what should our aims be when teaching tefillah in schools?

Channah Goldblatt Tefillah March 2013

of 13

Tefillah What should the aim and purpose of Tefillah

in a school setting be?

Discuss with reference to the sources included.

Bachelor of Arts

Applied Professional Studies

Submitted on: 20th March 2013

By: Channah Goldblatt

Word Limit: 2,500

Word Count: 2,346


of 13

Table of Contents:

1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 3

2. WHAT ARE OUR AIMS WHEN TEACHING TEFILLAH? ........................................ 3

2.1. THE HISTORY OF JEWISH PRAYER ............................................................................. 4

2.2. BASICS OF PRAYER ............................................................................................... 5

2.3. HEBREW READING SKILLS AND THE CHALLENGE THEY POSE TO TEFILLAH ............................ 6

2.4. JCP TEFILLAH CURRICULUM AIMS ........................................................................... 7

2.5. PRIVATE PRAYER ................................................................................................. 8

2.6. SCHOOL SETTINGS ............................................................................................... 9

3. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................... 10

4. BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................. 12

5. APPENDICES ................................................................................................. 13

5.1. APPENDIX 1 – GLOSSARY .................................................................................... 13


of 13

Tefillah

What should the aim and purpose of Tefillah in a school setting be?

Discuss with reference to the sources included.

1. Introduction

It is the standard practice in Orthodox Jewish Primary schools to incorporate Tefillah as part of

their morning ritual. Morning Tefillah is done in a variety of settings, from individual classroom

based Tefillah to communal Tefillah said in a whole school assembly. Students (Goldmintz, 2009)

and teachers alike have identified this as their least favourite part of the day (Dreilich, 2007). Why

is it that the time of day which has the most potential for students to connect with God and have a

positive personal experience is the most detested?

This essay will discuss the basic skills a child needs in order to access Hebrew prayer. It will look at

the reasons why teaching original Hebrew prayer is important and how students can attempt to

forge a spiritual connection to God through prayer.

2. What are our aims when teaching Tefillah?

The first question we must ask is not “What are our aims?” but “Why?” Why is Tefillah part of our

school day? And why do we teach it?

Tefillah is a religious legal obligation for a Jew. There are specific requirements in regards to the

time of day, content and structure of prayer whether personal or said in a communal setting. As

educators, it is our duty to set a standard for our students, to teach them how and when it should

be said. This does not mean it should be dry or merely said by rote. Teachers should approach


of 13

Tefillah in the same way that they approach any lesson they teach. It should be carefully thought

about, planned and prepared for to give the students the best experience possible. (Goldmintz,

2009)

The act of reciting Tefillah each day in school is in itself a teaching method. Kenneth Hyde notes

that although many children find prayer boring and uninteresting, those who have been regularly

involved in the act of prayer are far more likely to retain the habit of church attendance when they

are no longer required to (1990).

2.1. The history of Jewish Prayer

The first recorded instances of Jewish prayer are in the Bible. An example of one such instance is

written in Genesis 12:8 ‘And he (Abraham) built there an altar to God and he called on the name

of God’.

The first well known Jewish prayerbooks are those of Rav Sa’adia Gaon and Rav Amram Gaon

written in the 9th Century. These provided a structure on which all Siddurim (prayerbooks) since

have been written (Reif, 1993). As such, all Jewish prayerbooks written since those of Rav Sa’adia

and Rav Amram are dominated by berachot (blessings); by sections from the book of psalms: by

the Shema which is taken from the Bible and by the Shemona Esrei. Apart from a few brief

paragraphs of Aramaic, all the rest of these prayers are in Hebrew.

Translation is a necessary tool for understanding but cannot be a substitute for access to the

original texts. We have to give our children the skills to read these prayers in Hebrew, the


of 13

knowledge to understand the thrust of them and to have the opportunity to use them as a vehicle

to develop their religious feeling and to communicate with God.

2.2. Basics of prayer

There are certain basic skills which a person needs in order to develop into a functioning,

practising member of a Jewish Community. Since the day that the Book of Psalms was written, if

not before, Hebrew prayer has been a vehicle for bringing its adherents closer to God, for Jews to

communicate with God.

As mentioned in Section 2.1, we have to give our children the ability to read the traditional prayers

and access to the main body of the meaning. This is part of the body of skills and knowledge

which it is right that a Jewish school should teach. As teachers, we also have to try and make the

experience of Tefillah, prayer, meaningful for them.

This second purpose is, if anything, more important than the first one. The skills and knowledge

referred to above are the means of making Tefillah accessible to our students – tradition calls this

“The body” of prayer. The meaningful experience – the genuine Kavanah (intent) is what tradition

calls “The soul” of prayer. In the introduction to his Siddur, Rabbi Jacob Emden said

Prayer without intent is like a body without a soul (1745-47). A -‘תפילה בלי כוונה כגוף בלי נשמה‘

body has value when it is given life by a soul.

The way in which this is done varies from school to school. As mentioned previously, prayer is an

integral part of the timetable in many Jewish schools. Is it too ambitious to hope that we may


of 13

bring a significant proportion of our students to a point where they actually choose to pray,

whether formally or informally at weekends and in school holidays and indeed throughout the rest

of their lives? According to Hyde, by praying with our students each day in school we may achieve

this end.

2.3. Hebrew Reading skills and the challenge they pose to Tefillah

A significant challenge which Jewish primary schools in this country face is that the children’s

knowledge of Hebrew is limited. An Israeli child of whatever religious standard can at least read

these prayers and thereby have some access to them. Many of our students here in England come

from families where the parents’ Jewish and Hebrew knowledge is if anything less than that of

their children and their only exposure to prayer will be in school. If their only exposure to Maths,

History or Science were in school, this would not disturb us as they encounter they are able to

access it through a common language and competent parental support. If their only exposure to

Tefillah is in school and access is largely blocked by issues of language, the challenge to make it

meaningful is far more intense.

In a recent audit carried out by the United Jewish Israel Appeal (UJIA) on Hebrew Reading in

Jewish schools in England, Hebrew Reading skills were highlighted as an area necessary for prayer.

42% of the responses to the parental survey said that Hebrew Reading knowledge was integral to

their children knowing how to pray and being comfortable joining in the services in a synagogue.

In addition, the audit quotes one school’s Jewish Studies rationale where it is written ‘We believe

that the ultimate aim to teaching Hebrew reading is that the children should be able to read and

daven (pray) with accuracy, fluency and understanding‘ (Kanzen & Leader, 2012)


of 13

2.4. JCP Tefillah Curriculum Aims

In response to requests from Jewish schools around the country the Jewish Curriculum Partnership

(JCP) wrote a Tefillah curriculum that was published in late 2012. In their cover document where

they outline the aims of the Tefillah project, they list a series of aims for teaching Tefillah. These

are divided into two main strands:

‘A. A positive and meaningful experience and attitude towards Tefillah

B. Good levels of knowledge, competence and confidence in their Tefillot.’

The aims are then defined further where A includes: an appreciation of God’s existence and that

He listens and responds to our prayers; an understanding that Tefillah is a way that Jews attempt

to connect with God; an understanding that prayer is one’s private audience with God; and that a

level of concentration should be present while praying. The second strand details the skills that

children need to know how to pray. It says that children should: know that the Siddur is the book

where the Tefillot (prayers) are written; recognise key words and phrases to help them

understand the meaning of the prayers; know that many prayers have their source in the Bible;

know that several Tefillot have been introduced to the prayer books over the years; and know the

daily structure of prayer. (Jewish Curriculum Partnership, 2012)

By supplying teachers with these two main strands of the curriculum, the JCP has devised a basic

structure for the teaching of Tefillah. The first strand focuses around a spiritual connection with

God. Can one teach a child to have a spiritual connection or can one just provide the opportunity

for spiritual growth and hope that something takes root?

The second strand focuses around skills which, as something which can be easily assessed, are

simpler to teach than spirituality. It is easy to plan a lesson to teach children how to read a certain


of 13

part of Tefillah, to drum in the meaning of the words and teach the students how to chant the

words.

2.5. Private Prayer

Teaching children to connect with God is no easy task. When teaching a year 5 class in 2009 I

noticed that children often found it difficult to feel a connection while praying. They had no frame

of reference to understand what Tefillah could mean for them and had spent 7 years in school

saying the same Tefillot over and over without much understanding of what they were saying. I

asked the children to spend some time thinking about what they would say to God if they met Him

in person, what they would ask and what they would thank Him for.

After much thought the children wrote out draft copies of their own personal prayer which they

took home and typed up. They were informed that as these were personal prayers they did not

have to share them with anyone, not even me as their teacher. This encouraged the children to

be deeply personal and honest because they knew that this was something private to them. Some

of the children did share their work and had asked for the health of their families; thanked God for

having a home to live in and asked God to look after members of their family who had passed

away. They stuck the completed prayers in the front of their Siddur and read them each day in

silence before starting Tefillah.

Once the children had something they had written themselves and felt a sincere connection to;

their attitude towards daily Tefillah changed. They appreciated the time for quiet reflection and

prayed with increased fervour. Although the Tefillot themselves had not changed, through the


of 13

experience of writing out their own Tefillah the students came to understand how morning

Tefillah could provide them with a time where they could connect to God.

This approach can be used in other schools to enhance students’ spiritual connection. By using

individual, personal, prayer educators can reinforce and enhance ritual prayer by creating a frame

of reference and bringing Tefillah into students’ lives.

2.6. School settings

Students’ attitude towards Tefillah is influenced by the way that Tefillah is presented as part of the

school day. Subtle messages are sensed by the students and can affect their approach to Tefillah.

Grumet (1991) asks five questions:

1. ‘Is Tefillah pigeonholed into the daily schedule, or is the schedule flexible enough to

accommodate the various needs of tefilla (sic)?’

Does the school timetable allow students enough time to pray at their own pace or is

Tefillah perfomed as quickly as possible so that lessons can begin?

2. ‘Is there a room whose primary function is that of a Beit Knesset?’

When students are required to pray in their classrooms, Tefillah loses value. It is

likened to a school saying they produce quality athletes while having no gym to train

them in.

3. ‘Are the siddurim readily available? Are they uniform? What condition are they in?’

When children pray from a well maintained prayer book they feel more respect and

value for their prayers.


of 13

4. ‘Is the room used for Tefilla well lit?’

Is the room suitable for praying in? Is it spacious enough and free of clutter so that

students are not distracted and can be free to focus on their prayers?

5. ‘If both boys and girls attend minyan, are the arrangements for the girls such that they

feel part of the Tefilla and not merely bystanders?’

Men and women have different roles and parts to say and do during Tefillah. In

Orthodox settings it is customary for the men to lead service. When young children

pray in school it is essential that all the children are involved actively in Tefillah as well

as learning the roles one takes in a synagogue.

By asking these five questions, Grumet asks the school leader to think about the effect that the

environment has on a student’s ability to connect with prayer, to access the spiritual nature of

prayer. If students are asked to pray in a cluttered environment, how can they have the level of

concentration that the JCP curriculum mentioned above asks for?

If one of our aims in teaching Tefillah is a spiritual connection, as the JCP has suggested, schools

must ensure that the environment in which the students are being asked to pray is conducive to

Tefillah.

3. Conclusion

When teaching Tefillah in schools it is equally important to teach skills and spirituality. Schools

want students to graduate with a working knowledge of the geographical layout of the Siddur;

enough Hebrew to read the main prayers and a basic understanding of what the prayers mean. In


of 13

addition, they want their alumni to have a spiritual connection to God; to understand that prayer

is a way of communicating with God and to appreciate that God listens to them when they pray

(JCP, 2012). In order for students to develop the skills necessary to navigate prayer in a

Synagogue, schools must make more of a focus on Hebrew Reading Skills (Kanzen & Leader, 2012).

It is essential that the spiritual connection is not forgotten. If a student has the skills to pray,

understands the words of prayer, and then does not pray, does our achievement have value? To

enhance a student’s ability to connect, the school must not only give them the opportunity to

develop a connection but should also look at the environment they provide for daily prayer

(Grumet, 1991). In addition, if we want modern day students to develop and experience a

spiritual connection we must bring it close to their personal experience.


of 13

4. Bibliography

Dreilich, M., 2007. Tefillah Motivation Through Relationship Building and Role Modelling:

One Rabbi's Approach. Jewish Educationa lLeadership, 5(2), pp. 40-43.

Emden, J., 1745-47. Siddur Tephilah. 1st ed. Altona: Emden.

Goldmintz, J., 2009. Helping Students Find Their Own. [Online]

Available at: http://www.lookstein.org/articles/voice_tefillah.pdf

[Accessed 18 03 2013].

Grumet, Z., 1991. Creating a Tefilla Environment:. Ten Da'at, 5(2), pp. 39-40.

Hyde, K., 1990. Religion in Childhood and Adolescence: A Comprehensive Review of the

Research, Birmingham, Alabama: Religious Education Press.

Jewish Curriculum Partnership, 2012. Tefillah Curriculum - JCP Pathways to Hashem.

London: PaJeS.

Kanzen, C. & Leader, J., 2012. UJIA Hebrew Reading Audit, London: UJIA.

Reif, S. C., 1993. Judaism and Hebrew Prayer. New York: Cambridge University Press.


of 13

5. Appendices

5.1. Appendix 1 – Glossary

Beit Knesset – Synagogue

Daven - Pray

Hashem – God

Minyan – Communal prayer of 10 or more men

Shemona Esrei – Major prayer in all three daily services. Literally translates as

18, the number of blessings in the prayer.

Shul – Synagogue

Siddur – Prayerbook

Siddurim - Prayerbooks

Tefillah – Prayer

what should our aims be when teaching tefillah in schools?

Documents

teaching tefillah

purpose of tefillah

communal tefillah

morning tefillah

channah goldblatt tefillah

jcp tefillah curriculum

school day

structure of prayer