{"id":8309,"date":"2016-02-12T00:08:39","date_gmt":"2016-02-11T22:08:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/?p=8309"},"modified":"2018-05-24T12:50:32","modified_gmt":"2018-05-24T09:50:32","slug":"03-12-08","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/03-12-08\/","title":{"rendered":"08. Kavana"},"content":{"rendered":"

One reciting the <\/span>Amida<\/span><\/i> must have <\/span>kavana<\/span><\/i>, that is, she must pay attention to what she is saying and must try not to let her mind be distracted by anything else during the prayer. If other thoughts enter her mind, she must expel them and return to her prayer. Even if she does not succeed in concentrating on all of the words, she must at least try to have <\/span>kavana<\/span><\/i> for the conclusion of each <\/span>berakha<\/span><\/i>. If she cannot concentrate during all of the <\/span>berakhot<\/span><\/i>, she must make an effort to concentrate on <\/span>Avot<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Modim<\/span><\/i>, for those are the <\/span>berakhot<\/span><\/i> in which we bow down at their beginning and at their end. At the very least, she must have <\/span>kavana<\/span><\/i> in <\/span>Birkat<\/span><\/i> Avot<\/span><\/i>, the first <\/span>berakha<\/span><\/i> of the <\/span>Amida<\/span><\/i> (SA 101:1 and MB 1-3).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

If one recited the <\/span>Amida<\/span><\/i> but did not have <\/span>kavana<\/span><\/i> during <\/span>Birkat<\/span><\/i> Avot<\/span><\/i>, technically she must repeat the <\/span>Amida<\/span><\/i>, because <\/span>kavana<\/span><\/i> during that <\/span>berakha<\/span><\/i> is requisite for fulfilling her obligation. However, due to the decline of generations and other preoccupations, our ability to concentrate has weakened. Therefore, the A\u0125aronim rule that we do not repeat the <\/span>Amida<\/span><\/i>, since there is concern that even in reciting the <\/span>Amida<\/span><\/i> a second time, she will forget to have <\/span>kavana<\/span><\/i> during <\/span>Birkat<\/span><\/i> Avot<\/span><\/i>, and her repetition will be for naught (Rema 101:1; <\/span>Kaf Ha-\u0125ayim <\/span><\/i>4). Hence, one who knows that she will not be able to have <\/span>kavana<\/span><\/i> even for <\/span>Birkat Avot <\/span><\/i>should preferably not even begin the <\/span>Amida<\/span><\/i>. She should instead fulfill her obligation by reciting <\/span>Birkhot Ha-sha\u0125ar<\/span><\/i>. 1<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

If one is about to finish <\/span>Avot<\/span><\/i> and notices that she did not have <\/span>kavana<\/span><\/i> in its recitation, as long as she has not yet said God\u2019s name at the conclusion of the <\/span>berakha<\/span><\/i>, she goes back to \u201c<\/span>Elokei Avraham<\/span><\/i>\u201d and continues from there with <\/span>kavana<\/span><\/i> (MB 101:4, in the name of <\/span>\u0124ayei Adam<\/span><\/i>). If she has already said God\u2019s name, she concludes the <\/span>berakha<\/span><\/i> with <\/span>kavana<\/span><\/i>. It is preferable that she go back and think the words of <\/span>Birkat<\/span><\/i> Avot<\/span><\/i> in her heart, for, in Rambam\u2019s opinion, thought is considered speech (<\/span>hirhur ke-dibur<\/span><\/i>). However, if she already began the second <\/span>beraka <\/span><\/i>with the words \u201c<\/span>Ata gibor<\/span><\/i>,\u201d she continues to pray and must try to have <\/span>kavana<\/span><\/i> while reciting the remaining <\/span>berakhot<\/span><\/i>, especially <\/span>Birkat<\/span><\/i> Modim<\/span><\/i>, for some <\/span>poskim<\/span><\/i> maintain that having <\/span>kavana<\/span><\/i> in <\/span>Modim<\/span><\/i> rectifies the lack of <\/span>kavana<\/span><\/i> in <\/span>Avot<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. Even men who are sure that they will not be able to have kavana in Avot may not begin to pray, as explained in Peninei Halakha: Prayer, ch. 17 n. 5. All the more so women, who be-di\u2019avad are allowed to fulfill their obligation by reciting Birkhot Ha-sha\u0125ar, as explained above, 2:4-5. See also Peninei Halakha: Prayer, ch. 17 n. 6. The A\u0125aronim explain that be-di\u2019avad, even if one did not have kavana at all while reciting the Amida, since he did intend to fulfill the mitzva of prayer, he fulfills his obligation. So states Shibolei Ha-leket \u00a717 in the name of the Rishonim. Similarly, Kaf Ha-\u0125ayim 101:4 states in the name of \u0124esed La-Avraham that the berakhot of one who prays without kavana are not berakhot le-vatala. This means that what he recited is considered prayer; however, because he lacked kavana, the Sages maintain that it is necessary for him to repeat the Amida. The proof for this is that one who realizes in the middle of the Amida that he did not have kavana for the first berakha does not immediately go back, which means that there is value to what he prayed without kavana. This is not true of one who realizes that he mistakenly mentioned rain in the summer, for in that case he is required to go back immediately. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    A woman who almost always has kavana but this time did not, and who is certain that when she repeats her prayer she will have kavana from the beginning of the Amida until the end, may repeat her prayer with the utmost kavana. It is best that she makes a stipulation that if the prevailing custom exempts her from repeating her prayer, it should be considered a voluntary prayer (tefilat nedava). ↩<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    One reciting the Amida must have kavana, that is, she must pay attention to what she is saying and must try not to let her mind be distracted by anything else during the prayer. If other thoughts enter her mind, she must expel them and return to her prayer. Even if she does not succeed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-03-12"],"yoast_head":"\n08. 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