Finally... there you are standing before the Creator, ready for a serious conversation, text in hand. What should be your כוונה/attitude/intent? After all, we started this whole series noting how ludicrous it would be to approach your boss at work and speak out the same canned speech to him three times a day. Yet, here we are with a fixed text we are required to recite thrice daily in the Divine Presence. There has just got to be more than a simple recitation!
The Shulchan Aruch (O. Ch. 98), though, seemingly does decree a simple recitation: When one prays, he must direct his full concentration to the meaning of the words coming out of his mouth.
But here's the rub. You are not standing in front of your boss, you are standing in front of the King of kings -- the Holy One, Blessed Be He -- who sees straight into you and delves into the thoughts and intentions behind each word expressed by your lips. If you make a misstep with your boss, there are other ways to get the resources you need; he also has a boss, after all. More than that, if you decide you don't care for the situation, you always have the option of seeking other employment.
Not so when you are praying. You are presenting your case directly to the top; the Boss who has no boss. There is no other game in town; there's not even another town. It's not your livelihood on the line, nor is it even your life; it's your existence.
I had cancer over 20 years ago. The cure (Baruch HaShem, there was a cure), involved a course of treatment involving a few different drugs administered at precise dosages, each at it's own time along with collateral required activities on my part, over a course of three months. I never once asked him to change the dosage, or to use a different drug, or a different schedule. I did not make even a single suggestion to change my treatment by one iota. Why would I have? He was the expert, my treatment was being vetted by a board of experts at weekly meetings, and the course itself had been the result of years of research by the best in the field. It would have been worse than reckless for me to interfere; this was my life, after all!
Exactly; and prayer is about our existence, after all. As little as I know about the working of the human body, I know infinitely less about the working of my soul.
What I did do, was to report accurately and often as to my state of health. Any pains, any numbness, any change; and also anything that seemed to be going well. I did all that with as much clarity as I could. No deep thoughts about how that might or might not affect my disease or body; that was the doctor's concern. My job was to report on the state of affairs and ask for help where I felt I needed it.
And that is our prayer. Three brachos to set the stage for our petition, 13 brachos to express every critical dimension of our state of affairs, three brachos to express our thanks and hope for continued improvement in our situation.
Now we know why we prayer, how to format our prayer, what content to include, and our כוונה/attitude/intent during prayer. What can we expect to get out of all this? Great question!
The Shulchan Aruch (O. Ch. 98), though, seemingly does decree a simple recitation: When one prays, he must direct his full concentration to the meaning of the words coming out of his mouth.
But here's the rub. You are not standing in front of your boss, you are standing in front of the King of kings -- the Holy One, Blessed Be He -- who sees straight into you and delves into the thoughts and intentions behind each word expressed by your lips. If you make a misstep with your boss, there are other ways to get the resources you need; he also has a boss, after all. More than that, if you decide you don't care for the situation, you always have the option of seeking other employment.
Not so when you are praying. You are presenting your case directly to the top; the Boss who has no boss. There is no other game in town; there's not even another town. It's not your livelihood on the line, nor is it even your life; it's your existence.
I had cancer over 20 years ago. The cure (Baruch HaShem, there was a cure), involved a course of treatment involving a few different drugs administered at precise dosages, each at it's own time along with collateral required activities on my part, over a course of three months. I never once asked him to change the dosage, or to use a different drug, or a different schedule. I did not make even a single suggestion to change my treatment by one iota. Why would I have? He was the expert, my treatment was being vetted by a board of experts at weekly meetings, and the course itself had been the result of years of research by the best in the field. It would have been worse than reckless for me to interfere; this was my life, after all!
Exactly; and prayer is about our existence, after all. As little as I know about the working of the human body, I know infinitely less about the working of my soul.
What I did do, was to report accurately and often as to my state of health. Any pains, any numbness, any change; and also anything that seemed to be going well. I did all that with as much clarity as I could. No deep thoughts about how that might or might not affect my disease or body; that was the doctor's concern. My job was to report on the state of affairs and ask for help where I felt I needed it.
And that is our prayer. Three brachos to set the stage for our petition, 13 brachos to express every critical dimension of our state of affairs, three brachos to express our thanks and hope for continued improvement in our situation.
Now we know why we prayer, how to format our prayer, what content to include, and our כוונה/attitude/intent during prayer. What can we expect to get out of all this? Great question!
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