tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.comments2023-04-28T12:53:31.207+03:00DavenSpotMarc Rosenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14084229240419289498noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.post-13794883018793257522013-09-01T16:48:27.059+03:002013-09-01T16:48:27.059+03:00I'm sorry this will be "on hold." I...I'm sorry this will be "on hold." I have found that one of the best ways to improve in kavana in tefila is to read or think about it regularly, and this has been a helpful resource.arijesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04054624664476807741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.post-46979043774444867142013-08-23T05:29:40.541+03:002013-08-23T05:29:40.541+03:00This is awesome!This is awesome!Irvinghttp://bestrecumbentexercisebikes.us/2013/08/15/how-to-use-an-exercise-bike/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.post-69441480884378972322013-08-07T04:36:24.455+03:002013-08-07T04:36:24.455+03:00This is cool!This is cool!Alliehttp://topconvertiblecarseatreviews.net/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.post-73425117053200280952013-08-06T05:14:27.308+03:002013-08-06T05:14:27.308+03:00I used to be an annoying davenner. I probably sti...I used to be an annoying davenner. I probably still am, but education has helped a lot. Like many Jews, I didn't know tfilah etiquette. I know more now and I teach what I have learned. My synagogue's weekly email now includes "Tfilah Tidbits" with indications on when we stand still, when we can enter or leave the sanctuary, etc.<br /><br />The other thing that has helped me but probably annoys you is that I used to sing very quietly because I am a tad tone-deaf. I can generally match the shliach tzibur, if they're good, but sing atrociously if I am matching the congregation. A very good friend told me once that HaShem has autotune. Since He is the one I am singing for, that was enough to enable me to sing aloud regardless of my abilities.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16483217960010787089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.post-51138205135965904352013-05-29T05:46:13.339+03:002013-05-29T05:46:13.339+03:00BRAVO, Arijess, HERE HERE! BRAVO, Arijess, HERE HERE! Tzvee Zahavyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15833902273722124103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.post-17512888769254999582013-05-28T05:20:06.063+03:002013-05-28T05:20:06.063+03:00He didn't give option 3. Which is to actually ...He didn't give option 3. Which is to actually devote HUGE amounts of educational time to understanding the words of tefila, the goals of tefila, the point of tefila, the concepts of tefila, the purpose of tefila. Schools spend a half an hour a day involved in the mechanics of tefila, and MAYBE some kids get a tefila class one year in their entire school experience. We are giving lip service to the importance of tefila, but we are not devoting the educational time to it.arijesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04054624664476807741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.post-85970699699213812392013-04-30T15:01:11.887+03:002013-04-30T15:01:11.887+03:00Hallo everyone. Shul's the only time when I ca...Hallo everyone. Shul's the only time when I can pray with the others which is very important. Admittetly, it's also that the Torah is being read to us. As a woman you might (all in all compared to men) need more time to get ready for shul, but skipping service is definately out of the question for me. <br />We sit on a gallery which is wonderful. What I will not do, is to have someone pull a curtain in front of my nose so that I won't even be able to see the Torah. No matter how beautiful the synagogue no matter how many friends are there. I won't sit behind a curtain. Get a balcony in there, at least we live in the year 2000 for crying out loud. Everyone have a wonderful Shavout and G-d bless you :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.post-61242421326633158992013-03-14T05:51:36.092+02:002013-03-14T05:51:36.092+02:00I used to worry about singing poorly and not being...I used to worry about singing poorly and not being able to carry a tune while davening, until a very wise friend (and excellent singer) assured me that HaShem has autotune. Now I just sing and assume that I am singing in HaShem's key, though not necessarily the key of the key of the people around me.Betsyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14815436747241630447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.post-61240038960064363012013-02-12T03:37:31.166+02:002013-02-12T03:37:31.166+02:00Rebbe Nachman has a lot to say about Tefilah. One ...Rebbe Nachman has a lot to say about Tefilah. One of my favorites is the idea that when it's hard for you to daven - daven to daven!<br />Pray for your prayer!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16567387386697309607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.post-56207661435334648072013-02-04T05:41:40.856+02:002013-02-04T05:41:40.856+02:00Pray for safe play, for the ability to accept eith...Pray for safe play, for the ability to accept either a win or a loss, and for each player to play to the best of his/her ability. And make it all communal prayer. My opinion only.Betsynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.post-53460820232694064002013-01-28T16:37:26.170+02:002013-01-28T16:37:26.170+02:00Kol ha'kavod for innovation and effort. Are t...Kol ha'kavod for innovation and effort. Are there more details on the program? Any precedent to learn from? If there is some success in this model, it should be disseminated because many other MO schools could benefit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.post-480476188140103012013-01-24T21:47:54.234+02:002013-01-24T21:47:54.234+02:00Beautiful story!Beautiful story!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.post-66700876786902782882013-01-02T02:57:47.630+02:002013-01-02T02:57:47.630+02:00Thanks for the honest response. I asked students...Thanks for the honest response. I asked students at Heritage Academy, a pluralistic JDS in MA, what they see adults doing, in shul.<br />My questions were: <br />1 Do adults arrive on time?<br />2 Do adults talk with each other during prayers.?<br />3 Do adults look like they are concentrating when they pray?<br />4 Do you think adults understand Hebrew?<br />5 Do adults stand when person leading services asks them to stand?<br />Here's the word cloud I made with the results<br /><br />http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/6193985/Heritage_Academy_Students_on_Prayer_2<br />danielweinrebhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17846691178971067699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.post-69303800716359667622012-11-28T04:25:05.773+02:002012-11-28T04:25:05.773+02:00Wow! Surprised no one has commented.
In my exper...Wow! Surprised no one has commented. <br /><br />In my experience, most synagogues and schools have siddurim that are too advanced for the children using them. I prefer either a siddur we wrote together, or a siddur that is a blueprint and not one where we feel bound to read every prayer every day. I've written several siddurim with colleagues, from a giant poster siddur for the Tot Shabbat service at a large conservative synagogue to K-2nd siddurim for the same synagogue, then with modifications for my current shul. Maybe because most of the children don't pray daily (at least not in Hebrew), I am of the opinion that less is more. Include the basics and add in other prayers as handouts. <br /><br />I was once at a shul where the kids' siddur was homemade and in 3 ring binders, which has the advantage of being flexible but the disadvantage of being far too large for small children in chairs (rather than at a table, as they might be in class). <br /><br />Finally, Torah Aura is our favorite textbook supplier these days, and if I were searching for a new children's siddur for my shul, I would look first to see what they publish.<br /><br />Any of this helpful?Betsyhttp://www.morahbetsy.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.post-10953376327674038052012-10-19T13:29:37.295+02:002012-10-19T13:29:37.295+02:00Before we are God loves us already. As soon as we ...Before we are God loves us already. As soon as we are here on earth He is willing to guide us and protect us. It is very important that children learn to see from early age how they can be blessed by the love of God when they themselves love their fellow creatures and when they are willing to love and honour God.Marcus Ampehttp://marcusampe.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.post-25479668176649385172012-09-30T13:58:56.479+02:002012-09-30T13:58:56.479+02:00It wasn't that popular in my circle of faceboo...It wasn't that popular in my circle of facebook friends. I got invited, and I think 3 or 4 of my friends said they would be attending the event. I didn't rsvp, since I generally feel that the route to Moshiach is via teshuva. I didn't realize that there was a specific prayer to say. <br /><br />When the day came, somebody posted a status about it, which prompted me to realize I had not davened yet, which made me think that if a group of people had mobilized to daven about a specific issue at a specific time, who am I to say it will probably be ineffective and therefore I won't do it? So I davened and concentrated especially in shemona esrei on the brachos about kibbutz galiyos, Tzemach Dovid, restoration of justice, and destruction of wickedness, all of which are associated with the Messianic Era.<br /><br />I was not surprised when Moshiach was not immediately announced. This felt to me like a misguided attempt and typical of the desire for shortcuts rather than a complete and sincere re-commitment to torah.<br /><br />However, I do recall that Rachel was barren for nearly 7 years, and the pasuk says that Hashem remembered her and listened to her. I think Sforno comments that he listened to her tefilos. Surely this does not only refer to the tefilos right before she got pregnant, but all of them over the course of the years? Perhaps there was a cumulative effect?arijesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04054624664476807741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.post-66229390359223781732012-08-29T13:47:07.870+03:002012-08-29T13:47:07.870+03:00I think of my father blowing the shofar in the hou...I think of my father blowing the shofar in the house waking me up Sunday mornings. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12031041823590062559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.post-36964035813167873922012-08-17T17:53:32.819+03:002012-08-17T17:53:32.819+03:00Having run a morning minyan in a pluralistic day s...Having run a morning minyan in a pluralistic day school for nearly 20 years, I can tell you that students are hungry for spirituality and God-talk. They want more than the mechanics, they want their hearts to be engaged. The biggest mistake educators make is to focus on the keva and ignore the kavannah. By making t'fillah a class (with grades, rules, etc.) we turn off students when they are most eager to explore. Engaging their hearts and souls isn't someone else's job, it is ours.Cynthiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07566383034991759039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.post-21397538260343063602012-08-16T00:47:38.506+03:002012-08-16T00:47:38.506+03:00Avi Silverman says " my purpose at this time ...Avi Silverman says " my purpose at this time is not to propose alternatives, though I have some up my sleeve"<br /><br />My curiosity is piqued <br /><br />How do I find out what's up his sleeve? I am currently working on a spirituality curriculum for our day school and could use all the innovative ideas I can get my hands on Dorithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05838090369822890352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.post-84436382332099121552012-08-02T22:25:02.243+03:002012-08-02T22:25:02.243+03:00Seeing as that's another topic that gets total...Seeing as that's another topic that gets totally inadequate treatment in day schools, perhaps one should consider the link between the two most passionate acts of relationship that a human is called to engage inRavMikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02110157084128700315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.post-60235243665116496062012-08-02T06:26:24.411+03:002012-08-02T06:26:24.411+03:00When it comes to the "hearts and minds" ...When it comes to the "hearts and minds" I think many administrators will happily settle for Nixon's response.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.post-46451565568865706512012-08-01T18:49:23.660+03:002012-08-01T18:49:23.660+03:00There are two goals: cultivating mechanical skills...There are two goals: cultivating mechanical skills (fluidity, nusach, translation, historical context, etc.) and encouraging spiritual growth. Schools are tasked with doing both. Perhaps shuls or religion teachers should do the latter while other teachers should deal with the mechanics. Once the mechanics have been mastered (and that can be assessed)ore emphasis can be placed on kavanah and less on keva, but even young children can be encouraged to develop intentionality.Helene Bergmanhttp://www.aardvarkedtech.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.post-42936786181347020812012-07-22T17:02:52.356+03:002012-07-22T17:02:52.356+03:00I'm guilty of this... but I have a defense. Wh...I'm guilty of this... but I have a defense. When I can't achieve a peak spiritual state in davening, I try at least to achieve a moment of clarity - a perspective on how I regard the actions I take and the activities I engage in. This often yields insights or introspections that I'm afraid will be fleeting in my jumbled mind, so I grab for my phone as a quick virtual notepad. I always feel so self conscious when I do this, that someone will assume I'm checking a sports score.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11472368396326453742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.post-21217846868340242252012-07-10T16:08:17.964+03:002012-07-10T16:08:17.964+03:00one way is by talking about it, which you are doin...one way is by talking about it, which you are doing. kol hakavod.arijesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04054624664476807741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-433686849088792329.post-39425084007765823132012-07-05T10:17:15.777+03:002012-07-05T10:17:15.777+03:00I have actually noticed that in the past two years...I have actually noticed that in the past two years more and more men are davening at their seats, and less minyanim.<br /><br />This article did not raise the question of being able to daven in front of women who are not dressed in Orthodox tzniut manner, nor the halachik question of those who daven at the back of the plane minyanim where inevitably some of the mitpallelim are directly in front of the bathrooms as people go in and out.<br /><br />When I do daven at my seat I always try to remember the mussar my Rebbe, HaRav Tendler gave me during my sheva brachot. He said now that I am wearing a talit I have to be aware of another issue of kavod hatzibur, and that is to be careful while putting on my talit not to fling it so that it might hit another person. He saw it as gas ruach (arrogance) to wrap oneself in their personal mitzvah while not caring that it might be disturbing others.Avi Silvermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05598560521185956352noreply@blogger.com