Shaliach Tzibbur
Our discussion began with questions. In what ways did we want to engage the community - through group learning, group conversation, liturgy or a combination of all three? What sort of questions were we, as rabbinical students, currently addressing--through our studies or through work--regarding prayer? As rabbis we will often be in the position of leading prayer for our community. How do we both have an experience of prayer for ourselves and facilitate an experience for others? This question brought to our minds the role of one who facilitates prayer, the shaliach tzibbur. Knowing that we wanted to explore the relationship between G-d, the shaliach tzibbur and the kahal, we became interested in how the shaliach tzibbur simultaneously maintains a relationship with G-d and with the kahal, keeping the connection between all parts of the triangle (as Ebn diagrams it) alive. Whether leading prayer or participating with the community, what is our awareness like during tefilah?
Dynamic Tension
We knew that we wanted to draw on the shared knowledge of our rabbinical student community and to
Friday, October 30, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
1. Unity and Freedom
Starting with a Question
In brainstorming with Ebn, we decided we wanted to start with a specific question, "What's tefillah about?" as a prompt for a one word answer, and to think about that idea in terms of movement, and finally build the process of the session around that idea. We took the "answer" of "close and distant" and explored how we could create a movement process with this theme. Do we want to involve touch (sitting back to back - coming away and back towards the other person)?
Body Awareness
In any case, we wanted to keep the movement simple, and decided to start with body awareness - perhaps by doing a "body scan" and perhaps 5 Rhythms. The way Ebn framed body awareness was using the image of a landing strip and talking about "how many bulbs are lit up around body". Ebn also brought up the idea of increasing people's "body literacy": how one movement affects other parts of body.
In brainstorming with Ebn, we decided we wanted to start with a specific question, "What's tefillah about?" as a prompt for a one word answer, and to think about that idea in terms of movement, and finally build the process of the session around that idea. We took the "answer" of "close and distant" and explored how we could create a movement process with this theme. Do we want to involve touch (sitting back to back - coming away and back towards the other person)?
Body Awareness
In any case, we wanted to keep the movement simple, and decided to start with body awareness - perhaps by doing a "body scan" and perhaps 5 Rhythms. The way Ebn framed body awareness was using the image of a landing strip and talking about "how many bulbs are lit up around body". Ebn also brought up the idea of increasing people's "body literacy": how one movement affects other parts of body.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Visions of a Movement Minyan, Part 1
"Movement Minyan"
In our initial planning discussion with Ebn, Adina and I began to articulate the goals of the Movement Minyan. Our broad goal was to create a "laboratory" that explores a specific question over a series of sessions, and figure out how to learn about it through movement (i.e., the question of "What is tefillat tzibbur," or communal prayer).
Dance as Prayer
One question we wanted to explore before planning our sessions was, assuming we can pray in a non-verbal mode, what makes dance "prayer", rather than non-prayerful movement? Some of the factors we suggested were the way the movement space would be set up, people's internal experience of the movement, and the time that the movement happens.
Body and Practice
In creating our specific sessions, we decided we wanted to start with an introductory session to introduce people to their bodies and their relationship to Jewish practice. Part of the goal of this was
In our initial planning discussion with Ebn, Adina and I began to articulate the goals of the Movement Minyan. Our broad goal was to create a "laboratory" that explores a specific question over a series of sessions, and figure out how to learn about it through movement (i.e., the question of "What is tefillat tzibbur," or communal prayer).
Dance as Prayer
One question we wanted to explore before planning our sessions was, assuming we can pray in a non-verbal mode, what makes dance "prayer", rather than non-prayerful movement? Some of the factors we suggested were the way the movement space would be set up, people's internal experience of the movement, and the time that the movement happens.
Body and Practice
In creating our specific sessions, we decided we wanted to start with an introductory session to introduce people to their bodies and their relationship to Jewish practice. Part of the goal of this was
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