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changes a person. Further on in this chapter, you will learn that in every word of the Shemoneh Esrei constitutes a unit of wonderful
addition to the work of the will that you engage in every day in intent that a person needs. If you recite the words but they do not
your half hour meeting with the Creator, at the time of the three express your will, the principal factor is missing and your prayer
daily prayers it is also possible—and indeed necessary—to do the cannot rise. In the words of Rabbi Nachman, prayer without will
work of the will, because that is the essence of prayer. With the and longing “do not have any movement and effect.” That is not
help of heaven, I will tell how to do the work of the will in practical prayer. It is reading. That is not service of the heart, but service of
terms during the set prayers, so that you can utilize the time of the mouth.
prayer to engage in the work of the will, in order to change and
progress. After a person passes away and he comes to the heavenly court,
it will tell him: “Dear Jew, you did not pray during your entire
lifetime.” He will reply: “How can you say that? I prayed three
times a day, every day.” They will tell him: “No such prayer
Higher than the Angels reached us here. Throughout your entire lifetime, you only read
from the siddur. We can give you a good mark for reading—in
There is nothing higher than prayer. When a Jew recites prayers particular, because it was quick and smooth. You pronounced the
with intent and deep feeling, they reach high places that no angel words well. That was excellent reading. But where was your prayer?
and seraph can reach, as the Gemara and holy Zohar relate. The Where was your heart? Where was your soul? The entire character
Gemara tells of an angel named Sandalfon, who is in charge of the of prayer is the will. Where were your intentions when you prayed?
prayers of Israel. This angel is tremendous and higher than all of the The words that you recited were lacking will, and so they cannot be
angels by “500 years,” which corresponds to millions of parasangs. considered prayer. They had no soul and vitality at all. Therefore,
He receives the prayers of Israel and makes them into crowns for they did not rise to heaven.”
the Holy One, blessed be He. But even this mighty angel cannot
himself bring that crown to the Holy One, blessed be He. Thus, the
angels say: “Blessed is the glory of Hashem from His place” (Ezekiel
3:12). Even the greatest angel cannot come to His place, as it were.
Therefore, he adjures the crown to rise to the head of the King, and
the crown does so of its own accord.

Our understanding of an ordinary angel is like a drop from the
sea. How much more have we no understanding of this awesome
and tremendous angel. But we see from here that our prayers reach
the highest places in order to be placed as a crown on the head
of the King of the universe. According to the kabbalists, the will
is related to the sefirah of keter (“crown”), which is the highest
sefirah. Therefore, it is clear that it is our will that raises prayer to
keter.

In the light of this, we may not recite the Shemoneh Esrei insipidly
and hastily, and then hurry ahead with the prayers! Recall well that