Photo By Walder Education

By Rabbi Zev Schostak

It’s hard to believe; in fact, it’s incredible! The overwhelming majority of practicing Jews who pray every day were never taught the translations or the meanings of their prayers. True, we are taught about the mechanics of prayer from the Shulchan Aruch: we know when to rise and when to sit, when to omit or insert certain additions, and other pertinent halachot. But, with rare exceptions, we were never taught the basic meaning of our prayers (biur tefillah) or the deeper insights (iyun tefillah) behind them.

Is it any wonder then that we find shuls where talking during services is prevalent, where congregants eye the same words they have been skimming for years, and go through the motions without emotion? Too many are anesthetized by what has become a humdrum experience and simply daven on autopilot.

Trying to transform a ritual routine into a meaningful experience is a major challenge. Where do we begin? How do we do it? It’s not easy, even for the greatest of Jews. Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, an eminent Israeli halachic authority of the last century, was once asked before Rosh Hashanah what his personal request was for the new year. He replied, “To recite the opening berachah of the Shemoneh Esrei with the proper intentions [kavanot].”

So what’s missing from our davening that would prompt meaningful kavanah? Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz suggests that faith — emunah — may be lacking. Are we truly conscious of G-d’s presence in our lives everywhere we go, and especially in our synagogues? Do we believe that He is our personal G-d who cares about what we think and do? When we rise to pray before Him, do we really feel that we are having an audience with the King of the universe?

These questions are the essence of the compelling message we often see inscribed near the Aron Kodesh: “Know before Whom you are standing!” Yet rarely, if ever, are the issues and challenges of faith and belief discussed in the classroom. Ironically, while many of us can sing Adon Olam and Yigdal by heart, our teachers never taught us the Rambam’s “Thirteen Principles of the Faith” upon which they are based.

Prayer: Our Personal Relationship With G-d

Ultimately, prayer is much more than praises, petitions, and blessings. Prayer is about a special relationship — our lifelong, personal relationships with G-d. This relationship didn’t begin with us. It began with our forefathers, going back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. G-d had a unique relationship with each of them. In the Shemoneh Esrei, He is called the G-d of Abraham, the G-d of Isaac, and the G-d of Jacob precisely because of the specific bond He had with each. So too, G-d loves us, their children, and seeks a personal relationship with each of us, just as He had with our ancestors.

So we must make the G-d of our fathers our personal G-d by blending their mesorah, wisdom, and counsel with our generation’s creative energy, idealism, and zeal. This dual relationship is best expressed in the classic song of our People at the Red Sea: “This is my G-d, and I will beautify him, my father’s G-d, and I will exalt Him.” (Exodus 15:2)

Crisis And Challenge

If tefillah is such a critical component of what it means to be an observant Jew, why do so many of us only become serious about it during a personal tragedy or around Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur? Why has meaningful tefillah education been inexplicably ignored by so many of our yeshivot at all levels? Why are there relatively few classes or discussions about G-d and Jewish belief, hashkafah, in most yeshiva programs?

If we are to love G-d with all our heart and soul, with our minds and with our emotions, we must make every effort to talk about G-d and to G-d, with the openness, love, and warmth of our ancestors who saw G-d both as a loving Father and caring King. If schools were to adopt a tefillah curriculum, they would discover that our prayers can serve as a springboard for discussing many of the major issues of our faith.

Meaningful Tefillah Is In A Real Crisis

“While 50 percent of those 55 and older found prayer to be meaningful, 32 percent of those under age 45 found prayer to be meaningful. And while 41 percent of men ages 55 and older reported attending shul on a weekday morning, only 18 percent of men ages 18 to 34 reported doing so” (Nishma Research Profile of American Modern Orthodox Jews, 2017).

The time has come to make tefillah education a high priority in every yeshiva from early childhood through high school and beyond. The time has come for a Tefillah Renaissance, when the rich personal meanings of our prayers inspire us to new spiritual awareness.

Through tefillah, we can experience the greatest of relationships with the all-powerful King of the universe and our loving Father in heaven. Confronted by personal challenges and national threats, we all long for a time when our prayers will be heard. That time is now!

Legacy 613

To turn the tide and help make tefillah education a priority in our lives, a new organization was established — Legacy 613. Legacy’s mission is to make tefillah meaningful and inspiring, both intellectually and experientially. G-d willing, Legacy will make this happen by offering schools, synagogues, and the Jewish community a host of initiatives, including teachers’ guides, kavanah triggers and techniques, a Siddur companion, and much more. Legacy 613 partners with like-minded organizations, foundations, and schools to provide vision, educational expertise, and resources in developing effective tefillah programming, and instructional materials.

Rabbi Zev Schostak founded and directs Legacy 613 to help make tefillah more meaningful. See more on Legacy613.org. 

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