Keva & Kavanah

Compiled for a 7th Grade Mishpacha Program on November 2, 2024/Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan, 5785 at Temple Beth Shalom in Arnold, MD.

A Story of the Baal Shem Tov

It is told that in every generation there are times when hope threatens to leave this world. At such times, the Baal Shem Tov, the great Jewish mystic, would go into a secret place in the forest. There he would light a special fire and say a holy prayer speaking the long-forgotten most sacred Name of God. The danger was averted and hope stayed alive.

In later times when disaster threatened, the Maggid of Mezrich, his disciple, would go to the same place in the forest and say, “Ribono Shel Olam, Master of the Universe, I do not know how to light the fire, but I can say the prayer.” And so he did. And hope stayed alive.

Still later, his disciple, Moshe Leib of Sasov, would go to the same place in the forest and say, “Ribono Shel Olam, Master of the Universe, I do not know how to light the fire or say the prayer, but I found my way to this place, and that must be enough.” And it was. Hope stayed alive.

And later when Israel of Rizhyn needed intervention from heaven, he sat in his chair with his head in his hands and said, “Ribono Shel Olam, Master of the Universe, I no longer know how to light the fire nor how to say the prayer, I can’t even find my way to that place, but I can tell the story and that must be enough.” And it was.

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In this story, later generations can no longer perform the ritual that worked for their ancestors, but simply doing parts of it -- or even telling the story of the ritual -- is just as effective as the ritual itself. What does this tell us about intentionality?

Keva [קֶבַע]: The set routine; the written liturgy; the things we do because we're supposed to.

ברכות ב׳ א

מֵאֵימָתַי קוֹרִין אֶת שְׁמַע בָּעֲרָבִין? מִשָּׁעָה שֶׁהַכֹּהֲנִים נִכְנָסִים לֶאֱכוֹל בִּתְרוּמָתָן. עַד סוֹף הָאַשְׁמוּרָה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה. דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים: עַד חֲצוֹת. רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר עַד שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה עַמּוּד הַשַּׁחַר.

Berakhot 2a

From what time does one recite Shema in the evening? From the time when the priests enter to partake of their teruma until the end of the first watch. That is the statement of Rabbi Eliezer.
The sages say until midnight. Rabban Gamliel says until dawn.

This text is the very beginning of the first tractate of Talmud. The rabbis could have opened with lessons on how to treat one another or commentaries on the Torah or any other important teachings. Instead, their first priority was to make sure that everyone prayed the right text at the right time.

ויקרא י׳:א׳-ב׳

(א) וַיִּקְח֣וּ בְנֵֽי־אַ֠הֲרֹ֠ן נָדָ֨ב וַאֲבִיה֜וּא אִ֣ישׁ מַחְתָּת֗וֹ וַיִּתְּנ֤וּ בָהֵן֙ אֵ֔שׁ וַיָּשִׂ֥ימוּ עָלֶ֖יהָ קְטֹ֑רֶת וַיַּקְרִ֜יבוּ לִפְנֵ֤י יהוה אֵ֣שׁ זָרָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹ֦א צִוָּ֖ה אֹתָֽם׃ (ב) וַתֵּ֥צֵא אֵ֛שׁ מִלִּפְנֵ֥י יהוה וַתֹּ֣אכַל אוֹתָ֑ם וַיָּמֻ֖תוּ לִפְנֵ֥י יהוה׃

Leviticus 10:1-2

Aaron’s sons Nadav and Avihu each took his fire pan, put fire in it, and laid incense on it; and they offered before the Eternal a strange fire, which they had not been commanded to do. And fire came forth from the Eternal and consumed them; thus they died before the Eternal.

In this story from Leviticus, Aaron's sons Nadav and Avihu attempt to make a sacrifice to God, but they do so incorrectly, using a "strange fire." They are killed as a result.

Kavanah [כַּוָּנָה]: Intentionality; what we bring to our prayers.

משנה אבות ב׳:יג

(יג)רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, הֱוֵי זָהִיר בִּקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע וּבַתְּפִלָּה. וּכְשֶׁאַתָּה מִתְפַּלֵּל, אַל תַּעַשׂ תְּפִלָּתְךָ קֶבַע, אֶלָּא רַחֲמִים וְתַחֲנוּנִים לִפְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם בָּרוּךְ הוּא.

Pirkei Avot 2:13

Rabbi Shimon said: Be thoughtful in the reading of Shema and in prayer, And when you pray, do not make your prayer something routine (keva), but a plea for compassion before the Blessed Presence.

משנה ברכות ה׳:א

(א) אֵין עוֹמְדִין לְהִתְפַּלֵּל אֶלָּא מִתּוֹךְ כֹּבֶד רֹאשׁ. חֲסִידִים הָרִאשׁוֹנִים הָיוּ שׁוֹהִים שָׁעָה אַחַת וּמִתְפַּלְּלִים, כְּדֵי שֶׁיְּכַוְּנוּ אֶת לִבָּם לַמָּקוֹם. אֲפִלּוּ הַמֶּלֶךְ שׁוֹאֵל בִּשְׁלוֹמוֹ, לֹא יְשִׁיבֶנּוּ. וַאֲפִלּוּ נָחָשׁ כָּרוּךְ עַל עֲקֵבוֹ, לֹא יַפְסִיק:

Mishnah Berakhot 5:1

One should not stand up to pray unless they are in a serious frame of mind. The original pious ones used to wait one hour and then pray, in order to direct their hearts towards the Presence. Even if the king greets him, he should not respond to him, and even if a snake wraps around his heel, he should not interrupt.

תענית ח׳ א

אָמַר רַבִּי אַמֵּי: אֵין תְּפִלָּתוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם נִשְׁמַעַת אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן מֵשִׂים נַפְשׁוֹ בְּכַפּוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״נִשָּׂא לְבָבֵנוּ אֶל כַּפָּיִם."

Taanit 8a

Rabbi Ami said: A person’s prayer is heard only if he places his soul in his palm, as it is stated: “Let us lift up our heart with our hands” (Lamentations 3:41).

ברכות כ״ט ב

רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר כׇּל הָעוֹשֶׂה תְּפִלָּתוֹ קֶבַע וְכוּ׳: מַאי ״קֶבַע״? אָמַר רַבִּי יַעֲקֹב בַּר אִידֵּי אָמַר רַבִּי אוֹשַׁעְיָא: כֹּל שֶׁתְּפִלָּתוֹ דּוֹמָה עָלָיו כְּמַשּׂוֹי. וְרַבָּנַן אָמְרִי: כׇּל מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ אוֹמְרָהּ בִּלְשׁוֹן תַּחֲנוּנִים. רַבָּה וְרַב יוֹסֵף דְאָמְרִי תַּרְוַיְיהוּ: כֹּל שֶׁאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְחַדֵּשׁ בָּהּ דָּבָר.

Berakhot 29b

Rabbi Eliezer says: One whose prayer is fixed, their prayer is not supplication. The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of fixed in this context? Rabbi Ya’akov bar Idi said that Rabbi Oshaya said: It means anyone for whom his prayer is like a burden upon him, from which he seeks to be quickly unburdened. The Rabbis say: This refers to anyone who does not recite prayer in the language of supplication, but as a standardized recitation without emotion. Rabba and Rav Yosef both said: It refers to anyone unable to introduce a novel element, i.e., something personal reflecting his personal needs, to his prayer, and only recites the standard formula.

Balancing Keva and Kavanah

משנה ברכות ד׳

הָיָה רוֹכֵב עַל הַחֲמוֹר, יֵרֵד. וְאִם אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לֵירֵד, יַחֲזִיר אֶת פָּנָיו, וְאִם אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְהַחֲזִיר אֶת פָּנָיו, יְכַוֵּן אֶת לִבּוֹ כְּנֶגֶד בֵּית קֹדֶשׁ הַקָּדָשִׁים: הָיָה יוֹשֵׁב בִּסְפִינָה אוֹ בְקָרוֹן אוֹ בְאַסְדָּה, יְכַוֵּן אֶת לִבּוֹ כְּנֶגֶד בֵּית קֹדֶש הַקָּדָשִׁים:

Mishnah Berakhot 4

[While praying, one must face toward the direction of the Holy Temple.] One who was riding on a donkey should dismount and face the Temple. If they are unable to dismount, they should turn their face toward the direction of the Temple. If they are unable to turn their face, it is sufficient that they focus their heart toward the Holy of Holies.
Similarly, one who was traveling in a ship or on a wagon or on a raft and is unable to turn and face in the direction of Jerusalem, should focus their heart toward the Holy of Holies.

"תְּפִלָּה לְלֹא כַּוָּנָה - כְּגוּף בְּלִי נְשָׁמָה."
"Prayer without kavanah is like a body without a soul."
-Rabbi Bahya Ibn Pekudah, 11th century, al-Andalus

"The body without the spirit is a corpse; the spirit without the body is a ghost."
-Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, 20th century, United States

"There is a specific difficulty with Jewish prayer. There are laws: fixed texts. On the other hand, prayer is worship of the heart, the outpouring of the soul, a matter of devotion. Thus, Jewish prayer is guided by two opposite principles: order and outburst, regularity and spontaneity, uniformity and individuality, law and freedom... These principles are the two poles about which Jewish prayer revolves. Since each of the two moves in the opposite direction, equilibrium can be maintained only if both are of equal force. However, the pole of regularity usually proves to be stronger than the pole of spontaneity, and as a result, there is a perpetual danger of prayer becoming a mere habit, a mechanical performance, an exercise in repetitiousness."
-Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

Written Kavanot

For Bar'chu: "Am I awake? Am I prepared? Are you listening to my prayer? Can you hear my voice? Can you understand? Am I awake? Am I prepared?" -Noah Aronson

For Mi Chamocha: "Sing the song of all people, joined in understanding and respect. The song of God's miracles, an earth protected and cherished; a gift for our children and the generations to come. The song of a land once ravished by war, now quiet and content; her soldiers home, to leave no more. The song of a world redeemed: the song of peace." -Elyse Goldstein

Gabe Snyder

A Story of the Baal Shem Tov

Keva [קֶבַע]: The set routine; the written liturgy; the things we do because we're supposed to.

Kavanah [כַּוָּנָה]: Intentionality; what we bring to our prayers.

Balancing Keva and Kavanah

Written Kavanot

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