{"id":6298,"date":"2010-01-17T09:00:29","date_gmt":"2010-01-17T07:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/?p=6298"},"modified":"2018-05-24T11:44:56","modified_gmt":"2018-05-24T08:44:56","slug":"02-17-09","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/02-17-09\/","title":{"rendered":"09 – Kavanah"},"content":{"rendered":"
One reciting the Amidah<\/i> must have kavanah<\/i>; that is, he must focus on what he is saying, and he must try not to let his mind be distracted by anything else during the prayer. If other thoughts enter his mind, he must expel them and return to his prayer. Even if he does not succeed in concentrating on all of the words, he must at least try to have kavanah<\/i> for the conclusion of each berachah<\/i>. If he cannot concentrate during all of the berachot<\/i>, he must make an effort to concentrate in Birkat<\/i> Avot<\/i> and Birkat<\/i> Modim<\/i>, for those are the berachot<\/i> in which we bow down at their beginning and at their end. At the very least, he must have kavanah<\/i> in Birkat<\/i> Avot<\/i>, the berachah<\/i> that opens the Amidah<\/i>.[5]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n If a person recited the Amidah<\/i> and did not have kavanah<\/i> during Birkat<\/i> Avot<\/i>, he must, in principle, repeat his Amidah<\/i>, because the lack of kavanah<\/i> during that berachah<\/i> prevents him from fulfilling his obligation. However, as a result of the deterioration of the generations and troubles on the mind, our ability to concentrate has weakened. Therefore, the Acharonim<\/i> have instructed not to repeat the Amidah<\/i>, since it is possible that even in reciting the Amidah<\/i> a second time, he will forget to have kavanah<\/i> in Birkat<\/i> Avot<\/i> and his repetition will be for naught (Rama<\/i> 101:1; Kaf HaChaim<\/i> 4).<\/p>\n A person who is about to finish Birkat<\/i> Avot<\/i> and notices that he did not have kavanah<\/i> in its recital: as long as he has not yet said Hashem\u2019s Name at the conclusion of the berachah<\/i>, he goes back to \u201cElokei Avraham<\/i>\u201d and continues from there with kavanah<\/i> (Mishnah Berurah<\/i> 101:4, in the name of the Chayei Adam<\/i>). If he has already said Hashem\u2019s Name, he concludes the berachah<\/i> with kavanah<\/i>. It is good to go back and think the words of Birkat<\/i> Avot<\/i> in his heart, for, in the Rambam<\/i>\u2019s opinion, thought is considered speech (hirhur k\u2019dibur<\/i>). However, if he already went on to say \u201cAttah gibor<\/i>,\u201d he continues to pray and must try to have kavanah<\/i> while reciting the remaining berachot<\/i>, especially Birkat<\/i> Modim.<\/i>[6]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n
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