A Spiritual Guide to Life

Tefilah is Prayer

Good morning to You, Lord of the world!

I, Levi Yitzhak, son of Sarah of Berditchev, am coming to You,

in a legal matter concerning Your people Israel.

What do You want of Israel?

It is always, "Command the children of Israel,"

It is always, "Speak unto the children of Israel."

Merciful Father! How many people are there in the world?

Persians, Babylonians, Edomites!

The Russians, what do they say?

Our emperor is the emperor.

The Germans, what do they say?

Our kingdom is the kingdom.

The English, what do they say?

Our kingdom is the kingdom.

But I, Levi Yitzhak, son of Sarah of Berditchev, say:

I shall not go hence, nor nudge from my place

until there be a finish

until there be an end of exile -

Glorified and sanctified be His great name."

Nahum Glatzer in A Jewish Reader

 

 

 

"Please, God, make her well." Numbers 12:13 

Called "The Shortest Prayer in the World" Rabbi Joseph Telushkin

 

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A frugal Jew came to his rabbi seeking his blessing. 
"Look out the window," said the rabbi, "and tell me what you see."
"I see the outside world.  People are walking.  I see trees, grass, sky...."
"Good.  Now look at the mirror and tell me what you see."
The miser said, "I see only myself."
"The difference between a window and a mirror is a coating of silver.  If you do not separate yourself from the silver you will never see anyone but yourself.  Break your mirror and you will receive seven years of blessing."
Shalom Ansky

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When the Lord created Adam, the first being, He took the man through the Garden of Eden.  "See My works.  Look at how exquisite they are!  All that has been created is for you.  Do not spoil or desecrate this word because there is no one to repair it after you."

Kohelet Rabbah 7:13

 

 

 

The student went before his master and asked, "Why do we daven so many times, three times each day?  Doesn’t the Lord get tired of us always praying to Him? Asking Him for things?”

“That,” replied the sage, “is the true wonder of God.  God does not need our prayers.  He knows how much we need to pray so He accepts our davennin. 

“But,” insisted the student.  “So often?  Why not once a week?  Or once a year?”

In the Talmud, the students of Shimeon bar Yochai asked him,   

"Why did the manna come down every day and not more frequently?”

Shimon bar Yohai answered them with a parable.  ‘A King gave his son his yearly allowance in one lump sum at the beginning of the year.  What happened?  The prince saw the King, his father, only once a year. The King deeply wanted to see his son more often, so he decided to give him a daily allowance.  This made the prince to come by every day.

It is the same with the manna. The Israelites fretted every day that there may fall no manna on the next day and they would die. God thereby decided to give His children manna each day so they they would turn their hearts to the Holy One every day."

See Yoma 76a

And that is why we daven so often. He, too, wants to see His subjects because of His love for us.

Inspirations:

> “The substance of language and the language of silence – that is prayer.”         - Elie Wiesel

> “Prayer without the heart is like a body without a soul.”   - Ibn Pakuda

> “Prayer is meaningless unless it is subversive, unless it seeks to overthrow callousness, hatred, opportunism, and lies.”   - Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

> “Worship is a way of seeing the world in the light of God….Prayer may not save us but prayers makes us worth saving.”   - Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

> “All things pray, and all things exhale their souls…  Creation is itself but a sweetness and a longing, a sort of prayer to the Almighty, blessed be God.”         - Micah J. Berdichevsky

> “Whatever one implants firmly in the mind becomes the essential thing.  So if you pray and offer a blessing to God, or if you wish your intention to be true, imagine that you are light.  All around you – in every corner and on every side – is light.”   - Shaar HaKavanna