What is kavana?

Kavana (Hebrew כוונה; also written kavanah, kavaná or kawwana) means intention: the direction of heart and mind a person brings to prayer. The word comes from a root meaning “to aim” or “to direct”.

Jewish tradition holds that saying the words is not enough. Maimonides writes that prayer without kavana is not prayer (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Prayer 4:15). Kavana is not a feeling to be forced. It is turning your attention to what you are saying, and to Whom.

From the sources “Any prayer that is not with kavana is not prayer.” — Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Prayer 4:15

Kavana, the service

Kavana is named for that idea. You write your prayer in your own words. A real person of prayer in Jerusalem reads it at the Western Wall and places it between the stones. Your name — or initials, or “anonymous”, as you choose — appears in that day’s published list. Every prayer is offered for good, as God wills, never against anyone. It is a commercial service, not a donation, and it promises presence and faithfulness, not outcomes.