Probably not…but I don’t have the official qualifications to tell you yes or no. Please talk to a rabbi.

Besides the fact I generally don’t advise people considering conversion on when they’re ready to do Jewish rituals (I’m not a rabbi so I don’t feel comfortable/qualified I to make the call), the Amidah references things that aren’t true about you (at least not yet!) like Abraham as an ancestor.

Hiya!

These are three parts of the Jewish daily liturgy.

The sh’ma comes from the book of Deuteronomy and is the 6 word “doctrine of our faith”.  It means “Listen Israel, Adonai is our God and Adonai is One.”  It declares our oneness of God.  In the prayer service, it is followed by the V’ahavta- a section taken from the same section of Torah which explains how “Thou shalt love Adonai Your God with all your heart, your soul and your might”  It discusses how we should teach “these words unto “ our children.  In it we learn about the importance of keeping “these words” on our doorposts (mezuza) and in between our eyes (tefillin).  The sh’ma itself is traditionally recited four times per day.

The Amidah, sometimes referred to as the “standing prayer” or the “Avot v’Imahot” (”the Fathers and Mothers”) is the central prayer in the traditional Jewish service, recited three times typically.  It consists of a series of blessings and prayers at the central “peak” of a service.  Typically the first three blessings are recited out loud and the rest are either recited silently, in English or not at all depending on the community.  The middle petitions change on Shabbat and there are additions inserted on Passover, Sukkot, Shavuot, Hanukkah, Purim and during the High Holidays.

The Aleinu is the final prayer of a worship service (although often the Mourner’s Kaddish is recited afterword).  Its words can be considered controversial in some communities as its traditional words call for the rebuilding of Jerusalem (ie the Third Temple).  Many communites have chosen to alter the words or offer additional versions.

I hope that this helps!

Maariv service concluding Shabbat at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Israel; 2008. x

The Maariv service following the end of Shabbat, which takes place during Motza'ei Shabbat or the ‘going out of Shabbat’ in Hebrew, slightly differs from the Maariv service said on other days of the week.  For one, an extra paragraph is added to the Amidah called Ata Chonantanu; which officially ends Shabbat.  Furthermore, two sections of prayers are added, including Vihi Noam and V'Ata Kados.  Finally, Asheknazim add Veyiten Lecha to the service while Sephardim recite it at home.

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(Part 2) For context: I am fluent in Hebrew (it's my first language) and read pretty fast so that's not the problem. I also use an ArtScroll siddur since it's the one I have at home. The psalms are one thing but I can't even get through the Amidah without the Rabbi moving on to the next thing. Since it's live I can't pause to catch up so I often feel rushed and stressed out.