Should we pray? Granted, prayer has been a key feature of Jewish life for four millennia. But what is its goal, how is it done, and why are ancient and formal rituals relevant to us nowadays?

This course, A Work of Heart, flings the cover off the Jewish prayer book, the prayer services, and the synagogue—exposing the beating and beautiful heart of prayer that breathes within. It reveals prayer as an art and an opportunity, a means of human-to-G-d bonding, a journey of self-discovery, a perspective changer, and an exercise in self-empowerment.

Like every specialized art, prayer must be learned. A Work of Heart travels the principles, liturgy, and mysticism underlying the Jewish prayers in a soulful journey of seven lessons.

 
 

Lesson 1. A Work Of Soul

A New Paradigm for Prayer
Date: Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Time: 10:30am - 12:00pm (zoom class at 7:30pm)

There are many reasons not to pray: We may have degrees to earn, bills to pay, diapers to change, and so on. Amid life’s rapid barrage of indispensables, many feel that prayer simply does not earn itself a time slot. Some might consider that speaking to an unseen Being is too ethereal for realistic consideration. Others might argue that they have it all and feel no need to appeal to Heaven. And there are those who need and believe in prayer—but are bored by or turned off by the liturgy, congregational elements, or ritualistic nuances of formal prayers.

This lesson explores the ultimate purpose of prayer—to foster a deep and meaningful connection with G-d—and it demonstrates the ways in which prayer facilitates this remarkable achievement.

 

Lesson 2. A Work Of Pleas

Understanding the Mechanics of Petition
Date: Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Time: 10:30am - 12:00pm (zoom class at 7:30pm)

Prayer is mostly seen to be synonymous with petitioning G-d for things we need or desire. This raises a storm of questions: If we believe that G-d determines precisely what we should have, is it not insolent or heretical to ask G-d for something different? Why should G-d pay attention to our appeals for alterations to the Divine plan? Do we even have the power to influence that plan?

This lesson dives into the illuminating wisdom of Jewish mysticism to discover how prayer works. It delineates a complex process through which G-d interacts with the world and its inhabitants—that includes a method of overriding that process to influence its practical outcome. Key to this endeavor is praying with the appropriate approach and frame of mind, as explored in this lesson. We further discover that the apparently self-serving act of praying for our needs is pivotal to fostering an intimate relationship with G-d.

 

Lesson 3. A Work Of Ascent

Making Sense of Liturgy, One Step at a Time
Date: Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Time: 10:30am - 12:00pm (zoom class at 7:30pm)

In a stereotypical scene, Jews lovingly open a prayer book and instantly sway into the Heavens: Words flow, emotions soar, and faces are radiant and relaxed. In reality, many Jews stare in dismay at a confusing jumble of verses, oblivious to their structure, reason, or rhythm. Many do not even bother with books, preferring the guidance of their own heartstrings over one-size-fits-all printed texts.

This lesson exposes the Jewish prayer book as a critical tool in building a relationship with G-d; explores its function, structure, and goals; and demonstrates that its use must obey the dynamics of all genuine relationships: proper prayer demands time, patience, and an unavoidably gradual process.

 

Lesson 4. A Work Of Praise

Finding G-d in our World
Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Time: 10:30am - 12:00pm (zoom class at 7:30pm)

In the Pesukei Dezimra, we sing G-d’s praises for the wonderful world He created. But why is this concept an integral segment of our daily prayers? Does G-d really need to hear us admire His work?

This lesson reframes our understanding of Pesukei Dezimra. G-d is so infinitely great and amazing that it is natural for us to feel that He is distant and unrelatable. When we sing G-d’s praises in Pesukei Dezimra, we are primarily addressing ourselves; we reflect on the wonders of the natural world and view it all as a manifestation of G-d’s great kindness. The Pesukei Dezimra prayers train us to look at the universe through the lens of our G-dly soul and to perceive its spiritual purpose.

 

Lesson 5. A Work of Transcendence

Achieving True Transcendence in Prayer
Date: Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Time: 10:30am - 12:00pm (zoom class at 7:30pm)

There are moments when spontaneous wonder evokes a sense of connection with G-d. It may be the birth of a child, a splendid sunrise, a landscape, or the intricate marvels of G-d’s universe unveiled by modern science. All of these are akin to grasping at G-d’s hand that is present within the confines of our universe. But is G-d not far greater than the universe? Is there not much more to G-d than His voluntary service as the Creator? And if we assume that G-d is infinitely beyond Creation, can a minuscule mortal dare to claim a meaningful relationship with G-d?

This lesson transforms these questions into a springboard into the heart of the next stage of the Jewish prayers: climbing beyond G-d-the-Creator to explore deeper aspects of G-d’s Self. The tool for achieving this heightened awareness is the celebrated Shema prayer and its preparatory liturgy. We ponder the concept of a G-d who utterly transcends the universe while paradoxically remaining intimately involved and accessible. The lesson’s profound insights empower our personal relationships with G-d with fresh understanding and enthusiasm, and these insights inspire us to venture beyond the confines of our own inner universes.

 

Lesson 6. A Work Of Synthesis

Synthesizing Divinity and Materiality in the Amidah
Date: Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Time: 10:30am - 12:00pm (zoom class at 7:30pm)

It is widely assumed that we must choose between spirituality and self-refinement on the one hand, and swimming further into a murky sea of materialism on the other. If we choose the more ascetic option, then a brief examination of our prayer book is a cause for dismay; it contains bewildering dissonance: Prayer is supposed to foster spiritual refinement and a soulful bond with the Divine, but our prayers are replete with pleadings for materialistic needs—money, health, success, and the like. The paradox seems inescapable.

This lesson examines the frontlines of the dissonance: the extensive Amidah prayer. The Amidah sits squarely at the pinnacle of the service. It represents the peak of angelic holiness—the ultimate connection point with G-d. Its content, conversely, reads like a list of material demands. The lesson compels us to reconsider all we knew or assumed about the relationship between spirituality, G-d, and our tangible needs. This seeming contradiction gives way to a brilliant appreciation of prayer, G-d, and our purpose on planet Earth.

 

Lesson 7. A Work Of Alliance

Finding Meaning in Communal Prayer
Date: Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Time: 10:30am - 12:00pm (zoom class at 7:30pm)

Judaism’s prioritization of communal prayer is perplexing: if prayer is to provide individual hearts and souls with a voice to communicate personally with G-d, to facilitate contemplation and reflection, to enhance the ability to sense G-d’s presence in our personal lives, and to advance a relationship with the Divine—then private settings seem more conducive than cloistered halls.

This lesson scrutinizes the function of communal prayer and identifies critical elements that are absent when praying solo. It demonstrates that group prayer is indispensable to achieving our ultimate goals in prayer. It also examines practical approaches for balancing the profoundly personal aspects of prayer with the critical communal elements, allowing a worshipper to achieve the best of both approaches.