BSD

Teaching Tefilah
Thinking outside the box, what are some ways that we can create a more
spiritual atmosphere during davening (e.g., using technology, music,
photography, or other creative means)? What are the pros and cons of
using technology/media during Tefillah?
As Tefillah is such a fundamental aspect of Judaism and of connection to HaShem, it
must be regarded with utmost attention and care. Often (for girls at least), Tefillah is
done in a multi purpose room or a lunch room, which is viewed as mundane in the
eyes of the students. Ideally, there should be a room designated solely for Tefillah
akin to a Beit Keneset for the boys. Having a Tefillah Room instantly increases ones
awareness for the importance of Tefillah and provides a way for one to focus on just
Tefillah when they are in the room. Additionally, boys and girls should have Tefillah
separate from each otherfor various reasons. First, this provides less distraction
for obvious reasons. Second, boys and girls connect to Tefillah in very different ways
and must be taught differently in terms methods in Tefillah, and also in the way we
teach those methods. Third, there is a different energy in the air when boys pray
and when girls pray and this will be compromised if mixed. Finally, boys and girls
are behaviorally different, and this affects how the Tefillah is handled by the
instructor.
In terms of room structure during the Tefillah, I suggest having the group sit in a
mass circle with the instructor leading them walking around from within the circle.
The concept of a circle is very symbolic in terms of connection, and is also practical
in managing students and maintaining decorum. Talking during Tefillah would be
minimized and students will see one another daven and be inspired and motivated
to daven as well. This also provides opportunity for closer physical proximity
between instructor and students which promotes stronger connection and better
guidance. It allows students better visibility of the instructor who will hopefully act
as a proper model for Tefillah for them to learn from. The instructor should also be
engaged in Tefillah and be engaging as well to invite students in to pray, and not
perceived a nebach who was just hired to keep an eye on the students for an hour.
In terms of creating a more spiritual atmosphere in davening, I think it would be a
nice idea to introduce music to the Tefillah. While adding music during the Tefillot
may or may not be distracting, and should be done based on each groups abilities, I
highly recommend listening to music, or even showing videos. before the start of
the Tefillah in order to open the hearts and souls (and sometimes eyes) of the
students and arouse their yearning for something higher, something spiritual. Music
can be very moving and can be even more effective than just formal instruction.
Additional methods would be to have students write their own supplementary Tefilot
to make Tefillah more relevant and personal to them. Maybe they could even have
personalized siddurim with note sections and sections to draw their own pictures or
paintings. Also, I love the idea of having guided meditations and breathing exercises

done before or in place of Tefillot. It makes the atmosphere and the mindset of the
students almost completely spiritual.
Regardless of the exact method, the main objective should be to have students
become engaged and feel more connected to themselves (lehitpalel is a reflexive
verb) and to HaShem. Any method that could facilitate this should be welcomed to
the Tefillah space.