keva

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Pronunciations

keva (KEH-vah) listen

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Definitions

  • n. Fixed aspects of ritual/liturgy.

Example Sentences

  • "We strive for prayer experiences filled with kavana, but feel stymied by the difficulty or the sheer length of the keva." (source)

  • "In regard to most aspects of observance, Jewish tradition has for pedagogic reasons given primacy to the principle of keva; there are many rituals concerning which the law maintains that if a person has performed them without proper kavanah, he is to be regarded ex post facto as having fulfilled his duty." (source)

  • "The keva of The Tent is Yammer, the technology upon which The Tent is built. Yammer is an enterprise social network." (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • קבע keva 'fixed'

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).

      Alternative Spellings

      kevah, keve

Notes

  • "Keva is distinct from kavanah, the intention one brings to praying. Jews strive to create a balance between keva and kavanah, which are equal requirements in tefilah" (JPS).

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