Bring vitality into the performance of the mitzvot

When Rebbetzin Rivkah (wife of Rabbi Shmuel, the fourth Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe) was eighteen, she fell ill and the physician ordered her to eat immediately upon awakening. She, however, did not wish to eat before praying, so she woke up even earlier and prayed—so that she could eat breakfast at the time she had been used to waking up beforehand. Understandably, her new schedule, with now reduced sleep time, did not cause her health condition to improve...

When her father-in-law, the Tzemach Tzedek (Rabbi Menachem Mendel, third Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe) learned of his daughter-in-law's behavior, he said to her:

"A Jew must be healthy and strong. Regarding mitzvot, the Torah says: 'Live in them,' meaning, one should bring vitality into the performance of the mitzvot. To be able to infuse mitzvot with vitality, one must be strong and joyful."

He concluded: "You should not be without food. Better to eat for the sake of praying than to pray for the sake of eating..."

Source: Hayom Yom 10 Sh'vat

The Prayer Before Prayer

All of this time, only until now I  have come to realize that "prayer before prayer" is one of major features in Jewish prayer. So I googled around and found this beautiful story.

A STORY IS TOLD of a Hasidic Rebbe who was known to begin his morning prayers long after most others had already finished them. Since it was well-known that he was up at dawn, someone once asked him what he was about in the hours before he said his morning prayers. He answered, “I am praying that I may be able to pray.”

The great Tzaddik, Reb Elimelekh of Lizhensk also had such a practice and even composed a special “prayer before prayer” to be recited before every service. This prayer is as important today---if not more important---than it was even in Reb Elimelekh’s own day, for most of us do not enter into the period of prayer with the awesome awareness, “I am about to pray.” Thus, we have translated this wonderful prayer with the hope that, every once in a while, someone might pray this prayer with deep feeling, even if they do not pray anything else, and thereby, place themselves in the awesome Presence of G-d. 

   

The Ba’al Shem Tov once said, “It is impossible to pray with kavanah [focus] without support. Therefore, you must ask G-d for help”.  Perhaps this is the meaning of “Prepare to meet your G-d, O Yisra’el” (Amos 4:12).

PART TWO

Our sages spent years creating the perfect prayer. The accumulated wisdom of the 120 Men of the Great Assembly brought to fruition the blessings that temporarily replace the daily sacrifices offered in the Holy Temple. The power of holiness invested in them inspired them to create a series of prayers that include all the possible words man can utter to G-d. The final product, the Shemone Esrei, is recited trice daily by millions of Jewish people for the past 2000 years. We ask G-d for health, for wisdom, for sustenance, for peace, for finding oneself. But are we saying it right? Is there a guarantee that it is going to work? Will we be humbled by the G-dly words?

We truly don’t have control over the outcome of our actions. Inasmuch as we prepare a speech, a song or a presentation, the impact it will have on people is up to G-d. No matter how perfect our prayers are, they are limited to what a human can accomplish. And humans can’t control outcomes. So before I pray I read a verse of Psalms, to introduce G-d to my prayer. Before I read the holy blessings of the Shemone Esrei I ask G-d to speak through me. I ask G-d to take whatever it is that I am uttering and do with it what He wants. I humble myself by reminding my heart and my brain that I am standing before G-d, and must put my ego and my expectations aside.

"My L-rd, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Your praise"- Psalms 51:17

Source:

The story and prayer is taken from Reb Zalman Legacy Project

The eye-opening teaching in Part Two is of Chabad.org

When it's good to be a heretic

"Everything in God's creation has a purpose," a Hasidic rebbe once told his followeres.

"In that case," asked a disciple, "what is the prupose of apikorsus [heresy], of denying that God exists ?"

"Apikorsus is indeed purposeful," the rebbe replied. "For when you are confronted by another who is in need, you should imagine that there is no God to help, but that you alone can meet the man's needs."

Source: Jewish Literacy (R. Telushkin)

Getting There

By Yanki Tauber

One day, a visitor arrived at the home of Rabbi DovBer, the Maggid of Mezeritch. The visitor was an old friend of Rabbi DovBer's, who had studied with him in their youth. With great interest he observed the behavior of his former study-partner, who had since become a follower of the founder of Chassidism, Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, and had assumed the leadership of the Chassidic community upon the latter's passing.

The visitor was particularly struck by the amount of time that the Chassidic master devoted to his prayers. He himself was no stranger to reflective prayer: when he and Rabbi DovBer had studied together, they had pored over the mystical teachings of the Kabbalists and would pray with the prescribed meditations, or kavanot, outlined in the writings of Kabbalah. But never in his experience had prayer warranted such long hours.

"I don't understand," he said to Rabbi DovBer, "I, too, pray with all the kavanot of the mystics. But still, my prayers do not take nearly as much time as yours do."

Rabbi DovBer's visitor was a dedicated scholar. His wife ran the family business so that he could devote all his time to Torah study. Only once a year was he forced to break from his studies for a few weeks: his wife would give him a list of the merchandise she needed and he would travel to the fair in Leipzig to wheel and deal.

"Listen," said Rabbi DovBer to his visitor, "I have an idea for you. Why must you waste precious weeks of study every year? This year, sit at home. Envision the journey to Leipzig in your mind's eye: picture every station along the way, every crossroads, every wayside inn. Then, imagine that you are at the fair, making your rounds at the booths. Call to mind the merchants that you deal with, reinvent the usual haggling and bargaining that follows. Now, load your imaginary purchases upon your imaginary cart and make the return journey. The entire operation should not take more than a couple of hours and then you can return to your beloved books!"

"That is all fine and well," replied Rabbi DovBer's friend, "but there remains one slight problem: I need the merchandise."

"The same is true with prayer and its kavanot," said Rabbi DovBer. "To envision a particular attribute of G-d in its prescribed section of the prayers, or to refer to a certain nuance of emotion in your heart at a particular passage, is all fine and well. But you see, I need the merchandise...."

Source: Chabad.org