Unlocking the Prayerbook: Finding Meaning in Prayer
Course Details
The Jewish prayerbook is comprised of many prayers composed over the years, ancient words that have been said by Jews across generations and communities. What do these prayers actually mean, and how can we relate to these words in a deeper way?
This course invites participants to look anew at the prayerbook, to investigate the Shabbat and weekday prayers, with an eye toward personal meaning. The course is intended not only for those with a prayer practice, but also for those interested in examining this rich literature from a personal perspective. During the course, we will a) investigate primary sources (Biblical and rabbinic) that serve as background and inspiration for various prayers, b) form an interpretive methodology to read traditional Jewish prayers, and c) invest ancient prayers with more personal meaning.
We will ask such questions as: Are traditional prayer formulas able to express our own values/ideas of prayer? What do we do when we "disagree" with the prayer's content? How can we interpret the siddur in a grounded and traditional yet creative manner?
Rabbi Elie Kaunfer is President and CEO of the Hadar Institute. Elie has previously worked as a journalist, banker, and corporate fraud investigator. A graduate of Harvard College, he completed his doctorate in liturgy at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he was also ordained. A Wexner Graduate Fellow and Dorot Fellow, Elie is a co-founder of the independent minyan Kehilat Hadar and has been named multiple times to Newsweek’s list of the top 50 rabbis in America. He was selected as an inaugural AVI CHAI Fellow, and is the author of Empowered Judaism: What Independent Minyanim Can Teach Us About Building Vibrant Jewish Communities (Jewish Lights, 2010). He also received semikha from his long-time teacher, Rav Daniel Landes. Elie serves on the board of Natan and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, and on the advisory board of Upstart.
