We all daven, and on some level we know that Davening works. But do we really understand it? Do we really understand that our prayers have an effect on our lives? Do we really understand that my davening can change the circumstances of my life?
This Shmuz helps us understand the profound effect that tefilah can have on situations and settings that directly affect our lives....
#20 Davening - Making it Real
Of course we daven. Three times a day. Everyday. The question is how real our davening is, and to whom are we davening. It often seems that our davening is more talking to the walls than talking to Hashem. This Shmuz helps us focus on some of the most basic principles in Judaism, things we always knew, yet take for granted, and are so ...
#31 The Voice Inside
Have you ever heard of something called a guilty conscience? What about a Jewish guilty conscience? While we all recognize that “Voice Inside”, that seems to moralize and lecture to us when we have stepped over the line, we assume that this is just one of those things that we have to sort of ignore.
In this Shmuz we are brought to understand that “Voice” that HASHEM put inside every human ...
#63 Davening – Close Encounters with our Creator
Plan your life; live your plan. Set goals for yourself; follow through with them.
Davening by rote is nothing less than selling yourself short. HASHEM and only HASHEM has the power to provide you with whatever you want or need. So why rush through davening in one big mumble?
The trick to planning your life effectively is in when you plan it. F...
#64 Davening Part II- The Love of a Father To A Son
Davening is an amazingly powerful tool, and any of us can use it. Hashem loves us so much, it’s as though He can’t resist our prayers. Yet somehow, most of us don’t believe it. We think we’re too small to be noticed or that if we ask for too much, it’s kvetching. Nothing could be further from the truth.
This Shmuz gives us a taste of just how much HASHEM l...
#65 Davening Part III- The Third System – The Power of the Words
A close look at tefilla defies human logic. Simply by saying particular words with kavannah, we can reverse judgments in Heaven. How is it possible? It doesn’t make sense!
The answer is that it doesn’t have to make sense. On one level, davening is a chok. But more than that, davening is a gift. It’s an escape hatch we can use to get out of trouble any time...
#101 - Why Pray?
One of the basic components of our religion is prayer. The question is: why does prayer work? We know that HASHEM loves his creations and does everything for them. When people deserve good, HASHEM bestows good upon them. If they are not worthy, then HASHEM will hold back that good. How can praying - just asking - affect His decision? Even more puzzling: how can someone else's prayers affect the...