Of all the ways to do Jewish personal prayer, speaking spontaneously out loud is the probably the most common, thanks to Rebbe Nachman of Breslov.
Although Rebbe Nachman passed away in 1810, his unique teachings about hisbodedut, or Jewish personal prayer, are still popular today, having influenced generations of people yearning for a personal relationship with God.
There's no need to study Rebbe Nachman's teachings to practice spontaneous personal prayer. You simply begin by speaking out loud to God in your chosen place, at your chosen time and in your native language. There are no requirements as there are with many traditional Jewish prayers.
Rebbe Nachman wrote:
"If at times you find yourself unable to speak to God or even open your mouth, the very fact that you are there before Him wanting and yearning to speak is itself very good. You can even turn your very inability to speak into a prayer. Tell God that you feel so far away that you cannot even speak to Him! Ask Him to have mercy on you and open your mouth to tell Him what you need."
A wonderful thing happens whenever we hear ourselves praying out loud. It is a distinct, undeniable experience. At first, it may feel a bit unfamiliar and awkward. But when we get in the swing of it, there's a rhythm and flow that's familar and comforting. It is our very own.
Rabbis, teachers and leaders often remind us that traditional Jewish prayers are carefully written and time-tested for us to connect mentally, physically and emotionally with our Creator. It is a communal experience for the Jewish people, for all time.
Our personal prayers are spoken outside the framework of the siddur, outside a minyan of ten people praying together and ideally, when we're outside in the great outdoors.
This is a good place for a little historical reality check. Very simply, Jews prayed together and alone without a prayer book for centuries. Remember, the average person could not read.
When the first siddur was written in Babylon in the year 875 CE it was designed for scholars only because they were the educated men (yes, I said men) who could read. And siddurs were hand-written only. Remember, there were no printing presses.
Men did not want their women distracted from household and childcare duties, so that means women were the experts in Jewish personal prayer for centuries. Yes! Women practiced hisbodedut inside and outside their homes long, long before Rebbe Nachman wrote about it.
In 1469, a wealthy Italian Jew commissioned a family siddur and the scribe included several drawings of the man's daughter, Maraviglia, in his hand-written book.
Mercifully, Jewish personal prayer has always been gender neutral. It is bedrock, basic human communication with God, just one human with just one God.
The following audio class is an hour and 18 minute live speech, which may seem 'way too long to talk about hisbodedut. But this man has been talking out loud to God for over 10 years, with fascinating results. (Be patient with the brief introduction. The speech is very easy to hear.)
There's no need to study Rebbe Nachman's teachings to practice spontaneous personal prayer. You simply begin by speaking out loud to God in your chosen place, at your chosen time and in your native language. There are no requirements as there are with many traditional Jewish prayers.
Rebbe Nachman wrote:
"If at times you find yourself unable to speak to God or even open your mouth, the very fact that you are there before Him wanting and yearning to speak is itself very good. You can even turn your very inability to speak into a prayer. Tell God that you feel so far away that you cannot even speak to Him! Ask Him to have mercy on you and open your mouth to tell Him what you need."
Rabbis, teachers and leaders often remind us that traditional Jewish prayers are carefully written and time-tested for us to connect mentally, physically and emotionally with our Creator. It is a communal experience for the Jewish people, for all time.
Our personal prayers are spoken outside the framework of the siddur, outside a minyan of ten people praying together and ideally, when we're outside in the great outdoors.
This is a good place for a little historical reality check. Very simply, Jews prayed together and alone without a prayer book for centuries. Remember, the average person could not read.
When the first siddur was written in Babylon in the year 875 CE it was designed for scholars only because they were the educated men (yes, I said men) who could read. And siddurs were hand-written only. Remember, there were no printing presses.
Men did not want their women distracted from household and childcare duties, so that means women were the experts in Jewish personal prayer for centuries. Yes! Women practiced hisbodedut inside and outside their homes long, long before Rebbe Nachman wrote about it.
In 1469, a wealthy Italian Jew commissioned a family siddur and the scribe included several drawings of the man's daughter, Maraviglia, in his hand-written book.
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| Image by siddur scribe Yo'el ben Shim'on Feibush (Public Domain) |
The following audio class is an hour and 18 minute live speech, which may seem 'way too long to talk about hisbodedut. But this man has been talking out loud to God for over 10 years, with fascinating results. (Be patient with the brief introduction. The speech is very easy to hear.)
Author Dove Elbaum shares his journey in Jewish personal prayer in his 2013 autobiography, including these words, " ...in recent years I have developed a daily dialogue with God through prayers I create, based on my feelings each day." It's not unusual for people to go through phases in their daily, traditional prayers as well as their spontaneous, personal prayers.
This is my fifth post and OneShul video exploring Jewish personal prayer on my own. It's just the beginning of my sharing about my own experience and the experiences I'm collecting from others. Please feel free to share in the comments, or leave a message on 903-642-1449.
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