Tefillah Choices 5770

 

Egalitarian Minyan: Grades 9 – 12

Tefillah Facilitators: Sophie Rapoport and Ruth Fagen

This minyan is for students who want to participate in and shape a warm community that connects to God through the words of the traditional shaharit matbeah (liturgy) and its melodies. This is a student-run minyan with faculty facilitators. Students serve as shlihei tzibbur, gabbaim, and Torah readers. In addition, students give divrei Tefillah, teach each other davening skills and lead group-wide activities.

 

The Orthodox Minyan: Grades 9 – 12

Tefillah Facilitator: Rabbi Natan Kapustin

Tefilla is a daily struggle; to succeed is to start again. Committed to tradition in both form and content, the Orthodox minyan is home to those who find meaning in saying the words of the tefilla and feel comfortable with the separation of a mechitza. Our group is committed to the primacy of prayer, guided by the dual beliefs that in the quest for a worthwhile tefilla experience there is no substitute for reciting the words, but that reciting the words of the rabbis cannot substitute for personal investment in the attempt to find meaning. Thus, our challenge: to experience a meaningful tefilla moment each day in which the full service is not mere lip service; to foster a collective group atmosphere that withstands the mechitza barrier; to create substantive opportunities for personal involvement from both genders while remaining within the confines of tradition. To meet these goals, all members of the group must show respect for tefilla by not distracting the group; all noise comes from praying, not talking.

 Creative Expression and Sacred Space Minyan. Grades 9 & 10

Tefillah Facilitator: Rabbi Benji Shiller

This minyan will seek to connect us to ourselves and to consider what makes a space spiritual, religious, or holy. We will work to create an environment where creative personal expression is nurtured, welcomed, and shared. This will happen through the medium of visual arts (such as drawing or sculpture), and at other times through the vehicle of journaling/spiritual writing, in addition to use of verbal tefillah liturgy. We will also look at and discuss various forms of religious or spiritual art and architecture.

 Personal Meaning Minyan: Grades 9 & 10

Tefillah Facilitator: Moshe Goodman

This minyan is about sharing with each other our reflections on our own emotional associations we have to prayer when we pray we praise God, make requests and thank God. The goal of our discussions will be to create a safe space where people can talk about things like: What am I praying for today? Why is this so important to me? What do I think/feel about my relationship with God? What makes me feel close to god or distant from God? What makes me angry at God? What do I want to say thank you to God or to anyone else for today? People who are willing to listen to each other non-judgmentally and who want the opportunity to speak openly and share our own experiences with others will enjoy this minyan.

Kavannah Prayer Group: Grades 9 & 10

Tefillah Facilitator: R. Dov Lerea

This tefillah group will dedicate time to the process of learning how to recite specific prayers with kavannah. Kavannah means “inner-directedness” and refers to the process by which people make a personal connection between the words of a prayer and their own personal hopes, desires, and experiences as they try to bridge the distance between themselves and God. Time will be dedicated every day to writing and talking together. In addition, part of this group’s experience will include the tension and balance between reciting specific prayers as part of an exercise in cultivating kavannah and reciting prayers as part of the process of gaining fluency and literacy in the basic prayers of our morning service. 

God Seekers?: Grades 11 &12

Tefillah Facilitator: Dov Nelkin

Have you ever been in Tefilah and wondered what on earth you were doing there and when you could leave? Do you doubt God's listening or that God even exists? If you believe in God, do you think there must be a better way of expressing that belief than prayer? Are or you just confused about what you really believe about God?

This minyan will provide a context for exploring these thoughts/doubts/beliefs thoughts about God and Jewish identity. Students will be encouraged to bring in texts (songs, art) that speak to them on these topics, and we will explore a variety of ideas drawn from disparate sources, Jewish and otherwise. This minyan is appropriate for people who want to engage in serious (a)theological discussion and investigation. 

The Varieties of Women's Experiences: Grades 11 &12

Tefillah Facilitator: Ilana Gleicher

This minyan will focus on an authentically Jewish approach to dialog regarding women's experiences in a setting that is comfortable for students with both religious and secular leanings. Through the medium of documentary films, blogs, and excerpts from books and articles, we will explore a variety of themes. Additionally, the minyan this year will engage in an exploration of womens rightsand is geared towards individuals seeking serious discussion who are prepared for active participation.

The Meditation and Sacred Music Minyan: Grades 11 & 12

Tefillah Facilitator: R. Sam

The Meditation and Sacred Music Minyan combines Jewish meditation practice, the sacred art of niggun, wisdom teachings, and ecstatic Jewish prayer from the Kabalistic and Chassidic traditions to open us to deeper and more subtle shades of consciousness, spiritual awareness, self-expression, and a sense of Divine Presence. In addition to Jewish meditation, music, and prayer, this minyan includes regular God-talk sessions where students are given an opportunity to reflect upon, journal, and talk about issues relating to God, with the goal of shaping personal theology. The minyan seeks to foster the creative self-expression of each student by inviting students to compose, arrange, and teach their own niggunim and harmonies, share music that moves them, play leadership roles in leading and shaping the prayer service, and share insight from personal experience. Students are encouraged to bring musical instruments to minyan and to participate in jam sessions as they accompany niggunim and explore the power of music as a gateway into deeper spiritual awareness. Each student will be required to pair up and check in with a spiritual chavruta (or spirit buddy) who will serve as a support and confidant in helping each of us along the spiritual path.