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Kavanah in Shemoneh Esrei

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Kavanah in Shemoneh Esrei TOWARDS MEANINGFUL BY REBBETZIN ZEMIRA OZAROWSKI TEFILLA Director of OU Israel L’Ayla Women’s Initiative Esrei. The Shulchan Aruch (OC 101:1) Kavanah in writes that a person is required to have Shemoneh Esrei Kavana for the entire Shemoneh Esrei. If he is unable to do so, he should at least t’s the start of a new year and concentrate for the first bracha (‘Avot”). If Miriam has decided to work on her he did not have kavana for the first bracha, Idavening. She realizes that her kavana he must repeat the entire Shemoneh Esrei. (concentration) is not great and that The Rama quotes there that in today’s her mind wanders a lot in the middle of generation (he wrote this in the 1500’s), davening. But she has decided that this one does not go back and repeat because year is going to be different. She is going he surely will not have kavana the second to make sure to concentrate on every word time around either, so there is no point in and imbue it with meaning. She takes three saying it again! steps back to begin her first Shemoneh Esrei Wow! The fact that we can assume that of the year, and before she has a chance to most people will not have kavana even on notice, she is mentally planning her to-do their second try is quite depressing. But, on list, thinking about a work-related issue, the other hand, we can understand from preparing a grocery list, and deciding here that we are not alone in our struggles. what to make for dinner. She finishes her Already in the Rama’s times, people were Shemoneh Esrei and with a start, realizes having difficulty with Kavana. Wandering that she has not had any kavana at all minds are a part of human nature. And for the entire Tefilla! She is shocked and this fact is amplified a thousand times in disappointed and not sure how to fix the today’s super busy world. situation. The question is – what do we do about it? I would venture to say that most of us can probably relate to the above scenario. The Shulchan Aruch (OC 98) gives many We truly want to connect to Hashem in suggestions. He recommends that one our davening and want our Tefilla to be pay careful attention to the meaning of a spiritually uplifting experience, and yet, each word. One should remind himself we somehow are unable to control our that the Shechina (Divine Presence) is minds and thoughts as we daven. standing before him. One should try and imagine how he would act if he were This is true for all of our Tefillot, but speaking before a human king – how he especially pertinent to the Shemoneh 58 TORAH TIDBITS / ACHAREI MOT - KEDOSHIM 5781 would prepare his words beforehand and This idea of pausing in the middle of pay careful attention to everything he our Tefilla is actually brought down in would say so as not to mess anything up. the Shulchan Aruch as well. (OC 98) He One should spend time preparing before says as soon as you feel your mind begin davening. He also suggests davening in a to wander, stop and don’t continue until place and at a time where there will not you are able to get rid of those thoughts be distractions. and bring yourself back to the Tefilla.Rav Naftali Amsterdam (one of the leaders I think one of the most practical suggestions of the Mussar movement in the 1800’s) the Shulchan Aruch gives is the first one used to pause at three specific points in we mentioned above. There, the Shulchan the Shemonah Esrei in order to bring his Aruch brought down the ideal (to have mind back into focus. kavana for the whole Shemonah Esrei) and the practical (to try and have kavana To conclude - having Kavana in our for at least the first bracha). I think this is davening is not an easy task. But the main an important message for us. In order to point is to take baby steps, be realistic in be successful in our davening, we need to our expectations, find “tricks” that work know ourselves and to work on ourselves for us, to be patient and not to despair, to at the level that we are at. We need to be ask Hashem for help in this area, and to realistic. We should shoot for the stars, we be proud of ourselves for each moment of should try to work on our kavanah for the success. entire davening, but at the same time, we need to be practical. So if one is not yet ready to have kavana for all of Shemoneh SHIUR SPONSORS Esrei, every day take a specific bracha and Rabbi Shor’s Monday evening shiurim make sure to concentrate extra hard on at during the month of April are sponsored by Ori and Naomi Carmel in the merit of a least that one bracha. And then move on refuah shleima for Ephraim Avraham ben Rachel from there. Rabbi Shmuel Goldin’s shiurim A similar idea is brought down by the have been sponsored by a generous donor Chofetz Chaim. As human beings, we Rabbi Manning’s shiurim for the 2021 academic year have limited attention spans. If we want have been sponsored anonymously in the merit of an to be able to concentrate on each bracha, aliya neshama for Matisyahu ben Yisrael z”l, we need to prepare for a moment before Aharon ben Menachem Lev z”l each individual bracha. Before each and Eliana bat Yaakov a”h bracha, we need to pause and think about Rabbi Kimche’s shiurim for the 2021 academic year we are about to say. Don’t just mumble have been sponsored anonymously in the merit of a the entire Shemonah Esrei by rote. Stop, refuah shelaima for Janet bat Hannah think, decide what you want to praise Rabbi Taub’s weekly Parshat HaShavua Shiur and request from Hashem in that specific is sponsored by The Jewish Legacy Foundation bracha, and then continue. OU ISRAEL CENTER 59.
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