introduction Information
What is the holiest part of davening?
Shemonah Esrei
What should your position be when you daven Shemonah Esrei?
standing with feet together
What do we ask for in Atah Chonein?
why do we need that?
the knowledge and memory we need (to think, to do basic actions like brushing teeth, to speak, to make good decisions)
What do we ask Hashem for in bareich Aleinu
to give our families and all the Jews enough money and whatever else we need
In Atah Kadosh, we talk about Hashem's kedusha- how He is separate and higher than anything else and all good.
How can we connect to Hashem's kedusha?
davening, mitzvos, Torah,
acting like Hashem ( being giving to others, being forgiving etc.)
Why is tefillah like a key?
it unlocks the bracha and good things Hashem has waiting for us (he wants us to ask because it builds our relationship with Him)
Can you talk or communicate during Shemonah Esrei?
No- you are alone with Hashem in the throneroom!
What do we ask Hashem to help us with in Hashiveinu Avinu?
To help us do teshuvah- get rid of the stains on our neshama from aveiros, which helps us be close to Hashem and want to do the right thing
What do we ask Hashem for in T'ka B'shofar?
to blow the shofar that will announce the geula and bring us all back to Eretz Yisroel.
If I take medicine to heal me, why do I ask Hashem to heal me?
Hashem is the one who is causing the healing. He wants you to put in effort, but if you get better it's only because He recreates you differently.
(The fact that most of the time, you get better when you take medicine is so that we have to work hard to see Hashem. When we work hard, that makes us better people, and earns us amazing reward in Olam Haba.
If it was so clear that what happens is up to Him and not in our control, we would all know clearly that Hashem exists and do what he wants.
If I don't get what I davened for, did my tefillah go to waste?
NO- Hashem saves it and uses it to give the whole world good. He hears you, but sometimes, like with a parent, the answer is no if it's not good for you (yet).
How do we bow for Baruch Atah Hashem (in the first bracha and Modim)?
bend knees by Baruch, bow your back at Atah, straighten/stand up at Hashem.
What do we ask Hashem in Selach Lanu?
to forgive us
What do we ask Hashem for in Hashiva Shofteinu?
Return our fair Torah judges. (This way, we will get the advice we need, and it will be easier for people to do the right thing, the world will be safer)
Why do we daven to go back to Eretz Yisroel with the Geula?
We could go to eretz Yisroel right now. What's the difference?
When we have the Beis HaMikdash, we feel Hashem's presence much more clearly.
You will want to do the right thing, you will feel very happy, all the pain and confusion in the world will go away.
We will get reward beyond our imagination for all of our hard work to be good.
How many brachos are in Shemonah Esrei?
18+1 (that was added later)
What direction do we face when we daven Shemonah Esrei?
toward the Beis Hamikdash (so we face Eretz Yisroel, which is EAST- Mizrach.)
What do we ask Hashem for in Re'ei VaAnyeinu?
to see our pain and save us from the big and little hardships ( things that are hard for us or make us sad) in our lives.
What do we talk about in the first bracha- Avos
a) Zechus Avos- We remind Hashem that we are the children of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov (in their zechus, we get a lot of good things we don't deserve. Also, we have their greatness in us.)
b) Hashem is in control (so He and only He can give us whatever we need) and so kind (He wants to give us what we need and want. He only wants what's good for us.
If there are so many people in the world davening Shemonah Esrei, What difference does my davening make?
Every time I daven, there are things in the world that need fixing that only MY davening can fix.
It's like a puzzle. When someone else davens, they put in THEIR piece, but only I can put in MY piece.
Why is saying Shemonah Esrei like pressing a button and not seeing what happens?
The Anshei Knesses HaGedolah put so much power in the words that when we say Shemonah Esrei, its like pressing a button that makes so many good things happen. We don't see the effects, but it's very powerful.
What are the 2 most important things to have in mind when you daven Shemonah Esrei?
1) That you are standing before Hashem
2) The meaning of the words
What do we ask Hashem for in Refaeinu?
to heal sick people, to keep us healthy
What do we talk about in the second bracha- Gevuros?
Hashem can do anything- even bring the dead back to life- and has such mercy.
All power and strength belong to him.
What are the 3 categories of the brachos in Shemonah Esrei?
The first 3 brachos are Shevach- praise,
the next 13 are Bakashah- requests (things we ask for, Hodaah- thanks
The last 3 are Hodaah- thanks