כשאומר מודים כורע ראשו וגופו כאגמון עד שיתפקקו כל חוליות שבשדרה. וכשהוא כורע יכרע במהירות בפעם אחת וכשהוא זוקף זוקף בנחת ראשו תחלה ואחר כך גופו שלא תהא עליו כמשאוי (שו"ע או"ח סי' קיג)

At the words, We are thankful, bend forward; at Adonoy return to an upright position.

מוֹדִים אֲנַֽחְנוּ לָךְ שָׁאַתָּה הוּא יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד צוּר חַיֵּֽינוּ מָגֵן יִשְׁעֵֽנוּ אַתָּה הוּא לְדוֹר וָדוֹר נֽוֹדֶה לְּךָ וּנְסַפֵּר תְּהִלָּתֶֽךָ עַל־חַיֵּֽינוּ הַמְּ֒סוּרִים בְּיָדֶֽךָ וְעַל נִשְׁמוֹתֵֽינוּ הַפְּ֒קוּדוֹת לָךְ וְעַל נִסֶּֽיךָ שֶׁבְּכָל יוֹם עִמָּֽנוּ וְעַל נִפְלְ֒אוֹתֶֽיךָ וְטוֹבוֹתֶֽיךָ שֶׁבְּ֒כָל עֵת עֶֽרֶב וָבֹֽקֶר וְצָהֳרָֽיִם הַטּוֹב כִּי לֹא כָלוּ רַחֲמֶֽיךָ וְהַמְ֒רַחֵם כִּי לֹא תַֽמּוּ חֲסָדֶֽיךָ מֵעוֹלָם קִוִּֽינוּ לָךְ:

We are thankful to You⁴⁸Here you should bow in gratitude, as if standing before the Divine Presence, and say, “We are thankful to You.” The Jews always bowed when they perceived the Divine Presence..—Kuzari that You Adonoy are our God and the God of our fathers forever; Rock of our lives, You are the Shield of our deliverance in every generation. We will give thanks to You and recount Your praise, for our lives which are committed into Your hand, and for our souls which are entrusted to You,⁴⁹Here we thank God for returning our souls each morning, after having “entrusted” them to Him all night.—Eitz Yosef and for Your miracles of every day with us, and for Your wonders and benefactions at all times— evening, morning and noon.⁵⁰This phrase concludes the earlier declaration, “We will give thanks to You and recount Your praise ... evening, morning, and noon .”—Iyun Tefillalh (You are) The Beneficent One— for Your compassion is never withheld; And (You are) the Merciful One— for Your kindliness never ceases; we have always placed our hope in You.

כשיגיע שליח צבור למודים וכורע כל העם שוחין ואומרין הודאה קטנה המתחלת כמו כן במודים. שאין דרך העבד להודות לרבו ולומר לו אדוני אתה על ידי שליח אלא כל אדם צריך לקבל בפיו עול מלכות שמים ואם יקבל על ידי שליח אינה קבלה גמורה שיוכל להכחיש ולומר לא שלחתיו. (אבודרהם)

(When the Chazzan repeats the Shemoneh Esrei and says, “Who returns His Divine Presence to Zion”, the congregation responds by saying “Amein” and then the following prayer.⁵¹This prayer was ordained by Rav and his colleagues. It is an abstract of several prayers recited by various Rabbis [=Rabanan], and for this reason it is called Modim D’Rabanan.)

מוֹדִים אֲנַֽחְנוּ לָךְ שָׁאַתָּה הוּא יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ אֱלֹהֵי כָל בָּשָׂר יוֹצְ֒רֵֽנוּ יוֹצֵר בְּרֵאשִׁית בְּרָכוֹת וְהוֹדָאוֹת לְשִׁמְךָ הַגָּדוֹל וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ עַל שֶׁהֶחֱיִיתָֽנוּ וְקִיַּמְתָּֽנוּ כֵּן תְּחַיֵּֽינוּ וּתְקַיְּ֒מֵֽנוּ וְתֶאֱסוֹף גָּלֻיּוֹתֵֽינוּ לְחַצְרוֹת קָדְשֶֽׁךָ לִשְׁמוֹר חֻקֶּֽיךָ וְלַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנֶֽךָ וּלְעָבְדְּ֒ךָ בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם עַל שֶׁאֲנַֽחְנוּ מוֹדִים לָךְ. בָּרוּךְ אֵל הַהוֹדָאוֹת:

We are thankful to You, that You Adonoy are our God, and God of our fathers, God of all flesh, Our Creator, Creator of the Beginning. Blessings and thanksgivings to Your great and holy Name for keeping us alive, and sustaining us; so may You always keep us alive and sustain us, and gather our exiles to the Courtyards of Your Sanctuary to observe Your statutes, and to do Your will, and to serve You wholeheartedly, for we are thankful to You. Blessed is the Almighty to Whom all thanks are due.

בחנוכה ופורים אומרים על הנסים. שכח לומר על הנסים ונזכר קודם שאמר השם מברכת הטוב שמך אפילו אמר ברוך אתה חוזר ואומר על הנסים. אבל אם כבר סיים הברכה או שאמר ברוך א"י אינו חוזר (דה"ח תרפ"ב ותרצ"ג).

(On Chanukah and Purim the following prayer is added. If you omitted it, you need not repeat the Shemoneh Esrei. If, however, you became aware of your omission before concluding the blessing, you should say it at that time, and conclude by saying, “וְעַל כֻּלָּם, and for all the foregoing.”)

עַל הַנִּסִּים וְעַל הַפֻּרְקָן וְעַל הַגְּ֒בוּרוֹת וְעַל הַתְּ֒שׁוּעוֹת וְעַל הַמִּלְחָמוֹת שֶׁעָשִֽׂיתָ לַאֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם בִּזְּ֒מַן הַזֶּה:

[We thank You] for the miracles, for the redemption, for the mighty deeds, for the deliverances and for the wars that You performed for our fathers in those days at this season.

בחנוכה: בִּימֵי מַתִּתְיָֽהוּ בֶּן יוֹחָנָן כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל חַשְׁמוֹנָאִי וּבָנָיו כְּשֶׁעָמְ֒דָה מַלְכוּת יָוָן הָרְ֒שָׁעָה עַל־עַמְּ֒ךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהַשְׁכִּיחָם תּוֹרָתֶֽךָ וּלְהַעֲבִירָם מֵחֻקֵּי רְצוֹנֶֽךָ, וְאַתָּה בְּרַחֲמֶֽיךָ הָרַבִּים עָמַֽדְתָּ לָהֶם בְּעֵת צָרָתָם רַֽבְתָּ אֶת־רִיבָם דַּֽנְתָּ אֶת־דִּינָם נָקַֽמְתָּ אֶת־נִקְמָתָם מָסַֽרְתָּ גִבּוֹרִים בְּיַד חַלָּשִׁים וְרַבִּים בְּיַד מְעַטִּים וּטְמֵאִים בְּיַד טְהוֹרִים וּרְשָׁעִים בְּיַד צַדִּיקִים וְזֵדִים בְּיַד עוֹסְ֒קֵי תוֹרָתֶֽךָ וּלְךָ עָשִֽׂיתָ שֵׁם גָּדוֹל וְקָדוֹשׁ בְּעוֹלָמֶֽךָ וּלְעַמְּ֒ךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל עָשִֽׂיתָ תְּשׁוּעָה גְדוֹלָה וּפֻרְקָן כְּהַיּוֹם הַזֶּה וְאַחַר־כֵּן בָּֽאוּ בָנֶֽיךָ לִדְבִיר בֵּיתֶֽךָ וּפִנּוּ אֶת־הֵיכָלֶֽךָ וְטִהֲרוּ אֶת־מִקְדָּשֶֽׁךָ וְהִדְלִֽיקוּ נֵרוֹת בְּחַצְרוֹת קָדְשֶֽׁךָ וְקָבְ֒עוּ שְׁמוֹנַת יְמֵי חֲנֻכָּה אֵֽלּוּ לְהוֹדוֹת וּלְהַלֵּל לְשִׁמְךָ הַגָּדוֹל:

On Chanukah: In the days of Matisyahu, son of Yochanan the High Priest, the Hasmonean and his sons, when the evil Greek kingdom rose up against Your people Israel to make them forget Your Torah⁵²This refers to rationally conceived laws. S.R. Hirsch comments: The Greeks knew that the key to the Jewish religion is the Torah. If Torah were forgotten, the decline of ritual observance would be inevitable and rapid. Thus, they concentrated first on causing Torah to be forgotten, knowing that the deterioration of religious observance would swiftly follow. and to turn them away from the statutes of Your will— You, in Your abundant mercy, stood by them in their time of distress, You defended their cause, You judged their grievances, You avenged them. You delivered the mighty into the hands of the weak, many into the hands of the few, defiled people into the hands of the undefiled, the wicked into the hands of the righteous, and insolent [sinners] into the hands of diligent students of Your Torah. And You made Yourself a great and sanctified name in Your world. And for Your people, Israel, You performed a great deliverance and redemption unto this very day. Afterwards, Your sons entered the Holy of Holies of Your Abode, cleaned Your Temple, purified Your Sanctuary, and kindled lights in the Courtyards of Your Sanctuary, and designated these eight days of Chanukah to thank and praise Your great Name.

בפורים: בִּימֵי מָרְדְּ֒כַי וְאֶסְתֵּר בְּשׁוּשַׁן הַבִּירָה כְּשֶׁעָמַד עֲלֵיהֶם הָמָן הָרָשָׁע בִּקֵּשׁ לְהַשְׁמִיד לַהֲרוֹג וּלְאַבֵּד אֶת־כָּל־הַיְּ֒הוּדִים מִנַּֽעַר וְעַד־זָקֵן טַף וְנָשִׁים בְּיוֹם אֶחָד בִּשְׁלוֹשָׁה עָשָׂר לְחֹֽדֶשׁ שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂר הוּא־חֹֽדֶשׁ אֲדָר וּשְׁלָלָם לָבוֹז: וְאַתָּה בְּרַחֲמֶֽיךָ הָרַבִּים הֵפַֽרְתָּ אֶת־עֲצָתוֹ וְקִלְקַֽלְתָּ אֶת־מַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ וַהֲשֵׁבֽוֹתָ לּוֹ גְּמוּלוֹ בְּרֹאשׁוֹ וְתָלוּ אוֹתוֹ וְאֶת־בָּנָיו עַל־הָעֵץ (וְעָשִׂיתָ עמָּהֶם נֵס וָפֶלֶא וְנוֹדֶה לְשִׁמְךָ הָגָּדוֹל סֶלָה):

On Purim: In the days of Mordechai and Esther in Shushan the Capital [of Persia], when the evil Haman rose up against them, he sought to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their wealth⁵³The usual procedure of those times was that all the wealth of executed people reverted to the monarch. In contrast to the norm, Haman decreed that Jewish possessions would be free for all to enjoy. He did this to provide added incentive to the populace who might have hesitated to kill Jews if they had nothing to gain.— And You, in Your abundant mercy, annulled his counsel, frustrated his intention, and brought his evil plan upon his own head, and they hanged him and his sons upon the gallows. And You made a miracle and a wonder for them, and we are thankful to Your great name forever.

וְעַל־כֻּלָּם יִתְבָּרַךְ וְיִתְרוֹמַם שִׁמְךָ מַלְכֵּֽנוּ תָּמִיד לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד:

And for all the foregoing may Your Name, our King, constantly be blessed and extolled, forever and ever.

בעשי"ת: וּכְתוֹב לְחַיִּים טוֹבִים כָּל בְּנֵי בְרִיתֶֽךָ:

During the Ten Days of Penitence, add: Inscribe for a good life all the children of Your covenant.

אם שכח לומר וכתוב אם נזכר קודם שאמר השם מברכת הטוב חוזר ואם לא נזכר עד לאחר שאמר השם אינו חוזר כמו שנתבאר לעיל אצל זכרנו ומי כמוך. (דה"ח סי' תקפ"ב)

If you forget to say this, you need not go back and repeat it. If you became aware of the omission before concluding the blessing, you can say it at that time.

וְכֹל הַחַיִּים יוֹדֽוּךָ סֶּֽלָה וִיהַלְ֒לוּ אֶת־שִׁמְךָ בֶּאֱמֶת הָאֵל יְשׁוּעָתֵֽנוּ וְעֶזְרָתֵֽנוּ סֶֽלָה: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה הַטּוֹב שִׁמְךָ וּלְךָ נָאֶה לְהוֹדוֹת:

And all the living shall thank You forever and praise Your Name with sincerity — the Almighty, Who is our deliverance and our help forever. Blessed are You, Adonoy; Your Name is The Beneficent and You it is fitting to praise.