Category: Understanding Prayer

What is Jewish Mindfulness and How do I Get Started?

Learn more about what Jewish mindfulness is and answer the question "How do I get started?" There's many ways to practice—here are a few.
March 7, 2025 Blessings Every Day

Reading Psalms in Difficult Times

If you've never been in the practice of reciting Psalms, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Here's how to adopt the practice. ...
March 7, 2025 Every Day Personal Prayer
Why Conservative Judaism Changed Sacrifices in the Prayer Book

Why Conservative Judaism Changed Sacrifices in the Prayer Book

Explore why Conservative Judaism changed the language of the sacrifices in the prayer book. It shows more about the Movement.
July 23, 2024 Conservative Judaism Every Day
Listener of Prayer

Listener of Prayer

"Listener of Prayer" is an important phrase in many of our blessings and prayers. Learn more about why that is.
July 3, 2024 Amidah Every Day
What Do People Think About While Praying?

What Do People Think About While Praying?

While Judaism tells us various ways to pray, we are not told what to think: Here are three different takes on the subject.
September 7, 2023 Every Day Personal Prayer

The Times of Day for Prayer

A Talmudic Midrash obligates prayer three times a day, instituted in honor of our three patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
, May 17, 2023 Every Day Prayer

The Interplay of Routine and Intention: Keva and Kavanah

Our prayers are almost always a mixture of both keva (oft-recited text) and kavanah (deeper layers of meaning).
, May 16, 2023 Every Day Prayer

What Prompts Change in Our Liturgy?

Changes in liturgy are born out of changes in the theological and historical life of a people, both the individual and the community.
, May 16, 2023 Every Day Liturgy

Enhancing Prayer With Body Movement

Movement acts as part of prayer, orchestrated in traditional Jewish settings, thus putting us in touch with the ebb and flow of the liturgy.
, May 16, 2023 Every Day Prayer

Creating a Sacred Physical Space

Halakhah demands that we invoke God’s name in prayer only in settings that are worthy of the sacred enterprise of prayer.
, May 16, 2023 Every Day Prayer

Why Prayer Matters

Tefillah is more than the sum of its parts and encompasses far more than the obligation to recite certain specific daily prayers.
, May 16, 2023 Every Day Prayer

The Language of Prayer

Jews are permitted to pray in any language and thus making our liturgy a link to Jews all around the world.
, May 15, 2023 Every Day Prayer

The Value of Using Set Prayers

By the use of set prayers, are we ipso facto guaranteeing that some will be obliged to recite words they do not find true or ...
, May 15, 2023 Every Day Prayer

Connecting with God Through Prayer

We hear from God through our participation in liturgical prayer, and also through the study of religious texts.
, May 15, 2023 Every Day Prayer
Prayer Expresses Petition, Praise, Anger, and History

Prayer Expresses Petition, Praise, Anger, and History

Prayer is not just a recitation of words. But rather, prayer is an expression of a great many modes and experiences in Judaism.
, June 29, 2022 Every Day Prayer
aT'fillah/Prayer: A Mitzvah to Take a "Time Out"

T’fillah/Prayer: A Mitzvah to Take a “Time Out”

T'fillah, Jewish prayer, is rooted in self-judgment, reflection, and connecting to something greater than ourselves.
, June 29, 2022 Prayer Understanding Prayer

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