Upon awaking, each morning, we find ourselves with the possibility of a fresh start, a new beginning.
The world has awoken from its slumber and is full with a vibrant and radiant energy.
Now what?

In English, the word prayer is employed to describe various activities such as, petition, intercession, adoration, devotion, penitence, thanksgiving, confession, protest, affirmation, introspection, contemplation and evaluation. While all these may be the branches of prayer, what is prayer itself?

The Talmud refers to prayer as “service of the heart”. Prayer is an activity of the heart, with the heart and in the heart. When we truly pray, there is a deep movement inward and upward—to connect with the Ultimate Source of all reality.

Ana B’Koach – The Prayer

The Ana B’Koach prayer, as a whole, represents a movement from one state to another. It is made up of seven verses corresponding to the seven days of the week. The initials of each …

Prayer is likened to the ladder in the dream of Yaakov. As the Book of Genesis relates (28:12), in his dream, Yaakov saw “a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven.”

The first thoughts upon awakening—and even more so, the first words spoken—have tremendous power and exert great influence on the rest of the day. They are the seeds which grow throughout the day.

As we begin morning prayers, we offer thanks to God, for providing us with all our physical and materialistic necessities.

Hodu (“give thanks”) is the official beginning of the “Verses of Praise,” and it is here that we ascend to the second rung on the ladder of prayer.

This blessing serves as an opening for the “Verses of Praise” (Pesukei De’Zimra). In the following passages of praise, we tell of the greatness of the Creator and the way He is manifest within creation, with the aim of arousing our emotions.

Ahavas Olam is a prayer for unity. When we say, “bring us in peace from the four corners of the earth,” we gather the four fringes (tzitzit) from the four corners of the prayer shawl (talit).

The Shema is the ultimate expression of Divine unity. It declares not only that there is one God, but that there is nothing else other than God. God is one and the same as He was before and after the creation of the world, and all that exists is included within God.

As our separate self is no longer expressed, this prayer is chanted quietly or whispered to oneself. In fact, this prayer is often called “the silent prayer.”

Recalling our particular verse ensures that we remember our identity in this life and in the next, for now and for all eternity.

When the Temple stood, it served as a conduit for holiness and Godliness to flow into this world.

Aleinu is more than prayer, as it also serves to help smooth the transition between prayer and our movement outward into the world.

The mincha (afternoon) prayer was first introduced by the Patriarch Yitzchak. A form of this prayer was later recited in the Temple when the afternoon offerings were brought.

To bring a korban is to take a physical entity—in Temple times this was an animal, bird or wheat—and convert it into holiness. Then, this was achieved when the offering was consumed by the Divine fire on top of the altar. Today, we can achieve the same internally when we relinquish and surrender our actions to God.

“Happy are they who dwell in Your house and praise You continually…” From this verse, the Talmudic sages found support for the proper preparation for prayer: first settle the minds and then pray. First dwell in the home then offer praise.

The Zohar teaches that “all things holy need summoning.”

In the prayer service, whenever there is a change between prayers, a break or movement, a special prayer called a kaddish (“sanctification” of the name of God) is recited in order to bring unity.

In the world of kedusha, which signifies full integration, there is no forgetfulness.

As we reach the end of the prayers, we express the confident joy that God has accepted our prayers.

When a blessing is bestowed, what is accomplished is the joining of the source of blessing above with the person below. In effect, nothing new happens. The blessing merely activates the existing source of the blessing above and reveals it below.

In this powerful chapter of Psalms, the name of God, Elokim, appears seven times.

The reading of the Torah is called Kriat HaTorah, the word keriah meaning “to call out,” as in one friend calling out to another. When we read the Torah, we call out to God and, thus, bring down the same energy that gives power to the verses we are reading.

Our souls are rooted in Divine oneness; we are truly a part of God above. As far as our souls are concerned, God is our Father, our Source of being. Our bodies, however, function in a universe of apparent separateness, a world of distance. On its own, the best that the body can feel is like a servant serving its master.

We all believe. “Israel are believers, the sons of believers.”

Lamnatzeiach

In this powerful chapter of Psalms, the name of God, Elokim, appears seven times. Elokim is the screen that shields the receiver from the infinite overwhelming light of God, expressed in the essential four-letter name, the Tetragrammaton, which …

The dramatic story of Chana captures the essential nature of prayer on Rosh Hashanah. In fact, according to some opinions, it was on Rosh Hashanah that Chana first prayed for a child.

As the story begins, we learn that Chana …

Before we begin reading the Torah, we open the ark and recite a passage from the Zohar.

The Baal Shem Tov once said that when the ark is opened and we recite these words with purity, faith and from the …

What do we bring to the table of judgment? Our brains, our power, our art. These are all from God. Even when we decide—and it is our own decision—to do good and to restrain ourselves from the opposite, we are …

We all believe. “Israel are believers, the sons of believers.” Some of us are consciously aware of our innate beliefs; others of us are not because life experiences and negative indoctrination have covered over our essential selves. At times, the …

The Midrash tells us that following the brutal murder of his brother Hevel, Kayin was summoned to the heavenly tribunal for judgment. After a brief deliberation, it was decreed that Kayin would be condemned to a life of wandering: “You …

Before we conclude the Amidah we take three steps backward, taking the intense energy that was present during our prayers and bringing it down into this world—into the three levels of creation (beriah), formation (yetzira) and …

In the prayer service, whenever there is a change between prayers, a break or movement, a special prayer called a kaddish (“sanctification” of the name of God) is recited in order to bring unity.

Whenever there is a separation in …

God will extend a hand and assist us in the process of self-transformation and re-unification.

This mystical prayer is attributed to the first century sage, Rabbi Nechuniah Ben HaKana. It is a prayer that consists of seven passages, corresponding to the seven emotional sefirot (of the ten sefirot, or “spheres of creation”) through which …