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This prayer, recited as day turns to night, helps to acknowledge moments of transition we often miss.
By Rabbi Geoffrey Mitelman
On a day-to-day basis, we don’t always see the gradual changes in our lives. Just think about what happens when you look at pictures of yourself from ten years ago. “Wow, did I look young! How did I get so old?!”
That’s also what we see in the prayer Maariv Aravim. It’s a prayer said in the evening, thanking God for creating darkness and light, and how we can see the difference between the two. And the words of this prayer reflect the gradual movement from one stage to the other. 
See for Yourself
Read the full prayer, labeled as the First Blessing before the Shema, in Hebrew. 
When to Say itIn the evening service, Maariv Aravim appears most commonly before the evening Shema. It is recited between Barekhu, the traditional call to worship.
Traditional Jewish practice contains three sets of prayers: a set for morning, one for afternoon, and one for evening. Each set of prayers is linked to its time, and allows those praying to reflect on the day as it progresses.
Prayer has been the foundation of Jewish ritual and practice for thousands of years, but you may still wonder how and why to say the prayers in the liturgy. At My Jewish Learning, we invite you to explore the deeper side of prayer. Each week we'll share a unique exploration of a particular Jewish prayer, plus offer background materials and more to enhance your understanding. In the meantime, you can explore all of MJL's prayer resources here.
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