Those who indulge in conversation must be convinced that they are not being fair to themselves. If the obligations of bein adam laMakom (between man and G-d) and bein adam lechaveiro (interpersonal commands) are not compelling enough on their own, perhaps we could reach them by stressing the obligations bein adam le'atzmo - we simply owe it to ourselves to daven better. The addicted talkers should be led to discover that they are missing the genuine joy of davening. What concrete steps can be taken to achieve this?

It would seem that if we knew what we're saying when we daven and why, we would become more involved in our tefilla. What better time to begin doing this than at the beginning? Wouldn't it make a significant difference if the yeshivos and Bais Yaakov schools would start teaching the meaning of the words of davening in the primary grades? With a relatively minimal investment of time, young children can be taught the literal meaning of the words of the tefillos. By the time they become bar or bas mitzva, children can attain an understanding of the basic tefillos that they recite weekdays and on Shabbos. (A good start in this direction is a contest on kavana be'tefilla, sponsored by Pirchei Agudath Israel, which has involved the participation of some 6,000 boys, grades 6-8, in 10 yeshivos these past two years. A total of 1,200 boys entered the actual competition.)

Those adults who have not learned these fundamentals in yeshiva can form small study groups to meet once a week and systematically study the words of davening, or arrange for a regular shiur on tefilla. It is a sad commentary that of the 570 shiurim listed in the Flatbush Guide to Shiurim recently published by Agudath Israel of America, not one was a shiur on tefilla. We are blessed with Siddurim that translate davening into Hebrew and English, along with extensive commentary, and we should make liberal use of them. Shuls and private libraries should expand their collection of seforim on tefilla. A contemporary author of a sefer on tefilla writes in his introduction that we will be truly embarrassed before the Heavenly Court when we are questioned about the meaning of "mashlich karcho chefitim," a phrase we all say thousands of times during our lifetime.... Will we have an adequate response when we find out that "evrecha" in Ma Tovu means kneeling, not blessing? A person should not be satisfied with understanding the general meaning of most of davening. He should consider it an intellectual challenge to know the meaning of every sentence of davening. After all, people who enjoy golfing, tennis or other sports take pride in their improvement in the game as years go by. Those learning a language or engaging in some other academic pursuit will periodically evaluate their progress. Do we sense a comparable degree of growth in our davening after the passing of a year... of five years... of twenty years?

The Shloh's son, Rabbi Sheftel Horowitz, ZT"L, writes (in his work, Vovey Ho'amudim) that when he was a dayan in Frankfurt-am-Main, he established chaburos (study groups) for the purpose of learning the meaning of the tefillos of weekdays, Shabbos and Yom Tov. He states that this prevents the davening from becoming like the "mere chattering of birds."

"Shmoozing" - (Yiddish-English); Chatting; engaging in conversation about matters which may or may not be, depending on the context, relatively unimportant and sometimes, inappropriate. BACK

"Shul" - Yiddish; synagogue BACK

"Mispallelim" - people who are praying BACK

"Mitzva" - a command of G-d, specified in the Torah, such as Kashrut and Shabbat Observance BACK

"Baruch She'amar" - the beginning of a prayer, "Blessed is the One Who spoke," that marks the beginning of the Section of the Prayers known as "Psukei D'Zimrah," "Verses of Songs-of-Praise," and the point after which it is not permitted to speak BACK

"Krias HaTorah" - the public reading of a portion of the Torah in the Synagogue, during which one is not permitted to speak BACK

"Bein Adam le'Atzmo" - an obligation between an individual and him-or-herself BACK

"Daven" - to pray BACK

"Yeshivos" - institutions of Jewish Learning for boys and young men BACK

"Bais Yaakov" - institutions of Jewish Learning for girls and young women BACK

"Tefillos" - Prayers BACK

"Kavana be'tefilla" - Concentration on the meaning of the prayers BACK

"Shiurim" - Classes on Jewish subject matter BACK

"Siddurim" - Books of Jewish Prayer BACK

"Seforim" - Books BACK

"Mashlich karcho K'fitim" - "He hurls his ice like crumbs" (Tehilim/Psalms 147) BACK

"Shloh" - Rabbi Isaiah ben Avraham Ha-Levi Horowitz (1565-1630), a renowned expert on Jewish Law and Kabbalah. Known as the "Shloh" after the title of one of his major works, "Shnei Luchos Ha-Bris," "Two Tablets of the Covenant." BACK

"Dayan" - a judge in matters of Jewish Law BACK