Some communities do have traditions for leading into Minḥah. Some read certain psalms, others recite the daily offering again. But nobody has established a full and complete passage – parallel to Pesukei d’Zimra or Kabbalat Shabat – for entering Minḥah time. I think this is a shame. Minḥah is a beautiful service – less of a whole meshugass than Shaḥarit, more awake than Maariv is. It is the most accessible service, and the only one that is always done at a time where everyone is fully awake and alert. And that deserves respect.

This service of Parsh’yata d’Fitḥa l’Minḥah is meant to be a parallel to Pesukei d’Zimra or Kabbalat Shabat that preserves the unique character of Minḥah. It is divided into two major sections, parallel to Korbanot and Pesukei.

The first section begins with the recitation of sacrificial instructions in Leviticus and Numbers. But this is not the daily morning offering – instead it uses texts describing the minḥah grain-offerings, which were offered at this time of day. After this, it uses passages from Elijah’s revelation at Mt. Carmel (which occurred “at the time of the minḥah”) and Joel’s call for repentance, again mentioning minḥah offerings. This section of Torah and Nevi’im readings is (again, similarly to Korbanot) concluded with Malachi 3:4, discussing the minḥah offerings of Judah and Jerusalem, along with the text of Targum Jonathan (I personally prefer to recite the Targum in any case where a verse is repeated or otherwise highlighted. If you would rather skip it in your own practice, feel free.)

The second section begins with a benediction. This benediction, though it may seem unfamiliar, has a legitimate halakhic basis. It was used in the ancient Rite of the Land of Israel and is recorded in the Cairo Geniza (see https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-TS-H-00018-00009/1 as an example) as the blessing for reciting from Ketuvim. Those who usually feel uncomfortable reciting “new benedictions” should take note that the final verse is a direct quote from Psalms 119:12, one of only two locations in the entire Tanakh where the full passage “בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה” appears (the other is I Chronicles 29:10), so abbreviating it by removing the Name is altering a sacred text.

After this, the second section continues with Psalms 20, which mentions minḥah offerings and concludes with a well-known verse used on multiple occasions during Pesukei and introducing Maariv every weekday. Then Psalms 84, used already in some Sephardi and Italian rites to introduce Minḥah. After this is Psalms 141 because it mentions Minḥah, then straight through to Psalms 142-144. This parallels the recitation of Psalms 146-150 every weekday (so that per day one would read all of the last nine psalms), and leads up to Psalms 145, the grand finale of the opening of Minḥah. But before Psalms 145 we recite four other verses again – all of which were in psalms previously recited, and thus are followed with the Targum for Psalms (a targum that, like Minḥah itself, deserves more respect). The final two, both beginning with “Ashrei,” are the traditional two verses that lead into Psalms 145 and the standard Minḥah service that follows (not included).

One of the great things about Pesukei and Kabbalat Shabbat is that it enhances our feeling of holiness, that what we’re about to do is outside the secular world we’ve just left. Minḥah is the shortest service, and usually gone through the fastest. But it is still a spot of holiness in our afternoons, and we should keep that in mind. I hope that this text can help us remember that we can always take a break from our day to access some afternoon holiness.

“The Cause” is used to translate the Divine Name YHVH, based on the philosophical idea of God as the Prime Mover and on the interpretation of the Name as a causative form of the copula – “causes to be.”