Classes with Rabbi Ben-Gideon

After Kiddush Classes | Davening on Your Own Terms

Members, Free ; Non-Members $75 | Register Here

Davening On Your Own Terms: Navigating the Siddur (Prayerbook) with Confidence

Like most congregations that I know, our sanctuary is the primary crossroads of our community. In our sacred space, we convene to pray, celebrate holidays, celebrate lifecycle moments like b’nai mitzvah, births, birthdays, and anniversaries, welcome new members, etc.. But not all of us find it easy to be joyful, or express other emotions, in our sanctuary because we feel unfamiliar with, distant from, or perhaps even uncomfortable with the primary activity we do there – pray.

Jewish prayer (davening) is hard. It is in a second language that few of us can fully understand. It is a fixed liturgy in a world that increasingly customizes things to our exact preferences. It is complex, replete with biblical and rabbinic imagery that is explored like a series of caves going deeper and deeper into meaning. And to top it all off, when we walk into synagogues, very many of us suffer from imposter syndrome, feeling like everyone there knows more than we do, and can see right through us.

And that is all before we get to the spiritual elephant in the room: God. When I was a child, God, and in fact all forms of religious living were so foreign to my experience that the few times I did come into contact with them, I remember feeling tremendous unease bordering on fear. Then, when I did get involved in a synagogue and felt like an imposter deep down in my bones, the Siddur (prayerbook), a tool that should have been my help and support, felt more like a snare or trap.

Daven on Your Own Terms is a series of classes over seven weeks designed to help you navigate all the challenges described above. Learn to use the Siddur as your anchor and guide when you walk into any Jewish community in the world. Find your comfort zone in Jewish prayer.

Over the course of seven weeks, we will:

• Learn about the spiritual journey each service is designed to take us on.
• Get comfortable navigating around the Siddur (prayer book).
• Master the choreography of davening (the act of Jewish prayer).
• Build deep and personal meaning in key parts of the liturgy.
• Learn to use the Siddur to relate to God and Tradition on your own terms.

Learners of all backgrounds and experience levels are welcome. Classes are free for Congregation Habonim members. Non-members may join for a nominal $75 fee, which covers all seven sessions.

Our primary text will be Lev Shalem, our congregation’s siddur for Shabbat and holidays, which will be available in class. Participants are encouraged to bring a Siddur Shalem (“complete prayerbook”) for reference, as it’s an invaluable resource for any Jewish home. Since the Conservative Movement has not published a comprehensive siddur since Sim Shalom (1986), a strong option is the Koren Siddur Shalem.

All sessions start at 7:30 PM

January 21st

January 28th

February 4th

February 11th

February 25th

March 4th

March 11th