Opening Teaching: Living with Intention
Over the course of the weeks of the Omer, we have been building something. It is something quiet and steady; something with care.
We began by learning to notice what is present (Zehirut).
We practiced staying with our experiences rather than rushing past them (Savlanut).
We learned how to come into right relationship with what is — steady enough to accept, and clear enough to respond (Menuchat HaNefesh).
We explored how to build structures that support the lives we are shaping (Seder).
We turned inward to clarify the intentions that guide our actions (Tohar).
We deepened our understanding through reflection and meaning-making (Hitbonenut).
And we gently retrained our attention to recognize the good that is already present in our lives (Hakarat HaTov).
Each of these middot offered us a different skill. Each opened a different doorway. And now, in this final “bonus” week of our Omer Journal, we gather them together so that we may explore the middah of Kavanah.
The middah of Kavanah is often translated as intention. But in the language of Jewish spiritual practice, it carries something deeper than simply deciding what we want to do. Kavanah is the practice of bringing conscious awareness and trained, attentive alignment into the moment we are living. It is the quiet shift from moving through life on autopilot to empowering ourselves to live with a meaning and purpose that serves our lives. It is the act of guiding and choosing conscious orchestration and direction of our thoughts.
If we return to where we began, we might notice something important: Kavanah is not something we can access without the skills we have been building. Without Zehirut, we cannot notice the moment. Without Savlanut, we cannot stay long enough to engage it. Without Menuchat HaNefesh, we may be too overwhelmed to respond with clarity. Without Seder, we lack the structure to support consistent practice. Without Tohar, our intentions may remain unclear. Without Hitbonenut, we do not integrate what we are learning. Without Hakarat HaTov, we may miss the goodness that gives meaning to our actions.
Kavanah, then, is not a separate practice. It is what becomes possible when these skills that we practiced over this Omer Journal begin to work together. It is a skill that I hope you will practice throughout the joy of Shavuot and the warmth of the summer.
We see a powerful expression of Kavanah in the language of Jewish prayer. Our tradition teaches that prayer without intention is like a body without a soul.¹ The words may be spoken and the actions completed, but without presence, something essential is missing.
This idea is rooted even earlier in our sacred texts. In Deuteronomy, we are instructed:
“You shall love the Eternal your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.”²
The rabbis understand “with all your heart” (b’chol levavcha) to mean with your full inner life — your thoughts, your inclinations, your attention. Kavanah is the practice of bringing that fullness into what we do.
Similarly, the Shema calls us not only to recite words, but to direct our awareness: “And these words… shall be upon your heart.”³ Not only spoken. Not only known. But placed upon the heart — where they can shape how we live.
And yet, Kavanah is not about achieving perfect focus. Anyone who has ever tried to pray, to meditate, or even to be present for a conversation knows how quickly the mind wanders. Thoughts arise. Distractions pull us away. Attention shifts. Kavanah is not the absence of distraction. It is the practice of purposeful returning. Again and again, we notice that we drift. And gently, without judgment, but with intention, we come back.
In this way, Kavanah is not only about what we do. It is about how we do it. Two people may engage in the same action — lighting candles, offering help, listening to a loved one — and yet have entirely different experiences of that moment. One may be distracted, rushed, or disconnected. Another may be present, attentive, and engaged. The actions are the same. However, the experience is not.
Kavanah invites us to practice bringing ourselves fully into the moment we are living. Practices of mindfulness and attention training suggest that when we bring awareness intentionally into our actions — even briefly — we begin to shift how we experience our lives. Moments that might otherwise pass unnoticed become meaningful. Ordinary experiences become more vivid. Relationships deepen. This is not about making every moment profound. It is about allowing more moments to be fully lived.
And yet, like all middot, Kavanah lives in a balance, along an important spectrum. Too little intention, and we move through life on autopilot — reacting rather than choosing, drifting rather than directing. It becomes more difficult to access the meaning available within our lives. Too much striving for intention, and we may become tense, self-conscious, or overwhelmed by the pressure to “be present” all the time. In the extreme, we may even close ourselves off to spontaneity or unexpected moments of meaning simply because we did not plan for them. The practice is to live in the space between, to navigate well between awareness and ease, between intention and openness.
With all of this in place, we can begin to understand Kavanah not as one more skill to master, but as a way of living that emerges from the work we have done. Because over time, something subtle begins to shift.
We begin to notice more.
We begin to stay longer.
We begin to respond with greater clarity.
We begin to build lives that support our values.
We begin to understand ourselves more deeply.
We begin to recognize the good that is already present.
And from within all of that—
we begin to live with intention.
Not perfectly.
Not constantly.
But meaningfully.
We begin to recognize that a life of purpose is not built only through major decisions or dramatic transformations. It is built, moment by moment, through the quiet practice of returning— to our awareness, to our values, to our presence, and to the life that is unfolding right in front of us. And in that returning, again and again, we do not just experience our lives — we learn to fully inhabit them.
Footnotes
- Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 31a.
- Deuteronomy 6:5.
- Deuteronomy 6:6.
Week 8: Kavanah — Daily Journal Practice (Living with Intention)
Day 1 — Learning the First Side: Noticing Intention in the Moment
Kavanah begins, as so much of this journey has, with noticing.
Noticing not only what we are doing — but how we are showing up as we do it.
Journal Prompts:
- Choose one simple action today (e.g., eating, speaking, listening). How present was I during it?
- What pulled my attention away?
- What helped me stay engaged?
- What does it feel like, in my body, to be present for a moment?
Day 2 — Learning the Balancing Side: Intention and Ease
Kavanah is not about forcing presence.
Too little intention, and we drift.
Too much effort, and we become tense.
The practice is to find a balance between openness and awareness.
Journal Prompts:
- When did I feel naturally present today?
- When did I feel pressured to “be present”?
- What is the difference between gentle awareness and forced attention?
- What helps me return to presence without strain?
Day 3 — Experimenting with Practice: Returning
Today, practice the core movement of Kavanah: returning.
When you notice your attention drift—
gently come back.
Not once.
But as many times as needed.
Journal Prompts:
- When did I notice my attention drifting today?
- Was I able to return without judgment?
- What helped me come back?
- How did it feel to practice returning, rather than “getting it right”?
Day 4 — Trying a Different Angle: Intention Before Action
Today, pause before one meaningful action. Before speaking, helping, or responding, ask: What is my intention right now?
Let the answer be simple.
If coming up with a simple answer is hard, try again by asking yourself “what is my intention right now?” and then asking yourself “why?” Use this important question of “why?” again and again until you trace back your thought process to a primal emotion. Notice that this emotion – be it love or fear – is at the root of your intention.
Journal Prompts:
- What moment did I choose to pause before today?
- What intention did I notice or set?
- Did this shift how I acted?
- What did I learn about the relationship between intention and action?
Day 5 — Designing a Personal Practice: Anchoring Intention
Intention is not an excuse. Well directed kavanah is not a guarantee for perfected choices and actions. However, anchoring your intentions in a cycle of observing, choosing, and acting can help bring your actions closer to your intentions.
Journal Prompts:
- Observe: Where have my actions not been aligned with my intentions? (Or have received feedback that despite my intentions, my actions have caused hurt?)
- How do I feel that my intentions and actions are out of alignment?
- What choices can I make to try and bring my intentions and the impact of my actions into closer alignment?
- What would make this practice feel meaningful and sustainable?
Day 6 — Taking the First Step: Practicing in Real Time
This week, Kavanah is not about transforming the entire day.
It is about touching a moment with intention.
Journal Prompts:
- When did I remember to practice today?
- What did I notice in that moment?
- What felt different about acting with intention?
- What helped—or hindered—this practice?
Day 7 — Shabbat Reflection: Shabbat reminds us that intention must include rest.
We are not meant to be constantly focusing, refining, or striving to be present.
Kavanah is not a performance. It is a practice that lives within the rhythms of a full and human life.
Rest is not a break from intention — it is part of it.
Today, reflect on the balance you are building between awareness and ease, between showing up with intention and allowing yourself to simply be.
Reflection Prompts:
- What did I learn this week about intention and presence?
- When did I feel most aligned in how I showed up? When did I feel disconnected?
- How am I beginning to understand my own rhythms of attention and rest?
- Where am I being invited to soften my effort? Where am I being invited to return more gently?
Optional:
Write about one small moment of intention you want to carry forward into the coming week.
Footnotes
- Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 31a.
