North Star Conversations Transcript: The Mindfulness of Prayer—Rabbi Steven Stark Lowenstein
Rabbi Steven Lowenstein reflects on prayer as a mindfulness practice—an act of collective breathing and connection to G-d—while Dr. Brandon Gimbel explores how shared ritual can quiet the mind.
Brandon Gimbel (00:00)
What about prayer itself as a practice of mindfulness?
Rabbi Steven Stark Lowenstein (00:04)
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you. That's literally a prayer that we say at the end of silent prayer every single time we pray. יִהְיוּ לְרָצוֹן אִמְרֵי־פִי So yes, prayer is this amazing entree into that mindfulness, whether it's reading an English prayer, reciting a Hebrew prayer, whether it's poetry, whether it's prose, those words are incredibly, incredibly helpful.
Brandon Gimbel (00:29)
I've always found it to be very powerful with the responsive readings at synagogue, where the leader reads their part and then the whole congregation together responds. Thoughts on the congregation-wide responsiveness, the group as an entity, and mindfulness?
Rabbi Steven Stark Lowenstein (00:47)
I think it's incredibly powerful. At almost every funeral I ever officiated at, I will always have the congregation respond with the 23rd Psalm. The whole power of the 23rd Psalm is, כִּי אַתָּה עִמָּדִי, that G-d, you are with me. It's fine for me to say it when I'm standing up there, but it's much more powerful to have the congregation say it together to remind themselves that they're not alone, that G-d is with them. G-d isn't just up here with me on the bimah, G-d is with all of you. So I need, I want you to say those words.
Brandon Gimbel (01:20)
The entire exercise of prayer, of group prayer, is taking time away from all the chaos of our individual and shared lives outside of shul and focusing on what's happening at that moment of being connected to each other, being connected to G-d and having some space away from everything else.
Rabbi Steven Stark Lowenstein (01:48)
And that's why I begin every prayer service with "take a deep breath." You're heading into this moment. You need to prepare yourself, you need to ready yourself. Close your eyes, take that deep breath. Let's begin this together. Let's block out that noise so that we can really focus together.