blogs/rabbi-joshua-hoffman

This week, we read the Torah portion, Chayei Sarah where we encounter the prayerful moments of Sarah's death, Abraham and Eliezer's efforts to find a partner for Isaac, and Abraham's death at the complete age of 175! The subject opens up the conversation of prayer, and what it means to pray as a Jew.

Many of us hold two predominant images of Jewish prayer in our minds. The first is the one we often see on movie screens. Groups of men huddled together enwrapped in black and white prayer shawls, swaying back and forth with some chanting in a minor and melodic key. Their concentration and piety are simultaneously alluring and disaffecting. The second image is one that we occasionally encounter in the sanctuaries of our people today. Large groups of individuals, some who are completely familiar with the calls and responses of the cantor and rabbi on the bima, some who are disengaged and have their attention focused on the attire and postures of their fellow communal gatherers, and some are genuinely interested but are at a complete loss for where to start, or perhaps more alarming, for what goal.   There are of course, many wonderful models of Jewish prayer for us to encounter, but to see Jewish prayer only through these two lenses is to miss the essence of what Jewish prayer can be about.

The word for Jewish prayer is Tefillah. It is not enough to translate this richly defined word as just being prayer because it indicates certain postures and thoughts that make its expression uniquely Jewish. The word tefillah originates from the Hebrew root letters Pay Lamed Lamed. This word commonly translates to mean, “To think, to decide, to supplicate.” At its core, the translation of this word can be, “To hope or expect for.” In other words, Jewish prayer is the act of turning away from the mundane and concrete and lifting our hearts and minds toward the future, toward the unknown, and hoping for growth, change, enlightenment, and renewal. Jewish prayer is an expression of the ideal �" an aspiration toward that which is yet to be written or determined.

With further investigation, we also learn that this root word has several corollary meanings that enhance our understanding of its use. Many scholars equate these root letters to another word with a similar origin �" Pilpul, or debate/​argumentation. In this context, Jewish prayer becomes an act of self-argumentation and self-identification. Praying like this is like a great chess match where thoughts and intentions are played through to their logical and sometimes illogical conclusions. The winning moves are the ones that leave us balanced, confident, and focused. Jewish prayer is not only about turning outward and upward, but it is also about turning inward and challenging ourselves to grow.  

Perhaps the closest connection to the meaning of tefillah originates from a word that can truly summarize a primary goal in praying Jewishly. The root word, Pay Lamed Alef �" is translated to mean wonder or amazement. To engage in the act of wonder or amazement is at the core of religious experience. Jewish prayer therefore is the vehicle, or the means to achieving a sense of wonder, a sense of the extraordinary in our world.   Prayer like this involves the acknowledgement and celebration of greatness, of presence in a world much greater and diverse than oneself. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel encapsulates this notion in his book, ­God in Search of Man. There he writes:

To pray is to take notice of the wonder, to regain a sense of the mystery that animates all beings. Prayer is our humble answer to the inconceivable surprise of living. It is all we can offer in return for the mystery by which we live. It is gratefulness that makes the soul great.

Jewish prayer too, can be the striving for the greatness of the soul. We have the words and postures of our tradition to provide a framework for this soul engagement. We have the insight and compass of our individual and communal experience to inspire us to both pour out our joy and to challenge our sense of self and community. To apply this behavior to your daily life is quite simple. Each time you acknowledge an aspect of creation, each time you experience a special connection between loved ones and friends, and each time you can look deeply within yourself and learn something new, you can engage in Jewish prayer. You merely need to take the moment to appreciate the wonder of such moments, and how significant they are woven into the tapestry of your life. Next time you find your way into a sanctuary �" a place where Jewish prayer can emerge �" take note of your challenges, and your amazement of this wonderfully complicated world we live in. The result can only be what you hope and expect for.