There is a notion that exists among some, that when it comes to davening, עבודה שבלב, Chasidic davening is, by default, superior than non-Chasidic davening. And not just slightly better, but greatly so, of a different nature and a different class almost.
But is that actually true?
Not long ago, I saw an article at a Lubavitch website, in which a Lubavitcher Rosh Yeshiva strongly chastised his fellow Chasidim for their dismal level of davening, their speeding in it, and lack of kavannah. And the truth is, one can see the same in more than a few other places, in other Chasidic groups as well.
In the old days, Chasidim used to claim that non-Chasidim daven without heart, and with rapidity. Now it seems that many of them are the ones that are leading in that. On the other hand, in many non-Chasidic minyanim, especially (but not limited to) yeshivos and yeshiva type minyanim, davening is often on a relatively exalted level, at a measured pace, with limited talking, and a serious atmosphere of כוונה.
Now of course, we are just generalizing here. There is a wide range of variety and level of Chasidic davening, as there is non-Chasidic davening. But I think it should be clear to honest observers, that the notion that Chasidic davening is automatically way above non-Chasidic davening is not true, sometimes is היפך האמת, and should find repose in the dustbin of history.
In fact, there are grounds to suspect that the longer davening of Chasidim (they have additional tefillos that נוסח אשכנז does not have), and their insistence, על פי קבלה, on not skipping things in the סידור, thereby limiting the application of the כלל of טוב מעט בכוונה מהרבות בלא כוונה, contributes especially to an excessive speeding while davening problem among them, as some people feel compelled to recite many pages in a limited time, which they can only accomplish by speed davening. This is even more acute of an issue in the modern era, when we grapple with an additional reported problem of short attention spans among many.
May Hashem help us merit the fulfillment of וטהר לבנו לעבדך (תרתי משמע - בכלל, וגם עבודה שבלב בפרט) באמת בקרוב.
א גוטען חודש
This is a subject which is near and dear to my heart. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I was born and bred on the Lower East Side. To that point there is a Rabbi who lives in the neighborhood who, I believe, sets the standard for Davening. With no exaggeration he takes approximately 20 minutes to say Shemoneh Esreh. I've observed him for decades and it's awe inspiring. About 2 months ago I asked him how he keeps his concentration for so long and he responded,"I simply focus on Peirush Hamilim. He got Smicha from Rav Moshe so he stands motionless while davening. After he revealed his "secret" to me I've tried to follow his approach and my Shemoneh Esreh now takes twice as long as before. As for Chabad, they generally knock off the Amidah in less than a minute because the Rebbe did the same. I don't think however, that we can make generalizations about Litvaks vs. Chassidim with regard to davening. Unfortunately this is an area which all of us need to improve.
ReplyDeleteOkay, thanks for sharing that. I would say that each person is different. If that person is on a high level and can do that, good for him. On the other hand, most people would find that too long for a typical day. But overall, the main thing is that davening should not just be lip service, and a big race. :)
DeleteHe's special to be sure, and he's also legendary in the neighborhood for his Middos. People like this Rabbi are few and far between, he might be a Lamed Vavnik. You know it's ironic that a Chabad Rosh Yeshiva would be critical of his minions for zipping through Davening. The Chabad leadership has worked diligently for decades to create mindless zombies and now they're upset that these puppets don't daven with Kavanah. Maybe it would help if they put a life sized replica of the Rebbe in their shuls. In a related vein, I've mentioned my Chabad friend in previous posts. The other day he confided in me that he's annoyed by some of his congregants. Basically his minyan is himself and 9 Russian mechalel Yom Kippurs. He's surprised that they not only know nothing(and care less) but they get angry at the slightest provocation and just walk out even if that breaks up what they think is a minyan.. Rav Moshe said that one should devote ten percent of his time in Kiruv but their leadership, starting with you know who, decided that it should not only be 100% but that one should dismiss the efforts of those who devote their lives to the Torah.
ReplyDeleteI hope you will forgive me if I play "devil's advocate" occasionally. I believe Lubavitch do have some kollelim now, there is a new one in C.H. for practical halachah for example. But true, they seem to have very few such institutions (at least in the common meaning of the term), compared to other groups.
DeleteI also was thinking about the davening issue and I think we also need to take into account the differences between davening during the week and on Shabbos and Yom tov. On special days, when people don't go to work, davening is usually slower.
I hope this posting won't get me expelled from the group. I just returned from a local Seudas Moshiach. Yes you read that right. The only thing I can say is that it resembled a Nazi Bundt rally in the 1930's. The Rabbi "proved" beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Rebbe is Moshiach and his revelation is imminent. Listen to his Lomdus. Someone approached the Tzemach Tzedek saying that he had questions of faith. The 3rd Rebbe asked this fellow if he believes that the Czar exists. The doubter said yes to which the Tzemach Tzedek countered,"How do you know for sure, I mean you never saw him." The doubter answered,"I have a relative who has seen him and I trust him." The Tzemach Tzedek then asked him,"Do you trust me?" The man said yes and then the Rebbe said well trust me that there's a G-d. The Rabbi then made his point,"Since we trust the Rebbe and he said that our generation will see Moshiach, all questions are answered." Rabbi Sacks beamed when he said that the Rebbe studied Hitler, i.e. Hitler said he'll find and kill every Jew, while the Rebbe planned to find and save every Jew. That's a nice Chabad soundbite but I'm not buying it for a moment. The real reason the Rebbe studied Hitler was to derive how someone could control the minds of the uber civilized German people. The climax of the dinner featured five minutes of Yechi Adoneinu from almost everyone in attendance. Mind you, this shul and its Rabbis are Chabad moderates. Trust me I know how their fanatics act. It's hard to envision the Chabad conundrum having a positive outcome .
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for the detailed and riveting report.
DeleteHow many people would you say were in attendance?
I wasn't counting but I'd say there were forty people ten of whom were from the Rabbi's family. I had to restrain myself from asking the obvious question how long is a generation? i.e the Rebbe's prophecy was made at least 30 years ago.
ReplyDelete