, three prayers for the community are recited. Two prayers starting with
Yekum Purkan, composed in Babylon in
Aramaic, are similar to the subsequent
Mi sheberakh, a blessing for the leaders and patrons of the synagogue. The Sephardim omit much of the Yekum Purkan. Prayers are then recited (in some communities) for the government of the country, for peace, and for the State of
Israel.
After these prayers, Ashrei is repeated and the Torah scroll is returned to the Ark in a procession through the Synagogue. Many congregations allow children to come to the front in order to kiss the scroll as it passes. In many Orthodox communities, the Rabbi (or a learned member of the congregation) delivers a sermon at this point, usually on the topic of the Torah reading. In
yeshivot, the sermon is usually delivered on Saturday night.
Musaf
The
Musaf service starts with the silent recitation of the
Amidah. It is followed by a second public recitation that includes an additional reading known as the
Kedushah. This is followed by the
Tikanta Shabbat reading on the holiness of
Shabbat, and then by a reading from the biblical
Book of Numbers about the sacrifices that used to be performed in the
Temple in Jerusalem. Next comes
Yismechu, "They shall rejoice in Your sovereignty";
Eloheynu, "Our God and God of our Ancestors, may you be pleased with our rest"; and
Retzei, "Be favorable, our God, toward your people Israel and their prayer, and restore services to your Temple."
After the
Amidah comes the full
Kaddish, followed by
Ein ke'eloheinu. In
Orthodox Judaism this is followed by a reading from the
Talmud on the incense offering called Pittum Haketoreth and daily psalms that used to be recited in the Temple in Jerusalem. These readings are usually omitted by
Conservative Jews, and are always omitted by
Reform Jews.
The
Musaf service culminates with the Rabbi's Kaddish, the
Aleinu, and then the Mourner's Kaddish. Some
synagogues conclude with the reading of
An'im Zemirot, "The Hymn of Glory", Mourner's Kaddish, The psalm of the Day and either Adon Olam or Yigdal.
Mincha
Mincha commences with
Ashrei (see above) and the prayer
U'va le-Tziyon, after which the first section of the next
weekly portion is
read from the Torah scroll. The
Amidah follows the same pattern as the other Shabbat
Amidah prayers, with the middle blessing starting
Attah Echad.
After Mincha, during the winter Sabbaths (from
Sukkot to
Passover),
Bareki Nafshi (Psalms, -) is recited in some customs. During the summer Sabbaths (from Passover to
Rosh Hashanah) chapters from the
Avot, one every Sabbath in consecutive order, are recited instead of
Barekhi Nafshi.
Ma'ariv
The week-day Ma'ariv is recited on Sabbath evening, concluding with
Vihi No'am,
Ve-Yitten lekha, and
Havdalah.
Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot
The services for the three festivals of
Pesach ("Passover"),
Shavuot ("Feast of Weeks" or "Pentecost"), and
Sukkot ("Feast of Tabenacles") are alike, except for interpolated references and readings for each individual festival. The preliminaries and conclusions of the prayers are the same as on Shabbat. The Amidah on these festivals only contains seven benedictions, with
Attah Bechartanu as the main one.
Hallel (communal recitation of Psalms -) follows.
The Musaf service includes Umi-Penei Hata'enu, with reference to the special festival and
Temple sacrifices on the occasion. A
blessing on the pulpit ("dukhen") is pronounced by the "
kohanim" (Jewish priests) during the Amidah (this occurs daily in Israel and many Sephardic congregations, but only on
Pesach,
Shavuot,
Sukkot,
Rosh Hashanah, and
Yom Kippur in Ashkenazic congregations of the
diaspora). On week-days and Sabbath the priestly blessing is recited by the
hazzan after the Modim ("Thanksgiving") prayer. (American Reform Jews omit the Musaf service.)
Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur
The services for the
Days of Awe—Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur—take on a solemn tone as befits these days. Traditional solemn tunes are used in the prayers.
The musaf service on Rosh Hashana has nine blessings; the three middle blessings include biblical verses attesting to sovereignty, remembrance and the
shofar, which is sounded 100 times during the service.
Yom Kippur is the only day in the year when there are five prayer services. The evening service, containing the Ma'ariv prayer, is widely known as "
Kol Nidrei", the opening declaration made preceding the prayer. During the daytime, shacharit, musaf (which is recited on Shabbat and all festivals) and mincha are followed, as the sun begins to set, by Ne'ila, which is recited just this once a year.
Related customs
Many Jews sway their body back and forth during prayer. This practice (referred to as
shoklen in
Yiddish) isn't mandatory, and in fact the
kabbalist Isaac Luria felt that it shouldn't be done. In contrast, the German Medieval authority
Maharil (Rabbi Jacob Molin) linked the practice to a statement in the
Talmud that the Mishnaic sage
Rabbi Akiva would sway so forcefully that he ended up at the other side of the room when praying (Talmud tractate Berachot).
Money for
tzedakah (charity) is given during the weekday morning and afternoon services in many communities.
Role of women
Throughout
Orthodox Judaism, including its most liberal forms, men and women are required to sit in separate sections with a
mechitza (partition) separating them. Conservative/Masorti Judaism permits mixed seating (almost universally in the United States, but not in all countries). All Reform and Reconstructionist congregations have mixed seating.
Haredi and much of
Modern Orthodox Judaism has a blanket prohibition on women leading public congregational prayers. Conservative Judaism has developed a blanket justification for women leading all or virtually all such prayers, holding that although only obligated individuals can lead prayers and women were not traditionally obligated, Conservative Jewish women in modern times have as a collective whole voluntarily undertaken such an obligation. Reform and Reconstructionist congregations permit women to perform all prayer roles because they don't regard
halakha as binding.
A small liberal wing within Modern Orthodox Judaism, particularly rabbis friendly to the
Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance (JOFA), has begun re-examining the role of women in prayers based on an individual, case-by-case look at the historical role of specific prayers and services, doing so within classical
halakhic interpretation.
Accepting that where obligation exists only the obligated can lead, this small group has typically made three general arguments for expanded women's roles:
Because women were required to perform certain korbanot (sacrifices) in the Temple in Jerusalem, women today are required to perform, and hence can lead (and can count in the minyan for if required), the specific prayers substituting for these specific sacrifices. Birchat Hagomel falls in this category.
Because certain parts of the service were added after the Talmud defined mandatory services, such prayers are equally voluntary on everyone and hence can be led by women (and no minyan is required). Pseukei D'Zimrah in the morning and Kabbalat Shabbat on Friday nights fall in this category.
In cases where the Talmud indicates that women are generally qualified to lead certain services but don't do so because of the "dignity of the congregation", modern congregations are permitted to waive such dignity if they wish. Torah reading on Shabbat falls in this category. An argument that women are permitted to lead the services removing and replacing the Torah in the Ark on Shabbat extends from their ability to participate in Torah reading then.
A very small number of Modern Orthodox congregations accept some such arguments, but very few Orthodox congregations or authorities accept all or even most of them. Many of those who don't accept this reasoning point to kol isha, the tradition that prohibits a married man from hearing a woman other than his wife sing. JOFA refers to congregations generally accepting such arguments as Partnership Minyanim. On Shabbat in a Partnership Minyan, women can typically lead Kabbalat Shabbat, the P'seukei D'Zimrah, the services for removing the Torah from and replacing it to the Ark, and Torah reading, as well as give a D'Var Torah or sermon.
Role of minors
In most divisions of Judaism boys under Bar Mitzvah can't be a Chazzen for any davening that contains devarim sheb'kidusha, for example Kaddish, Barechu, the amida, etc., or receive an aliya or chant the Torah for the congregation. Since Kabbalat Shabbat is just psalms and doesn't contain devarim sheb'kidusha, it's possible for a boy under Bar Mitzvah to lead until Barechu of Ma'ariv. Some eastern Jews let a boy under bar mitzvah read the Torah and have an aliyah.
In liberal branches of Judaism
Conservative services generally retain the structure and order of Orthodox prayers. Conservative liturgy varies from congregation to congregation. In traditional Conservative congregations, the liturgy is almost identical to the Orthodox liturgy with the exception of a few changes, including the omission of references to the restoration of sacrificial worship and, in some congregations, the addition of references to the Matriarchs of Judaism where the traditional liturgy refers only to the Patriarchs. More liberal Conservative congregations make additional changes, including eliminating references to past sacrificial worship, abbreviation (omitting non-core prayers), substitution of the local language for 10-40% of the prayers, and including alternative prayers. Also, in most (but not all) Conservative services, women can have most or all of the prayer and prayer leadership roles that in Orthodox synagogues are available to men.
Reform Judaism has made greater alterations to the traditional service in accord with its more liberal theology including dropping references to traditional elements of Jewish eschatology such as a personal Messiah, a bodily resurrection of the dead, and others. The Hebrew portion of the service is substantially abbreviated and modernized and modern prayers substituted for traditional ones. In addition, in keeping with their view that the laws of Shabbat (including a traditional prohibition on playing instruments) are inapplicable to modern circumstances, Reform services often play instrumental or recorded music with prayers on the Jewish Sabbath. All Reform synagogues are Egalitarian with respect to gender roles
Dress
Head covering. In most synagogues, it's considered a sign of respect for male attendees to wear a head covering, either a dress hat or a kippa (skull cap, plural kipot). It is common practice for both Jews and non-Jews who attend a synagogue to wear a head covering. Some Conservative synagogues also encourage (but rarely require) women to cover their heads. Many Reform and Progressive temples don't require people to cover their heads, although individual worshippers, both men and women, may choose to. Many Orthodox men wear a head covering throughout their day, even when not attending religious services.
Tallit (prayer shawl) is traditionally worn during all morning services as well as the Kol Nidre service of Yom Kippur. In Orthodox synagogues they're expected to be worn only by men who are halakhically Jewish, and in Conservative synagogues they should be worn only by men and women who are halakhically Jewish.
Tzeniut (modesty) applies to men and women. When attending Orthodox synagogues, women will likely be expected to wear long sleeves (past the elbows), long skirts (past the knees), a high neckline (to the collar bone), and if married, to cover their hair. For men, short pants or sleeveless shirts are generally regarded as inappropriate. In some Conservative and Reform synagogues the dress code may be more lax, but still respectful.Further Information
Get more info on 'Mincha'.
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