prayer

and

focus:

l e ss o n

in

c o n c e n t r at i o n
To va M i l l e r

he Shema is one of the most well known Jewish prayers, and for good reason. The words Hear O Israel, the Lord our G-d, the Lord is One comprise a statement that affirms the core principle of Judaism, belief in G-d [1]. It is for this reason that individuals are urged to say the words clearly and with particular concentration [2]. The Shulchan Aruch, commonly known as The Code of Jewish Law, written by Rabbi Yosef Karo in the 1500s, currently serves as one of the most the authoritative texts on Jewish religious laws and practices [3]. In regard to the Shema prayer, the Shulchan Aruch stresses the importance of proclaiming the words with full concentration on G-ds absolute sovereignty [2]. In fact, the law states that if this concentration is absent, one may even be required to repeat the verse again, although quietly [4]. This proclamation of faith is so important that other steps are taken to encourage attentiveness during the prayer. In addition to saying the words out loud [5], the Shulchan Aruch describes that it is best to say Shema in a stationary position [6]. The Mishneh Berurah, a commentary on the Shulchan Aruch, explains that although one may technically recite the prayer while walking, standing or sitting is preferable, as it enables one to reach greater levels of concentration [7]. Additionally, in order to further eliminate distraction, the Shulchan Aruch describes the custom of covering ones eyes while reciting the first verse [8]. The laws of the Shema prayer attempt to reduce external input, such as movement and visual stimuli, in order to maximize focus. This method of enhancing concentration is especially relevant to fields such as psychology and cognitive neuroscience, in which attention and focus are important topics of study. During my research internship in the laboratory of Dr. Elyse Sussman, head of the Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, I evaluated how the brain processes additional input in the presence of attention. While people are constantly inundated by a vast array of sensory input, this study focused specifically on auditory input. Additionally, although the brain can distinguish between different sounds, this study focused on the brains ability to differentiate between properties of the sound features. Similar to an object that contains

visual features such as color, shape, and texture, a sound also consists of auditory features such as frequency and intensity that are perceived as pitch and loudness, respectively.

The laws of the Shema prayer attempt to reduce external input, such as movement and visual stimuli, in order to maximize focus.
In this study, subjects were tested in three conditions with the task of listening to a four-tone pattern and responding whenever a pattern reversal was detected in all three conditions. While the first condition only included patterns of sound frequency, the second and third conditions contained simultaneous patterns of sound duration or intensity. Despite these additions, subjects were instructed to concentrate only on frequency patterns, heard as changes in pitch, and to ignore any other feature patterns. As expected, results indicated that subjects did not perform as well in the second and third conditions, when additional feature patterns were added. They did not detect pattern reversals as accurately as they did in the first condition, and it took longer for them to respond. Electroencephalography (EEG) recordings of subjects brain waves further supported this behavioral finding, demonstrating decreased wave amplitude, elicited by the task, in the presence of additional feature patterns. These results clearly demonstrate that additional feature patterns made the task harder and hindered the subjects performance ability. Why did additional feature patterns detract from attention and performance? Further experimental data indicated that to some degree, the brain tried to keep track of the additional feature patterns as well. Specifically, every time a subject incorrectly identified a frequency pattern reversal, it was actually a response to changes in unattended duration or intensity patterns. Although subjects did not consciously pay attention to other features, these additional feature patterns still competed for the brains resources, which are limited. As such, in an attempt to process the unattended feature patterns, the brain had fewer resources to attend

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to its given task. This research, when applied to human functioning in a broader sense, may suggest limitations in the extent to which people are able to process and accomplish multiple things at once. Therefore, it would be particularly important to block any distractions in situations that require full concentration. Interestingly, the laws

of the Shema prayer reflect this fundamental understanding. How gratifying it is to discover that the timeless nature of Torah recognized this truth long ago, and provided guidelines that maximized concentration in such a central prayer to Jewish faith! g

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Dr. Elyse Sussman for enabling me to participate in such great research and for reviewing this article. Additionally, I would like to thank Rabbi Reuven Gross for all his assistance with the Torah content. Special thank you to Dr. Babich for encouraging me to write about my research and for opening up doors to amazing opportunities. I truly appreciate your support and guidance. An especially heartfelt thank you goes to my family for their constant love and devotion that reaches far above and beyond. As Camp Zimras head counselor once said, everything I am, I owe to you.

References
[1] Simmons, Shraga. Shema Yisrael. Aish.com. June 2002. Aish HaTorah. Retrieved 28 January 2013 < http://www.aish.com/jl/m/pb/48954656.html>. [2] Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 61:1 [3] Shulchan Aruch. Wikipedia. Retrieved 28 January 2013 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shulchan_Aruch>. [4] Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 63:4 [5] ibid. 61:4 [6] ibid. 63:3 [7] Mishneh Berurah on O.C. 63:3 [8] Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 61:5

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