The Different Ways We Pray

There are so many diverse ways people come to express their desire and yearning for God, the one that transcends all description and language. Throughout all of the methods and techniques utilized by people of faith around the world there is one common denominator: an attempt to connect to a force greater than ourselves and a desire to become a better human being through that process. Zev Chafets in the New York Times magazine discusses the ways in which some communities, most notably a 3,500 seat church in downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Tabernacle, goes about doing that. I would like to expand upon a Jewish approach to the different ways we as people can come to a deeper relationship with God.

The Talmud (Berakhot 26b) presents two opinions as to the source for the concept of prayer. The one opinion which we will focus in on is that of Rabbi Yosi the son of Rabbi Hanina who states that prayer began with the life stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It was through their triumphs and difficulties, their ups and downs and their own personal "aha!" moments that we have before us the different modalities of prayer.

Let's begin to look at this piece of Talmud:

אברהם תקן תפלת שחרית – שנאמר +בראשית י"ט+ וישכם אברהם בבקר אל המקום אשר עמד שם, ואין עמידה אלא תפלה

Abraham instituted the morning (shaharit) prayer, as it is stated: “And Abraham arose early in the morning to the place where he had stood (Genesis 19:24).” And “standing” in the verse refers to nothing other than prayer

Abraham embodied in the very life he led, the iconoclast (which means a destroyer of idols, Abraham being literally the very first iconoclast in recorded history), the man of mission and vision who followed God into a land he did not know because of the call of faith and responsibility he so profoundly heard. Abraham more than anyone else represents a "morning person." The morning symbolizes new opportunities and renewed hope. One "arises" and "stands" in that hope proclaiming a new day full of possibilities and opportunities. This is the prayer of promise.

The Talmud continues:

יצחק תקן תפלת מנחה – שנאמר +בראשית כ"ד+ ויצא יצחק לשוח בשדה לפנות ערב, ואין שיחה אלא תפלה

Isaac instituted the afternoon (minha) prayer, as it is stated: “And Isaac went out to speak in the field towards evening (Genesis 24:63).” And “speech” in this verse meaning nothing other than prayer

Upon the passing of a great, charismatic founder of any movement there exists the possibility for that movement to wither and falter eventually being left in the pages of history. To be able to assume leadership and simply carry on what the founder had begun is no simple feat and characterizes an incredible human being, one of endurance and stamina. Isaac was that person. Upon the death of his father Abraham, he continues the life work of his father. He makes sure the wells of water his father had dug remain sources of vitality for all those who rely upon them. The ability to continue through the day, when the vigor of the morning, with its newness and potential, begins to wear off, is a tremendous feat. This is the afternoon and this is what Isaac was able to accomplish. To be able to go out into the field, continue the work, remain "speaking," in conversation with God even when so many hours have passed and fatigue begins to set in is the challenge and opportunity presented to us by the afternoon prayer.

Lastly, the Talmud in this section concludes:

יעקב תקן תפלת ערבית – שנאמר +בראשית כ"ח+ ויפגע במקום וילן שם, ואין פגיעה אלא תפלה

Jacob instituted the evening (maariv) prayer, as it is stated: “And he encountered the place and spent the night there (Genesis 28:11).” And the term encounter in this verse refers to nothing other than prayer

The moment that Jacob was transformed into Israel where he wrestles throughout the night with an unidentified person, presumably an angel, and overcomes albeit hurt in the process, is paradigmatic for who Jacob was. He was a man who forged ahead and was the father to twelve sons who would become the twelve tribes of Israel. He was also a man deeply impacted by the events that transpired in his life. From running away from home in the cover of night from a revengeful and angry brother to being led to believe he had lost his beloved son, he had experienced much pain and fear in his life. Jacob was a Jew who lived in exile; whether the exile from physical space or the exile from family. He taught us much about how to live in a world that is in need of serious repair and also how to strive to bring that world closer to how it should be and not be content with the world as it is. Imagine night time prior to the advent of electricity. It was a fearful and scary time, especially if you were vulnerable. Yet, it was in this night time that Jacob "encounters" God and realizes that God was "in this place and I did not realize it." In the darkness, in the difficulties and pain God is there. It can be difficult to perceive and appreciate but once we do, once we "encounter" God even there it is transformative. There is a Hasidic teaching that exile is not the absence of God, the absence of light, but rather being blinded by an overwhelming amount of light and when our eyes adjust to the brightness we can then see God even in that place. This is what it means to pray like Jacob, to pray the evening prayer.

As we begin Rosh HaShanah this weekend and begin the days of examination leading up to Yom Kippur, let us think about the different ways we, as individuals and as a community, pray. Let us be conscious of those times when we are praying like Abraham, Isaac or Jacob and tap into those different existential states of spiritual depth and meaning.

A Prayer for the Slain and Injured at the Gay Community Center in Tel Aviv

by Rabbi Dov Linzer

This prayer expresses grief and sorrow over the horrific and murderous attack at the gay Community Center in Tel Aviv on August 1, 2009 and the heightened sense of responsibility and obligation that all Jews and communities, across the denominations, must share in response. This tfillah was recited in numerous synagogues on Shabbat Parshat Ekev (August 8, 2009), both Orthodox and non-Orthodox, and was delivered at an interdenominational memorial and tehillim service at the JCC of Manhattan on Monday night, August 10, 2009.

מי שברך אבותינו אברהם יצחק ויעקב ואמותנו שרה רבקה רחל ולאה, הוא יברך וירפא את החולים והחולות שנפגעו
בפיגוע החבלני והרצחני בתל אביב, בארצנו הקדושה, בעבור שאנחנו מתפללים בעבורם. בשכר זה, הקב"ה ימלא
רחמים עליהם, להחלים ולרפאותם, ולהחזיקם ולהחיותם, וישלח להם מהרה רפואה שלמה מן השמים, בתוך שאר חולי
ישראל, רפואת הנפש ורפואת הגוף, שבת היא מלזעוק ורפואה קרובה לבא. השתא בעגלא ובזמן קריב ונאמר אמן.

Master of the Universe, watch over the souls of the slain and bring healing to those who were injured in the violent and murderous attack in Tel Aviv in our Holy Land. See how not only the bodies, but the souls and lives of these persons have been shattered. See how this support group for teenagers - this place which for many of them was their one refuge of protection, support, and acceptance - how this haven has now been violated and has now become a place of danger, of vulnerability, and of death. Heal their bodies, heal their souls and heal their spirits.

O Lord, you have taught us in Your Torah the mitzvah of the עגלה ערופה . You have taught us that when a person is murdered and it is not known who the murder is, or what the motives are behind the murder, that it is the leaders of the community who must look inward and ask what sins of commission or omission could have possibly contributed to this tragedy. Who among us in the Jewish people, whatever our denomination or affiliation, can say ידינו לא שפכו את הדם הזה, that we have done everything in our ability to protect against such a tragedy? Who among us, throughout the Jewish people, can say, לא ראינוהו ופטרנוהו בלא מזונות ובלא לויה, that we did everything in our power to ensure that these victims were cared for physically and emotionally, to ensure that we gave them friendship and protection? O Lord, we cannot make this declaration of innocence.

Master of the Universe, give us the courage to stand up to and reject all forms of hateful speech and violence. Give us the strength of spirit to refuse to tolerate the rejection of any human being, each of whom is created in בצלם א- לוהים, in Your Divine image. Help us to internalize in our hearts and to manifest in our actions the mandate of the verse in this week’s parsha ואהבתם את הגר כי גרים הייתם בארץ מצרים, that it is our responsibility to care for, to love, and to protect all members of our society, and in particular those who are most vulnerable and most likely to feel estranged and rejected. Help us to value every member of our society for whom he or she is, to care for them, to support them, and to recognize that they are an equal part of our community כגיהיה. Give us the strength to fully actualize – in our speech and in our actions – the maxim that כל ישראל ערבים זה בזה , that the entirety of the Jewish people, straight and gay, is interwoven with and responsible for every one of its members.

We cannot change the past, but we can work to change the future, so we pray, O Lord, that You accept our mourning and our prayers, and give us the strength to change. We pray that we can make the necessary sacrifices to live up to our obligations to You and to every human being who is created in Your image, and that this can bring partial atonement for the,דם נקי בקרב עמך ישראל for the innocent blood that has been shed and allowed to have been shed in the midst of Your people, of Israel.

כפר לעמך ישראל , Atone for Your people, O Lord, bring us healing, a healing of persons, a healing of society, help us create a society where all are protected, cared for, and valued, and let no innocent blood ever again be spilled. Now and speedily in our days, and let us say, Amen.