Experiments in Tachanun...

Though I've been experimenting with tachunan (the prayers said on weekdays after the Amidah), there's a few ideas I'd like to share here.

I

First, who is Tracey Rich, and why might we care.

It maybe used to more reliably be the case, but it pretty well probably still is, that when you do a search regarding a Jewish topic, you come to Tracey Rich's website, Judaism 101. It's well done, I think, broad based, fundamental in nature, and he allows that he writes from an Orthodox perspective.

I've been interested in the liturgy some good while now, and it's been a long time the case that I was introduced to the idea from this Judaism 101 website that, although traditional Judaism stresses the importance of praying in Hebrew, Rich does point out, and putting appropriately this part up front, this notwithstanding...

"The Talmud states that it is permissible to pray in any language that you can understand..."

And you can read this here yourself:

http://www.jewfaq.org/prayer.htm

Our Rabbi Gerry was kind enough to lead us recently in discussion about prayer, and movement in prayer. In the context of his comments, he seemed to have cause to point to the Talmud as a serious reference point for when we make references in our study.

So, since the Talmud does specifically give us guidance about prayer, and the need to understand the language of choice...and since most of us do not understand Hebrew...why do we continue, without challenge, to mostly use Hebrew?

Rabbi Gerri even brought forward, as though the unfortunate novelty that it was, his early practice in his career of teaching students who would not be able to understand Hebrew how they could attend an Orthodox service, and understand the whole of it, just from the English. Remarks of some surprise were made during this discussion, since our experience of doing the service primarily in anything other than Hebrew is not normative.

Anyway, I do serve on the Avodah committee for our community, and if it is game, I could challenge them to ask the question with me, why it is we do what we do. Maybe we will come up with a satisfying answer, as an alternative to just going back to what we have always been doing regardless.

I will add that I've been acting personally on the choice to read our liturgy primarily in English, and as a daily practice, for the most part. You could call that a prejudice if you like. Certainly it is me acting consistent with my beliefs.

II

Then, there is the topic of the insertion of a newly created prayer by our siddur author, Rosenstein.

In our Eit Ratzon, towards the center of our presentation of the Amidah, Rosenstein adds 2 pages, that he describes as petitionary prayer. He suggests, as I've also read suggested by another influential author to me, Rosenberg...that since the most common Jewish practice is to actually davven primarily weekly, at best, it may be reasonable to include a form of prayer, requesting those things we might experience to need, during our times of prayer, since predictably, we would not be praying during the week otherwise, when these forms of prayer are more routinely included.

For a long time, I had been moved to follow this advice. And, while doing so, I took I think no more credit for having made the choice, than I think a more knowledgeable prayer should take who would more routinely choose to skip this, based on their actual familiarity with the rhythm of the normative Amidah. I, on the other hand, had found it simply natural to read through the text from start to finish, and this included these 2 extra pages in the middle, so why not.

Things changed a bit, though once I did start to do the daily practice, saying the Amidah in that context. I found, since the exception Rosenstein described no longer applied to me...I did stop reading that 2 page insert. And yet, at the same time, a knowledge began to dawn in me that the practice I had been doing, including the additional 2 pages, was otherwise a good normative practice, for the reasons described.

This, I suppose is thing number 2 that I could suggest our Avodah committee consider. Which is, to make some sort of recommendation to our community, perhaps via the clergy, that if their practice is to include the Amidah on Saturdays or Fridays, and to not tend to include it otherwise during the week, they might consider looking closely at these 2 pages naturally presenting in the center of the Amidah, and contemplate whether they would like to include them, if they have not been doing so already.

III

And then, there is Tachunan.

The topic of tachanun came up in the context of doing, or preparing to lead meditation in our quarterly meditation working group. The focus actually was the Amidah itself, and in reviewing commentary concerning it with our group, I became interested in the special posture describe that one adopts at the end of the Amidah, in some contexts.

As I later reviewed this discussion with other member of our meditation working group, including Harvey, our Avodah leader, Harvey did help clarify some of the misconceptions I had concerning this posture, explaining that it was adopted actually after the conclusion of the Amida, and on weekdays.

I went looking for this in our editor's new daily siddur, and saw that he did present at least an abbreviated tachanun for us. And so, adventurous, I've tried adding it several times.

As I believe it is intended to be...it is very "Jewish." That is, it makes frequent reference to our practices as a Jewish people. This became in fact a potential distraction.

My thought process quickly went this way...

Look at the counterpoint of text our siddur editor sought to add at the aleinu, concerning our "heart os stone."

Continuing this thought process, I wondered if either for our community, or some other context, we might consider "penning" or rewriting, this very text, so as to be less self referential.

And, in what was probably the same thought process, I re-considered, and saw how our liturgy author actually presents tachanun in his siddur.

You will see this most easily if you can hold in your hand a copy of his daily siddur.

Immediately following the amidah, he presents in one page his abbreviated tachanun, but places it 2 pages later. But, in the 2 pages prior to it, he imputes the very same 2 pages he had previously included in the middle of the amidah. And he describes to the reader that they might well consider including this text he has authored as part of tachanun.

And, so....vwalla. The heavy lifting I had contemplated it might be helpful if we took upon ourselves...our siddur author has already seen to have taken this on. And, in the process, I find I even have an opportunity to now naturally re-engage the same text I found value in including so many shabbats with these 2 pages of author created text!

My first thought was to just include these now 3 pages immediately after the amidah, as I think the tachanun is traditionally done. But, having done this once, I believe I found that these 2 pages Rosenstein created did not perhaps most aptly serve to conclude the Amidah for me.

What had been my practice, after concluding the amidah, was to sit in simple meditation....actually....following the forms I have been shown, this style is more that of "non-meditation"....for about 5 minutes.

And, it occurred that returning to that meditation immediately following the amidah may be the better place to return to, rather than more text.

So, this morning, what I tried I thought worked pretty well. I concluded the Amidah. Sat in simple meditation for about 2 minutes, THEN read these total 3 pages in the daily siddur, comprised of the 2 page insert from the Shabbat Amidah, plus the one page abbreviated tachanun.....I then sat another 2 or so minutes...and then I concluded with Aleinu.

This..I found to be pretty good.

The whole thing adds a little time, and on a weekday, may represent a greater challenge. But, I'm optimistic about this approach, and will continue to experiment.

In that spirit, I share this notes.

L'Shalom,

Ira Zukerman