Asifa

These asifas are almost pointless because the kids have no clue what these kapitlach tehillim mean.

If the sole purpose of an asifah was to instill in kids an appreciation for the meaning of the words they daven, then that would be an accurate statement.

Huh? There’s lite point in making a asifas tefillah of people who have no clue what they are saying.

1- Presumably the idea that they are involved in a public gathering of sorts because there is a desperate situation going on makes an impression that 1- this issue is very important; 2- we believe in davening / koach tefillah (especially if it’s worth being mevatel learning (gasp!!) for), so even to the participants, it has a practical upside.

2- Davening without kavanah is still worth infinitely something!!

3- There is also the issue of public visibility and impression to consider. (to just throw a few out there. I am not privy to the reasons why, nor am i pretending to know that these were necessarily a key part of their cheshbonos.)

Tefillah is avodas shebelev.

That might be the ikkar, but there is mystical value inherently in uttering the words without any kavana whatsoever.

Without knowing what your saying you won’t be activating the shebeleiv aspect and therefore you are just shouting out words. Might as well be screaming out some prayer in Chinese.

That’s precisely the difference between saying it in lashon hakodesh and chinese – the words of lashon hakodesh as formulated by chazal are intrinsically laden with kedusha. Which is not quite as true about chinese.

The basic point being that you get schar for “laining” davening, as there’s a mitzva (and a chiyuv) to say the words, and with a few exceptions you are yotzei with saying the words without an iota of what they mean. So, just like the rest of the mitzvos we do, our words of prayer are pitifully lacking but they limp their way up to the heavens which apparently have disability access these days.

Torahumadda

According to the English sefer/book guidelines to tefillah if you don’t have kavannah by davening you are not yotzi. He brings from the Avudraham and halachos shelomo in 2 places as well as the Gemara in brachos Daf 6.

By Shema you are certain not yotzi as well as first bracha of shemoneh esrei. I’m sorry but there is no excuse for someone over bar mitzvah to be davening without knowing what he is saying. Today there’s many types of artscroll translated siddurim as well as translated into siddurim that have been translated into Yiddish and other languages. Same goes for not learning. Theres seforim and books translated into every language. Laziness is not going to cut it on Yom kippur or @120.

What Asifa? Can I come?

I remember it. Never really impacted me (except the huge number of people wowed me)Most of my classmates were happy since we got the day off from learning.

Also despite translations offered by many Seforim, I never understood the prayers till maybe 17. It may be written in English, but it sure wasn’t an English kids speak.

Maybe we should be making more of a point on teaching kids how to individualize and then internalize Tefillas for their own lives. On their level. Anyone up to making an English Siddur for kids?