The Project Begins

Welcome to The Kavana Project. Our Mission: to analyze, define, and defy the space between “knowing what the words mean” and that thing we call Kavana. Or, as we say it over here, to bridge the gap between meaning and meaningful.
To wit: Operation Birchot HaShachar. We’ve created an image for each of the fourteen Morning Brachot- a small combo of text and art to reflect and inspire what we think about (or at least, try to remember to think about) while rushing to catch up to the Chazzan. Reflecting on what we reflect on led to The Questions We Face in Our Search for Kavana.
You may not agree with some pieces. You definitely won’t sympathize with all. Hopefully, the contrast will concretize your thoughts. Please, share those thoughts with us. This is a work in, you guessed it, Project: your ideas, your comments, and your response to the images are integral. There’s a comments button for a reason. So take a leisurely scroll down and remember to ask:
"WHAT'S MY KAVANAH?"








The Questions we Face in our Search for Kavana

Does Psukei D'Zimra matter to you? Not likely. For us, saying all the words of Uva L'Tzion is an accomplishment. For us, a good day means evading the daydreams that interrupt otherwise meaningless syllables and sounds. For us, by aspiring to mediocrity, we achieve it. The question therefore is, what are we doing about it?

There are three steps to Kavana:
1. Meaning: What the words are actually about.
2. Meaningful: Translating that academic knowledge into a prayer experience.
3. Means: Finding creative and effective ways to make that Kavana happen as often, and as powerfully, as possible.

The Kavana Project thus has three goals: to expose what we know about tefillot and theorize about what we don’t; to explore and debate the different kavanot that each tefilla offers; to suggest and implement methods to create that perfect davening experience.

Project #1: Operation Birchot HaShachar

Posted by Ben Greenfield

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