brakha

{{Short description|Prayer in Mandaeism}}

{{for|the Israeli settlement|Har Brakha}}

{{distinguish|Berakhah|Barakah}}

{{Mandaeism}}

Daily prayer in Mandaeism, called brakha {{lang|myz|ࡁࡓࡀࡊࡀ}} in Mandaic (cognate with Hebrew berakhah and Arabic barakah) or occasionally birukta (birukhta),{{cite book|last=Nasoraia|first=Brikha H.S.|author-link=Brikha Nasoraia|title=The Mandaean gnostic religion: worship practice and deep thought|publisher=Sterling|publication-place=New Delhi|year=2021|isbn=978-81-950824-1-4|oclc=1272858968}} consists of set prayers that are recited three times per day.{{cite book|last=Buckley|first=Jorunn Jacobsen|title=The great stem of souls: reconstructing Mandaean history|publisher=Gorgias Press|publication-place=Piscataway, N.J|year=2010|isbn=978-1-59333-621-9}} Mandaeans stand facing north while reciting daily prayers.{{cite book|last=Buckley|first=Jorunn Jacobsen|title=The Mandaeans: ancient texts and modern people|publisher=Oxford University Press|publication-place=New York|year=2002|isbn=0-19-515385-5|oclc=65198443}} Unlike in Islam and Eastern Christianity, prostration is not practiced.

Mandaean priests recite rahma prayers{{Cite book|title=The Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans|last=Drower|first=E. S.|publisher=E. J. Brill|year=1959|location=Leiden}}Lidzbarski, Mark. 1920. Mandäische Liturgien. Abhandlungen der Königlichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, phil.-hist. Klasse, NF 17.1. Berlin. three times every day, while laypeople also recite the Rushuma (signing prayer) and Asut Malkia ("Healing of Kings") daily. When priests lead laypeople during prayers, laypeople repeat each word or phrase of a prayer after the priest, similar to certain parts of Roman Catholic masses.

In Mandaic, the generic term for an individual prayer is buta {{lang|myz|ࡁࡅࡕࡀ}} (plural form: bawata {{lang|myz|ࡁࡀࡅࡀࡕࡀ}}).{{cite book |last=Segelberg |first=Eric |author-link=Eric Segelberg |date=1958 |title=Maṣbūtā: Studies in the Ritual of Mandaean Baptism |location=Uppsala |publisher=Almqvist and Wiksell}}