Temple Ami Shalom
TEFILAH (PRAYER)
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SERVICE OF THE HEART "If you are careful to heed my commandments, which I am commanding to you today, to love the Lord your God, to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give the rains in their proper time . . ." (Deut. 11:13 - the second paragraph of the Reading of the Shema) |
Rashi: taught "…to love the L-rd your God, to serve Him with all your heart is the service of the heart - prayer."
Prayer must be uttered with the lips and heard by one's own ears, while the heart is associated with silent meditation. This concept is found in the root of the Hebrew word for "prayer" itself, "tefilla". "Tefilla" means "joining" or "connecting". Tefilla requires the mouth, not just the meditations of the heart. The requirement is the duties of the heart and the duties of the limbs. We are taught that the most powerful limb we have is the tongue. Service is not only the sweet singing of praises to God. The physical act of voicing prayer helps a person to arouse his intentions.
If our lips speak utterances to God and our heart is not in it, we have not made the connection needed for prayer.
One of the ways that we remind ourselves is to join together as a community for a Tefillin service on the first Sunday morning of every month.
Tefilla truly is the Service of the Heart since it combines the mouth and the heart in unity of service to the Creator.
Prayer must be uttered with the lips and heard by one's own ears, while the heart is associated with silent meditation. This concept is found in the root of the Hebrew word for "prayer" itself, "tefilla". "Tefilla" means "joining" or "connecting". Tefilla requires the mouth, not just the meditations of the heart. The requirement is the duties of the heart and the duties of the limbs. We are taught that the most powerful limb we have is the tongue. Service is not only the sweet singing of praises to God. The physical act of voicing prayer helps a person to arouse his intentions.
If our lips speak utterances to God and our heart is not in it, we have not made the connection needed for prayer.
One of the ways that we remind ourselves is to join together as a community for a Tefillin service on the first Sunday morning of every month.
Tefilla truly is the Service of the Heart since it combines the mouth and the heart in unity of service to the Creator.
