To heighten the sensitivity to the importance of talk-free davening, one Shabbos a year should be dedicated by each shul to a discussion of all aspects of davening. Ideally, it should be the same Shabbos for all shuls. Parshas Beshalach, has been chosen because the Torah portion read that day includes the text of Shmot 14:14 in which Moshe allays the fears of the Children of Israel at the shore of the Red Sea with the words: "G-d will fight for you, but you must remain silent." Appropriate advance publicity would be arranged and background material could be distributed. The Rav of the shul would take that opportunity to reemphasize the value of proper davening and to review some of the basic halachos of davening. A special effort would be made by all mispallelim to avoid idle talk and to concentrate on the davening.

In these troubled times, it would behoove us to improve the quality of our davening. The first steps should be to study the meaning of the tefillos, to come on time to shul and to articulate every word of davening. Shmoozing during davening will thereafter, with G-d's help, become an anachronism.