Look also at the Rambam, especially at the end of the Guide, where he basically says that meditative prayer is the only true prayer, and that everything else is just leading up to it. How today’s davening could ever lead to meditative prayer is beyond me.

“R. Huna further said in the name of R. Meir: A man’s words should always be few in addressing the Holy One, blessed be He, since it says, Be not rash with thy mouth and let not thy heart be hasty to utter a word before God,’ for God is in heaven and thou upon earth; therefore let thy words be few.”

Here’s my ideal service:

Start with 10-15 minutes of meditative chanting. I’d just have everyone recite the text of Baruch She’amar over and over again.

Follow that up with barchu through Amidah (heicha kedusha) - 20 minutes. Break up into Chavruta for some study of the parsha for 30 minutes(triennial cycle), followed by laining and a speech/shiur (30 - 40 minutes). Go directly from eitz chayim hee into heicha kedusah musaf, then aleinu, then kiddush.

Trim the fat, make davening a participatory experience that encourages reflection and requires bringing something of yourself, not being a passive audience-member. And enough with mumbling so many words! Let’s say fewer words, but really try to mean them.

It’s time to reshuffle the whole service.

Can we agree that musaf is a problem? A fourth amidah doesn’t really make sense in a culture which doesn’t have three daily amidot. Focusing on the korbanot doesn’t make senses in a culture that really doesn’t want wild fanatics raising red heiffers and self-appointed sanhedrins blowing up mosques.

But in traditional services, we have musaf in the prime real estate, right between the sermon and the kiddush.

So why not try something like this:

Brachot hashacha / in-lieu-of-korbanot torah study / musaf amida (with heichi kedusha)

Psukei d’zimra (selected, but sung) / Nishmat

Triennial Torah Service / Storatelling

Barchu / Kriat Shma / Shacharit Amida

Sermon

Ashrei / misc. psalms / Aleinu

This arrangement brings actual davening front and center in the service.

10:00 am: For davening fanatics

10:30 am: Hear the bar mitzvah boy

11:00 Daven with the community

11:30 Hear the rabbi

12:00 eat

Or, in these post-modern, siddur-equipped times, it might make sense to shuffle all of this about.

What do you think?

You make some very interesting points here and in many of your previous posts. Social dynamics that have become ingrained and are hard to change. However, with patience, tolerance, and mutual respect, I think anything can be done. Bravo to you on taking the first step.

suitepotato, it’s actually me least favorite Bowie song… in any case, what I’m seeing in the independent minyan movement is that learning happens in person. Orthodox communities are probably the ones most engaged in online learning.