WEEK SIX: Questions, Answers, Discussion - Part Two

john said...
And now for a third question:

I was really touched by something on the DVD's that buzzed around my head for several days.It's a new paradigm shift type of idea,that forces me to re-think on prayer..
The phrase was something like this:
" when we decide to bring forth something to G-d that we want him to deal with,really want him to change,,G-d is right there..ready to start...come on let's get started...let's deal with it"
This is really important because it implies that G-D acts rapidly,is just waiting for us to ask his help,etc
This concept would change things for me if I really believed it! Itwould mean that I could now (without experiencing it)know that G-D was working interiorly in me!
What do we say to people/to ourselves,when year after year we don't see any results in our interior lives(same sins/failings)?
I chanced upon the thought that this may be where MITZVOT may have it's role,with observance propelling us further along the "derech" when no visible signs of change are in evidence at all.

I am not sure of the statement to which you are referring, John, but in general I agree with the sentiment. There is an old Christian hymn that captures the ethos for me. It says, “I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew, he moved my hear to seek him seeking me.” God is infinite, God is good, and God is committed to His people. His infinitude should remind us that his resources are never strained nor exhausted. This does not mean that things always go well for us. No. And no one can answer truly and satisfactorily why answers don’t seem to come when things are worst and God’s people are best.

Nevertheless, when we have an impulse to move in the right direction, say, in the direction of repentance, we are not irrational in assuming that God is for us in that situation, indeed, that he was the unseen and unbidden Party who moved us to move. The parable of the Prodigal Son touches on this somewhat, we see that the father in the story is already on the lookout for his son when his son returns.

As for remaining on “the derech even when no visible signs of change are in evidence at all,” the reason for remaining on the derech is not results: rather it is the glorification of God. One is reminded of the story of the Daniel’s three friends who told Nebuchadnezzar, “If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him deliver us. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up" (Daniel 3). The fact is, Daniel’s friends were committed to serve and honor God deliverance or no deliverance. A life of obedience can only be sustained with this mindset, because life has more than enough disappointments in it to cause us to abandon hope, faith and love if we make it contingent upon “results.”

john said...
As for my experiences with the Siddur and the AMIDAH this week (three days):

I experimented with several ways of reciting the blessings:

I started praying the blessing slowly,as I would read any prayer book,(Christian/Jewish) and by the time I got to the Malkhut beit David my mind was wandering.
I was feeling very guilty because all those fine people on the DVD's were praising the "texture" of the siddur,etc..and I was finding it a bit dry!!

I tried saying the blessings to myself..in my head ,instead of out loud..and it was certainly worse...

Then I remembered a CD I had heard of a lute player who had recorded the "song of songs" (Jean David,Algerian Jew).The disc was mostly spoken..but spoken with the Hebrew recited really really slowly...
This "opened up" the Siddur and the AMIDAH for me..The SELICHAH is so beautiful in this way..The refuah takes on new life(I even entered up chanting this to an improvised simply melody!!)
I felt strangely linked to all those in my immediate family, no longer here on earth,who recited these same blessings...
I'm more sure than ever that authentic Jewish Messianic worship must drink deeply from these streams...But how?? It's so different from what people want!!

Ah, John, what a wonderful mystical brother you are: I have found a kinsmen according to my own flesh! I am so very delighted that you discovered that the way in which we use the siddur has great affect on “what we get out of it.” I too discovered some time ago that chanting parts of the text to extemporaneous memories (which Hasidim calls “niggunim”) increased my kavvanah and joy. And I too experienced that aching, awe-filled and mysterious sense of linkage to my ancestors and to our people that comes from really connecting to the prayers and to the God of whom they speak. It is hard to describe and impossible to forget.

As for how to help Messianic Judaism drink from these wells, I have already discussed the need for instruction. In addition, of course, we ourselves need to become consistent practitioners, and to bring others along, one by one, until we have a little community of prayer. Frankly, this kind of commitment and change is sometimes more easily “felt than tell’t,” people catch a whiff by participating. Then we must become or discover masters who will bring them along. But more remains to be said on this important matter.


As for Birkat Ha-minim,” and the cursing of slanderers, I pray this prayer against those people within the ranks of Jewish community whose agendas are aimed against the community’s welfare. I do not think this is wrong---it is like the imprecator psalms of David.

nathaniel said...
“Is it better to speed through the rest of the Amidah (in a sense, just finishing the motion) when we run out of time, vs just putting the siddur down and?”

The custom of our people is that above all in the Amidah, one should not allow interruptions, because this is the time when we are most aware of standing before the King of Kings, Blessed be He. I think this guideline is most appropriate, and one we should endeavor to follow, because it guards and supports our awareness of the importance of this time before God. It is, traditionally, the heart of our priestly ‘sacrifice of prayer,” and to allow it to be interrupted is to infer that something more important has come up. Obviously, we ought to avoid that!

As previously mentioned in the syllabus materials, there are gradations of importance in the siddur prayers—some parts that may be left out if the circumstances require it. At the heart of the service, the most non-negotiables are the Amidah and the Shema. If absolutely necessary one may restrict the Shema to just the three paragraphs without the blessings before and after, or even just the first paragraph (Plus, of course, in both cases, the initial declaration—Shema Yisrael. . . etc). Some siddurs have an abbreviated Amidah as well—one paragraph that summarizes all of the concepts. I will see if it is included in Artscroll and get back to you.

In responding to Robert, thank you for your comments on the Amidah’s three steps forward [which should be matched by three steps backward at the end, when we say “Oseh Shalom Bimromav . . . ]. I am delighted you got so much out of it.

Jewish prayer, under the influence of Hasidism especially, is keenly aware that we pray with our whole being—Body, Soul, Spirit, and that the body is to be included in the act. Postures are important, etc. Of course one can “get carried away” as the earlier Hasidim did, opening themselves up to harsh criticism for what was deemed their intemperate exhibitionism. Nevertheless, especially when in private prayer, bring your body into it: “Let ALL that is within me bless His Holy Name.”

Robert’s sensitivity to the repentance portions of our service {the Tachanun) is also appreciated—the pathway of repentance is something we should walk every day. The habit of a Cheshbon Nefesh is excellent toward that end: taking a personal moral/spiritual inventory. Some Hasidim are in the habit of doing so daily.

To conclude today’s posting, I am pasting in, in its entirety, a teaching I did for my people on the Cheshbon Nefesh. See if it helps you all.

And we have much more to do. Such GREAT questions! Keep it up, folks!

TAKING A SPIRITUAL INVENTORY AND LEARNING FROM IT:
"CHESHBON HANEFESH"
Adapted and expanded from material found on the Web at http://www.cckollel.org/html/heritage/questions/question45.shtml

Without a plan, it is hard to show G-d that you are seriously committed to change in the future. The Hebrew word for this evaluation is Cheshbon haNefesh which means "a spiritual accounting." The first step in making a plan is to determine goals and how to implement them. We have two suggested systems to try.

SETTING LIFETIME GOALS
What are your lifetime goals? It is often difficult to get perspective on this question, so try asking yourself in the following way: "At my funeral what is it that I want people to say about me? What kinds of values, relationships, accomplishments would I want to come readily to their minds as characteristic of the life I have led?"

Another exercise. Take a new sheet of paper and write down another question: "If I knew I only had one year to live, how would I spend my time?" Don't get lost in thinking TOO MUCH-just write--and don't censor yourself. Brainstorm. Even write down those things which seem impossible or foolish. Just write.

Now, spend some time refining your lists, in a way that will identify your THREE MOST IMPORTANT GOALS. Then write these three in order of priority. You have now finished a "Lifetime Goals Statement." After you finish, ask yourself, "Why can't I make this a reality?" Brainstorm different ways of overcoming those obstacles that prevent you from getting where you want to go.

A BUSINESS APPROACH
Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato (17th century) explains in his classic work on Jewish ethics, Path of the Just: "A person should observe all his actions and watch over all his ways so as not to perpetuate a bad trait, let alone a sin or a crime. A person needs to carefully examine his ways and weigh them daily-just as a successful businessperson constantly evaluates all his undertakings so that nothing goes wrong. A person should set aside definite times and hours for this evaluation so that it isn't performed haphazardly, but rather is conducted with the greatest regularity... for it yields rich returns. Every company has a plan with directions, dates and deadlines for each step in their future. Shouldn't we have one as well?"
In order to make such plans, we need to first evaluate past performance.

TAKING AN INVENTORY OF YOUR LIFE
Try the following exercise: Write out a list of all the major areas of your life. These will be the specific areas that you will monitor on a regular basis - either daily, weekly or monthly. For each category, identify specific questions that cut to the core of the issue. Try to be as comprehensive as you can. Here are some possible areas you might choose:
1.Relationships-Have I spent enough quality time with people I care about? Have I shown proper patience, compassion and respect toward co-workers, friends-and strangers? Have I looked for virtues in others? Have I listened attentively to others? Have I taken joy in the success and accomplishments of others?
2.Spirituality-Have I sought a pattern of spiritual discipline that works for me: attainable, sustainable and renewing of my best self? Do I know G-d more deeply or as deeply as a year ago? Why? Why not? Have I invested my gifts and time in the well-being of others? Of my congregation?
3.Character development-Am I aware of times when I have been arrogant, sarcastic or critical? Have I treated time like my most precious commodity or do I spend it without much thought? Have I made righteous choices this past year in the area of my sex life? My choices of friends?
4.Scripture Study-Have I set aside specific times daily for Scripture study? Have I progressed in my knowledge the Scriptures and in my acquaintance with books which solidly build my character and knowledge of spiritual things?
5.Career-Have I selected a career that satisfies my innate needs for meaning and accomplishment? Have I created a work environment free of jealousy, gossip, and immodest behavior?
6.Global and Community Concerns-Have I been actively involved in contributing to the improvement of my community? Have I been idealistic about the possibility of tikkun olam--repairing the world? Have I been engaged in communicating this ideal to others? Do my choices demonstrate that I have felt moved by the plight of others who are estranged from Jewish life and from the more abundant life Yeshua offers?
7.Health-Have I been eating well and exercising regularly? Have I availed myself of relevant new medical information?
8.Financial-Have I exercised some sort of a plan for handling unforeseen expenses? Have I beenI quick to pay off debts? Have I been giving tzedakkah and been giving to my congregation according to plan or has it been on the basis of impulse?
Now that you have some idea of how you have been doing, let's close with some concrete ideas for improving your life in just one area, that of Spirituality: Not all of the ideas work equally well for everyone. Choose the ones that work best for you!

DEVELOPING AND STRENGTHENING YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH G-D
1. HAVE A TIME DAILY TO RELATE TO G-D IN PRAYER IN YOUR OWN WORDS
a. It is a Jewish custom to speak to G-d directly before going to sleep. This is a perfect time to reflect and introspect on your relationship to G-d, and to evaluate if you are on target in fulfilling your purpose in life.
b. You might want to learn about the practice of "Hitbodedut--voluntary self-seclusion" which involves having an appointment each day where you pour out your heart to G-d and work on your life in His presence. Rabbi Dauermann has materials on this practice.
2. WRITE YOUR OWN PRAYERS
Choose an area that you really want to improve in and are motivated to pray for. Then sit down and write out a prayer that will inspire you to grow. For instance, you can ask G-d for the strength to study Torah with more concentration. Or for the opportunity to perform more acts of human kindness. Or for assistance in not speaking Loshon Hora (gossip). Write a list of things to thank G-d for.
3. CONSIDER MAKING IT A PROJECT TO LEARN HOW THE SIDDUR CAN REALLY CATALYZE YOUR LIFE OF PRAYER
a. The quality of the experience of liturgical prayer is directly proportional to the understanding of the prayers. The Siddur is certainly deep. It constitutes a major compendium of ideas about the world, about G-d, about G-d's will for Israel and the nations, and can serve as an index for learning many of the fundamentals of our faith. Have you put yourself on a growth curve to begin incorporating these thousands of years of prayer wisdom into your own life?
b. Why not make it a point to attend Rabbi Dauermann's Workshop on Jewish prayer next week?
c. Make it a point to find out how praying with the help of the siddur in the morning can increase the "kedusha factor (active holiness)" in your daily life, while strengthening you daily for the struggles all of us face.
d. Learn from Rabbi Dauermann about the "Ladder of Practice" which takes you from the easiest to the most challenging practices of Jewish prayer life.
4. CONSIDER MAKING IT A PROJECT TO STUDY THE BIBLE MORE CONSISTENTLY AND REWARDINGLY IN THE YEAR TO COME
a. Why not consider committing to becoming involved in the Bet Midrash which is beginning on January 12?
b. Begin now to prayerfully look for a "chevruta" a "study buddy" with whom you will learn together in the year to come, and with whom you can be mutually accountable.