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Counsel and Encouragement for Prayer own will. And corresponding to the extent of the arousal of us, our Father, Your Torah.” The phrase “bring back” carries the
our own will below, Hashem’s will above is aroused to pour meaning of “repent.” The essence of our Torah learning must be to
forth an abundance of good onto the people of Israel. know Hashem. Therefore, we must repent and return to the Torah,
Since I have discussed practical guidance for prayer, I will present which is knowledge, and we must pray and have in mind that our
a few practical ideas for engaging in prayer with deep intent. There “And the Prayer of the Upright Is His Desire” entire intent in learning the Torah is to know Hashem.
is a principle in prayer that a person must think about the
words before he says them. If he says the words without thinking Further on in this blessing, when we recite the words, “Bring us
about them first, they will lack deep intent. Rabbi Nachman writes The prayers in the siddur are filled with wonderful requests close, our King, to serve You,” we must have in mind our desire
this explicitly, and when a person studies his wonderful words, his for the revelation of Hashem’s sovereignty, the rectification of to come close to the service of prayer and hitbodedut, which is
entire relationship with prayer will change (Likutei Moharan I 76): the world, the salvation of Israel and the salvation of the entire called “the service of the heart.” But principally we must have in
universe. But the lifeforce and soul of these prayers depends solely mind our desire to attain the work of the will (as discussed in this
A person whose mind is clear can pray or learn without on the intention and longing of the person reciting them. When book), because that is our central work. And this poses the primary
study. But there is a person who needs to think before we recite kaddish and say, “May [Hashem’s name] be enlarged difficulty. What is the nature of the challenge in doing the work of
he speaks. Should he speak before he thinks, his and sanctified,” if we do not think about and desire what we are the will? First of all, we must pray for half an hour regarding only
asking for, what good do our words accomplish? What will happen
speech will lack thought. then to the kaddish and all of its fine phrases? Its words recited 12 one topic. Sometimes we even need to repeat the same sentence
without deep feeling—i.e., intent, yearning and longing—will fall to over and over again for that entire half hour. And second, we must
This short sentence can greatly help everyone who wants to pray do the work of the will with unmitigated freshness day after day,
with deep feeling. It is clear and self-evident that only a very few the ground. Therefore, you must think in your mind and internalize not while half-asleep and only with our lips. This is a struggle that
are among those “whose mind is clear.” People like us, on the other into your heart that you truly want the honor of Hashem to be demands effort. This is truly work! And this work in reality changes
enlarged and sanctified, the sovereignty of Hashem to be revealed,
hand, must think about something before we say it. That is the us.
level we are on. At any rate, it is clear that a person who prays in and everyone in the world to praise and glorify Him. If no one in
a rush does not have time to invest any thought, and so clearly his the congregation is praying with such intention and yearning, if no Unfortunately, the Jewish people are lacking this essential
one answers amen as his heart is completely filled with the true
prayer is not prayer at all. Proper prayer demands concentration knowledge. However, the more they do the work of the will, the
and attention. Therefore, Rabbi Nachman says that a person has to desire that these words will soon be realized, everything remains more will they be redeemed and hasten the coming of the universal
below. Regarding this, the prophet cried out, “Hashem said: …
pray with all his might (Likutei Moharan I 9). As written above, that redemption. Therefore, when we say, “Bring us close, our King, to
is the meaning of the verse, “To serve Him with all your heart and This nation has approached with its mouth and with its lips honored serve You,” we must have in mind the wish that Hashem will help
with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 30:6). The central effort of our Me, but its heart is far from Me and its fear of Me is a rote human us and the entire Jewish people engage in the service of the will.
commandment” (Isaiah 29:13).
prayer and the power of our prayer lies in our thoughts. As the We must repeat these words over and over again with that intent.
Nefesh Hachaim writes (Gate 2, Chapter 12): In particular, when a person who does the work of the will says
It All Depends on Me this phrase, he must have in mind the intent not to grow weak and
For us, the work of prayer is a substitute for the service never cease engaging in this service. This intent gives him a great
of the sacrificial offering, which depended entirely on the Therefore, you must be alert and focus on your prayer with all deal of help from heaven and strengthens his resolve to do this
thought of the officiating cohen, who with his thought your might, because perhaps it will be your intentions and yearnings work, which is the central work of his life.
could render it unfit (pigul). As a result of the holiness that will raise the prayers of the entire congregation. Do not say in When we then say the words, “Bring us back in complete
of his thought, the offering would rise as a pleasing your heart, “Am I really capable of raising the prayers of the entire repentance before You,” we must have in mind our wish to nullify
fragrance before Him, may His name be blessed. congregation? I barely manage to recite a single blessing with deep
feeling!” Do not say that! Instead, recite whatever prayer you can our ego and our feeling of “I,” because that which most interferes
with deep feeling. Every person in the congregation is inspired by with a person’s ability to completely repent is his ego, his “I,” his
That is in line with Rabbi Nachman of Breslov’s teaching (Likutei
Moharan I 73) that a person must firmly and strongly connect his deep intentions and feeling at another part of the prayer. Every feeling that he is a something. When a person knows that “there is
no other than He,” and that his “I” has no independent existence,