When Prayer Comes from the Depths of the Soul

In this week’s Torah portion, we see the incredible strength and deep beauty of prayer. Our forefathers—the Avot—believed in prayer with all their hearts. For them, prayer wasn’t just a ritual; it was a lifeline. In every challenge they faced, even the most painful ones, they turned to tefillah (prayer) as their only hope and refuge.

Rabbi Eliezer Turk shares a moving memory about his father, who had the privilege of praying alongside the great Torah leader, the Chazon Ish (Rabbi Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz). He would often describe the powerful way the Chazon Ish davened (prayed). "You could actually see how much strength prayer took from him," Rabbi Turk recalls. "During the Amidah (silent standing prayer), he would remain still, but his shirt would visibly tremble from the shaking of his body." That small outward movement hinted at the storm of emotion burning inside him—the deep love for Hashem, the intense yearning bubbling like a volcano, barely held back by his incredible self-control.

Rabbi Turk goes on to share something remarkable. Rabbi Eliezer Tzadok Turchin once heard the Chazon Ish say something surprising: “Prayer takes more strength from me than Torah learning!” This is especially striking when we remember how much effort the Chazon Ish put into his learning—how he would study Torah with such dedication that it left him completely exhausted.

Despite how demanding his learning was, the Chazon Ish once explained why he always chose to pray Mincha Gedolah—the earliest time one can say the afternoon prayer. Someone had asked him why he didn’t wait and connect Mincha (afternoon prayer) to Maariv (evening prayer), which is often done. His answer? “You’re right,” said the Chazon Ish, “but the moment the time for tefillah arrives, I feel such a strong longing to pray—I just can’t wait.”

This longing comes from a deep place. When someone truly feels that prayer is a way to connect to Hashem—to draw close to the Creator of the world—it becomes something they yearn for, even if it takes great effort and focus. The connection is so real, so powerful, that it brings joy even in the struggle.

In one of his letters (Vol. 1, Letter 23), the Chazon Ish described prayer as a “noble service.” He wrote, “True prayer is when a person imagines clearly that Hashem is listening to the words from our lips and the thoughts in our hearts.” That’s what it means to truly daven—to speak to Hashem with love, with hope, and with the desire to grow closer.

May we be blessed to feel that kind of connection. May we discover the sweetness of prayer and the closeness to Hashem that it brings into our lives.