Maariv

thumb|right|300px|Maariv minyan in a Jaffa [[Tel Aviv flea-market shop]] thumb|right|300px|Maariv at the Western Wall Maariv (; ), also known as Arvit (; ), is a Jewish prayer service held in the evening or at night. It consists primarily of the evening Shema and Amidah.

The service will often begin with two verses from the book of Psalms, followed by the communal recitation of Barechu. The three paragraphs of the Shema are then said, both preceded and followed by two blessings; sometimes, a fifth blessing is added at the end. The hazzan (cantor) then recites a half-Kaddish. Everyone says the Amidah quietly, and, unlike at the other services, the hazzan does not repeat it. The hazzan recites the full Kaddish, Aleinu is recited, and the mourners' Kaddish ends the service; some groups recite another psalm before or after Aleinu. Other components occasionally added include the counting of the Omer (between Passover and Shavuot) and, in many communities, Psalm 27 (between the first of Elul and the end of Sukkot).