[HANASHIR:5076] prayer/intention

[Erik L. F. Contzius <contzius...>]

Daniel Singer's recent post wrt intention was very salient. Intention 
(or of course in Hebrew, Kavanah) is the most important thing when 
praying. the performance issue really came into play since the 
shaliakh tzibbur began to face the congregation. To paraphrase A.J. 
Heschel, "When the cantor turns away from the congregation and faces 
the holy ark it is then that he [she] will realize who his [her] true 
audience is--the Holy One, praised be [God]."

traditionally one faces the same direction as the congregation. In 
all this talk of performace v. prayer, perhaps one thing we should be 
reconsidering is in which direction the prayer leaders should face. 
Not too recently i was invited to be the shaliakh tzibbur at the 
Great Synagogue in Gotheburg, Sweeden for a shabbat. Although we were 
using their pipe organ (side: the first time in 7 yrs there!), and 
musical selections that they were not wholly used to, the bima is set 
up so that the shatz can _only_ face the ark. I loved it, because I 
really got to focus on the prayer book and the davening and not be 
self conscious, save the feeling of being in front of the Eternal. 
The architecture (sp?) of the building lent itself to this end, where 
many, if not most, American shuls are not designed in this way (this 
sweedish shul was established and built in the late 1800's).

And so, for some songs the congregation sang & participated, some, 
they did not, but everyone understood it all was prayerful, because i 
was eminating & felt that sense of the prayerful. what helped me the 
most was that fact that i faced the ark.

thoughts?

-- 
Cantor Erik L. F. Contzius
Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel
Elkins Park, PA
contzius (at) home(dot)com
http://www.kenesethisrael.org/

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