5787/2026 Rabbi's Message

In a poem by Rabbi Dr Jonathan Magonet, the former principal of the Leo Baeck College in London, he describes the difference between liturgy, the order of prayer, and prayer itself:

Liturgy defines the Community that prays

Prayer is the offering of each individual

Liturgy affirms the values of that Community

Prayer sets those values on our lips and in our hearts

Liturgy describes the boundaries of a community

Prayer locates us within creation as a whole

Liturgy invites our emotions

Prayer refines our emotions

Liturgy begins with the world we know

Prayer suggests worlds to be explored

This distinction points to a larger tension at the core of Jewish prayer between two important Jewish concepts – keva and kavanah. Keva, meaning “routine” or “structure,” refers to the fixed forms of the prayers, the words we say time after time, the order in which we say them.  Kavanah, meaning “intention” or “focus,” refers to the meaning we infuse into the prayers and the feelings and ideals with which we engage in them.  Without keva, the prayers have no focus, no communal meaning, no guarantee that they will elevate our thoughts to higher ideals rather than simply reflect our personal interests and concerns.  Without kavanah, however, prayer can be empty, rote words and ritual done out of habit and without heart and soul.  

When we come together in prayer, both the intentionality of kavanah and the structure of keva are essential and the balance between them defines us.  As Reform Jews, we are happy to change the keva of our prayer, updating it, being creative with it. The order of service stays the same, but we change words, tunes, instrumentation in order to better adapt to and reflect the kavanah in each era and in each community. 

And that interplay of keva and kavanah could also be applied to other aspects of Jewish life.  Our space is the “keva” and the people and activities with engage with in that building is the “kavanah.” A synagogue is traditionally a beit midrash (house of learning), a beit t’filah (house of prayer), and a beit knesset (house of meeting). Each of these is reflected in different ways in the space in which we meet. As with prayers, the structure of a temple building shapes the community within, and is shaped by it. As a congregation, we have been shaped by our history in our building at 910 Madison, and it was shaped by us, growing and adapting to fit the needs of the times, adding the social hall, classrooms, and offices as needed.  And we have adapted our current space and made it fit our needs for the moment.  

As we look towards a new year and our future in a new space, we don’t yet know for sure what that will look like or where it will be.  That can be scary but also exciting.  Together, we can shape the space that will shape us going forward.  We can ensure that our building “keva” reflects our communal “kavanah,” our essence, our energy, our people, for years to come. 

L’Shanah Tovah u’Metukah,

Rabbi Ilan Emanuel