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    Our tradition prescribes that certain of the prayers we recite should be said either while sitting or standing. Two of our most central tefillot are the Shema and the Shmoneh Esrei. The rabbis established that the Shema should be said seated while the Shmoneh Esrei should be said standing. It’s interesting to see what the reasons are for this.
    There are many differences between these two prayers. Most of these differences stem from the uniqueness of each prayer. With respect to the Shema, by reciting its three paragraphs twice a day, morning and evening, we are fulfilling a Biblical obligation. The first paragraph, which begins with the pasuk of Shema and includes Va’ahavta, contains the most fundamental concepts of Judaism: that we only have one God, that He loves us and that we have an obligation to learn His Torah. The second paragraph which begins with Va’ haya Im Shamoa includes the acceptance of all the mitzvoth and the obligation to keep them while the third paragraph of Va’ Yomer, contains the mitzvah of tzitzit and the mitzvah of remembering the Exodus from Egypt.
    In contrast, with respect to the Shmoneh Esrei, by reciting the nineteen blessings in the prescribed order, three times a day, we are fulfilling a rabbinic obligation. Although the Torah, itself, tells us to pray, the actual wording of the Shemoneh Esrei is from the Rabbis. More specifically, it was written by the Anshei Kenesset HaGedolah, The Men of the Great Assembly. This was the rabbinical body that led Bnei Yisrael after the destruction of the first Beit Hamikdash. Its 120 member body was made up of great elders, many of whom were prophets. Some of its better known members were people like Ezra, Mordechai, and Daniel.
    According to the Rambam, the Torah obligates a person to first praise God, then to ask Him for his needs and then to thank God and acknowledge all the blessings that He has showered upon him. When examining the wording that the Anshei Kenesset HaGedolah established to fulfill this mitzvah, it is apparent that the bulk of the Shemoneh Esrei, in fact, 13 out of the19 brachot, is spent asking for our personal and communal needs. It is precisely for this reason that Shemoneh Esrei is known as the type of prayer that requires mercy and, as such, has particular halachot that apply to it.
    Given the above, we can now address the reasons for sitting or standing during these two tefillot. When accepting upon ourselves God as the Supreme Being, as we do in Shema, the question whether to stand or sit is irrelevant. According to Halacha a person may do whichever allows him more kavannah or concentration. However, it is mentioned in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, the famous Ari z”l, that according to kabbalah a person should sit. Therefore, it seems that when people sit for Shema and its brachot, they are doing so either out of convenience or to fulfill the words of the Ari.
    When saying Shemoneh Esrei, we are asking for our needs from the King of all Kings. Just as when standing in front of a flesh and blood king we would stand at attention, how much more so in front of the King of all Kings. To take this analogy one step further, this is the reason the Gemora states that during Shemoneh Esrei we should stand with our feet together, to mimic the way the angels stand, who have only one “foot” as it were, in front of the Honored King on His Throne of Glory.
    It’s interesting that although standing during Shemoneh Esrei is a very important halacha, having proper kavannah is deemed even more important. Therefore, there are circumstances when sitting during Shemoneh Esrei is acceptable and, in fact, actually preferred. The Gemora tells us that a person who is riding on a donkey and does not have a place where he can stop, dismount and focus properly on his tefilla, may actually pray while riding. This halacha is actually relevant for us today as well. As airplanes get more crowded, it becomes more difficult to stand for Shemoneh Esrei when we have to daven on the airplane during long flights. This is something the modern day traveler needs to take into account when planning his trip. Discussing such issues with one’s Halachic authority is always a good idea.