A Guide to Leading Mindful, Embodied Davening, by Rabbi Daniel Liben
“Prayer helps us grow into the people who we are meant to be.” – Rabbi Dan Liben
All of us are looking for ways to enrich our spiritual lives. Some that find standard religious services fill that need. At times though we seek other ways to nourish our soul. Rabbi Daniel Liben has developed a mindfulness-based prayer service which we are calling Tefilat HaNeshama/Prayer of the Soul to encourage congregants to develop Jewish prayer as a spiritual practice, supported by parallel practices, including meditation and chanting.
FJMC is in a unique position to share this service with our synagogues along with the materials, tools, audio files and training to enhance their spiritual offerings and to provide the leadership to implement this initiative. As we enter a new era, FJMC hopes that by adding a new dimension to the prayer experience, we will at the same time, strengthen the sense of community in our synagogues and ultimately lead to a more robust Conservative/Masorti Movement. Like a meditation session or a yoga class, morning davening can be a spiritual practice, one that helps us to develop wholeness, healing and compassion in our lives.
For answers regarding the mindfulness service, contact .
In our Mindfulness Service Guide, Rabbi Liben presents our philosophy of setting goals and using prayer to help us become the people we were meant to be. We suggest you read the up front sections including the forward by Rabbi Jonathan Slater’s from the Institute of Jewish Spirituality. It provides a wonderful lead-in to where this approach can take us. Then print out the Sample Service and highlight the sections you plan on using on a particular day.
The Mindfulness Service Leaders Guide can be downloaded by anyone from our website. It contains links to the chants/meditations within the document. This video contains a complete Mindfulness Service. Our YouTube Mindfulness Playlist has short clips of a variety of ways to conduct the different parts of the service as well as a number of full services.
Page numbers are for the Sim Shalom full version / Sim Shalom weekday version.
| No. | Page | Chant |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Settling in Audio; Niggun Tishrei – Nava Tehila | |
| 2 | 2 / 1 | Modah Ani (Version 2) |
| 3 | Not in siddur | Zeh Dodi V’ Zeh Re’i |
| 4 | Not in siddur | Halo Chai Ani: I Am Alive |
| 5 | 7 / 4 | Miraculous Bodies Audio |
| 6 | 8 / 4 | Elohai Neshama SheNatata Bi Tehora Hi (Start at the beginning or at the second part at 1:22. English version begins at 2:39) |
| 7 / 4 | Ve’ahavta L’Re’echa Kamocha | |
| 7 | 10 / 4 | Ve’Ahavta L’Re’echa Kamocha (Similar to our version. Start at 2:25) |
| 8 | 52 / 14 | English chanting followed by Elecha Adonai Ekrah |
| 9 | 54 / 16 | Baruch SheAmar (3 part) – Shefa Gold |
| 10 | 80 / 21 | Ashrei |
| 11 | 80 / 21 | Michael Strassfeld’s Hassidic Ashre Ha’am She’Kacha Lo |
| 12 | 84 / 22 | Psalm 146 (entire Psalm, sung to Leonard Cohen’s Halleluyah) |
| 13 | 86 / 24 | Psalm 148 (first eight lines, to melody by Nava Tehila) |
| 14 | 88 / 25 | Psalm 150 (Sufi chant); Kol HaNeshama by Joey Weisenberg |
| 15 | 92 / 27 | Ozi v’ Zimrah |
| 16 | Not in siddur | Kulam Berurim (Version 1) |
| 17 | 98 / 32 | Rami Shapiro’s “We are loved by an Unending Love” |
| 18 | 98 / 32 | Ahavah Rabba Ahavtanu |
| 19 | 98 / 32 | Ahavah Rabba Ahavtanu 2 |
| 20 | 104 / 35 | English dovening leading into Mi Kamocha |
| 21 | 120 / 44 | Amen chant |
| 22 | 120 / 44 | Oseh Shalom by Nava Tehila |
| 23 | 120 / 44 | Michael Strassberg’s Hassidic Niggun, Amen |
| 24 | 120 / 44 | Oseh Shalom, Shlomo Carlebach |
Rabbi Daniel Liben was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1983, and became the spiritual leader of Temple Israel in 1991. His warm, friendly and caring approach make all who enter the Temple feel at home. The Rabbi is committed to a vision of Temple Israel that supports the needs of Jewish families at every stage of life. In addition to counseling and guiding individuals and families as they face life cycle events, he brings energy and enthusiasm to his role as teacher in a wide range of settings. The Rabbi leads Family Education programs in the Nursery School, discusses the weekly Torah portion with our Religious School students, teaches adults from the bima or in Adult Education classes, and leads Israeli Folk Dancing on Thursday evenings. Rabbi Liben’s leadership has brought focus to Temple Israel’s mission to provide individuals and families with opportunities to learn and grow Jewishly in a nurturing and supportive community.
Underwritten by the New England Region of FJMC.
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