Questions tagged [kavana-concentration]

Questions pertaining to Kavana / Concentration which is most often an issue in prayer. There is another form of kavana which relates to intention which needs its own definition.

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Are there more sources which say "foreign thoughts" are harmless if they are not "yours"?

I have found here in the אגרא דכלה https://www.sefaria.org/Agra_DeKala,_Re'eh.14 that if there is no intention behind a foreign thought you are not to push it away but rather elevate it. I have some ...
zunior's user avatar
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Kabbalistic meaning of incense

I was curious if there is a Kabbalistic or Hasidic meaning to incense, not just the incense of the Tabernacle but incense in general. I believe Breslov Hasidism place a great emphasis on hitbodedut, ...
Kirk's user avatar
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When davening Shemona Esrei, can you stop and concentrate on an earlier part you didn't concentrate on?

Say you finished Rifo'einu and didn't have Kavanah, but you already said Bareich Aleinu, can you stop and concentrate on Rifo'einu? What about if you forgot to concentrate on the first brachos till ...
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How does one actually use kabbalistic kavanot during prayer?

My question is concerning the issue of the kabbalistic kavanot and yichudim which are present in the various Kabbalistic siddurim available on the market. There are numerous such siddurim available ...
DejanR's user avatar
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What does it mean to "cleave to the letters" during prayer or Torah study?

In the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov, it talks about "cleaving to the letters" during prayer or Torah study. It has to do with the Hebrew letters and a special way of visualizing or ...
DejanR's user avatar
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Is it better to daven with no kavanah or just not daven at all? [duplicate]

I thought I read that some say that davening without kavanah may be even worse than simply not davening. Is this true?
Raphael Chilungu's user avatar
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Meditating on G-d

Since Hashem has no form and attributing any form to Him is prohibited, are there any traditions that instruct us how to meditate on Him without visualizing anything physical? What should we ...
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Neila: Extended Shemoneh Esrei Vs receiving Pesichas Neila

On Yom Kippur, Neilah represents the climax of the day. Hashem as it were, is about to seal our fate and finalise our year ahead. It is correspondingly a time to really storm the heavens and daven ...
Dov's user avatar
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How to remove foreign thoughts as a preparation for prayer?

(Inspired by this and this question.) Do you have any practical, useful, specific tips to improve davening by getting rid of all the wordly thoughts and occupations? Let's say I commit myself to come ...
Binyomin's user avatar
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A bracha on a tallit gadol and not kosher T"Katan

Does partially intentionally wrong kavanah make a bracha a bracha levatalah? If I put on my tzitzit and notice that a string is missing (or something else which would invalidate it as proper tzitzit) ...
rosends's user avatar
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Sources for Minhag of Davening Fast (Better Kavannah, Middas Hadin etc.)

In some Chassidic circles davening fast is known to be somewhat of a minhag. Sometimes this is only in regards to a specific tefillah. For example: In some of the Polish chassidic courts (i.e. Gur) ...
Just A Soul's user avatar
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Better less with kavannah than more without?

Right at the beginning of the Tur and Shulchan Aruch, siman 1, it says that it is better to pray a little with kavannah (proper concentration?) than more without. I don't know that anyone argues. I ...
MichoelR's user avatar
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What words and intentions are to be stressed at the end of Neilah?

I have heard different ways of stressing the words that we repeat seven times at the end of the Neilah service on Yom Kippur: יי הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים. Are there any recorded thoughts on what is recommended ...
Mike's user avatar
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On Purim, is it permitted to read an English translation while listening to the Megillah reading?

On Purim, is it permitted to read an English translation while listening to the Megillah reading? I know it is a mitzvah to listen to every word of the Megillah reading. However, I don't understand ...
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Source for quote from Vilna Gaon [duplicate]

In a torah.org dvar torah from Rabbi Frand, he quotes a 'famous saying from the Gaon of Vilna'. There is a famous saying from the Gaon of Vilna: If the wood used in the ax handle used to chop down ...
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Kavanah, Prayer and OCD

Shalom, Well to start off, since a very young age I have suffered from quite severe and crushing OCD (as the title would suggest). Now of course I am used to having such a wicked condition interfere ...
עמנואל-העבד's user avatar
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implicit intent of blessing for unintended items

What are the main positions and/or halachic consensus regarding the applicability of the appropriate bracha rishona (other than "hamotzi") originally made on a food item / drink without conscious ...
Loewian's user avatar
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What about Yetziat Mitzrayim should I remember?

One of the שש זכירות requires that I remember the Exodus from Egypt (זכירת יציאת מצרים). According to the linked Wiki document, in an effort to fulfill (לְמַעַן תִּזְכֹּר אֶת יוֹם צֵאתְךָ מֵאֶרֶץ ...
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With what intention should you immerse in the Mikvah?

I've just been reading Maimonides and he says in the Mishneh Torah (Immersion Pools chapter 11) Therefore the sages have said, if a man immerses himself, but without special intention, it as ...
Yossi Samuell's user avatar
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How does one "keep something in mind"?

On my way in to shul, I was stopped by the rabbi. He told me that so-and-so was unavoidably detained and would not be able to say kaddish for his father-in-law. He gave me the deceased's name and ...
rosends's user avatar
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Spiritual Boredom

Because of all the routines, standard prayers, repeating cycles etc, someone told me that going to the synagogue became quite boring for him. He still saw the value of those things, but he didn’t ...
Levi's user avatar
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Correct kavanah in certain words in the first bracha of shemoneh esrei

When one desires to concentrate on every word of the first bracha of Shemoneh Esrei, as required, in order to fulfil the obligation of daily prayer, when he gets to the words "magen Avraham," should ...
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Is having kavanah me'akev in the verse "Hashem sifatay tiftach ufi yagid tehilatecha?

One must have kavanah (intent/concentration) in the first bracha of Shemoneh Esrei. And if he didn't, he would have to repeat it. See the g'mara in B'rachos 34b: איכא דמתני לה אברייתא: המתפלל צריך ...
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8 votes
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Is there any reward for the intent or attempt to do a mitzvah?

As per the title, does one earn any reward/s'char for the attempt (or even just the intent) to perform a mitzvah? This evening, we all piled out of shul to say Kiddush Levana only to find that the ...
rosends's user avatar
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7 votes
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How/best places to find time to think/reflect during RH/YK davening?

This question is about how to make the yamim noraim services profound cognitive experiences when there is barely time to say the words in the machzor and only rarely time to reflect on the words (e.g.,...
Yehuda W's user avatar
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Properly focusing attention on Hashem

Recently I've been travelling to places, where I couldn't daven minchah in a synagogue, and in many cases I couldn't determine where mizrach was. In another question we saw that, based on Berakhot 30a,...
Kazi bácsi's user avatar
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Having two conflicting kavannot at once

Regarding putting on Tefillin on Chol Hamo'ed, after mentioning the opinions which say to put them on and those who say not to, and those who say to say the blessing in a whisper, the Mishna Berurah ...
rosends's user avatar
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4 votes
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Walking in front of someone saying kaddish

I have heard that in addition to the prohibition of passing in front of someone who is davening shemoneh esrei, it is also forbidden (or at least improper) to walk in front of someone who is saying ...
eliyahu's user avatar
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Why does the Oruch HaShulchan tell the number of words in the blessings of the Amidah?

The Oruch HaShulchan (eg here) mentions how many words there are in each of the blessings of the weekday Amidah and gives a reason why that number of words is used. For example for the blessing of T'...
Avrohom Yitzchok's user avatar
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Saying kaddish vs. Davening slower

This is the flip side of this question. Related to this. If someone has an obligation to say kaddish yatom (in this hypothetical, he is not davening for the amud and he is saying ma'ariv) should he ...
rosends's user avatar
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The difference between terms for mitzvot

Before certain parts, my siddur (Tefillah Hashalem, Ashkenaz) has "Yehi Ratzon" sections to help one prepare. These paragraphs (found AFTER the bracha for Tzitzit, but before the others) outline the ...
rosends's user avatar
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Davening with Kavanah vs Starting Shemonah Esray with the Tzibur

If the tzibur is about the start shemonah esray however Reuven isn't up to Shemonah Esray yet, and Reuven knows that if he speeds up his davening he will be able to start with the tzibur, is it better ...
Ploni Almoni's user avatar
4 votes
4 answers
514 views

Holding children during shemoneh esrei

Sukkah 41b says a person shouldn't hold certain things while praying shemoneh esrei: א"ל מר בר אמימר לרב אשי אבא צלויי קא מצלי ביה מיתיבי לא יאחז אדם תפילין בידו וספר תורה בחיקו ויתפלל...ואמר שמואל ...
robev's user avatar
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Using a Fidget Spinner During Davening

In Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 96) it is stated that one is not allowed to hold any object while davening because it will worry him that it may fall and take away from his kavana. However one is ...
Shoel U'Meishiv's user avatar
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Is it permissible to listen to something while tying tzitzit?

Let's be real: Tying tzitzit on a beged takes a long time. It's also a big mitzvah that enables an even bigger mitzvah every day. So is it appropriate to listen to something for entertainment — a ...
Jon Mitchell's user avatar
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5 votes
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ADD and kavana in tefilla [duplicate]

I want to davven- but my mind goes elsewhere. Any advice for girls/women like me with ADD? Can I talk to Hashem straight? although I know the meaning of the words and am fluent in reading I cant ...
user13827's user avatar
7 votes
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May I daven wearing headphones?

There are many paths to concentration. I have known students who doodle because it helps them focus on a lecture more effectively. Others like to listen to music while they study either to help them ...
rosends's user avatar
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Prayer Meditation; help understanding terms

Could someone explain the terms of kavanah, hitbodedut and hitbonenut in relation to Tefilah (prayer)? I know that these are all forms of meditation of some kind; but are they integrated in the way ...
Levi's user avatar
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Bedikat Chametz in the Bathroom

One cannot think about Torah in the bathroom, as per http://www.torahmusings.com/2011/08/bathroom-etiquette/ which cites Berachot 26a, Shabbat 150a, Rambam Kriat Shema 3:4. This "thinking" seems to ...
rosends's user avatar
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2 votes
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Hearing Vs. Listening and Reading vs. Reciting [duplicate]

The obligation for the megillah reading is for one to read the scroll. If one cannot read it, one listens to the blessing and then listens to the reader read it. But what is the nature of "listening"?...
rosends's user avatar
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Kavana vs. Minyan

If I find myself in a situation where davening with a particular minyan will be detrimental to my kavana, should I daven b'yechidut but with a better focus and concentration, or should I stay with the ...
rosends's user avatar
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7 votes
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Inappropriate kavanah during "asher yatzar"

I don't know if other people have experienced this, but when reciting asher yatzar immediately after going to the bathroom, I find that if I meditate upon the meaning of the words I cannot help but ...
Shimon bM's user avatar
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What should I think about when reciting this blessing?

In the birchot hashachar we say every day, we recite a number of blessings to thank G-d for different things. I like to think about how grateful I am to G-d for every specific thing each blessing ...
Gabriel12's user avatar
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What should I think of when reciting Birkot HaShachar?

Many of the prayers of the Birkot HaShachar are in third person. Such as: "...who opens the eyes of the blind." Or "...who frees the captive." I've always thought about personally thanking G-d (for ...
Gabriel12's user avatar
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What kavanah should you have during *Atah Kadosh*?

The third blessing of the amidah, Atah Kadosh, seems mysterious to me: You are holy and your name is holy, and the holy ones bless you all day. Blessed are you Hashem, the Holy God. Is there any ...
Ani Yodea's user avatar
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Are there circumstances when one should repeat a prayer in which he had no kavana the first time?

Halichipedia writes One should have kavana (proper concentration) when praying Shemonah Esrei. If one is unable to have kavana for all of Shemonah Esrei one should make an extra effort to have ...
Avrohom Yitzchok's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
238 views

May one say a prayer while driving?

In the vein of this question How to say Tefilas HaDerech while on the road alone -- I am wondering whether it is appropriate to say a prayer or make a brocha while concurrently operating a car. ...
SAH's user avatar
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What kavana (intention) should you be having while reciting the Shema?

What kavana (intention) should you be having while reciting the Shema? It is a biblical obligation to recite the shema twice a day so it would be worthwhile to do it the right way. If you can provide ...
Ani Yodea's user avatar
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2 votes
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May a woman think about another man during relations? [duplicate]

I understand the talmud says that a man may not think about another woman during marital relations, does the same prohibition apply to the woman?
user8735's user avatar
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What are the Levels of Kavanah?

In Rabbi Donin's book, To Pray As A Jew, he says that reading a prayer book to find out what it says, or to relish its beauty of poetry, does not qualify as prayer. He says that to transform reading ...
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