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I agree with Rabbi Berman's assertion that in order to get students to
take tefillah seriously we must create serious mekomot tefillah,
establishing an environment which makes it clear that other behaviors are
out of place. One only learns how to pray by praying. Taking disaffected
or any other students out for alternative services is therefore no
solution at all.
I would agree too with the basic assumption that we must create an
environment where shiviti Hashem l'negdi is palpable. Part of that can be
accomplished if we have enough role models. But bringing alums in on a
regular basis to help us is not practical and the truth is that most of us
do not have enough faculty to create the kind of all-encompassing
atmosphere that is called for. And the smaller we make our minyanim, the
fewer the faculty there are to cover. For faculty must play disciplinarian
and role model at the same time, watching out for all students while
trying to be absorbed in one's own tefillah. It's a tall order.
Increasingly I believe that it is necessary to help students find meaning
in davening while they are davening. Prayer is pretty sophisticated stuff
and students need our help in tapping in to the system. They need help
getting in touch with their emotions and connecting those emotions and
thoughts to the words of the siddur. They need to understand how the
siddur can speak to them and educate them toward greater commitment rather
than expect that they will walk into the experience with that commitment
already in place. This does not mean a course in biurei ha-tefillah. It
may simply mean raising consciousness during davening, regularly,
creatively, meaningfully, and briefly, even as we insist upon a regular
davening where everyone takes part.
Jay Goldmintz
Headmaster
Ramaz Upper School</HTML>
