The Torah of Rochelle Zell
The Joy of Tefillah
Ari Rosen, RZJHS 2020 Today would have been our last all school Friday Tefillah. We would have all been sitting in the Beit Knesset, probably a little more rowdy than usual. Our excitement would have filled the room.
Tefillah Friday morning has been one of the most vital parts of building my Jewish identity. Seeing the upperclassmen who I looked up to leading services, built an image for me of what great Jewish leadership looks like.
became easier. My journey this year with my davening had reached a summit. I felt I had reached a milestone. I felt that I was truly able to lead services. And then the journey just ended. It was over. Coronavirus shutdown everything, a common theme with almost everything in my life. Everything just ended.
I felt like I was playing centerfield chasing after a fly ball, running back, finally reaching a speed where I feel like Freshman year, Felix Rosen putting me on his shoul- I am just floating through the air,arely even feeling the ders during Hallel. Sammy Hoffman and Yoni Maltz- ground, but then without a warning track, BANG, the man ensured that Friday Tefillah never went on without wall. Only this time you can’t even recover and resume a leader. playing the game. As a young freshman, I saw these seniors who I looked up to take such pride in Tefillah. It made me take pride in Tefillah.
And since the quarantine, I have found davening extremely difficult. The pride and passion I once felt are completely gone. Still, I try to daven once a day because what This pride I felt was not authentic I realized is, davening is not about pride though. It was merely their pride and passion. It is about pride rubbing off on me. It is like watching a scary mov- something bigger than me. ie. You feel the intensity of the movie, but the emotion is not your own. You are experiencing someone else go Davening is about being a part of a community. At a through a terrifying situation and their emotion is ex- minimum, ten people coming together. During the tended to yourself. You are not truly scared, just as I was Mincha zooms, I was transported back into a communot feeling true pride in Tefillah. nity. And during this time when I feel so far away from everyone, during those fifteen minutes, it’s like we are Finding that pride in davening takes years. And you back in the Beit Knesset. may find it one day and not another. While I may be lacking the same intention that I once Between Schechter, Ramah, and RZJHS, I have basical- had, the structure of daily Tefillah connects me back to ly been davening every morning for the majority of my the community. life. Thousands of times I sat through Shacharit without finding any meaning. But that is normal. So, I urge everyone, but specifically the senior class, to continue to practice your davening throughout the rest The beginning of this year, I began to find this pride of your life. Who knows when you will need that access in Tefillah. I began saying the Amidah every morning. to a community? Maybe you are studying abroad and At first, I struggled, but then over time it became easi- have not met anyone. Maybe, you just started graduate er. I began to lead services routinely. Again, I struggled. school. Maybe, you are just feeling lonely. But being able I was unfamiliar with the words and would stumble to daven gives you a no-questions-asked VIP flash pass through saying them out loud. to a community no matter what.
Being able to daven gives you a no-questions-asked VIP flash pass to a community no matter what.
Over time, as I said the words more and more, davening That is why we daven every morning. 14
