For four weeks I have been in the other room, the library,the chapel, in the alternative, experiential, experimental service. It has given our lay leaders an opportunity to work on their davvening skills and they have done a great job. We have had lay leaders give d’vrei Torah, and they have taught us well. From each of them I have learned something and for that I am grateful.

Each week in the other room, we have learned something too. Our conversations have sparkled. Our discussions have been graced with the presence of G-d. The conversations have been enriching and illuminating. From time to time they gave me goosebumps.

What were we doing in there? We were discussing why we pray and what we want out of a prayer experience. For some it was simple. Praying is an opportunity to praise G-d, to give thanks. For others it is an opportunity to slow down and let the words wash over them in a meditative way. For others it is the chance to achieve some sense of balance.

We talked about three different kinds of prayer: praise, petition and thanksgiving.

We wrestled with some Hebrew and learned that Siddur Sim Shalom doesn’t always translate accurately. For instance in the Hoda’ot, the prayer of Thanksgiving which starts Modim Ananchu Lach, the translation says “We proclaim that you are the Lord…” More accurately it says “We thank to You.” Or in smoother English, “We give thanks to You,” Or “We gratefully acknowledge….” That sense of thanksgiving permeates our worship.

Every time we say a blessing, “Baruch Atah Adonai,” we are giving thanks, even if it is hard to do, Baruch Atah Adonai….yotzer or, who forms light, uvorei hoshech, and creates darkness, oseh shalom, who makes peace, uvorei et hakol and creates all things. Really, G-d creates all things? Does that mean G-d creates evil? Even if we are not comfortable with that, our tradition seems to answer yes.

Or “Baruch Dayan Ha-emet, blessed is the true Judge” which we recite upon hearing of someone’s death. This conversation spilled over on a Sunday morning. Some of my students wrestled with saying blessings for bad things. What would you say if you spilled something and it stained your clothes? Their answer: “Blessed are you for laundry detergent.” Or if you bit into an apple and found a worm? “Blessed are you for giving us worms to enrich the earth.”

Even, dare I say it, snow can be a blessing. While the rabbis have a blessing for rain and even for hail, they miss having one for snow. There is Hebrew for snow, shelig and it is mentioned in the Psalms. This week snow fell on Mount Hermon. There is a great picture online of IDF soldiers training in the snow and having fun. So our students write blessings for snow. “Blessed are You who gives us snow in its seasons—who provides hot chocolate and snow days, who gives us delight, and laughter.” Worried about driving, the kids have you covered too. “Who taught us about salt and provides strength to shovel and plow.”

This is an important lesson. It teaches our students that they can pray from the heart. It teaches us that we can too.

When we spoke about the difference between keva, the fixed structure of the service and kavanah, the intention behind the words, one student said she would be worried that she wouldn’t say the right words, that she would get it wrong. I think many of us feel that way and are afraid to pray, “off the book.” We worry that we have to say the words just so or we have to “davven”, pray, in Hebrew or that we have to say every word in the prayer book in order for it to count.

The Chassidic rabbis teach us about prayer. About the little boy who didn’t know any Hebrew. There are at least two versions of this story. In one case he took out a chalil, a flute, and blew a note. The congregants were aghast. He was violating the sanctity of the sanctuary; he was violating Shabbat; it was an affront to G-d. The rebbe assured them that his note, with that pure kavanah, intention behind it, propelled all of their prayers to heaven. In the other version the kid is saying the aleph bet. Aleph bet vet, aleph bet vet, and in his head he is saying, “Lord I don’t know the way to pray, but you can take the letters and assemble them into the words.”

The Chassidic rebbes teach us about joy. It is OK to sing. It is OK to dance. Just watch the young yeshiva boys coming down from the Old City of Jerusalem into the Western Wall plaza on a Friday night to welcome Shabbat. Their dancing is filled with joy.

We learned that we speak to G-d through our prayers and that G-d can speak to us through the words of Torah. Or through that still small voice that Elijah heard. We learned that we can pray in Hebrew or in whatever language we understand best.

And each week there was something to learn about the nature of prayer from the Torah itself.

• In Genesis Chapter 14, we learned that a non-Israelite, King Melchizedek of Salem, a priest, a cohain, of the Most High, El Elyon, brought out bread and wine (sound familiar?) Baruch Avram L’El Elyon, Blessed be Abram of G-d most high, Creator of Heaven and Earth, And blessed be God most High, who has delivered your foes into your hand. When we say in the Avot prayer, “Magain Avraham, the Shield of Abraham, that language comes from the Torah, this very portion when G-d says, “Fear not, I am a shield to you, Anochi Magain Lach.”

• We learned that because Abraham argued with G-d, that we need to have at least 10 people in a minyan. This is the minimum number needed to have a sacred community. And we questioned whether we really need a minyan if it is OK to pray on our own. And so we learned that on the other hand, according to Pirke Avot, even if two people discuss Torah, G-d is present.

• We learned that each person has a different experience of prayer, of G-d, that we have Shacharit because Abraham got up early in the morning. Mincha, because Isaac mediated in the field and Ma’ariv because Jacob was a dreamer and when he awoke he said, “God was in this place and I did not know it.” In the words of Mishkan Tefilah, “Our ancestors prayed, each through their own experience of God, each through their own visions which we have come to share. Abraham with the fervor of justice, pleaded the cause of cities. Sarah, in the pain of waiting, dared to hope for new life. Isaac, meditating alone in the field, lifted his eyes to find love. Rebecca asked for the ability to discern God’s call. Jacob climbed the rungs of his night into heaven, seeking destiny. Leah dreamed of love; and Rachel sought harmony. We as they seek God’s presence.” Richard Levy in Mishkan Tefilah.

• We learned that G-d comforted Abraham after his circumcision, and thus we learned that we should visit the sick—and that we can pray for healing. We learned that sometimes, G-d comes in the presence of a messenger thus we should welcome guests and be kind to the stranger. And that each messenger has just one function. So that three angels, messengers can to visit Abraham. And Abraham rushed to serve them. Then two went to Sodom and Gemorrah.

• We learned the root of the word Baruch, berekh which really means kneel. So that when the camels kneel, they are not really blessing Isaac!

As part of the prayer experience, we learned that G-d remembered (zachor) Rachel. Why? What does it mean to remember? The same verb is used about G-d remembering Noah. How do we compare Rachel to Noah. G-d remembered Noah too. What does this mean about our own prayers?

Does it differ from G-d took note of? This is the ‘pakad’ of Sarah. G-d took note, pakad Sarah.

Sometimes these kinds of questions, the deep reading of the text may seem like just a word game. But I don’t think so. I think it is what enriches our prayer experience and brings us closer to G-d, which is something that I at least want out of prayer.

Just before Thanksgiving, our small group discussed the difference between thankful and grateful. A careful reading and a great discussion that extended into Kiddush, the social hour after services led us to conclude that there is a difference. I always thought they were synonyms. One person sees grateful as internal and thankful as reaching out or being active.

An internet search suggests maybe It seems we use grateful to talk about how we feel when someone is kind to us or does us a favor: for instance, when writing a thank you note you might say, “Thank you for the meal your brought to us when we were sick. We are so grateful.” Or “I would be grateful if you would send me information on your company for a school project.” Or we use thankful when we are relieved that something unpleasant or dangerous didn’t happen. After an accident for instance someone might say, “There was some damage to the car but I am thankful that there were no injuries.” That might be the sense the Puritans had. They were thankful to have survived the winter and that they had food from the harvest.”

I am grateful for the opportunity to play with these words, to think deeply about prayer, to watch with delight as our conversations sparkle. And to hope that G-d will remember and take note of us today.