Liturgy and Prayer
Chapters 10 and 16-17
10. How is a prayer service arranged?
16. How can children with special needs celebrate?
17. When may an adult celebrate?
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Overview
These chapters deal with the order of the service, the meaning of specific prayers, and our attitudes concerning
prayer.
Experiential Activities
In the sanctuary, demonstrate the choreography of the service. Point out the basics, such as "We rise for Barechu,"
and "We move to the side of the reading desk after we recite the Torah blessings."
Make sure that each participant knows what to do when called for an aliyah and how to dress and undress the Torah
according to the custom of your synagogue. Remind parents and students of the importance of making sure that
those they choose to honor during the service are familiar and comfortable with their assigned roles.
Have participants select one prayer and write their own response or commentary on it. What do they think of when
saying this prayer? Does the theme speak to them? Share the results.
What if women had written the prayerbook? If a group of men and a group of women separately prepared a siddur for
general use by both men and women, what would the results be? Would the styles of the prayers be different?
Would the general themes be the same? Do women and men tend to pray about differing concerns?
Ask participants to choose a theme from the liturgy and write an original prayer on that theme. Do this as a group
activity, or as a family assignment, or individually. Share the results.
Values Formation
Encourage participants to set aside a specific time each day for prayer. Have them
try this for a week and share the results with the group. Discuss whether they would like to continue this daily prayer
experience.
For many people the silent meditation at the conclusion of the Tefillah is the most meaningful part of the service.
Why do you think this is so? Is it true for the members of the group? Why or why not?
Discuss the meaning of the term minyan. Why can certain prayers be recited only in the presence of a minyan? It is
a mitzvah to help make a minyan. Is this mitzvah valued in your community?
Ask participants to consider these four people and then decide with whom they most closely empathize and explain
why:
Mr. A. doesn't know Hebrew, can't follow the service and doesn't consider himself "religious." Still, he faithfully
attends his synagogue's early morning service several times a week to "help make a minyan."
Ms. B. believes that prayer without feeling (kavannah) is hypocritical. She says it's a greater mitzvah to
pray spontaneously in her room, at the beach or in a forest when she is moved to do so.
Mrs. C. doesn't always feel like coming to synagogue services, and often "just says the words" without much
feeling. Sometimes, though, once she is there, her mood changes to one with more kavannah.
Mr. D. likes to attend synagogue regularly. He is often emotionally moved by prayer and also enjoys the
companionship of other Jews in the synagogue.
You might wish to relate and discuss the proverb, "Nine rabbis don't make a minyan, but ten shoemakers do."
Spiritual Development
Have participants share some special experience of kavannah that stands out in their minds. Sometimes it is a once
in a lifetime experience. Are these experiences worth the wait? How can we help to make them come about?
Commenting on the contrast between our time and that of former generations, Rabbi Eugene B. Borowitz once said
to a class in theology, "Our ancestors laid tefillin; we jog." What do you think he meant?
Discuss the difference between empirical truth and religious truth. For example, consider the story of George
Washington and the cherry tree. Historians tell us that there is no evidence that cherry trees grew on the
Washington family estate when George was a boy. Does this lack of historical evidence make the story false? Elicit
other examples of "objectively untrue" though "religiously true" stories.
Read this true account and ask the group to discuss it.
A non-Jewish man once came to the synagogue. He was carrying a tallit. He told the Rabbi that he had recently
moved into a new house in town and when rummaging through the attic he found this "scarf" that had been left by a
previous owner. He knew that it was something Jewish but he didn't know what it was. He suspected that it was
something important and felt the need to return it to the Jewish people in the synagogue.
Point out that many B'nai Mitzvah receive a tallit as part of the ceremony. What will become of theirs?
Discussion Points
Review a brief outline of the order of the service: Barechu, the Shema and its blessings, Tefillah (Amidah), the Torah
Service, Musaf, Concluding Payers. Focus on the basic meaning of each prayer and its role in the service. For each
one, you might wish to offer a thought-provoking questions such as, "What does it mean to love God?" for V'ahavtah,
or "What are we thinking when we bow?" for Alenu.
Discuss attitudes toward prayer.
- When do we feel like praying?
- When do we find it difficult to pray?
- What form do our prayers take?
- Do we pray differently when we are alone or in the synagogue?
- What is the difference between private prayer and communal prayer?
- Do you think that children find it easier to pray than adults?
- How do you deal with distractions during prayer?
Our prayer services are ordered and fixed. Our liturgy has developed over a long period of time. How does the group
feel about having a fixed liturgy? What are some of the pros and cons? Can Judaism survive without a fixed liturgy?
Discuss the role that parents can play in the Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies. What are some ways
parents can express pride in a child's accomplishments?
