Avodah Lesson 9 Silent Prayer: Creating a Moment for Ourselves, with Our Own Words

INTRODUCTION

This lesson is about reflecting on experiences of kavanah and what students can do, in their personal communicating time with God, to feel a sense of efficacy in their prayers and a sense of the personal, sacred connection. It is intended as a conclusion to the Level 4 Avodah strand.

Rabbi Reuven Hammer, tells us:

It seems to be a good idea to pause after reciting Amida, concentrate on our own feelings and express them to God in whatever way we can. Ancient words connect us to the past, our own new words connect us to God through our ever changing personal thoughts.1

This pause became a fixed idea, part of the keva. In Reform prayer books, there are words included at the appropriate time for silent prayer, often called a meditation. These may suggest themes for personal reflec- tion, but are not meant to inhibit one’s ability to use one’s own words, which is really the goal of silent prayer.

It is an important message to us that there is a prescribed moment for private prayer. There is a belief that our prayers are only complete when we add our own words to those of our tradition (keva). The Rabbis, in writing about prayer in the Talmud, believed there should be a balance between the expression of con- gregational needs and individual needs. Dr. Eugene Borowitz tells us, “Jewish worship is by belief and practice uncompromisingly individualistic, and its future depends upon the increasing ability of individual Jews to pray in the service and fulfill its expectations.”2 Our students, the future of Judaism, should feel a sense of personal connection when praying the words of our tradition, and should also feel a sense of empowerment that whatever words or reflections are in their hearts are equally important.

READING RESOURCE FOR TEACHERS Fields, Harvey J. B’chol L’vavcha: A Commentary, rev. ed. New York: UAHC Press, 2001.

ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS • Avodah is the work we do to find sacred connections to God, community, and self.

• Engaging in the work of avodah can bring order, beauty, meaning, and insight to our lives.

1 Reuven Hammer, Entering Jewish Prayer (reprint; New York: Schocken Books, 1995), p. 189. 2 Eugene Borowitz, “The Individual and the Community in Jewish Prayer,” in Gates of Understanding (New York: CCAR Press, 1977), p. 58.

213 214 Avodah Lesson 9 CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life

• Keva and kavanah, the fixed order of worship and the personal intention we bring to prayer, are com- plementary aspects of Jewish worship, combining to help us make sacred connections.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS 1. How is striving for a connection to God, avodah, like work?

2. What is the wisdom behind the structure of fixed prayer and ritual?

3. How can I experience kavanah and feel moments of connection to God?

4. How can fixed prayer become relevant and important to me?

5. How does the act of participating in fixed prayer keep my relationships with God, with the Jewish people, and with myself in good shape?

QUESTIONS TO BE ADDRESSED 1. How can I experience kavanah and feel moments of connection to God?

2. How can I feel a sense of sacred connections by using my own words?

3. How does having a fixed time for using my own words help my experience of kavanah throughout the service?

EVIDENCE OF UNDERSTANDING Students will create their own silent prayer.

LESSON OVERVIEW • Set Induction (15 minutes)

• Kavanah Word Search (15 minutes)

• Reflecting on Part of Psalm 19 (15 minutes)

• Conclusion (15 minutes)

MATERIALS NEEDED • Pencils

• Hearing the Soft Sound (page 218)

• Kavanah Word Search (page 219)

• Student worksheet for Psalm 19 (page 221)

• Student worksheets for creating silent prayer (page 222) CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life Silent Prayer: Creating a Moment for Ourselves 215

LESSON PLAN

SET INDUCTION (15 MINUTES)

1. As students come into the classroom, distribute “Hearing the Soft Sound” (page 218) and ask them to complete the first sentence: “When I try to do something on my own, using my own ideas, it feels different than following instructions, because . . .”

2. When all students have come into the classroom and have had a moment to reflect, share this story about the prophet Elijah:

At a moment that he felt most alone, God told Elijah to come out of the cave in which he was hiding and stand on the top of a mountain. And then God passed by. God’s power caused a mighty wind to blow. It split mountains and broke rocks, but God was not in the wind. After the wind, God caused an earthquake, but God wasn’t in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a huge fire, but God was not in the fire. Finally, after the fire, Elijah heard a very soft sound, so soft he could barely hear it. It was the voice of God, calling out to let Elijah know that God was there to protect him. (Based on I Kings 19:11–14)

3. Ask the students the following questions:

• Do you think Elijah was surprised to hear God in the soft sound? Do you think he expected to hear God in the big wind, the earthquake, and the fire? Why or why not?

• What do you think Elijah was feeling when he had not heard God, and then there was nothing but a small sound?

• Is it easier or harder for you to connect to God when the entire congregation is praying together? When we are all singing? When the cantor is singing? When we are praying silently?

4. Give the students time to complete the bottom of the worksheet. Ask students to volunteer to share their answers.

5. Explain to students that our teachers and rabbis have always felt that it was important for every per- son at a service to have a time to pray the words of his or her own heart, using his or her very own words. This part of the service is known as the silent prayer and comes after the Amidah portion of the worship service. Share that today, as the conclusion to the unit on Avodah, each student will have the opportunity to write his or her own silent prayer.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES Kavanah Word Search (15 minutes)

1. Give students the word search (page 219; answer key, page 220) and give them a few minutes to complete it, either with a partner or on their own. They should then answer the questions. Tell students that they are looking for words related to kavanah and remind them of our earlier definition: the proper intention and emotional focus that enable us to connect with God during prayer, or the proper concentration in order to open your heart and mind to connect with God during prayer. 216 Avodah Lesson 9 CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life

2. Discuss these questions: • How does the idea of kavanah connect these words? • Can these words help you focus, or pray with proper intention, with kavanah? • What words are hidden in your heart that can help you feel these things? Make a list here. (Try to encourage words like “thanks” and “appreciation.”) 3. Remind students that kavanah is something that takes concentration. It is not always something that is easy to find. Throughout the unit we have talked about keva, the words written in the prayer book that can help someone feel kavanah. Today we will think of the words in our own hearts that can help us.

Reflecting on Part of Psalm 19 (15 minutes)

Teacher Resource Information: What Are Psalms?

Psalms is a book of the Hebrew Bible, the first book of the Writings (Ketuvim) section. The psalms are 150 poems, of praise, thanks, and intense emotion. The Talmud tells us this book was written primarily by King David and represents his own songs of joy and love, of loss and pain. For centuries, our people have turned to psalms to give voice to their deepest feelings, to provide comfort in times of trouble and rejoic- ing in times of great happiness. They are part of our daily worship experience and help us direct our hearts where they need to go, at all different times in our life.

1. Distribute “Psalm 19” (page 221). Read the text to the students, “May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to you, Adonai” (Psalm 19:15). 2. Ask some general questions to get students thinking about the words: • Is this quote familiar to anyone? • Where have you heard it before? • What do you think it means? Share with students that this short quote is often found at the part of the service where we do our silent prayer. 3. Ask students to take a few minutes to complete the worksheet and then follow up with these questions: • What words should come out of our mouths? • What ideas should come from our hearts? • Are there other ways you might want to end this meditation? What words might you use other than “be acceptable to you”? (Suggest words and ideas like “sincere” and “kind to others.”)

CONCLUSION (15 MINUTES) Using the student worksheet on page 222, have students create their own silent prayers. CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life Silent Prayer: Creating a Moment for Ourselves 217

HOMEWORK

Tell the students to turn to page 42 in their workbooks, and review the instructions:

Find a time during the next week to say the words of the prayer you wrote. If you don’t go to a worship service, say the words at home at least once. Reflect on your experience using the silent prayer you wrote in class.

Describe your experience using your prayer.

• What felt good about saying the words you wrote?

• What was difficult?

• Did using your own words make you feel more or less connected to God? to other Jews? Why? 218 CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life

Hearing the Soft Sound

Before your teacher begins the story, complete this sentence.

When I try to do something on my own, using my own ideas, it feels different than following instructions, because . . .

After listening to the story, complete this sentence.

I have felt like Elijah when . . .

Kavanah Word Search

Try to find as many words as possible in this word search related to kavanah. There are at least eight words. When the teacher says the time is up, answer the questions at the bottom of the page.

BKWONDERREI RTY PLOVRCI WARMTHT FOCEOORFRI I RCI OMMSENSWABRVEN CLOSENESSEAFWU UQEYCEP MNBCTHM S TZXCI CGHJ L KTM NOI TCENNOCECF O ZXADONAI S HMAVC CONCE NTR A TI ONY

Word Search Questions 1. Please write all the words you found here.

2. How does the idea of kavanah connect these words?

3. What words are hidden in your heart that can help you feel these things? Make a list here.

Kavanah Word Search Answer Key

BKWONDERREI RTY PLOVRCI WARMTHT FOCEOORFRI I RCI OMMSENSWABRVEN CLOSENESSEAFWU UQEYCEP MNBCTHM S TZXCI CGHJ L KTM NOI TCENNOCECF O ZXADONAI S HMAVC CONCE NTR A TI ONY

Psalm 19

These words are often sung after the period of silent meditation. h¦rUm ²h±h Wh¦®bpk hCk i«uh±d¤v±u hp-h¥r§n¦t i«um¨rk Uh§v°h /hk£t«ud±u

May the words of my mouth and the mediations of my heart be acceptable to you, Adonai. Psalm 19:15

Why do you think this quote from Psalms is included in the prayer book or worship service?

Are there other ways you might want to end this meditation? What words might you use other than “be acceptable to you”?

Creating a Silent Prayer

Take some time to reflect on the instructions and answer the questions. Then create your own prayer.

Today we will finish our unit on avodah, the work we do to find sacred connections to God, the Jewish community, and ourselves. We have talked a lot about how we cannot simply say the words of prayer, but we must also feel a sense of prayerfulness in our hearts. We talked about the concepts of keva and kavanah in order to deepen our understanding of avodah and our feeling of connection to God and to the Jewish people.

• Kavanah, the proper intention and emotional focus that enable us to connect with God during prayer, or the proper concentration in order to open our hearts and minds to connect with God during prayer to our worship experiences.

• Keva, the fixed order of the worship service. The practice it takes to feel comfortable using the traditional words of prayer.

We have explored, throughout the unit, the reasons why we pray. Take time to list the three or four most important reasons why YOU pray.

We have also explored ways that the words of prayer make us feel when we are connected to God and the Jewish people. Think about a time you have felt such a connection and describe it here.

Prayer is often about giving thanks to God or asking God for things we need in our lives. Think about how participating in a worship service makes you feel. Think about the text we studied today and words you can use in your prayer so that “the words of your mouth and meditations of your heart will be acceptable to God.”

Write your own silent prayer.

If you use this prayer more than once, how can you keep it fresh? Are there parts you may want to change each time you say it?