Kawwana

Kawwana (כוונה, plural : Kawwanot כוונות) is a Hebrew word and comes from the root k - w - n , from which words with the meaning "aim, intend" are derived. Kawwana means intention, devotion , devotion (when fulfilling the mitzvot and especially in prayer ).

Kawwana in Judaism in general

Kawwana describes the devotion in prayer, a meditative immersion. It can take place during free prayer, but it can also take a text from the Torah or the Zohar as a starting point. Since Salomon Sulzer at the latest , it has become the ideal to transfer the Kawwana as a transcendent orientation of the mind during prayer to the community.

Kawwana with Isaak Luria

For the Kabbalist Isaak Luria , too , the Kawwana means devotion to prayer. His Kawwana prayer now has the intention to restore the original unity of God and creation and is in the context of Luria's idea of the Tikkun .

literature

Gershom Scholem : The Jewish mysticism in its main currents (= Suhrkamp-Taschenbuch Wissenschaft 330). 1st edition, reprint. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 2009, ISBN 978-3-518-27930-4 .
Chajim Bloch : The heavenly judgment. Kabbalistic legends. With an introduction and edited by Manfred Baumotte . LVH, Hannover 2001 ISBN 3-7859-0841-5 .
Friedrich Weinreb : Letters of Life. The Hebrew alphabet. Told according to Jewish tradition. 2nd Edition. Thauros-Verlag, Weiler 1990, ISBN 3-88411-038-1 .