Prayer

Hey Rabbi, I’ve heard that there’s one version of the “traveler's prayer” for regular travel, and a different special version for flying in an airplane. When you fly are you supposed to say both? Thanks.

During the third paragraph of שמע, do you kiss your ציצית before or after the word? For example, ועשו להם, (Kiss your ציצית ) and then say the actual word ציצית. Or ועשו להם ציצית, (Kiss your ציצית) Thank you!

I have recited the blessing Shelo Asani Isha my entire life. But in recent years, I have become growingly uncomfortable with it. I’m getting to the point that I feel I can no longer recite it while believing it in my heart. I do not feel joy as I recite it, but I feel repulsion. The reason is that I feel this blessing ascribes superiority to the male gender. I personally feel the two genders are equal in importance, even though their roles in life might have some differences. Though the explanation given is to thank Hashem for having more mitzvot one can fulfill, reality is both genders have important mitzvot that in most cases are exclusive to that gender. And the mitzvot of both genders are of equal importance to society. It bothers me that men thank Hashem for not making them a woman, but woman don’t use wording thanking Hashem for not having made them a man. It sounds as if a person is extra special in the eyes of Hashem for not being a woman. The Torah was given to both genders, not just men.

What do I do about this? I am a shul-going observant Jew. I scrupulously daven three times a day, with a minyan whenever I can. The problem is, what I am really doing is reciting the prayers on autopilot, daydreaming most of the time when I am davening and not even remembering most of the recitation I just did after the fact. I daydream about almost everything mundane that I know about in this world, including my work, my hobbies, people I know, experiences I had, etc. This isn’t what I set out to do. But I really can’t prevent myself from daydreaming, no matter how hard I try.