Originally published in Tzvi M. Rabinowicz (ed.), The encyclopedia of Hasidism (1996), pp. 259-60. Intention, or concentration, especially during prayer. The concept of kavvanah (lit., directing, i.e., the mind) has had a long and complicated history, The Talmud frequently urges the worshiper to maintain kavvanah during prayers, where the meaning of kavvanah is twofold: having God…