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?
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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?
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The Talmud refers to prayer as “service of the heartâ€. 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.
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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 of the seven verses form Divine names. This mystical and lofty prayer
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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.â€
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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.
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As we begin morning prayers, we offer thanks to God, for providing us with all our physical and materialistic necessities.
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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.
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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.
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