Every prayer has an origin story. The Rabbis explained the kavannah of a prayer by telling a story. A Young Person’s Guide to the Origins of Jewish Prayer introduces these stories to help children express their own spiritual understanding of the prayers in the siddur.
Torah Aura Productions
young persons full cover.indd 1 05/21/2015 5:34:49 PM 7284-1.indd 1 05/21/2015 3:51:16 PM ISBN #978–1–934527–77–1
Copyright © 2015 Torah Aura Productions. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Torah Aura Productions (800) BE-TORAH (800) 238-6724 (323) 585-7312 fax (323) 585-0327 E-MAIL
MANUFACTURED IN SOUTH KOREA Production Date: 042915 Batch Number: 042915/54520-0 Plant Location: We SP Corp., Seoul, Korea
7284-1.indd 2 05/21/2015 3:51:16 PM Contents Open My Lips ...... 7 The Word of the Heart ...... 8
KABBALAT SHABBAT Kabbalat Shabbat ...... 7 Shabbat on Wednesday 10 L’kha Dodi ...... 11 Shabbat Starts with a Sigh ...... 12
BIRKHOT HA-SHAHAR Modeh Ani 13 The Shoes that Got Turned Around ...... 14 Mah Tovu ...... 16 Bilaam Says ...... 17 Asher Yatzar ...... 19 The Creation of People ...... 20 Elohei N’shamah 21 The Story of our Soul ...... 22 Torah Brakhot ...... 23 The Fox ...... 24 A Portion in the World to Come ...... 25
P’ZUKEI D’ZIMRA Birkhot ha-Shahar 26 Waking Up 27 Barukh She-Amar 28 The Prayer that Fell from Heaven ...... 29 Psalm 150 ...... 30 David Experiences this Psalm 31 Nishmat Kol Hai and Shokhen Ad ...... 32 The Right Person to Ask for Rain 33 Yishtabah Shimkha ...... 34 Steps to God 35
3
7284-1.indd 3 05/21/2015 3:51:16 PM A CALL TO WORSHIP Barkhu ...... 36 The First 37 The Power of a Minyan ...... 38
SHEMA AND HER BLESSINGS Yotzer Or 40 Adam and Eve’s First Shabbat 41 Ma’ariv Aravim ...... 43 It Happened in the Middle of the Night 44 Ahavat Rabbah ...... 45 Two Memories of Sinai ...... 46 Ahavat Olam ...... 48 Rabbi Akiva and Rachel 49 Shema ...... 50 The Death of Jacob ...... 51 V'Ahavta ...... 53 Moses Steals the 54 The Rebuilds the Temple ...... 56 Death of Rabbi Akiva ...... 58 Mi Khamokha ...... 59 The Golem 60 Nahshon’s Leap of Faith 61 The Women Hold Hands ...... 62 Saying with a Mouth Full of Water 63 Hashkiveinu ...... 64 The Bird of Happiness 65
AMIDAH Amidah 66 Hannah’s Prayer 68 Adonai S'fatai Tiftah ...... 70 King David Messed Up Big Time ...... 71 Avot v’Imahot ...... 73 The Power of a Biography 74 Abraham Was a Hero ...... 75 Shield of Abraham ...... 76 Sarah’s Tent ...... 78 The Missing Mother 80
4
7284-1.indd 4 05/21/2015 3:51:16 PM G'vurot ...... 81 Giving Life to the Dead ...... 82 Joseph the Tzadik ...... 84 K'dushah 86 Jacob Visits the Place ...... 87 Calling One to the Other: Isaiah’s Story ...... 88 Taken by the Spirit ...... 89 Studying a Psalm ...... 90 K'dushat Ha-Yom Shel Shabbat 91 Shabbat in Egypt ...... 92 The First Shabbat ...... 93 Birkat Hoda’ah 94 David’s Memory Makes a Difference 95 Birkat Shalom ...... 96 Entering the Land of Israel ...... 97 Jacob and Esau Make Peace ...... 99 God Buries Truth ...... 100
HALLEL Hallel 101 David and the Spider ...... 102 King David Learns about the Meaning of Life ...... 103
TORAH SERVICE Being at Mt. Sinai ...... 104 The Torah is Given Every Day 105 Beginning the Torah Service ...... 106 The Shepherd’s Song ...... 107 The Walls of Jerusalem ...... 108 The Ark is Opened ...... 110 Being Lifted ...... 111 The Last Kopeck 113 Taking the Torah out of the Ark 115 The Synagogue That Cried ...... 116 The Torah Blessings 118 Ezra’s Moment 119 The Deaths of the Maharal ...... 121 Mi She-Berakh 123 God’s Partner ...... 124
5
7284-1.indd 5 05/21/2015 3:51:16 PM V’Zot ha-Torah 126 How I Learned to Study Torah ...... 127 Haftarah Blessings 129 The Real Jew 131 The Clothes That Went to a Wedding ...... 132 Ashrei ...... 134 The Alef-Bet of Creation ...... 135 Showering Mercy ...... 136 Returning the Torah to the Ark ...... 137 The Torah is a Tree of Life ...... 138 Archik’s Torah ...... 139 The Seven Shepherds ...... 140
CONCLUDING PRAYERS Ein K’Eloheinu 141 The Incense Offering ...... 142 Aleinu ...... 143 The Tikkun Olam Story ...... 144 The Jewel ...... 146 Joshua Says ...... 148 Kaddish Yatom ...... 149 Dream 150 A Tale of Rabbi Akiva ...... 151 Adon Olam ...... 153 The Great Garden 154
HAVDALAH Havdalah 155 Adam and Eve 156 An Elijah Story 157 Another Elijah Story 157
6
7284-1.indd 6 05/21/2015 3:51:16 PM Open My Lips
(Ps alms 51.15)
Once Jews offered sacrifices in the Temple. These sacrifices were called avodah, work. When prayers replaced sacrifice, they were called avodat ha-lev, the work of the heart. The secret to prayers bringing us closer to God and not just being words we say is kavanah. Kavanah (usually translated as “intention”) actually comes from a root that means aiming or pointing. One needs to learn how to read Hebrew prayers and one needs to learn how to understand prayers. One also needs to learn where to point one’s heart while one is praying. Heart-pointing is how we do .
7
7284-1.indd 7 05/21/2015 3:51:18 PM The Word of the Heart There was a king who loved music. The king had a court musician who played beautifully. But after a while his playing got to be tired and bored. He got tired of playing the same thing over and over. Every time the king asked for his favorite song it had less and less life in it. The musician told the king, “I am having a hard time being excited about this song. I have played it too many times.” The king had an idea. He brought in a guest and asked the musician to play his favorite song especially for this guest. The playing was again wonderful. The guest made the difference. The music was again filled with feeling and meaning. Every day the king brought in a different guest. Each day the musician played the same song with new excitement. When he played it for a new guest it became a new thing. Questions But eventually the king ran out of new people to be guests. 1. Why is it hard to do the With no one new to hear it, the music became old and tired same thing over and again. over? 2. How do you trick yourself The king thought and thought and came up with a new into finding something idea. He blindfolded the musician and told him a new guest new about things you do was there to hear his playing. The musician imagined the over and over? guest, and his playing was again filled with spirit. The king 3. How does this story help did this every day, and every day the musician found the you understand where to point your heart when kavanah with which to play the king’s favorite song. (Shivhei ha- you start to pray? Besht, In Praise of the Baal Shem Tov) 8
7284-1.indd 8 05/21/2015 3:51:19 PM Kabbalat Shabbat
On Friday night we have a very short service that is unlike any other service. It happens just before the evening service. It is called , “The Welcoming of Shabbat.” The service was created in the sixteenth century in the Israeli city of Tzfat.
THE TALMUD In the Talmud we are told that Rabbi Hanina would put on his best clothes, go outside and watch the sunset on (Friday night). He would sing “Come, let us go out and welcome Shabbat the Queen.” Rabbi Yannai would do exactly the same thing, except he would sing, “Come, O Bride; come, O Bride!”
KABBALISTS In 1492 Jews began leaving Spain, Italy and other places in Europe because they were not allowed to practice their religion and live in peace. One of the places they gathered was the city of Tzfat. The city became a magnet for Kabbalists, Jewish mystics. These scholars created a service out of the Talmudic description of Rabbi Hanina and Rabbi Yannai going out to welcome .
9
7284-1.indd 9 05/21/2015 3:51:23 PM Shabbat on Wednesday
Rabbi Elimelekh and Rabbi Zusya were brothers who were Hasidic Rabbis. Often they would spend Shabbat together. Together, they would create a wonderful Shabbat experience. Once, Rabbi Elimelekh confessed, “Brother, I am not sure that the feeling I get on Shabbat is a real Shabbat spirit.” Rabbi Zusya told him, “I am worried about the same thing.” The two of them decided to try an experiment. They decided to create Shabbat on a weekday. If they felt the same way they did every Shabbat, then they weren’t getting a real Shabbat spirit. They made a great Shabbat meal. They put on their Shabbat clothes and the fur hats they wore on Shabbat. They sang Shabbat songs and celebrated. Both of them had an amazing experience. It felt just as holy as Shabbat did. The brothers were upset. They were sure that what they had been feeling on Shabbat was not the real Shabbat feeling. They Questions 1. What made the went to Dov Baer, the Holy Maggid. They asked him, “How weekday feel like can we get to feel the real Shabbat feeling? He told them. “If you Shabbat? prepared and welcomed Shabbat, if you put on your Shabbat 2. What brings the clothes and Shabbat hats, then what you felt was a Shabbat light of Shabbat down to you? experience even though it was a weekday. Your actions brought 3. How can knowing the light of Shabbat down to Earth.” (retold from Martin Buber, Tales of the Hasidim) this story help you point your heart when you enter ?
10
7284-1.indd 10 05/21/2015 3:51:24 PM L’kha Dodi
Rabbi Shlomo ha-Levy, a Kabbalist from Tzfat, wrote a song to use at this service. It is .
has nine verses; eight of them spell out Shlomo ha-Levy’s name in the first letter of each verse. It calls both a queen and a bride and it talks about three things: Shabbat, Jerusalem, and the Redemption (when God finally helps us to fix the world and make it into a place that is good for everyone).
11
7284-1.indd 11 05/21/2015 3:51:28 PM