The Story of Kavanah Kards
by Sara Levine
For years I had trouble with focusing during davening and it bothered me more and more. I tried any different approaches to improve it, including warm-up brain exercises, various techniques I learned to improve brain function and trying to “force” myself to focus more. Nothing helped.
Then I started a davening “campaign”, which is my way of taking it to the “Boss” for help from the top. I knew that when we ask Hashem for something, the answer might be “not now”, but when we ask to come closer to Him, we always are helped. My strategy for a davening campaign is to say how it will help me better fulfill “ivdu es Hashem b’simcha” and bring Hashem nachas from me. (An interesting “side effect” of my davening campaigns is that I, in fact, became a REALLY happy person—happy for no external reason! Obviously, Hashem really wanted me to fulfill that mitzvah)
During this time, I was inspired to review the introduction of the Halachos of Brachos sefer. My attention was drawn to the statement that it is a halacha (Rabbinic requirement) to focus on the meanings of Hashem’s names when we say a bracha—specifically that Hashem is Master of all; always was, always is and always will be, and that for Elokeinu we are to think that Hashem is All-powerful, all capable and Almighty.
Hashem gave me the flash of an idea: to write those words on a post-it and put it into my sidur going above the page so I could look up and see them when I daavened. It was a great help! (Thanks to Hashem for “answering my prayer”). Not only was I more focused, I began to FEEL more during davening and when making brachos.
Very quickly I “got the idea” that this might help others as well. Even though my computer expertise is very rudimentary, I was inspired to design a bookmark type of card that people could use like I did the post-it note. Amazingly, it turned out to be beautiful. Not only that, the name Kavanah Kard suddenly flashed into my mind!
Printing it was another story, which I won’t describe, but Hashem sent just the right place, who again—even more amazingly—ended up LOWERING the price when I went to pick up my order. Though they didn’t say so, I realized that it was because they saw what I was doing and wanted to support it!
After giving in the bookmark to be printed, I got another idea —a small, business size Kavanah Kard which would be easy to carry and plain enough to be used by men (hopefully). That took two days to craft, and it was ready the same day as the bookmarks.
Then came the big job—getting people to use them. Always wanting to do things the best way, I ordered
boxes to be able to put them out as a display. Then I took them to everyone I knew and even didn't know. People took multiples to give to others. So many people got into the act.
The first thousand bookmarks and business size Kavanah Kards went in a flash. As added encouragement, a day after putting them into a bakery, a man called and ordered 500 with a special dedication to put into thank-you cards for people who had been so caring when his sister-in-law was dying and afterwards.
The next time, I printed 2500 bookmarks and 1000 business size Kavanah Kards. The printers, bless them, charged me very little more than my original order! The ripple continued to spread, Baruch Hashem.
When I went to Israel, I left boxes by the Kosel, at Kever Rochel, even gave them to total strangers on the plane and at the Central Bus Station! In total 6,000 Kavanah Kards were given out in a few months.
A big realization was the midah k’neged midah aspect: if we don’t give proper attention and recognition
to the Ribono Shel Olam when we are asking for all of the things we want and need, maybe what we get
is a reflection of what we’re doing. Kavanah Kards, in addition to helping people keep the Halacha, could
result in Hashem giving more attention and favor to what we pray for.
And it did for me, for sure!
At around the same time as the birth of the Kavanah Kards, I “happened” to listen to a CD of a program
called Colored Glasses, which I had downloaded from a health show. It was downloaded approximately eight months previously, but only got listened to then. What an amazing thing—the woman being interviewed was talking about exactly the same reading problems I was experiencing during davening: lack of focus, needing to take frequent breaks, using my finger to keep from losing my place. She was describing something I had never heard of in over twenty years studying holistic wellness. It was called Irlen Syndrome.
Immediately, I began researching Irlen Syndrome. It is a perceptual processing disorder caused by light
sensitivity, black and white contrast and things like glossy pages and glare. Irlen makes the brain
overwork and over stress. It can cause or worsen reading and comprehension problems, sensory issues,
dyslexia, AD/HD, poor depth perception, and even cause eye pain, headaches, brain fog, migraine and nausea.
Ultimately I ended up not only finding tremendous help for my davening issues, I went on to become
certified as an Irlen Screener to help the many adults and children affected by it.
A popular Brooklyn pediatrician wanted to know about Irlen. He had many symptoms himself—got a headache and felt nauseous just from looking at a printed pattern. Happily, we found the solution for him and he was amazed to be nearly symptom-free. I am looking forward to being able to help the patients he refers (and hopefully their parents, since one or both parents of a child with Irlen always has it)
During the trip for the Irlen training, the two paths intersected. I stayed with a very special Ahavas
Yisroel friend. She absolutely loved the Kavanah Kards, and became a devoted part of the project. When
she and her family went to a hotel for Pesach, she gave out over 400 Kavanah Kards and solicited wonderful
people at the hotel, from Nevada to New Jersey, to be Kavanah Kard Ambassadors for their areas. In fact,
it was she who came up the concept of the Elul Kavanah Kard Campaign, to get them to be in everyone’s Machzor for the Yomim Naraim. As well this lovely and loving Kavanah Kard Ambassador even helped initiate the article about Kavanah Kards which appeared before Rosh Hashana in Mishpacha Magazine. She sponsored this website as well!
That’s just one example of how overcoming my pattern and slowing down to give more attention to Hashem by using Kavanah Kards has resulted in my prayers being answered far more than could have ever been hoped. It is Hashem encouraging me to do it!
Others have reported similar successes.
In addition to having greater response to my tefillahs, I also experienced more spiritual elevation. It was
very noticeable, especially when I was in Israel and daavened at the Kosel. That is a prized experience! My
experiences of elevation are not unique. Many tell me how much more meaningful their davening is
with it. One man, who tells me frequently how much he loves them, described how, when he gave one to
his friend at shul, the man actually cried at how uplifted he felt during davening, and he always uses it.
The new Kavanah Kard layout has two important differences: It is horizontally oriented, and the meaning for the words “Baruch” and Melech ha'olam were added. The horizontal orientation allows the reader to better keep their focus by having the Kavanah Kard right under the words being davened in the sidur. This way a person’s eyes never move away from where they are reading. The meaning of the new words, while not required, adds much meaning to the davening. Since I started using mine, SO many wonderful things have B"H happened in my life!
There is a unique Service of Hashem Kavanah Kard also available: It showcases a statement that
can be said before every action to help your health and strength that you are doing it in order to be able
to serve Hashem!
Slow down, use Kavanah Kards and experience more success in your davening, as well as anywhere
brachos are posted, such as Asher Yotzar. If you have “resistance”, or things keep "getting in the way" of
your doing it, that is only natural; the sitra achra will try all sorts of ways to stop you from increasing your
kedushah--ask Hashem to help you. He is waiting for us to ask.
Each person makes a WORLD of difference to the spiritual health and success of Klal Yisroel, so help
others to slow down and use Kavanah Kards also. The effect as more people use them is the greatly
increased potential of an ever-bigger positive influence on Klal Yisroel. (see HELPING KLAL)
If you have Kavanah Kard stories, please email them to kavanahkards@gmail.com so others may be encouraged.
People who want to become Kavanah Kard Ambassadors, get Kavanah Kards with their personal
dedication or receive a supply of of Kavanah Kards please go to CONTACT.
Then I started a davening “campaign”, which is my way of taking it to the “Boss” for help from the top. I knew that when we ask Hashem for something, the answer might be “not now”, but when we ask to come closer to Him, we always are helped. My strategy for a davening campaign is to say how it will help me better fulfill “ivdu es Hashem b’simcha” and bring Hashem nachas from me. (An interesting “side effect” of my davening campaigns is that I, in fact, became a REALLY happy person—happy for no external reason! Obviously, Hashem really wanted me to fulfill that mitzvah)
During this time, I was inspired to review the introduction of the Halachos of Brachos sefer. My attention was drawn to the statement that it is a halacha (Rabbinic requirement) to focus on the meanings of Hashem’s names when we say a bracha—specifically that Hashem is Master of all; always was, always is and always will be, and that for Elokeinu we are to think that Hashem is All-powerful, all capable and Almighty.
Hashem gave me the flash of an idea: to write those words on a post-it and put it into my sidur going above the page so I could look up and see them when I daavened. It was a great help! (Thanks to Hashem for “answering my prayer”). Not only was I more focused, I began to FEEL more during davening and when making brachos.
Very quickly I “got the idea” that this might help others as well. Even though my computer expertise is very rudimentary, I was inspired to design a bookmark type of card that people could use like I did the post-it note. Amazingly, it turned out to be beautiful. Not only that, the name Kavanah Kard suddenly flashed into my mind!
Printing it was another story, which I won’t describe, but Hashem sent just the right place, who again—even more amazingly—ended up LOWERING the price when I went to pick up my order. Though they didn’t say so, I realized that it was because they saw what I was doing and wanted to support it!
After giving in the bookmark to be printed, I got another idea —a small, business size Kavanah Kard which would be easy to carry and plain enough to be used by men (hopefully). That took two days to craft, and it was ready the same day as the bookmarks.
Then came the big job—getting people to use them. Always wanting to do things the best way, I ordered
boxes to be able to put them out as a display. Then I took them to everyone I knew and even didn't know. People took multiples to give to others. So many people got into the act.
The first thousand bookmarks and business size Kavanah Kards went in a flash. As added encouragement, a day after putting them into a bakery, a man called and ordered 500 with a special dedication to put into thank-you cards for people who had been so caring when his sister-in-law was dying and afterwards.
The next time, I printed 2500 bookmarks and 1000 business size Kavanah Kards. The printers, bless them, charged me very little more than my original order! The ripple continued to spread, Baruch Hashem.
When I went to Israel, I left boxes by the Kosel, at Kever Rochel, even gave them to total strangers on the plane and at the Central Bus Station! In total 6,000 Kavanah Kards were given out in a few months.
A big realization was the midah k’neged midah aspect: if we don’t give proper attention and recognition
to the Ribono Shel Olam when we are asking for all of the things we want and need, maybe what we get
is a reflection of what we’re doing. Kavanah Kards, in addition to helping people keep the Halacha, could
result in Hashem giving more attention and favor to what we pray for.
And it did for me, for sure!
At around the same time as the birth of the Kavanah Kards, I “happened” to listen to a CD of a program
called Colored Glasses, which I had downloaded from a health show. It was downloaded approximately eight months previously, but only got listened to then. What an amazing thing—the woman being interviewed was talking about exactly the same reading problems I was experiencing during davening: lack of focus, needing to take frequent breaks, using my finger to keep from losing my place. She was describing something I had never heard of in over twenty years studying holistic wellness. It was called Irlen Syndrome.
Immediately, I began researching Irlen Syndrome. It is a perceptual processing disorder caused by light
sensitivity, black and white contrast and things like glossy pages and glare. Irlen makes the brain
overwork and over stress. It can cause or worsen reading and comprehension problems, sensory issues,
dyslexia, AD/HD, poor depth perception, and even cause eye pain, headaches, brain fog, migraine and nausea.
Ultimately I ended up not only finding tremendous help for my davening issues, I went on to become
certified as an Irlen Screener to help the many adults and children affected by it.
A popular Brooklyn pediatrician wanted to know about Irlen. He had many symptoms himself—got a headache and felt nauseous just from looking at a printed pattern. Happily, we found the solution for him and he was amazed to be nearly symptom-free. I am looking forward to being able to help the patients he refers (and hopefully their parents, since one or both parents of a child with Irlen always has it)
During the trip for the Irlen training, the two paths intersected. I stayed with a very special Ahavas
Yisroel friend. She absolutely loved the Kavanah Kards, and became a devoted part of the project. When
she and her family went to a hotel for Pesach, she gave out over 400 Kavanah Kards and solicited wonderful
people at the hotel, from Nevada to New Jersey, to be Kavanah Kard Ambassadors for their areas. In fact,
it was she who came up the concept of the Elul Kavanah Kard Campaign, to get them to be in everyone’s Machzor for the Yomim Naraim. As well this lovely and loving Kavanah Kard Ambassador even helped initiate the article about Kavanah Kards which appeared before Rosh Hashana in Mishpacha Magazine. She sponsored this website as well!
That’s just one example of how overcoming my pattern and slowing down to give more attention to Hashem by using Kavanah Kards has resulted in my prayers being answered far more than could have ever been hoped. It is Hashem encouraging me to do it!
Others have reported similar successes.
In addition to having greater response to my tefillahs, I also experienced more spiritual elevation. It was
very noticeable, especially when I was in Israel and daavened at the Kosel. That is a prized experience! My
experiences of elevation are not unique. Many tell me how much more meaningful their davening is
with it. One man, who tells me frequently how much he loves them, described how, when he gave one to
his friend at shul, the man actually cried at how uplifted he felt during davening, and he always uses it.
The new Kavanah Kard layout has two important differences: It is horizontally oriented, and the meaning for the words “Baruch” and Melech ha'olam were added. The horizontal orientation allows the reader to better keep their focus by having the Kavanah Kard right under the words being davened in the sidur. This way a person’s eyes never move away from where they are reading. The meaning of the new words, while not required, adds much meaning to the davening. Since I started using mine, SO many wonderful things have B"H happened in my life!
There is a unique Service of Hashem Kavanah Kard also available: It showcases a statement that
can be said before every action to help your health and strength that you are doing it in order to be able
to serve Hashem!
Slow down, use Kavanah Kards and experience more success in your davening, as well as anywhere
brachos are posted, such as Asher Yotzar. If you have “resistance”, or things keep "getting in the way" of
your doing it, that is only natural; the sitra achra will try all sorts of ways to stop you from increasing your
kedushah--ask Hashem to help you. He is waiting for us to ask.
Each person makes a WORLD of difference to the spiritual health and success of Klal Yisroel, so help
others to slow down and use Kavanah Kards also. The effect as more people use them is the greatly
increased potential of an ever-bigger positive influence on Klal Yisroel. (see HELPING KLAL)
If you have Kavanah Kard stories, please email them to kavanahkards@gmail.com so others may be encouraged.
People who want to become Kavanah Kard Ambassadors, get Kavanah Kards with their personal
dedication or receive a supply of of Kavanah Kards please go to CONTACT.