With the Passover behind us, it is time to put the Haggadot back on the shelf (for the time being) and to turn our attention to other areas of Jewish life. As many of you know, I do this with a certain amount of reluctance. There is, however, more to Jewish life than just Passover and Matzah. So what’s next on the Jewish agenda here at OJC?

Actually, I’ve been thinking a lot about prayer lately. Heaven knows, I certainly spend enough time praying. We Jews pray three times a day (or at least they’re supposed to), before and after meals, and on other occasions as well. The Talmud tells us that we’re supposed to recite a minimum of 100 blessings every day, which is not as difficult as it sounds. Considering that there are 19 blessings in the Sh’monah Esray (I know that makes no sense at all; sh’moneh esray means eighteen), that means if we simply recite the Amida three times a day we’ve already said 57 blessings. Then there are another 15 blessings in the Birchot Hashachar, the opening section of the daily service and there at least another 12 blessings that make up the Shacharit and Ma’ariv services. And that’s not counting Tallit and Tefillin, prayers before and after we eat, and of course going to the facilities. That’s right - there is even a prayer for relieving oneself.

Now I can’t say that I’m always as scrupulous as I should be in making sure that I recite one hundred blessings every day but I think what we can conclude from this is that prayer is an important part in the daily life of a committed Jew. It stands to reason that we ought to spend more time thinking about prayer, what makes it meaningful and when it works.

The other day at the Yizkor service I suggested that there are at least three different levels of knowledge necessary in order to have in a meaningful prayer experience in traditional Judaism. Of course a person can pray any time, in any place, and in any language – it’s as simple as that. We also like to think that there are no atheists in a foxhole – there are times when all of us find ourselves praying. But prayer in the context of our tradition makes demands of us and that’s where we seem to get into trouble. Prayer is not just something you do – it is a discipline that one must develop over time.

First, in traditional Judaism you must have a technical knowledge of Hebrew in order to participate in synagogue worship. Frankly this is the easiest skill to master. That’s why we keep offering Hebrew reading courses. All it takes is six or seven hours of class time plus a little practice and you can master the reading of the prayer book. The good news is we keep saying the same prayers over and over again so if you come to synagogue with any regularity eventually you can learn them. After all, reading the prayer book is not brain surgery.

The second level of knowledge for mastering a traditional Jewish prayer life involves comprehension. This is where we seem to get into trouble. People say to me: “Rabbi what’s the point? I don’t even know what the prayers mean. It’s just a bunch of mumbo jumbo.” While I sympathize with these people I also happen to believe that this is a skill that people can master if they are willing to make the effort. Hebrew is essential to our prayer experience as Jews. It links us to our history and it connects us to our people. And the truth is, once we start looking at our prayers in English, they often become less meaningful. They sound less Jewish!

There are a variety of tools available today for anyone who wants to understand the traditional prayer book. There are linear prayer books and meaningful commentaries that explain the prayers we say. And even learning prayer book Hebrew is not impossible. The prayer book has a relatively small vocabulary and the grammar is not that difficult to learn.

It is the third level of proficiency and insight that is most difficult to attain in developing a prayer life: that is, understanding prayer as a phenomenon. We have so many unanswered questions. Why do we pray? What is it we are doing when we pray? What makes prayer meaningful? Knowing the sounds of the letters and the meaning of the words does not mean you find prayer a meaningful activity.

Prayer demands thought, reflection and some type of theological understanding of what goes on. It raises all types of questions that are hard for us to answer. Does God hear our prayers? Does God answer our prayers? Are there things we should pray for and some things that we should not pray for? If I have doubts about God then what is the point of praying? Should I pray when I am not feeling inspired or moved to do so? What happens if I don’t believe the words in the prayer book – should I leave them out or say them anyway? And what is the relationship between personal prayer and communal worship? What happens if I prefer praying by myself rather than praying with a Minyan?

I suspect that anyone who prays has wrestled with these questions at one time or another. It is one thing to develop the skills for prayer – it is another to have a deep appreciation for what prayer. And I suspect that many of us are a little murky about these questions.

I’m reminded of a young woman who Marilyn met in college. She was born in the former Soviet Union and had virtually no religious upbringing before coming to Israel. One day she and Marilyn were talking about the Jewish tradition and this young woman expressed a deep sense of regret – she said she wished she could pray, but didn’t know how. Marilyn told her: “Just come to synagogue and open a prayer book.” But that was not the problem. This young woman could read Hebrew; she didn’t know what it meant to pray. Growing up surrounded by atheists, prayer was a foreign experience to her.

I wonder how many members of our congregation feel that way. Even when they show up on the High Holidays they’re ill at ease and unsure of themselves. I believe on some level they want to pray – all of us have moments in our lives when we feel the need to pray. But we are not always sure how to open our hearts in prayer. The skills are easy – it’s the intentions of the heart that are so hard to develop.

What we need today is not just better prayer skills but more thoughtful, reflective prayer.

I started thinking over Yuntif that the question of prayer is a much bigger one. It is bigger than our congregation or our daily Minyan. We call ourselves a House of Worship – so what can we do to help people develop a prayer life for themselves? One of the activities which the sages tell us we receive a reward in this world and in the world to come is called Iyun Tefillah, literally probing the meaning of prayer. This means that we have a responsibility not only to pray but to think about prayer, to study its significance and probe its meaning. We spend so much time praying – the time has come for a little more Iyun Tefillah.

I would like to make a modest proposal. I believe we need to make prayer a priority – not only in terms of getting people to come to synagogue but also in terms of helping people make room in their lives for prayer each day, whatever form it may take. We could use some of our modern technological tools to enhance people’s prayer experiences and to help people learn more about prayer. Imagine, for instance, a website completely devoted to the topic of Jewish prayer where people could share their prayer experiences and learn from one another.

This Website could include a list of resources and suggestions for making prayer more meaningful. We could call it, thoughtfulprayer.com. There are web sites for everything; else why not prayer? This website could even include a blog –an ongoing description of people’s prayer life. Seeing how others else wrestles with prayer, when and how they pray, might be helpful for those who are looking for a gateway into Jewish prayer.

Thoughtfulprayer.com could also include a dialogue on the Siddur where people could share insights and ideas about the prayers we say and reflections about God. And we might even include a cyber Mi Sheberach list – so that we could offer private prayers for those who request it.

In the end I believe that prayer makes a difference. It is worth the time and the effort. It is not always clear to me how it works, but I know that when I pray, I feel better, more connected, and more spiritual. I would like to start an on going dialogue with our congregation on the significance of prayer:

When and why do you pray?

What obstacles get in the way of meaningful prayer?

What can a congregation do to help its members develop a meaningful prayer life?

Do you have a meaningful story about how prayer made a difference in your life?

I’d to end by saying that I believe we’ve been approaching the subject of prayer in the wrong way in our congregation. We need to stop telling people that they have an obligation to attend services. What we need to do is to engage people in a dialogue about the role of prayer in their lives. Until people feel a need to pray, they are not going to make time for prayer or have a reason to want to be a part of our communal worship.

Abraham Joshua Heschel has written: “Prayer is an invitation to God to intervene in our lives, to let God’s will prevail in our affairs; it is the opening of a window to Him in our will and an effort to make God the Lord of our soul.”

Today it is not enough just to pray. In this complicated world of ours we need to talk to one another about prayer if we are to find new meaning and new ways of approaching this challenging practice. We need to listen to and learn from one another’s prayer experience and appreciate the variety of ways in which we approach prayer.

Nothing worth doing can be accomplished with effort and commitment.

Not even prayer.

Shabbat Shalom