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THE PRAYER BOOK: A WINDOW ON JEWISH THEOLOGY
Instructors: Barbara and Reuven Sutnick

WHAT IS PRAYER?

- THE CHALLENGE OF PRAYER-

"We live in an age when it is not fashionable to pray," observes Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin in his book To Pray As A Jew. Perhaps we are too spiritually "arrogant" to pray; for prayer requires a measure of awe and modesty and a sense of gratitude for what we have in life. Could it be that modern man has been so successful in building a wall of sophisticated civilization around himself that he attributes all that he sees to his own efficacy and power? Perhaps there are those who DO appreciate the power of the natural world; yet choose not to pray because they have difficulty believing in the existence of a God to listen to prayers? There may be other individuals who would not consider prayer since they do not know how to pray. They are not sure what prayer is, and would not know where to begin. In order to understand why prayer is so "unfashionable" these days, we must first explore what prayer is, what the act of praying entails, to what extent it can be viewed as having "efficacy" and to whom it might be directed. This is essentially the aim of this course. It will also be helpful to look at ways that Jews and others have prayed at different stages of the development of civilization. In addition, we will think about and study samples of different kinds of prayers, and various kinds of mental, physical and emotional states that the person at prayer might adapt. To this end, we will think about both spontaneous prayer, and the highly developed fixed prayer services of the Jewish prayer book. Finally, we will look into the prayer book, and see how it reflects the deepest theological ideas and longings of the Jewish people. We will also see how Jewish prayer has built-in aids for making the very challenging activity of prayer more "doable", more effective and more satisfying. Perhaps along the way, some will find their own voice.
What gets in the way of prayer? Before we turn to the writings and thoughts of "experts", it will be helpful to really tune in to this question. To do so, it is best to consider the question personally. Although I have not yet really defined prayer, which I will attempt to do as the course unfolds, everybody has SOME NOTION of what prayer is AND EVERYBODY HAS DIFFICULTY WITH PRAYER. Even extremely avid pray-ers ("pray-er" = "person at prayer", for this course) -- people who pray regularly, know what the words mean, and believe deeply in their message -- have trouble praying from time to time (maybe even often). Why is that? Before we begin to formally explore the inherent challenges of prayer, I think it is important to get a bit personal...
Please complete one or more of the following open sentences for yourself using as many words or phrases as you need. (Do not worry about making a run-on sentence -- this is NOT grammar class!) I would appreciate it if you would e-mail me your completed sentences (optional). If interesting patterns of response emerge, I will share these with the group, COMPLETELY ANONYMOUSLY, of course. Not only might your responses contribute to the course, but I firmly believe this exercise to be a good PRIVATE student warm-up for the inquiry on which we are about to embark together.

"I find the concept of prayer very difficult to understand because. . . . "

"I sometimes/always find it difficult to pray because. . . . "

- TOWARDS A DEFINITION OF PRAYER -

The Random House College Dictionary defines the verb "to pray" as follows:
"(1) to make ernest petition to (a person). (2) to offer devout petition, praise, thanks, etc., to (God or an object of worship). (3) to make petition or entreaty for; crave. (4) to offer (a prayer). (5) to bring, put, etc., by praying. (6) to make entreaty or supplication, as to a person or for a thing. (7) to offer devout petition, praise, thanks, etc., to God or to an object of worship. (8) to enter into spiritual communion with God or an object of worship through prayer. synonyms: entreat, supplicate, beg beseech, implore."
To summarize, the concept of the English word prayer includes either ASKING a person, God or some object of worship for something, or PRAISING, THANKING or COMMUNING with the Divine. From this, we would characterize prayer essentially as communication -- usually with a Divine Being, but not always. It can be understood that the communication concerns itself basically with things the Divine Being gives or does for the pray-er; or with praiseworthy qualities of the Diety.
We will see that the Hebrew word for praying denotes some concepts that are different from or additonal to the English definition. The Hebrew verb "to pray" is lehitPaLeL (please see the Appendix: "About Transliterations" at the end of this lesson.) Even though this is not grammar class, a careful analysis of this Hebrew word is in order. The letter/vowel combination "le" simply means "to" (i.e. signifies the infinitive form of the verb). The syllable "hit" is quite important. It is the signifier of the REFLEXIVE mood in Hebrew. It some Hebrew verbs, the "hit" lets one know that the action takes place between or among individuals (e.g. lehitRAot -- to see each other again). Thus the Hebrew word for prayer implies communion, as does the English. In some cases, "hit" makes a verb more intensive -- and intensity is certainly a feature of prayer. Yet "hit" in Hebrew has an additional meaning that is not operative in the English word: it tells us that something about the activity REFLECTS BACK on the person who does it. Two examples of this use of "hit" in Hebrew are lehitLaBeSH (to get oneself dressed); lehitAMeTZ (to strive, exert oneself). In each of these cases, the person doing the action is doing it to him/herself. This is a very important clue about one special feature of Jewish prayer. Jewish prayer can be a very personal exercise. It can even go so far as being a way to talk to oneself deeply and refectively (perhaps imagining God "eavesdropping"; perhaps not). Thus to our dictionary definition of prayer, we must add the conceptual element of internal communication and reflection to the brew as we attempt to define Jewish prayer.
The root P,L,L contains the basic meaning of the verb lehitPaLeL (to pray). A look an any good Hebrew/English dictionary will show that the concepts that this root denotes go beyond the English words prayer, entreaty and supplication, to include think, decide, judge, incriminate and even punish. Thus the Hebrew word for prayer, and similarly the Jewish concept of prayer, is a much broader one than its English counterpart. LehitPaLel (to pray) is not only to reach upwards/outwards to the Diving being; for the Jew it is also to look inwards. Not only is it to look inwards at one's dreams, aspirations and desires; but it is also to look inwards CRITICALLY. To challenge oneself to become a better person, and to invite Divine participation in this process. Some spontaneous personal prayers would fit nicely into this introspection category: "give me strength to be more patient with these children!" or even "help me to study well and pass this exam".
Up until this point, we have been alluding largely to the rather amorphous activity of personal prayer. Jewish prayer, however, includes much more than that. As anybody who has ever been to a synagogue knows, Jewish prayer services are structured, detailed, and lengthy. A few glances at the translation of the prayer book in the pew, show that there is little spontaneous outpouring called for; rather all is quite well-scripted and delineated. There is a leader who is followed, and line after line of text to recite. This text has obviously been written by somebody other than the pray-er in question. How do we reconcile the fact of pre-scripted, fixed written prayers in Jewish tradition with the value of inspired outpourings discussed above?

- THE QUEST FOR KAVANAH-

The story is told of the famous rabbi and the bus driver who arrive in heaven for Judgement at the same moment. The rabbi is asked to step aside to allow the bus driver to go right through the Pearly Gates to a luxurious abode. The rabbi asks the gatekeeper, "how can it be that I, a rabbi of reknown, must wait here while that simple bus driver is ushered straight into heaven?" The reply: "Rabbi, whenever you spoke in the synagogue, people would fall asleep; whenever he drove his bus, people would pray!"

It is certainly easier to pray with inspiration when one perceives that one is in danger. Inspiration during prayer is called "KaVaNah in Hebrew. "KaVaNah" is an important concept in Jewish prayer terminology. It cannot really be defined with one word. Kavanah is the "attention", "focus", "intensity", and "directedness of the heart" with which prayer is ideally approached. A person who prays with kavanah fills his/her words with the full depth of concern and intention about their meaning. (The opposite extreme would be rote recitation of written prayers without thinking about what one is saying.) In cases in which the pray-er is composing spontaneous, inspired prayers, kavanah is in rather ready supply; it is both the motivator and the essence of the prayer. For example a simple "thank God" uttered by a truly grateful person who escaped calamity is a bona fide prayer filled with kavanah. The anxious wish of a worried parent for the speedy recovery of a sick child is another example of a spontaneous (albeit oft-repeated) prayer that is naturally filled with kavanah. The joyful exclamations of a nature lover on a bright sunny morning can also be described as a prayer with kavanah.
The Rabbis observed that, "prayer without kavanah is like a body without a soul". The 15th century Rabbi Yitzchak Arama points out: "it is easy to stand in prayer at a certain time each day. But if you do not concentrate in your heart, how is your prayer any different than the mindless chirping of birds?" [Akedat Yitzhak 58 (3:17a)]
Even the uninitiated would agree that it hardly seems to be worth the effort to pray unless one is going to invest one's prayers with kavanah. Yet the many statements in our tradition encouraging the pray-er to pray with kavanah (and we have seen only a few) are an indication of just how difficult this can be. These admonishments about kavanah do not grow out of the genre of spontaneous, inspired prayers that we have been discussing. The quest for kavanah stems from the tendency to read or recite previously conceived, fixed, written prayers. With fixed prayer, kavanah is much more difficult to come by.
Several factors work against kavanah in fixed prayer. The words tend to be complicated, and the concepts lofty and philosophical. The language of the prayer book, Hebrew, is a barrier that is difficult (or for many) impossible to cross. It was found that even poets and scholars of Hebrew literature dwelling in medieval Spain, wrote prayers in a Hebrew that was more stilted than that of their counterparts that lived in Israel and were native speakers. Operating in other than one's native language inevitably gives a feeling of being one step removed. When speaking of the regular pray-er, the numerous familiar repititions of the prayers cause the mind to wander. In the case of the novice, the service goes by so quickly that it is difficult enough to find and keep one's place; let alone think very much about the significance of the prayers. If the prayer leader's rhythym is different than that of the pray-er, that also disorients the pray-er and reduces him/her to a person struggling to keep the place. The Sabbath morning prayer service, which is the one most well-attended weekly, often lasts over two-and-a-half hours--an extremely long time-span for sustaining kavanah! Daily morning services can also be a full hour in length.
Interestingly, some of the factors which tend to work against kavanah in some cases, can be an AID to kavanah in others. Sometimes the memory of a study session which explored the theological depths of a lofty prayer concept will serve to enhance the kavanah each time that phrase comes up again in prayer. The Hebrew language can also be an aid to kavanah. For all its foreignness, Hebrew, reverberates with layers of association spanning thousands of years, that open up additional possibilities of meaning in each prayer. Thus, a person who has difficulty relating to a prayer as translated, might be more comfortable with another meaning of the prayer that is also implied in the Hebrew. For example, some people find it easier to think of engaging in a process of self-examination (lehitPaLeL) than of talking to God; conversely others prefer to think of themselves as pouring out their heart to God (also lehitPaLeL), rather than looking too deeply into that heart! Even some people who understand little or no Hebrew point out that praying in that language pulls them inarticulately closer to something ancient and spiritual in ways that are hard to describe. Perhaps praying in a language one does not comprehend can be likened to reciting a mantra -- it clears the intellect for the spiritual/emotional/pre-verbal process that is a part of prayer. Repititions, also mentioned above as a possible kavanah barrier, can serve for other people, or at other times to put the mind into the prayer mode. Finally, the length of the Sabbath morning service, an obstacle for some, can help others to achieve greater kavanah. It usually takes time and a conducive atmosphere to sink one's soul into the prayer experience. A lengthy section of "warm-up" prayers and psalms, the addition of melodies to the words, an inspiring sermon -- all these can serve to increase a person's kavanah; while they indisputably make the service longer. In upcoming lectures, we will look at some of the elements of the fixed prayer service that are designed to enhance kavanah. Before this, however, the next two lessons will take us back in time. We will look at the worship patterns of ancient man and at Jewish prayer during the Second Temple period. This will help us to understand how the Jewish prayer service developed.

APPENDIX I -- ABOUT TRANSLITERATIONS

Transliterations (i.e. rendering of Hebrew words into English letters) will be used sparingly in this course, yet there is some basic information you should have so that those transliterations will be clear. The meaning of a Hebrew word is contained in the 2 or 3 consonants that form its ROOT. It is vocalized with patterns of points and dashes. The vowels (plus some consonants acting as prefixes or suffixes) help us understand such things as part of speech, tense, and person. Throughout this course, Hebrew root letters will be rendered in upper case letters (capital); vowels, prefixes and suffixes will be rendered in lower case letters. When transliterating the Hebrew name of God, I will insert a hyphen to avoid any semblance of "taking the name of the Lord in vain". (N.B. Words emphasized by the instructor will also appear in these lectures in upper case letters.)

APPENDIX II -- BIBLIOGRAPHY

CLASSICAL JEWISH SOURCES

- BIBLE. The full Hebrew Bible, which is composed of three sections: the TORAH (Five Books of Moses), the PROPHETS (historical and prophetic works) and the WRITINGS (historical and literary works).

- MIDRASH RABBAH. The major compilation of the homilatic material compiled on the biblical text during the 3rd - 19th centuries. Includes BERESHIT RABBAH, AND SHIR HASHIRIM RABBAH, which are quoted from in this course.

- MISHNA. Literally, "teaching". The early oral tradition, mainly of a legal and ritual nature, codified in written form by Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi in Israel at the end of the 2nd century.

- RAMBAM. Initials of Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon or Maimonides. Born in Spain in 1135; died in Egypt in 1204. Renowned as the greatest post-Talmudic authority (after c. 500) on Judaism. In addition to being a world-famous medical expert, the RAMBAM wrote extensively on Jewish law, the Mishna and Jewish philosophy. His MiSHNeh ToRah -- HiLCHot TeFiLa and Guide for the Perplexed are quoted in this course.

- RASHI. Initials of Rabbi Shelomo Yitzhaki (1040-1105), who lived in France. RASHI remains the leading Bible commentator, with no traditional edition of the Bible being complete without his glosses. RASHI's commentary to the Bible was the first Hebrew book to be printed in 1475. It is referred to in this course.

- TALMUD. (BABYLONIAN) A commentary and discussion of the MISHNA, as expounded in the academies of Babylonia from the second to the end of the fifth century. The JERUSALEM TALMUD was finalized a century earlier. It contains both legal and legendary (midrashic) material, including numerous biblical references and interpretations. Intensive study of the Talmud is the major focus of the most traditional Jewish schools and yeshivas today. Citations will include the page and the name of the relevant section of Talmud.

- HEINEMANN, Yitzhak (1876-1957). Israeli scholar and philosopher born in Frankfurt. His IYuNei TeFiLah (Hebrew) is referred to in this course.

- PLASKOW, Judith. STANDING AGAIN AT SINAI. San Francisco, 1990.
- YAKOBSON, Yissachar. NeTiV BiNa. Tel Aviv, Sinai Publishing: 1978.

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