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?"








On Interactive Prayer


Barukh Atah . . . who frees the bound.

The Rambam [1] said this bracha while sitting up from bed: the first movement of the day, the energetic transition from rest to motion. The picture captures it nicely.

[1] Hilchot Tefilla 7:4

--Looking for more Kavana in your morning brachot? Say them in their proper place in your morning drill. ("Who straightens the bent" when you first stand up; "Who clothes the naked" while you get dressed; etc.) Check out Mishneh Torah Hilchot Tefilla 7 for more details. For the record, this was Hazal's practice, but it has not been maintained in most Halachic works. Ask your local Orthodox rabbi; don't forget to tell him how cool it is. If all else fails, check for Yemenite ancestry.




Posted by Ben Greenfield

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