Abstract

In this paper, I describe several distinct visualizations that I recognize in Jewish prayers. By the term prayers, I mean the texts recited by Jews in religious ritual contexts. By the term visualizations, I mean the formation of mental visual images of a place and time, of a narrative activity or scene, or of an inner disposition. The goals of the visualizations can include: professed communication with God, articulation of common religious values for personal satisfaction or for the sake of social solidarity, or attainment of altered inner emotional states or moods.