Prayer

I have recited the blessing Shelo Asani Isha my entire life. But in recent years, I have become growingly uncomfortable with it. I’m getting to the point that I feel I can no longer recite it while believing it in my heart. I do not feel joy as I recite it, but I feel repulsion. The reason is that I feel this blessing ascribes superiority to the male gender. I personally feel the two genders are equal in importance, even though their roles in life might have some differences. Though the explanation given is to thank Hashem for having more mitzvot one can fulfill, reality is both genders have important mitzvot that in most cases are exclusive to that gender. And the mitzvot of both genders are of equal importance to society. It bothers me that men thank Hashem for not making them a woman, but woman don’t use wording thanking Hashem for not having made them a man. It sounds as if a person is extra special in the eyes of Hashem for not being a woman. The Torah was given to both genders, not just men.

What do I do about this? I am a shul-going observant Jew. I scrupulously daven three times a day, with a minyan whenever I can. The problem is, what I am really doing is reciting the prayers on autopilot, daydreaming most of the time when I am davening and not even remembering most of the recitation I just did after the fact. I daydream about almost everything mundane that I know about in this world, including my work, my hobbies, people I know, experiences I had, etc. This isn’t what I set out to do. But I really can’t prevent myself from daydreaming, no matter how hard I try.

Barchu acts as a call to prayer at Shacharit and Maariv services. Why is there no Barchu at Mincha service?

The Six Remembrances (Ashkenazi) are read during Weekday Morning services. 1. Where exactly can I find these remembrances in the Schacharit prayer service? 2. Do all prayer books contain these remembrances?

Shalom aleichem Rabbi Lauffer. Thank you for answering my last question. On pages 290-291 of the book "Festivals in Halachah" volume 2, Rabbi Zevin makes what appears to be a gross error. He writes "However, HaLevi goes too far when he asserts that 'with regard to the wording of the prayers, no innovations at all were made after the Churban during the era of Yavneh, the only innovation dating from that period is the bircas haminim.' Further, claims this author, not only the 18 weekday blessings and the 7 for Shabbos and Yom Tov, but also 'the musaf prayer for Rosh Chodesh, Chol Hamoed, Shabbos and Yom Tov had all been entirely formulated and established since the day of the men of the Great Assembly.' Now can it really be that in Temple days they prayed the musaf which laments: 'and because of our sins we have been exiled from our Land and which requests 'Build Your House as in former times, establish Your Temple on its site'? It is reasonable to assume that this formulation was first produced in the era of Yavneh. And even when we turn to the 18 blessings of the weekday prayer-- could it be that the blessing 'And may our eyes behold Your return to Zion' with its conclusion 'Who returns His presence to Zion,' was recited in Temple times?" Thus far Rabbi Zevin's words. They are, however, false. The Talmud informs us that the Shechinah was not present during the Second Temple, refuting Rabbi Zevin's assertion that it is impossible that Chazal would have written "may our eyes behold Your return to Zion" and "Who returns His Presence to Zion" when the Temple was still in existence. How could Rabbi Zevin have made such a gross mistake? Was he willfully lying due to his warped Zionist hashkafah, or did the ma'amar Chazal informing us that the Shechinah was not present in Bayis Sheni simply slip his mind, or am I simply missing something? Thanks a lot. Chag kasher v'sameach.

What is the importance of wearing tefilin during prayer?

Shalom aleichem Rabbi Lauffer. Thank you for answering my last question. If one davens the shacharis shemoneh esrei just before the b'dieved chatzos deadline, and it is now after chatzos, would he still be able to say tachanun, or would this not be said because tachanun is considered part of shemoneh esrei, and shemoneh esrei itself can't be said after chatzos. Thanks a lot.