Kavannah Initiative: Radical Exploration in Jewish Prayer

	Are you interested in exploring Jewish spirituality, meditation, and prayer? Are you seeking an intellectually honest conversation about God? Are you bored by traditional Jewish services and want to discover exciting alternatives? If so, the Kavannah Initiative is for you! Spring 2012 Session Date / Time TBA!

About the Kavannah Initiative:

This Fellowship -- an 8-week exploration of the soul -- unlocks Jewish prayer's (possible) meanings for you.

In a comfortable setting, we'll examine, question, and experiment with the living path of prayer. We'll visit local progressive synagogues, and we'll discuss what a personal spiritual practice might look like for a contemporary Jew living in 21st century America.

  How participants describe the Kavannah Initiative:

"A course that does not explore THE meaning of Judaism and prayer, but rather your OWN understanding of Judaism and prayer."

"I would say it is a group of spiritual people discussing God and prayer in a completely open non-judgmental environment, with the guidance of a wonderful open-minded rabbi. I would say we were all part of a learning process, and that each session stimulated us to think about how and why we think the way we think about prayer/Judaism/God. "

"It was a time during the week we could talk about God and prayer and religion in an open and serious environment.  I liked thinking about these things that usually I am too busy or scared or confused to think about on my own."

"A relaxed, open, non-judgmental setting to discuss personal thoughts on prayer/G-d/religion/etc. while being able to hear what other people thinking. You can really meld the history and tradition as well as others' views into your own beliefs to obtain a greater understanding of what being Jewish means to you."

Questions? Contact (Almost) Rabbi Josh

Spring 2011 Participants

• Matt Amalfitano
  
• Sara Brenes-Akerman
  
• Keira Ginsburg
  
• Zack Kowalski
  
• Alyssa Kress
  
• Sam Levenson
  
• Max Linder
  
• Josh Oppenheimer
  
• Natalie Rosen
  
• Sonya Sackner-Bernstein
  
• Andrew Schlossberg
  
• Emily Shaeffer
  
• Jared Slipman
  
• Hannah Solomon-Strauss
  
• Matt Sternberg
  
• Amelia Van Iwaarden

Prayers Written by Participants in the Kavannah Initiative - Spring 2011

This here is my prayer, from me to you. It's not often we talk but today feels right. 

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be ever acceptable to You, God, my foundation, my teacher and my friend.

I want to be close to You all the time, but I know that sometimes it can only be fleeting moments. Help those moments to guide me, to center me, to remind me what is important. Help me to grow in love and friendship, help me to trust, and help me to take risks. Above all, help me to find where I belong and to repair the world. Help me to remember my privilege and my responsibility. Help me to listen a little more closely, think a little more clearly and love a little more fully. Help me to be true to myself and to others.

Thank you for the beauty of the earth, for all that is good, and fragile, and subtle, and mysterious. Thank you for love. Thank you for family. Thank you for my mind and my heart. Thank you for my body, and help me to keep it strong and healthy. Thank you for hope, for the smell of lilacs, for dreams, for sunshine and the way that rainy days make the grass a brilliant green. Thank you for water, for the warmth of holding hands, and the thrill of excitement at something new.

Thank you for the world.

Amen.

A prayer to be a good person

Dear God:

I was not perfect today, but tomorrow I can and will do better.

Tomorrow, may I be a good person to everyone I see.  May I be a loyal, helpful, caring friend, a loving and appreciative son, a constructive role model for my younger sister.

Tomorrow, may I be friendly and warm, and may I be the reason that at least one person smiles and no one frowns.  May I not bring harm or sadness onto anyone, but if I do, may I accept responsibility for my actions and apologize sincerely and profusely.

Tomorrow, may I work hard in school, manage my time effectively, and not procrastinate- may I actually take things off my to do list, not just put them on.

Today was not perfect, but it was pretty good, thanks to you.  Thank you for blessing me with such wonderful family and friends, an opportunity to attend such a great school, and a strong desire to do what is right.  May I never stop being appreciative of how fortunate I truly am.

Dear G-d,

I pray for the health of my family, not only for my mother, father, and sister, but particularly for my four grandparents, who I am very fortunate are all still living. I pray for the health of my friends, who I am very lucky to have by my side when in need. I pray for the state of Israel, and its sustained success. I pray for continued happiness in my future endeavors, and when I do encounter obstacles along the way, that I have the strength and mettle to overcome them. Let us cherish every moment in life, since every relationship, every deed, every action, and every emotion is finite, and we do not know when our last breath will be. I know I have a place in the world, and I pray that You allow me to understand my role moving forward and how I can make the greatest possible impact.

Connection, Appreciation, Inspiration, Motivation

Allow me to put my best foot forward in all of my interactions.

Keep my bridges resistant to flame.

Help me to protect those bonds throughout my life,

So that I may be the legacy of others and that they may be my legacy,

I pray to be confident.

I pray to be fearless.

I pray to never let myself get in the way of my dreams.

I pray to make amends with those whom I have hurt and those who have hurt me.

I pray that I can be proud of my accomplishments.

I pray that the good in the world outweighs the bad.

I pray to see the beauty in my life and to be grateful for the gifts life has given me.

I pray that my life has meaning.

I pray for happiness.

I pray for love.

An extension of the “Serenity Prayer”

Adonai, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference.

Adonai, grant me the serenity to strive for meaningful relationships, Courage to avoid fleeting importance, And the wisdom to know the difference.

Adonai, grant me the serenity to serve others, Courage to avoid serving myself, And the wisdom to know the difference.

For prayer, a heart without words is better than words without a heart. –Gandhi

My words fly up,

My thoughts remain below:

Words without thoughts never to heaven go.

(The King in Shakespeare’s Hamlet)

There are few thoughts I routinely have during the meditation section of a service; this is an attempt to verbalize them. Calling it a prayer seems a stretch, and I’m not sure to whom these words are addressed. Putting sentiment to words is hard because it all feels so trite and petty. Choosing these words is infinitely more difficult than thinking these thoughts in the silence of synagogue. For all that I “want,” I am not wanting; for all that I may need, I am not “needy.”

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable. –Psalm 19:14

I wish for the same building blocks of life that we may all wish for. I wish for happiness, health, safety, and sanity. I wish for these things because I know that I can be better: I know that I have not been all I could be; I know that can yet be more. Whether I have been deserving of it, I wish simply to be given the chance to be all I can. I’m not sure where I’m going, but I feel I’m supposed to go somewhere—I just want the chance to see this so I may begin on my way.

Prayer is a confession of one’s own unworthiness and weakness. –Gandhi

Pray not for a smaller load, but for a stronger back. –Unknown

I heed for that stronger back to withstand what feels like hardship, but which is, in fact, not all that bad. I know that I need perspective. I know that I need to have more faith in myself and in others; I know that I need to fear less and hope more. I want to live well and to live honestly. I really need to learn to let the small things go, to appropriately obsess over the big things, and to understand that, ultimately, things go on. I am trying to understand my role in this big universe of ours and trying to learn what to do with that understanding. I hope I live long enough to make many thousands of mistakes and have the chance to learn from all of them—and then learn to let go.

What’s gone and what’s past help

Should be past grief.

(Paulina in Shakespeare’s A Winter Tale)

                                                            Personal Prayer

For me, prayer is about having a dialogue with G-d (though it usually turns into just me talking), said at the end of the day as I am going to bed. It is a way for me to decompress, refocus, and reenergize for tomorrow.

In my mind, everybody prays all the time, so G-d must have some way of keeping all the prayers organized. Therefore, I use a “template” so He can easily catalogue and respond to my prayers. It probably is not coincidence that I am a political science major who is interested in the process of government, for example, the procedures that Congress goes through to pass a bill. I guess it makes sense, then, that I am concerned about the process of saying the prayer (or maybe it is just OCD…).

The first part of my prayer is the opening: “Baruch atah adonai, eloheinu melech ha’olam. Dear G-d. Thank you for this day/week/month (depending on the last time I prayed).”

Then I work in chronological order, discussing everything that has happened. This includes thanking Him for any great opportunities I had, forgiveness for something I did wrong, and asking fro help to ensure these wrong-doings do not happen again.

After covering the past, I turn toward the future and discuss what lies in the coming days. I ask for help in getting through any difficult tasks that may lie ahead, and guidance where needed.

I end by wishing all of my friends and family good health and for everyone to be safe. I do this at the end, rather than at the beginning of the prayer, to ensure that my last thoughts are positive and altruistic.

With that, I close by saying “Amen,” and head (hopefully quickly) to sleep.

An example prayer:

Baruch atah adonai, eloheinu melech ha’olam. Dear G-d. Thank you for this very busy past week. I’m sorry I haven’t had the chance to talk to you in a while, but I know that you’ve been watching my back.

Prayer for Perspective

Re-think, re-energize, re-tool

Let the fleeting pass

Help me to find comfort in the long-term

Friends and friends

Thank you for your listening ear and reassuring presence

Blessed home, near, far, and in between

Comforted in thinking of you

                                                            My attempt at a prayer

I don’t know how to start this, but perhaps recognizing this is, in itself, a start. Not a great one, of course, but at least a something or the beginning of something. For now, I can say that I hope to get to wake up one day at age eighty-two, certain that I’ll have laughter throughout my day and grateful for having made all of the mistakes that I am yet to make. I pray for my mother. That she continues to be certain of the magnificence of her hugs and the power of her smile. For my oldest sister, I ask that she continues to avoid the urge to inhabit only a quiet and safe corner of the world. And may she have babies soon so that I can start my lifelong project of becoming those kids’ favorite aunt ever (although I’m pretty sure I have this one in the bag, a little extra help never hurts). For my older but not oldest sister, I pray that she be effortlessly happy so that she can continue to make others happy as well. And please, let me continue to find my father, despite his physical absence.

            The world strikes me as an impossible difficult place to understand. Despite comprehending parts of it, I am certain that many pieces will continue to remain a mystery to me (if not forever, certainly for a very long time). So I guess what I’m asking for here is: may I be wise enough to always recognize what must be protected and may I be courageous enough to never fail to do so.

            Let me have integrity. Let me never be afraid to attempt something that sounds impossible or irrational if it feels right.

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Spring 2010 Participants

• Alexi Dinerstein
  
• Chelsea Drumheller
  
• Chennery Fife
  
• Daniel Gromer
  
• Debbie Schub
  
• Jeremy Perlman
  
• June Elgudin
  
• Leah Mintz
  
• Matt Berg
  
• Max Weiss

Prayers Written by Participants in the Kavannah Initiative - Spring 2010

Dear…

I don’t really know how to finish that sentence, I know you know that. But to you I pray that one day I will figure it out.

I pray for my family, my abilities, their faith, my faith, our happiness, our unity, Israel, Palestine, Khmer rouge deaths and survivors, the Penn Soup Kitchens, all of the soup kitchens, fighting racism, feminism, poetry, for all those voices to be heard, spines and diamonds, broken hearts, futures, landmine survivors, the victims of Agent Orange, finding something I love to do, trusting myself, trusting someone else. And Please, most importantly, give strength to those who need it. Help them find their way. Help me find my way.

Life is good. I have many blessings in my life and I am grateful for them. I have been provided with comfort and happiness. I have been supported by my family and friends. I have built meaningful relationships that have impacted my life. I have built meaningful relationships that have impacted other lives. I have an education, the potential to do well, and the potential to do good. I can realistically realize my potential now and in the future. My past has been full of excitement and happiness, but my future is even fuller.

Life is not always perfect or easy. I have experienced disappointment, anxiety, and sadness. At times I have let myself down, but at times I have also let others down. I have wasted energy and potential. I have turned away when I should have looked straight ahead. I have experienced pain and I have lost. Life is not perfect and it never will be. But I have learned from the imperfections and the mistakes in order to build the best life possible.

I am part of something bigger. Sometimes I don’t want to be. Sometimes I need to be. No matter how I feel I am. And with community comes responsibility. I have a duty to my friends, I have a duty to my family, I have a duty to my people, I have a duty to all people, and I have a duty to the world in which I live. I have duties to all these things, but I also have a duty to myself. I can do well and I can also do good for those I know and those I don’t.

I pray to be happy and healthy.

A Prayer For The City

The City of Philadelphia is currently facing many challenges.  The Mayor and City Council are trying to balance a $150 million dollar budget hole.  25% of Philadelphia’s residents live in poverty.  Philadelphia Public Schools are failing our students and leaving many of them unprepared to be successful in life.  Crime is rampant in certain parts of the City.  Blight creates eyesores in our neighborhoods.  The City is losing its tax base while the costs for services are going up.  If the status quo does not change, Philadelphia will decline into a City where people do not want to live.  Blessed are you, Lord, our G-d, King of the Universe, who gives our elected officials, public servants, municipal employees and residents the ability to work together, to save our city.

Please help me know who I am and who I want to be,
Help me help others, and help me help myself.
Help me believe in myself and my friends,
Help me have confidence in my decisions.
Help me have faith, I waiver sometimes.
Help me know you through knowing myself.
Help me help others know and understand your greatness and power.
Keep me and those I love safe and healthy.
But most of all, help me make myself happy.

OK, so here’s my prayer. For something. For peace. For life. For love. For family for friends for home for happiness. Here is my prayer for something. 

For something bigger than big. For something more.  Here is my prayer for health.  Here is my prayer for wisdom and beauty. Here is my prayer for the ability to see the unseen. To feel the unfelt. To hear the undheard. Here is my prayer. 

Here is my prayer for a place to call home. For me. For another. For everyone to have. Here is my prayer for a universal happiness, composed of individual happinesses, none of which step on the toes of another. None of which compromise the well being of another. None of which stand entirely alone or entirely dependent. 

Here is my prayer for the earth and the birds and the fish and the rocks and the knowledge that there is something more.  Here is my prayer for the lightening storm and the rainfall and the morning symphonic warm up of the bird orchestra in the woods. And here is my prayer for a window to hear them through.  And a slumber to be awoken from. And ears to experience and a soul to feel. 

Here is my prayer for the feeling of something more. And here is my prayer for the faith to believe. Against all odds yet found in the beauty of every moment. Here is my prayer, I guess, here is my prayer.   

Blessed art thou, forces that be, sovereign over all creation, forever breathing life into your worldly inhabitants.  Help us to achieve, on this day and all days hence:   good health in order to pursue our dreams, yet the humility to recognize our mortality; confidence of mind and body to express ourselves, but not the arrogance to violate the individuality of others; appreciation for the freedoms we enjoy, but not ignorance of the sacrifices made on our behalf; laughter enough to make us ache, love enough to flood our hearts, all while cognizant of the inevitability of sorrow and tears.  Let us cherish every smile, savor every taste, hold on to every kiss, and linger on each breath, for we know not when our last will be.  Amen.

Dear G-d, calm the fires of my spirit, that I may place my daily troubles in a greater perspective.

I pray to nature

            To open my eyes to the beauty around me

            To take me back, when I need it, to a place where a warm breeze embraces me, summer wildflowers engulf me in color, clear streams trickle past, the earth emits its musky fragrance, and a grand world humbles me

I pray to Love

            To open me up to the love of others in every small way

            To let me listen to people, share warmth with friends and family, extend kindness to enemies and strangers, empathize with fellow humans, and realize the treasure each relationship is

I pray to the energies and forces in the universe and within me

            To let me have agency over my own life

            And to let me give up control to the ways of the world I can’t understand, to remind me to stop and breathe and live.

Hello Darkness my old friend
I've come to talk to you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left it's seeds while I was sleeping
and the vision
That was planted in my brain
Still remains
within the sound of silence
-courtesy of Simon and Garfunkel

...and so you see, you ethereal, obfuscating pal of mine, the seed I am currently pondering is prayer. I'm supposed to pray to you, but based on Dictionary.com's definition, I have nothing to petition for.  I only want that my family remains healthy and to win the lottery twice, but can yo really intervene? Should I then be thanking you instead? I feel that appreciation only comes from action, and the time spent saying thank you would be better doing thanks.  Maybe prayer is suppsoed to be absolution of my sins, but if you exist in my interpersonal realtions my direct resolution of confluct is my absolution.  The Vision, You, still reamins, and your eternal, intangible, unidentifiable presnece that looms over my consience is why I should pray.  I must pray to remind myself that I had no control of my entrance into the world that existed without anyone's will compelling it to exist, and so the very existence of life, and the joy and chaos related to it, exists without anyone's desire or control. I remind myself to acknowledge you as the spark of the life that still burns and to appreciate my flaming existence.