Proper Kavanah During Shemonah Esrei

Halacha Moment
Jul 7
3 min read

The Daily Halacha Moment - Kavanah During Shemonah Esrei

״כל השונה הלכות בכל יום - מובטח לו שהוא בן

‎העולם הבא״ (נידה עג ע״א, מגילה כח:)

“Anyone who studies Halachot every day is guaranteed that he is destined for the world-to-come” (Megilla 28b, Niddah 73a)

Question:

What kavanah should one have by Shemoneh Esrei?

Answer:

It is essential for a person to have kavanah, focused intention and awareness, when praying Shemoneh Esrei, as this prayer is the heart of the daily tefillah and represents one’s personal audience with Hashem. Ideally, one should concentrate deeply on the meaning of every word throughout the entire Shemoneh Esrei. However, if someone finds it difficult to maintain such sustained kavanah, halacha places special emphasis on the first blessing, the Bracha of Avot (Magen Avraham). One must make a serious effort to have full concentration during this opening Beracha.

If a person failed to have kavanah even during this first Beracha, then according to the strict letter of the law, they are required to repeat the entire Shemoneh Esrei from the beginning [1]. This is because the first Bracha is considered so central that lacking kavanah in it renders the prayer incomplete. Nevertheless, many authorities rule that in our times, given the widespread difficulty people have in attaining proper kavanah and the concern that repeating the prayer may again be done without sufficient focus, one should not repeat Shemoneh Esrei even if they lacked kavanah in the first Beracha [2]. Additionally, some halachic opinions suggest that if one cannot concentrate on the entire Shemoneh Esrei, one should at least focus on two key blessings: the first Bracha (Avot) and the Beracha of Modim, where we express our thanks and acknowledgment to Hashem [3]. These two points of the prayer, one at the opening and one near the end, serve as spiritual anchors that give structure and meaning to the entire Shemoneh Esrei.

Others take a different approach and advise that if one struggles to maintain concentration throughout the prayer, one should at least try to have kavanah at the conclusions of each Beracha, specifically with “Baruch Atah Hashem…” [4].

Sources:

[1]. The Gemara in Berachot 34b quotes a Briata which says that one must have kavana (proper intent) while praying Shemonah Esrei and if one is unable to do so one should at least have kavana in the first Beracha (Magen Avraham). However, in Berachot 30b, Rabbi Elazar makes a general statement that one needs to have kavana while saying Shemonah Esrei and if one doesn’t then one repeats Shemonah Esrei. To resolve the difficulty, Tosfot (Berachot 33b s.v. Yechaven) explains that Rabbi Elazar was only speaking about the first Beracha of Shemonah Esrei. This is also the ruling of the Rosh (Berachot 5:24), Rambam (Tefillah 10:1), and Smag (Asin 19, pg 101b); Tur and Shulchan Aruch 101:1.

[2]. The Tur (O.C. 101:1) writes that nowadays, if one lacked kavanah during the first Bracha of Shemoneh Esrei, one should not repeat it, since there's no assurance they’ll concentrate properly the second time. This is also the ruling of the Rama (101:1). Although the Shulchan Aruch omits this view, indicating disagreement the Birkei Yosef (101:2) notes that the common custom is to follow the Rama. The Kaf HaChaim (101:4) agrees with this as well.

[3]. The Smak (Siman 11 pg 9a) writes that if one is unable to have kavana for the entire Shemonah Esrei one should have kavana at least for the first Beracha and the Beracha of Modim. The Bet Yosef 101:1 wonders as to the source of idea of the Smak. Nonetheless, this idea is brought in the poskim such as the Kaf HaChaim 101:3.

[4]. The Tur 101:1 quotes the Ra'ah (Rabbi Eliezer MeMitz) who says that if one can’t have kavana for the entire Shemonah Esrei one should at least have kavana for the conclusion (Beracha Atta Hashem…) of each Bracha. This is brought by the Levush, Eliyah Rabba 101:2, S”A HaRav 101:1, and Kaf HaChaim 101:1.