Why Passionate Prayer Matters: A Message from Rabbi Avigdor Miller
"Every blessing and prayer should be said with a fiery heart," urges the late Rabbi Avigdor Miller. "When we say the 'Asher Yatzar' blessing - what a marvelous miracle!"
- הרב אביגדור מילר זצ"ל
- פורסם ד' טבת התשפ"ב
(Photo: shutterstock) #VALUE!
Noa Asks:
Should we passionately plead for the coming of the Messiah?
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Rabbi Avigdor Miller Responds:
Certainly, we must implore Hashem every day to open the gates of heaven. When reciting the blessing 'Et Tzemach David Avdecha Meheira Tatzmiach,' it must be with a heart full of passion. Similarly, when we ask, 'Bless this year for us Hashem our God and all its kinds of produce for good,' we must do so fervently. When you reach the words: 'and give dew and rain for a blessing,' say them with intensity. Don't say them just to fulfill an obligation. Rain is an enormous miracle. Do we think it just happens by itself? It's a miracle, no less significant than the miracle of the manna.
When the nation of Israel entered the land of Canaan and saw food coming from the ground, they were overwhelmed with wonder. Food coming from the earth? What a miracle. For them, the manna's descent was 'natural' for forty years. They became accustomed to food descending from the heavens. The truth is, the miracle of plant growth is no less than the manna's descent; it's just the force of habit that makes us overlook it. Therefore, we certainly need to appeal to heaven passionately when asking for dew and rain.
Every blessing and prayer must be expressed with a fiery heart. When we say the 'Asher Yatzar' blessing - what a marvelous miracle. Only a series of wondrous miracles allow your body to cleanse itself of waste, but we are asleep. The physical world dulls our hearts and prevents us from thinking. We need to pray passionately, to fight against the physical and recognize Hashem's hand, the miracles revealed in every detail of our world. We must urge heaven to open its gates with a fiery heart - for everything.
How do we express the endless yearning for a true connection with Hashem? Zvi Yehezkeli meets Rabbi Daniel Cohen in 'Ahavat Olam' for a powerful conversation about the meaning of prayer, accompanied by musical and lyrical segments:
This is how to pray a prayer that brings salvation. Highly recommended:
