The Shulhan Aruch, in the very first Siman, writes that it is proper to recite the section of Akedat Yishak – the story of God’s command to Abraham to offer his son, Yishak, as a sacrifice – each morning. Indeed, in our Siddurim, the morning prayer service begins with the section of Akedat Yishak.
The Mishna Berura (commentary by Rav Yisrael Meir Kagan of Radin, 1839-1933) explains that the reason why we recite the Akeda before the prayers is because the Akeda symbolizes the restraining of the attribute of justice. Abraham, who embodied the attribute of Hesed (kindness), bound Yishak, who represents the attribute of Din (judgment), upon the altar. We similarly ask the Almighty to restrain the attribute of judgment which threatens to sabotage our prayers and intercept them as they make their way to the heavens. Our recitation of the Akeda serves to ensure that, like at the time of the Akeda, the attribute of Hesed prevails over the attribute of Din. A person should have this in mind when he recites the section of the Akeda.
We also recite at the beginning of the prayer service the section of Korbanot, which consists of a collection of passages from the Torah and the Talmud regarding the sacrifices. Our Sages teach that one who studies and reads about the subject of Korbanot is considered as though he personally offered sacrifices. We therefore recite the Korbanot section so we will earn the merit of offering sacrifices, even though we cannot actually do so in the absence of the Bet Hamikdash.
The Shulhan Aruch notes that after reciting the section of the Tamid (the daily sacrifice), one should recite the verse, "Ve’shahat Oto Al Yerech Ha’mizbe’ach Safona Lifneh Hashem." The Mishna Berura cites a Midrash commenting that when we recite this verse, God remembers the merit of Abraham at Akedat Yishak, and for this reason it is important to recite this verse as part of the Korbanot section.
The Be’ur Halacha (essays by the author of the Mishna Berura) writes that since reciting the Korbanot is akin to actually bringing the sacrifices, one must recite Vidui (confession) before reciting the Korbanot (listen to audio recording for precise citation). When a person brought a sacrifice to the Bet Hamikdash, he would recite Vidui and ask for forgiveness. Quite obviously, God does not need our sacrifices; the purpose of the sacrifices is to inspire a person to repent. Therefore, when we recite the Korbanot, too, we must confess our sins and repent. This is why we find in the Siddurim before the section of the Tamid a prayer in which we ask God for forgiveness ("Yehi Rason…She’terahem Alenu Ve’timhol Lanu…"). The Be’ur Halacha writes that the Vidui recitation should be done while standing.
The Be’ur Halacha adds that ideally, one should make a point of studying the sections of the Talmud that deal with the sacrifices, so that he fully understands the texts of the Korbanot section. It is proper also to study the difficult texts in the Korbanot section, such as the paragraph of "Abayeh Hava Mesader," which outlines the entire daily procedure in the Temple step-by-step, and the passages describing the Ketoret (incense offering). The Be’ur Halacha writes that it is a Misva to study these topics so that one understands exactly what he recites in the Korbanot section, and then he will be truly considered to have actually brought a sacrificial offering to the Almighty.
Summary: It is proper each morning to recite the section of the Akeda before the Korbanot section, as printed in the Siddurim. When reading the Akeda, one should have in mind that God should restrain the attribute of strict justice, just as Abraham bound Yishak upon the altar. One must ensure to recite the prayer for forgiveness printed in the Siddurim before the paragraph of the Tamid in the Korbanot section, because our recitation of Korbanot is akin to the offering of sacrifices, which had to be accompanied by confession and repentance. One should endeavor to learn the topics of the sacrifices so that he understands the text of the Korbanot section.
