Drawing+Prayer

LR: I'm going to ask you to draw a picture of yourself praying. Are you up to the challenge? Layla: (nods) //We pick out markers and a white piece of construction paper, and she starts drawing a picture of a person in a purple shirt holding a siddur. The siddur has visible lines on it.//

LR: What did you draw? Layla: A girl standing with a siddur. (she says matter-of-factly) LR: Why did you decide to depict a siddur? Layla: It was just the first thing that came to mind. (She points out a poster from earlier in the year and says that she worked on it. It reads: What does t'filot look like? She drew pictures of siddurim.) LR: So is that what praying means to you? Reading from a siddur? Layla: Yes.

//She draws a head and face on the person, and brown hair. It looks like her.//

LR: Do you know who that is now? Layla: (Smiles) It looks like me... but it could be anyone with brown hair. LR: Is that a smile? (pointing to the mouth) Layla: Yes. (Then she changes her mind) It's just a mouth. LR: But if you had to choose, would it be a smile or a frown? Layla: A smile. LR: Why's that? Layla: I don't know. LR: Do you think people are happy during prayer? Layla: I don't know.

//She adds a chair to the drawing.

LR: Where is this? Layla: I don't know. LR: Is there any special reason there's a chair? Layla: She's doing a prayer you have to stand up for. LR: Where is she? Layla: She's at home. (she starts adding a rug to the picture). During the Amidah we get sit down. We used to have to stand up, but now we can sit done when we're done. Daniel's usually not done. LR: What kind of prayers do you do? Layla: I like the lively prayers more. LR: Like singing ones? Layla: Yeah. LR: So is this girl singing? Layla: Oh yeah, I forgot to add something. (She adds a thought bubble that says "think, think, think, thinking") LR: What's she thinking about? Layla: I don't know. LR: Is she thinking about God? Layla: I don't know. //