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how can we have more kavanos during tfila where can I find the maamorims on the subject of the tefila

L770
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  • Possible duplicate https://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/190/759 – Double AA Oct 24 '23 at 12:14
  • The Siddur Illuminated by Chassidus (siddur im pninei hachasidus) for weekdays. compiled by R Eliyahu Touger and R Shalom Wineberg (c) 2013 Merkos / Sichos In English – Naftali Tzvi Oct 24 '23 at 14:37

2 Answers2

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1) Understand what you are saying

See the Baal Shem Tov, Parshas Noach 88:

ישים כל מחשבתו בכח התבות שהוא מדבר עד שיראה האורות של התבות האיך מתנוצצים זה בזה, ומתוכו נולדים כמה אורות, וזהו (תהילים צ״ז:י״א) אור זרוע לצדיק ולישרי לב שמחה, האותיות שבתורה הם חדרים של השם יתברך שהוא ממשיך בהם את אצילות אורו כמו שכתב בזוהר הקדוש (עי' יתרו דפ"ה ע"ב, אחרי דע"ג. ע"א) קודשא בריך הוא ואורייתא כולא חד ולתוכן צריך אדם לתת כל הכוונה שהיא הנשמה, כי הכוונה הוא הנשמה, וזהו הדבקות, קודשא בדיך הוא ואורייתא וישראל כולא חד, וזהו התפשטות הגשמיות, פירוש שיפשיט נשמתו מגופו, ותהיה נשמתו מלובשת באותן המחשבות שהוא מדבר, ויראה כמה עולמות העליונים:

(כתר שם טוב ח"ב ד"ד ע"ד, ולקוטי אמרים ד"ד ע"א בשנוי קצת)

Bring all your thoughts into the power of the words that you speak, until you can see the sparks flashing in and between the words, and the light that is born of them. This is the meaning of (Psalms 97:11) "Light is sown for the righteous, and happiness for the upright." The letters of the Torah are chambers of the Blessed One, who fills them with the emanations of divine light. This is written too in the Holy Zohar (II:85b), that the Holy Blessed One and the Torah are essentially one. Into these chambers you must direct your attuned self, which is the soul. This is the act of cleaving, and as such, the Holy Blessed One and Torah and Israel are all one. This is what is meant by removing yourself from materiality, namely, that your soul is removed from your body, and rather have it clothed in the thoughts that are being spoken. Then you will surely see many supernal worlds.

2) Clear your mind

The Shem MiShmuel on Voeschanan explains that it is natural for a person to be full of competing and confusing thoughts. The trick is to try and remove foreign thoughts before you daven, so you then have the headspace to pray with the right concentration.

שאחר שהאדם מתאמץ בכל יכלתו ועושה כל מה שביכלתו לסלק ממנו כל מחשבת חוץ, אז מן השמים מרחמין עליו ומכינים את לבו שיהי' ביכלתו לכוון

After the person exerts himself with all his might and does everything in his power to remove from him every extraneous thought, then heaven has mercy on him and prepares his heart to be able to concentrate.

3) To recognise the Shechinah (Divine Presence) speaks through you

Baal Shem Tov, Parshas Noach 96:

כאשר מתחיל האדם להתפלל מיד כשאומר אדני שפתי תפתח השכינה מתלבשת בו ומדברת הדיבורים, וכשיהיה לו האמונה שהשכינה מדברת אלו הדיבורים בוודאי תפול עליו אימה ויראה וגם הקדוש ברוך הוא כביכול מצמצם את עצמו ושורה אצלו כמו שנאמר (שיר השירים ב׳:ט׳) מציץ מן החרכים מהאותיות שהם היכלות והוא הולך מהיכל להיכל, ובכל היכל דנין אותו אם אם הוא ראוי לכנוס, ואם היה האדם משים אל לבו שדנין אותו בעת שנפלה לו מחשבה זרה בוודאי היה מתפלל בכוונה, רק שהוא שוכח שדנין אותו כו':

(ליקוטי אמרים ד"א ע"ב)

When you begin to pray, as soon as you utter the words "Adonai Sefatai Tiftach, God, open my lips" - in this moment the Shechina adorns you and speaks through you. If you truly trust that it is the Shechina speaking these words, surely great dread and fear will fall upon you. Even the Holy One, in a way, constricts God's being and dwells with you. This is as it says (Song of Songs 2:9) "Peeking through the lattice," - these are the letters, which are chambers, and you journey from one chamber to the other, and in each chamber you are judged whether you are worthy to enter. If you would notice that you are being judged at every instance when a foreign thought enters your mind, you would certainly pray with fierce attunement. But some time you forget that you are being judged.

4) Engage fully in tefilla

The Noam Elimelech in his hakdomo - The Tzetel Katan 11 lists numerous tips, talking very practically about how to maintain kavanna and to stay tuned into the davening:

יא. ירגיל את עצמו להתפלל בכל כחו, ובקול המעורר הכוונה להדבק המחשבה לדיבור, ופניו אל הכותל בתוך סידור התפילה בבוקר ובערב, ולא יסתכל לצדדין מתחילת התפילה עד סופה, ובחזרת הש"ץ השמונה עשרה יעיין בסידור לענות אמן בכל כחו על כל ברכה וברכה, ובשעת קריאת התורה להטות אזנו על כל דיבור ודיבור מהקורא כקורא את המגילה, ולעשות עצמו כאילם בבית הכנסת, אפילו קודם התפלה ואחריה עד הליכתו לביתו

One should accustom oneself to pray with full strength, and with a voice that arouses the intention to attach thought to speech, and with one's face toward the wall inside the Siddur, both morning and evening. One should not look to the side from the beginning of prayer to the end, and during the Chazan's repetition one should attend to the Siddur, to answer "Amen" with full strength to every single blessing. And during the Torah reading, one should listen for every single statement from the reader, similar to Megillah reading. One should act like a mute person in the synagogue, even before or after the prayer, until leaving to go home.

In short he points to: (i) Daven with a voice that channels the speech in a meaningful way (ii) Focus on looking at the siddur - i.e. prevents distraction (iii) Respond to the tefillos so you're fully engaged e.g. say "Amen" (iv) Listen carefully (v) Stay quiet (other than davening of course)

Dov
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    "So you then have the space to pray with the right concentration". This reminds me of a story attributed to the Baal Shem Tov. He was once entering a shul for prayer, but saw that it was really crowded in there, so he decided that he could only pray when it was not so busy. Why? Because otherwise, he couldn't concentrate enough on his prayer. – Shmuel Oct 24 '23 at 11:20
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There is much. May I recommend learning Hachsharat Avreichim. Here is an excerpt from Chapter 9 that summarises what you'll have learned if you go through it properly:

ואגב עוד דבר הנחוץ לך הרווחת בדברינו אלו, כי גם את סתם זרם המחשבות לא של תאוות רק של רשות השוטפות בך בתפילתך ומבלבלות אותך תוכל במטאטא זה לטאטאה וממך להרחיק. כשאתה עומד בתפילה והפראות הללו, מחשבותיך, מהוללות בך לבלי לעצרן, אז אם בחזקה תרצה להסירן מסופקני אם תוכל להן ולפעמים עוד תתאמצנה להתגרות בך יותר. לכן הפסק על איזה זמן מתפילתך והרגיע א״ע [בערוהיג דיך], אם רשאי אתה לשבת בפרק הזה בתפילה שב, ואם לאו השען על איזה דבר ובמנוחת לב הסתכל על מחשבותיך, והתבונן עם מחשבתך על פחזות הפראות האלה, איך מחשבה אחת מתחברת בחברתה, וזו קופצת על זו. ופתאום מחשבה שמלפני כמה שנים מיהרה לבא אליך וכו׳, ממש כפראים בהוללותם וכחיות בפחזותן תתפלא על אמצעי הזה, מתחילה תכהנה ובכל רגע תקלשנה יותר עד שממש כנ״ל כמו במטאטא נקית את מוחך.
There is another ability which is crucial to you that you have gained from our discussion. Now you have a broom with which to sweep away unwanted thoughts, not unwarranted desires, but permitted, everyday thoughts that flow through your mind and confuse you when you are trying to pray. When you stand to pray and the rowdy gang of thoughts comes to incessantly harass you, I am doubtful whether the sheer force of your mind can drive them away. Sometimes this only strengthens them to irk you even more. Therefore, you are advised to pause momentarily from your davening and collect yourself. If you are permitted at this point of the davening to sit, then by all means, sit. And if not, lean against something and relax so you can calmly observe your thoughts. Use your power of thought to contemplate the rowdy gang that has come upon your mind, how one thought leads and flows into the next, and one jumps upon the other. Then suddenly a thought or memory from years ago comes to you, exactly like a mob of looters or a pack of stampeding beasts. You will be amazed at the effectiveness of this method. At first it is dulled, and ever moment it gets weaker, until, just as we said, you feel as if you have swept your mind clean.

It is available with a reliable translation on Sefaria and you can purchase it on Amazon: Jewish Spiritual Growth: The Step-by-Step Guide of a Hasidic Master

It is written by a very contemporary tzaddik who was a young man in WW2 (and sadly was martyred in the Warsaw Ghetto), but a genius and a prime student of 300 years of Chassidut (he quotes Tanya a lot). It has a modern air about it that speaks to our generation very well and helps us find our Neshama in a coarse, secular world. In chapter 9 he teaches about an ancient Jewish practice of using our mind as a powerful tool to become the masters of our entire being, in a way that echoes similarities with modern mindfulness.

The simplest thing you can do, according to him and many other Torah teachings is to not immediately daven, but take a few minutes to put effort into clearing your mind before (and during) davening. There's a lot more to it than that so again, let me recommend reading the sefer in full.

Perhaps this is not useful to you personally as I am not sure based on the brevity of your question what exactly is bothering you but hopefully this is a valuable answer to some.

Rabbi Kaii
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    You're hooked @RabbiKaii :-) – Dov Oct 24 '23 at 10:51
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    Amazing, this is actually one of my first teachings I heard in a online-shiur. "Just close the door of your room, and call to Hashem" was the message. Close the room in order to separate yourself from the outside, in order to connect to Hashem. – Shmuel Oct 24 '23 at 11:36