Ha’Avodah she-ba’Avodah: Exertionary Prayer in Medieval Practice and Theory
Through examination of primary source texts from Midrash, Abraham Ibn Ezra, Maimonides,
Judah Halevi, R. Judah the Pietist, Zohar, Eliezer Azikri and R. Simcha Bunem of Pryszucha, the
first lecture will explore ways in which premodern Jewish thinkers framed the challenges posed
by prayer. Three topics will be highlighted: the problem of language, the problem of access to
God and the injunction to worshipers to exert their imaginations.