Tuesday, September 26, 2006

To Pray, Lehitpallel, to Judge Oneself

In conversations and in various blog posts, people are yearning to get better "kavanna" in their prayers. "Kavanna" means "intention," or spiritual depth. We just finished our two-day Rosh Hashannah holiday, the Jewish "new year." We spent it praying and feasting.

I don't like the focus some put on the food. Even though we live only a minute's walk from the synagogue, I don't leave the "services" to rush home periodically to make sure all will be ready when we return. That would be a distraction from my "kavannah." Our Ezrat Nashim, Women's seating area, is quiet. There's no reason to talk, not like down where the men sit and have important things to discuss, like who will get which honors. We don't discuss fashion, either. Our minds aren't focused on new clothes and neighborhood gossip. There's an additional section downstairs with room for baby-carriages and playing toddlers. Yes, some may consider us a bit old and stodgy, but many of us enjoy the lack of distractions. It's hard enough to pray properly.

What does it mean to "pray properly?" Good question. Let's get back to the Hebrew, להתפלל. As I tell my students, first let's look at the most superficial, how the word looks. It's a combination of two parts, the root, פלל, and the prefix, הת, which shows that the verb is "reflexive," meaning: A reflexive verb is a verb whose agent performs an action that is directed at itself. It characteristically takes a reflexive pronoun as its object.

Now, what is פלל?
פלל verb (Hithpael imperfect 3fs): “pray, intercede”

How did the reflective of that become "converted" into "praying to G-d?"

Being a reflective verb means that the burden is on us, not G-d. Looking at it linguistically, does it mean that we're actually supposed to pray to ourselves? This reminds me of the crucial scene in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy discovers that she, herself, has had the power to return to Kansas all along.

Many years ago at an NCSY National Convention (probably 1967) I heard a lecture about the verb and concept להתפלל. I'm not sure who gave it but the general message has stayed with me all these years.

We were told that פלל means to judge, so להתפלל means to judge ourselves. True prayer in the Jewish sense is a very intense self-reflection. Due to that shiur, lesson, I became more and more convinced that one can only pray properly in a language one understands. If the words in the siddur, prayerbook, are just meaningless gibberish, who can we use them as the inspiration, spring-board to judge ourselves?

Yes, we do need the standard siddur prayers to pray properly. Without them we will tend to just concentrate on our narrow self-interests. It would be like when I conduct my own exercise sessions. I find myself having a great time, but it's only when I've attended a class taught by someone else when I realize that I haven't challenged my weakest muscles at all. The siddur has evolved over the centuries and includes a wide variety of prayers for each Holiday and event. While we can add personal things, it's best not to delete.

It's impossible for anyone to hold a high level of concentration, reflection for every word and prayer, especially for two days in a row. The tunes of the Chazzan or Baal Tefilah, the one who conducts the prayers, frequently reach parts of our souls too deep for the words alone. Modern teaching methods stress the importance of utilizing all of the senses, and that is what we get when the dovening (praying) is good.

Many also stress the importance of a "makom kavua," regular place to pray in. For many even moving one seat over can causunnecessaryry distractions of disorientation. It's interesting that mourners customarily sit in a different seat until their period of mourning is over. It's to provide a kinestetic reminder of how temporary the material life is.

Rosh Hashannah is preceded by the month of Ellul, the month especially devoted to Tshuvarepentancece. This intensifies through Rosh Hashannah and culminates on Yom Kippur.

Tshuva should be the result of להתפלל, praying. Because if we reflect on ourselves, we will find something that needs improvement. Those feelings and conclusions are communicated to G-d in our prayers.

May G-d forgive us for all sins.
Gmar Chatima Tovah

7 comments:

YMedad said...

Another linguistic aspect which has an amazing potential is that the Hebrew root פלל also relates to the criminal. Plili is the adjective for criminal. So, when we pray, do we assume we are seeking to extricate ourselves from a criminal situation and that all prayer is a supplication for mercy or forgiveness? That can't be because many prayers authored by King David prmotoe thmes of pure joy, praise, respect for nature, etc. But when we prayer certain types of prayers specific times of year or periods of our own lives, then we begin from a point in space and time that has criminal potential. So, to be a judge of oneself fits.

Anonymous said...

thank you for your thoughtful post, and best wishes to you and your family, and all the readers of your blog, that our intentions may be true and right, and that our prayers bring us clarity and purity and a renewal of our connection to our maker.

Pragmatician said...

Quite interesting, even though I think I haven't had a grammar lesson in years I still think I understood it.

Batya said...

I'm glad all of you enjoyed it. I didn't know much Hebrew when I heard that shiur about 40 years ago. It's amazing what stays in one's mind. It still inspires me.

wendy said...

Thank you for this interesting look at personal prayer. I really enjoy a peak into your religious life - inspirational!

Batya said...

Thanks, Wendy, I'm glad.

Ofoe Richie said...

Thank you so much